Sacred Terrain (Traveled Hearts Series Book 2) by Veronica Mahara

Author:Veronica Mahara [Mahara, Veronica]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: Traveled Hearts Press
Published: 2020-01-15T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-eight

Caleb placed the fat, coiled piece of silver on the workbench. With a good base and polishing, he would have a place for the stove tools. It would give a nice touch to the ‘parlor,’ as his wife liked to call it. Maybe he could eventually commission sales of his design. He fished into his shirt pocket for a cigarette and lit it when he heard Boones frantically barking in the distance. Something was wrong. He went for his horse and rifle and rode to the river. Boones’ relentless barking was getting closer by the second.

Reaching the top of the knoll, his first sight was the frantic dog walking in circles, sniffing the ground. Caleb looked for his wife, her shiny, dark hair, her pink smock—anything to make the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach go away.

At the river’s edge, he called Boones to him. The dog’s fur was littered with leaves and debris from the forest. “Settle down, Boy, settle down.” Looking around, he found her art supplies strewn about, a jar tipped on its side, and paint brushes spilled on the grass. “Jessica!” He ran along the riverbank, then returned to where she had been. On further inspection, he saw that the grass around his feet was smashed, and divots from a horse’s quick exit trailed into the thick, dark woods. “Christ!”

The trail left trampled vegetation and broken branches, taking him deeper into the forest. Determined, he rode on, calling her name. The open prairie came into view, and looking beyond that, he saw a valley marked by the Diablo’s rockiness. He knew there were farmlands up north, but also wooded areas. His mind was a jumble of possibilities. With his adrenaline surging, he searched the landscape. The afternoon sun was beating down, and he saw no one in the blaring light. “Jessica!” he called to the north. Then he called her name to the east. Waiting for a sound, he only heard the wind hissing through the low brush.

Weighing his odds, he decided to ride to the valley. The wind picked up and whistled around the hills and slopes of the land. Caleb stopped. He was on a wild chase. By his calculations, her captor or captors would be a good twenty or more miles ahead of him, yet he called her name again. A gust of air blew it away. Reluctantly, he turned back. This would take more than a day’s ride. He’d need help and a plan.

On his way back, he cursed himself for not going down to the river with her. His mind searched for answers. Who was behind this? Rex Conrad was his first thought. “Damn it!” He commanded his horse to ride faster.

The sun played with shadows in the forest. As he weaved through the trees and brush, a shiny object caught his eye. Slowing, he directed his horse to a branch where he carefully removed a short string that held two small, metallic beads and a few strands of black hair.

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