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He gave a pitiful bark of laughter. “Lucky? Lady, living with that memory has been hell. There hasn’t been a day gone by that I wish she hadn’t finished the job.”
His words hit home more than she cared to admit. Living with the memories of what Moira had endured, tortured her for years. She had been running from those memories ever since. If she were being truthful, even long before when she and Moira survived the accident that had taken her parent’s life. Their death had always felt so ghastly. So final.
She frowned and looked at him. “And now ye fear death more than ever before. Always be trying to stay one step ahead, as if it be tracking ye all these years. Waiting to take what it rightfully was supposed to claim that night.”
He lifted his gaze finally to meet hers. Understanding creased the folds next to his eyes as he studied her with curiosity. “That’s right.”
For the first time since Moira, Ivy felt a connection with another human being. It made her eyes widen and her jaw to drop.
Sam blinked once, then twice before giving his head a small shake and turning away, breaking what small connection she had felt.
“Early in my years of hunting criminals I met a woman. Real beauty. Innocence bloomed from her every pore. It was all an act, though. That was what she wanted me to see.” His chin dropped as he turned away. “It was what I wanted to see. I spent so long struggling with the reason why my mother did what she had done. That innocence was not an illusion—it could exist. My mistake, however, cost a man and his family their lives. From that day forward I swore never to make the same mistake again.”
Ivy frowned, lost in his pain yet knew her capture represented his atonement. Through her arrest and subsequent death, Sam would amend his wrong from the past. Tears pricked her eyes, but she refused to allow them to flow. Perhaps it was only fitting that their paths had finally crossed and fate would finally claim what it had once lost.
She turned her face from him, not wanting to reveal the turmoil she felt bubbling under the surface. Her eyes fell upon the horse, still fully saddled and knew soon they would be heading out again and arriving in Fort William before nightfall.
Sam’s words confirmed her thoughts. “Not far now. Just another hour or two westward. Town will be bustling with folks. One could easily disappear if they were wanting. Train heads west into prairie territory or south across the border. Boats coming and going into port. Not to mention they have coach service leaving town on a daily basis.”
The tips of Ivy’s brows lowered toward the bridge of her nose as she listened to his words. The jiggling of his cuffs had her head turning abruptly.
“Mighty tired though. Think we’ll call it a night and head on in tomorrow.”
She watched him closely.
“Goin’ fetch us some dinner now,” he said with a slight nod as he laid the cuffs down on a nearby log and turned toward the woods. “Be back in a bit.”
He was gone before she could even lift her jaw.
* * *
Sam took his time hunting. He wasn’t going anywhere tonight. He only hoped neither was Ivy. He realized the only way to gain her trust was to earn it.
She had still not revealed what happened the night of the murder. But he knew in his heart that Ivy was no killer. There was a time he thought he could never trust a person again. Let alone a woman. Yet in just under a week’s time, Ivy had restored a part of him he thought died that day at the hands of his mother. Her frosty blue eyes had somehow melted the ice around his heart and pumped life back into it.
A tiny fox scurried across his path. He raised his gun and shot it. He couldn’t put off returning to camp much longer. Looking back in the direction he left her, he swallowed the sudden lump at the back of his throat. Would she still be there?
Taking a deep, weary breath, he picked up the carcass and headed back. He could only hope Ivy accepted his gesture of trust.
The light of the fire through the woods was his first sight of camp. But it was the silence which reached him first. Pushing past the last branch into the clearing he stopped and looked around. It was empty. She had gone and taken the horse.
Disappointment filled him more than he expected. A bigger part than he realized, believed she would have stayed behind. Would have trusted him. He supposed he couldn’t blame her. After all, his sole purpose in tracking her down was to watch her swing from the gallows. And if there was one thing he did know about Ivy McGregor, was that she would not go willingly to her death.
Still, he had hoped over the past few days, particularly the latter, she came to trust him. Explained what had happened. In the end, she chose to run rather than him.
On the ground folded neatly was the pelt and wool blanket. He sighed and began making his bed for the long night. He doubted sleep would find him for his thoughts were entirely on Ivy and whether she made it safely. He wouldn’t be going after her. She made her choice, he would respect it. But he would do everything in his power to prove her innocence.
As predicted he tossed and turned for the most part of the night. The morning seemed far off but he wanted to ensure she had plenty of headway before he followed her into the city. By then she would have disappeared.
At last, sleep claimed him and he fell into a heavy slumber. Exhaustion, both physically and emotionally, finally caught up. He actually looked forward to the comfort of a real bed once he reached town. And a meal.
When his eyes flickered open again, the early morning sun lit up the woods. He blinked and tried to clear his head. The sound of a horse nearby had him going still. His first thought was of the Indian. He didn’t even consider Ivy.
Slowly he turned around. There standing tied to a tree, was the horse he bought off the logger. Its saddle and blanket removed and sitting next to it on the ground. Sam frowned and turned around all the way. Something lying next to him caught his attention. Or rather someone.
With a start, he saw Ivy’s pale blue eyes staring up at him. She looked almost sad and he knew how difficult of a decision it had been for her to come back. He rolled over completely to face her. Tenderness filled his heart and he wanted to reach out and touch her. Verify that she was real.
Very softly, she spoke. “I didn’t kill him.”
