Beyond the New Horizon: The Last Sun, Read online

  Watching Sam pace, Ben had his lines already prepared, “Sam, we need to wait until Andy, and Joe get back. If they don’t find any tracks, then we can backtrack because it’ll mean they’re still behind us. Until then we need to chill.”

  “When I think about how far behind us the slide area is…” Sam shook his head. “The girls are closer to it than we are.” Sam paused, “Why didn’t we bring one of the radios?”

  “If you had a radio you’d send the girls back to find them without knowing if John made it down here? Come on, Sam. That doesn’t sound like you at all. Besides that, it’s going to be dark soon, and no one will be going anywhere,” Ben’s words carried more weight than he’d thought and he was surprised when Sam sat down.

  “I can hear John now…how I abandoned him just when he needed me the most. I can picture the disappointment on his face. He pulled the same thing on me when I enlisted, and after that when I went rodeoing. He couldn’t believe that I didn’t want to join him on the ranch. Hell, it barely generates enough money to feed them from one year to the next. Mary never told him that I sent money from my pay every month the whole time I was in the military, and they got more of the rodeo money than I ever saw.”

  “Now you sound just like John, and whining doesn’t look good on you,” Ben told Sam quietly.

  Sam wrinkled his eyebrows, and then grinned, “I was just trying it out. I guess I’m putting too much thought into it aren’t I?”

  Ben nodded and turned his attention to Jesse, who had missed the interchange.

  “My Dad said the same thing. Ranching and farming were going down the same way as the dairy farmers. You plant your land and then the government steps in and tells you that you had to plow under a percentage of your acres to keep the prices up. Dad would pick out the worst field and plow it and sometimes I thought he didn’t take as much care with the acreage he knew he’d have to plow.”

  “Why not keep it, harvest the grain and stockpile it until the price is up?” Bena asked.

  Sam chuckled softly and exchanged a look with Jesse, “Some do, and some don’t, but the price is set by the government, and if you had a bigger yield than what they plan for you to have, they can confiscate it and do whatever they want with it.”

  “That doesn’t seem fair. I guess I wouldn’t make a good farmer or rancher then because I’d set my own price and sell it to whoever wanted to buy it.”

  “Ben, my dad did that. When he put the land in oats, he’d harvest all of it and store it in the silo. When someone wanted to buy oats, he’d charge them a nickel a pound and let them bag it up themselves. He called it his retirement account.”

  “What the heck?” Kenny rose to his feet, peering through the brush. The sound of small motors seemed to be coming closer. “They couldn’t have gone very far. Why do you suppose they’re coming back?”

  “Maybe one of them forgot their wallet,” Jesse chuckled.

  With the scathing look from Sam, “Okay sorry, I’ll shut up.”

  Sam and Kenny crawled to the front of the bushes to watch the men on the bikes pass by.

  “They’re not all here,” Kenny whispered. He and Sam had hunkered down at the base of some thick brush, and they watched the men ride by. “There’s only eight of them,” he said under his breath.

  “And they’re all single riders, so either they have another camp somewhere close, or the rest continued on foot, and that doesn’t make any sense. We’ll wait until Andy and Joe get back, and you and I’ll go find out. There’s a reason they came back, and I think we need to know what it is.”

  As soon as the motorized procession had passed, they crawled back into the brush and sat patiently for Andy and Joe.

  Sam was beginning to get a bad feeling in his gut, and if there was one thing he trusted, it was his gut. Instinct had saved his bacon more times than not. He settled down to wait and wondered how long Willy would be able to delay the women. He had no doubt they would be headed his way, he just didn’t know when. Gina hadn’t fooled him with her uncrossed fingers, and when she hadn’t looked him in the eyes as she promised, he knew. She wasn’t the type to sit idly by when there was a chance for some excitement and Sam thought she was his perfect match despite her tendency to over think everything. He wondered when they would show up.

