Redemption in Time by William Clark

Author:William Clark [Clark, William]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2014-05-07T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

The long shadows of early evening were falling on the trail as the Indian gestured that he wanted Taylor to get back on the horse. Taylor could count on one hand the number of times he had ever ridden a horse, and that evening the pain in his hips and back from the ride made it easier to walk than sit. They had ridden all day at a moderate but steady pace, stopping only to water the horses.

Mercifully, just after dark his guide stopped at a small stand of cottonwood trees. Taylor slumped to the ground, more tired than he had been in years.

He had been trying to estimate their distance. Assuming that the horses were traveling at an average of three miles an hour, he estimated they were a good twenty to twenty-five miles from the river. He knew he was now well out of the reach of any possible help, totally at the mercy of circumstance.

As he watched the Indian tend to the horses and light a small fire, he was struck at how natural the man seemed in his surroundings. He moved with a quiet ease of someone used to living outdoors, someone who adjusted to the seasons and the elements as if they were part of him.

A warm gust of wind blew through the trees, carrying the heavy scent of wild sage through the night air, stirring something deep in Taylor’s heart. It was the smell of the West, the scent of wide-open spaces, and the place where dreams are born.

The Indian handed him a piece of dried meat and a small canteen of water, then sat back, his dark eyes reflecting the dancing orange glow of the fire. They ate in silence, letting the fatigue of the day push them both into sleep. As Taylor drifted into his dreams, he let the fear go, opened his hands, dropping the nagging trepidation of the day. He intuitively knew that he would never be safer than he was at this moment. He lay in the Montana sweet grass, rolling the smell of the earth into his visions. He was home, and his soul knew it.

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