Honor and Desire (Gold Sky #3) - Rebel Carter Page 0,71
vomit from fear. Said gift was an overturned wagon. The overturned wagon was at the juncture of the main road they traveled and one that veered to the right.
There was no way her fathers would have passed this up. They would have tracked it, found out why this had happened. She dismounted and took in the scene from a closer vantage point, the proof of her fathers’ footsteps around the wreck was obvious, but it was when she rounded the wagon that Seylah considered the wagon more terrible than helpful.
Her daddy’s horse lay on it’s side. The poor thing had been shot, but she couldn’t say if it had been done by her parents or someone else. She forced herself to stay strong, she would not be helpful to their cause if she broke now.
“Seylah, what is it?” August asked, but he froze when he came around the wagon and saw her standing in front of the prone horse.
“Will’s mount,” he breathed, coming forward on unsteady legs. “Oh hell, I’m sorry, Seylah.”
She held up a hand. “This doesn't mean anything. There’s no blood, and no sign of anyone. That means they rode out, which they could have done if Papa’s horse was fine.”
August sucked in a breath. “That’s right, that’s right, I just…” his hands went to his hips and he shook his head, “that’s just shocking. You’re right. And the trail leads that way.” He pointed in the direction of the less traveled road.
“If they went east, then there’s no wonder they didn’t make it to Butte.”
“There’s a town about an hour’s ride from here.”
A rumble of thunder caught their attention and Seylah swore. “Goddammit. This isn’t the time.” She turned to see a dark cloud line sweeping towards them. A big enough storm would cross the plains to them in half an hour, an hour if their luck held but that did them no favors considering the town was well beyond that time frame.
August put a hand on her elbow. “We need to move. Get mounted. I’ll do a once over here and see if I find anything we can use.”
He urged her back towards the horses and for a moment Seylah almost did not go. She knew what he was doing, he was sending her away in case he found anything grisly. She knew she could chafe at that, but it was a kindness. Whatever it was that August found or saw, he would not be able to forget it.
“Thank you.” She caught his hand and August’s squeezed her fingers tightly before he let her go.
“Of course. I’ll be along in a minute. The sooner we move, the better.”
Seylah made for her horse and was careful to keep her eyes open for anything of use, but there was nothing. She was just beginning to fidget when August came out from behind the wagon, a grim look on his handsome face.
“Nothing. There was nothing, but it was definitely them, definitely Will’s horse. There are tracks leading to the town, Franklinsburg. We’ll make it after the storm hits, but it shouldn’t be anything we can’t manage. Let’s head out. When we’re closer to town we’ll make a plan. I want to get as far ahead of the storm as we can before it hits.”
Seylah fell in behind August. Normally, a plan would be best from the start, but he was right. There was no time for it if they meant to make any progress before they were caught in the rain. When the first drops hit them, Seylah was glad they had decided to forgo the plan. The town was nowhere in sight and it was nearly nightfall. Pulling the brim of her hat lower, Seylah leaned over her horse, the move allowing for her to escape the worst of the rain but even still there was no way to avoid the downpour.
It was only when the dim sight of lights in the distance appeared that they slowed and stopped. August turned towards her and leaned as closed as he was able to, but even still he had to shout to be heard over the roar of the falling rain.
“I was here on patrol, but it was well over a year ago. The town is odd, Seylah. You need to be on your guard!”
“What do you mean by odd?” she shouted back.
“It isn’t Gold Sky and I don’t want people getting the wrong idea about us.”
“And what idea is that?” She turned her face away from the gust of