  Chapter Two

  Willie sat on the edge of the picnic table with his feet on the bench. His upper body was supported by his elbows making indents on his knees. His head hung with his chin resting on his chest and Gina was afraid to wake him if he was asleep, but anxious to get on the road, she cleared her throat, “Willy?”

  His head jerked up, and his green eyes immediately met hers. She still hadn’t gotten used to seeing green eyes where she would have expected to see some shade of brown. At the V.A. she had seen every shade of brown, but never the startling green of his. The whites were shot with veins of red, and she felt sorry that he had tried to handle the burden of security on his own. It hadn’t mattered who was standing guard, he had made it his mission to check on each one of them.

  “Yes?” he said and yawned.

  “I think we’re finally ready. The mares are tied to the back of the buggy, and I’m sure the foals will follow. Sierra is going to take the first turn on the cart, and we’ll trade off when she can’t stand the smell of the chickens and goats anymore. You’re on the buckboard and Olivia and Lucy are taking turns on the buggy. That leaves Journey and me to ride out in front. You ready to do this?”

  He rose to stand on the bench, looking over the top of the women. He had wanted to leave the two mares and foals behind and leave Sierra and Olivia to watch over them, but the protests from all of them set him straight. He should have known his reasoning would fall on deaf ears. Each of them was determined on going, and he realized had he been in their place, he would have insisted too. Other than Olivia and himself, each of the women had a vested interest in going, and he wasn’t too sure about Olivia. He had overheard her picking Gina’s brain about Matt.

  The route was easy to follow for the first day, the men had done well clearing the way. Gina thought they had less trouble than Charlie would have had using the same path because Willy’s buckboard was narrower than the farm wagon Charlie had built. Willy had rebuilt an authentic buckboard using the identical dimensions of the original wagon. The long narrow bed and close-set wheels allowed it to handle the narrower trails. Joe and Sham pulled as a team that had spent hours in harness. While she missed the comfortable ride of Sailor, the Appy, she’d picked out was proving his value every day.

  A light touch on her arm was enough to bring Gina to her feet. “What?” She spat out fumbling for her weapon.

  Journey put her hand on Gina’s to stop her, “It’s okay. We’re getting ready to move out, and I thought you might want to wake up first. We have jerky and pemmican for breakfast.”

  Gina wrinkled her nose, her lips thinned in distaste, “The pemmican was good when we didn’t have to have it for every meal, I’m almost going to be happy when it’s all gone.”

  “That’s what happens when we voted to have a cold camp. You’re just lucky that Willy and Olivia are so proficient at getting rabbits or it would be only pemmican, and we’re almost out of it too.”

  They both looked up when they heard one of the foals let out a bleat of protest. They were able to see Olivia with a halter fashioned out of twine holding the white filley’s head. Willy had one of its front feet up, looking at the tiny sole. He shook his head and with a hand motion, signaled for Olivia to turn her loose. He turned to watch the filly hobble back to its mother.

  “I knew we should have left them behind. That baby will be lame before the day is out. You gotta let their feet firm up before they can tackle a trip like this,” he growled as he walked up to them.

  “You’re probably right, but there’s not much we can do about it now. Maybe we catch up with the guys today or John.”

  Willy shook his head, “Those guys are a day ahead of us at least, and they d
on’t have the burden of the wagons. As long as we go as slow as we’re going, it’ll be a couple days before we catch up.”

  The night before they had heard sporadic gunshots and Gina and Lucy had wanted to investigate, but Willy and Journey had not. Willy wouldn’t allow them to vote on staying or going, but put his foot down, refusing to run off into the night on a wild goose chase. Reluctantly, Gina had acquiesced when Willy pointed out that the shots could not be pinned down as to the direction.

  As soon as the few things they had used were stored away, they set off, Gina and Journey riding out front. Lucy had the buggy with Willy on the buckboard seat. Olivia, with the goat cart and Sierra rode behind their small herd of horses. By noon they had covered as much ground as they had the whole time the day before. Sam had kept to the forestry roads as much as they could, but Gina had to pull up when Sam’s tracks disappeared at the edge of a recent slide.

