Unchained Hearts by Linda Ford

Author:Linda Ford
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2014-11-10T00:00:00+00:00

eight

Abby shifted in the saddle, twisting and arching her back, trying to ease the stiffness. All morning she had been leaning into the day. It had been a hurry-up-and-wait day as Brewster meticulously studied the signs, examining each blade of grass, each rock, each leaf with total concentration. He was so intense that she imagined him magnifying every item until the tiniest detail spoke its history. She watched him now, down on one knee, studying the grass inch by inch. Then he straightened and looked into the distance.

When they had started out, Abby had repeatedly asked him what he saw. Could he tell if Andrew had been this way? He had merely shaken his head and continued to look. After a few rounds of questions with no answers, however, Abby discovered that, if she was quick enough to catch the expressions that flitted across his features, she could read the answers in his face. If he saw something helpful, there would be a flicker in his eyes, so tiny and brief that at first she thought she had imagined it, but it was there. When he failed to find something that he seemed to be expecting, his eyebrows would arch upward—again, almost imperceptibly—as if surprised that the clue wasn’t there. When the trail would seem to grow cold, Brewster would study the ground with such intensity that Abby expected to see the grass at his feet smolder. Constantly watching him to read his expressions gave Abby plenty of opportunity to study him. And to think.

To keep her mind from its endless twisting, she tried to guess where Andrew was. The scenes she imagined were not comforting. Maybe he accidentally ran into Petey and Sam and they had taken out their frustrations on him. Or maybe this wasn’t his trail at all. What if he didn’t go this way at all but rode into town for help or was miles the other way?

Yesterday, his disappearance had filled her with boiling fear; but today, she suddenly realized, even with her “what-ifs” she was less frightened. Today it was more an urgency. As if she knew they would find him and the sooner the better. She examined this feeling. Why was she more determined and less panicked today? Was if because her gut—the same belly-deep feeling that assured her Andrew was not at the house—was assuring her he was at the end of the trail? Had her faith in God grown to give her a resting confidence in His love and power? She knew God would take care of Andrew and it did help her to stay calm. Or—she tried to stop the thought from blooming—was it Brewster that accounted for her calmness? Was she so trusting of his ability and willingness to help that it eased her mind?

Something between them had changed. She couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was, nor was she sure she wanted to. No, that wasn’t quite true. She was sure she didn’t want to know. It was bad enough that she had to depend on him right now.

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