  “Well, crap! This isn’t good.” She turned her horse around and waved Willy to a stop.

  “What about that road we passed a while back? It would be pretty easy to move that tree blocking it.”

  Gina nodded at Journey, “We might have to.” She had wondered why the men hadn’t taken it when they’d come to it but figured they’d had their reasons. She knew they could have checked it out and found it didn’t go where they needed to go, but the road was the only option for them. Sam had told them the forest service roads ran all through the mountains, and Gina figured eventually they cross another that went south.

  Her shoulders sagged, and she frowned, “Let’s take a break. I think it’s time we checked the road in front of us. I’m getting tired, and I know the rest of you have to be too.”

  “Me…not so much, but Lucy and the babies probably could use a break. I saw Willy checking Snowflakes feet earlier, and I’m sure that Sierra has had her fill with the goats.”

  It had taken the better part of the past two days for Gina to realize how stupid they were. They should have stayed where Sam had left them and been content to wait for the men’s return. She couldn’t justify dragging the mares and foals all over without knowing first-hand where they were going. She thought the same principles could have been said for the group splitting up in the first place. If John had shown some patience at the ranch, they could have retrieved the provisions from St. Regis, brought Charlie's sons to him and all left at the same time. Instead, they were now split into three groups, and not one group knew what the others were doing or exactly where they all were.

  “And now I’ve compounded the problem by not staying at the campsite,” she muttered.

  “So…I guess that means it’s time for a pow-wow?”

  Gina’s horse reacted to hearing Willy so close behind them and lunged forward almost unseating her. Gina grabbed the horn and gently pulled the reins, “Easy big guy…that’s it.” She ran her hand down the side of his neck to calm him. Gina turned in her saddle to find Journey was no longer behind on her horse but had been replaced by Willy, who now sat on Journey’s mare. Past him, she saw both the buggy and wagon had been turned around and were headed away on the trail they’d been on.

  She had been lost in her thoughts and not heard anything.

  “What the hell Willy? You scared the crap out of us.”

  “Didn’t mean to, but when Journey came back and said you were trying to solve the world’s problems all by yourself, I decided you needed a hand. We can’t be sitting here all day wasting daylight. We’re going back to that other service road we passed and find somewhere to make camp. Then you and I are going on a little scouting mission. No more running around without knowing what’s ahead of us.”

  Gina shook her head, her shoulders sagged, and she turned the gelding to face him, “I really screwed up this time, and you guys let me.”

  “We didn’t let you do any such thing. We all agreed we needed to go. We just didn’t put enough thought into what we were going to do. Now if you’ll come back with the others, we can make a plan.”

  Gina rode silently beside Willy, following along behind the buggy. When they reached the side road, they all helped to set up camp. By the time the horses were cared for and tethered out in a small clearing, Journey surprised them with coffee made from the Folgers crystals Willy had provided.

  “I can always tell when you’re preoccupied,” she said as she handed a mug to Gina. At Gina’s blank stare she added, “I’ve never seen you not react to the smell of coffee. It may only be instant, but it still smells like coffee.”

  “Thanks, Journey.” Gina reached for the cup, “I’m not preoccupied I’m just thinking about how big of an ass I am. We should never have left the campsite. It just hit me that Sam and the guys could have gone back a different way and we’re not there, so not only have I put us in harm’s way but them too.”

  “Oh poo! You did no such thing. You’re no guiltier than the rest of us. We all decided to leave. It wasn’t all you, so don’t be taking all the blame. We should have stayed together in the first place, and we wouldn’t have been in this position we’re in now! So, if you want to place blame, place it where it belongs.”

  “She’s right! The guys should never have left us behind. We all know Sam was worried about his family, but that left us to worry about them. I can’t help but think a day or two longer would have made any difference in finding John. If you hadn’t suggested going, I would have. Ben and Abby are out there, and I want to find them too. We all know I suck when it comes to riding bareback, so Sierra and I are going to stay with the animals and the four of you are going to go find our men and hopefully the others too.”

  Gina shook her head, “I think we should stay together. Two of us can ride this road and see where it comes out. If we can get down to the main road, finding John and the others should be pretty easy, and with luck, we’ll all be together and in one place.”

  “And what if we don’t find them? Then what? Sam’s already going to be pissed we didn’t stay at the camp, and the others are going to be all lined up behind him.”

  Willy walked in between the women to shut them up, “Do you really think he thought you would stay there? He told me he was sure you had something up your sleeve and he expected no less from the rest of you. He wanted me to delay you if possible, and I did. Now, Gina’s right. We’ll go find the way down and come back for you.” He waited until he had confirmation from each of the women. “Journey, can I borrow your horse?”

  “Of course.”

  “Okay then. Gina let’s go before it gets too late.” He looked at Journey, “We’ll be back before nightfall, but if for some reason we aren’t, please stay put. You have to trust me on this, but we will return. We're kind of secluded up here, but there’s no reason to advertise you’re here, just in case.”

  He and Gina moved the tree from across the trail, mounted up and rode up it, weaving in and out of the saplings that seemed determined to take over the path. When she turned for one last look behind, Gina was surprised how much of a difference a few yards could make. She couldn’t see her friends at all through the brush.

  She finally broke the silence, “So…I guess I didn’t fool Sam at all?”

  Willy chuckled softly, “Nope. Not for an instant.”

  “Oh…well, I guess he knows me far better than I know him.”

  They rode for only an hour, and with one detour around a small slide, the road ended on the blacktop. They found a brown sign that said, Avery 1 mile.

  Willy looked up and down the road and then down at the pavement. It had cracks and dirt covered parts of it. In the soil, he saw wheels marks that were too close together to have been made from automobiles and in one case a single track, but not one hoof mark.

  “I guess we came further west than I thought. If I remember right, we’ll find the river as soon as we get to Avery. The question is, do we investigate further or go back to the others?”

  “Let’s at least go as far as the town. I think we should know what’s there before we bring the animals do
wn, don’t you?”

  Willy laughed, “I wouldn’t call Avery a town, more of a stop along the road. As near as I remember, it’s not much more than a store and gift shop. More of a tourist stop than anything. I’m not sure if it stays open during the winter months and if you remember it was almost winter when this all started.”

  “It was starting to feel like winter this morning. If it gets any colder, we’ll have to dig out our winter clothes.”

  Willy looked at her as they rode, “Dig them out? From where?”

  Gina rolled her eyes, “From our…oh.” Willy was right. There would be no pulling the winter clothes out from under the bed or from the back of their closets. No boots from the upper shelf or gloves brought out for the cold weather. What they had with them on their camp trip was all they had to survive when the weather turned cold. She remembered how cold they had been before the earthquakes had started and realized they needed some sort of shelter before the season turned to winter. As cold as the winters in Spokane had been, she was sure the winters in Montana were much more frigid. The snippet they had experienced in the beginning, was enough to show her they could all freeze without shelter.

  They rode on for another few minutes until the sound of a motor caught their attention. “Into the brush,” Willy told her while turning his horse between two trees. Gina followed him in. When they were concealed, they turned to watch the road.

  They didn’t wait long before an older Harley roared by. The man riding it looked unkempt and dirty. He had a red bandana tied around his forehead, stopping his greasy looking hair from getting in his eyes. He wove the bike between the patches of dirt as if they had the power to tumble the old motorcycle. He wore a pack slung across his back and rode with his eyes glued to the road. Had he been observant, he could have seen the hoof prints in the dirt partially covering the pavement, because they had not taken care to avoid it.