Astrid had never been an easy child, not even when she was younger. But Greta never imagined taking care of Astrid would only get harder—nearly impossible. With the difficulties, who else would love and care for Astrid? Certainly not the stepfamily they’d left behind in Illinois. Certainly not an orphanage.
Astrid had no one left but Greta. And in spite of how hard and complicated her half sister made life, Greta loved her and wanted the best for her.
When the grassland began to rise into the hills covered in ponderosa pine, Wyatt slowed his horse. He led her for a distance along a winding creek until the vegetation on both sides became so overgrown that they were forced to ride through the water itself. After a dry summer, the creek was low and sluggish.
When they stopped to allow their horses a drink, a moose stepped out of the brush a dozen paces away on the opposite bank. Enormous, with antlers spanning six feet across, the magnificent creature took its time drinking, its large muzzle and the furry flap of skin underneath dipping into the creek.
She and Wyatt remained motionless to avoid drawing the moose’s attention. Though it seemed peaceful enough, Wyatt explained that the creature would charge at them if it felt threatened.
After the moose wandered off, they resumed their hunt for the hot spring. Wyatt didn’t speak as they rode, and he paused frequently to listen, the trickling of the creek the only sound along with the rustling of aspen and cottonwood leaves.
Finally, after passing a bend in the creek, Wyatt stopped and held out his hand toward Greta in a signal to halt. He pressed a finger to his lips and pointed ahead to a clearing. Tied to a tree and grazing in the long, dry grass was a horse. Their horse. Dolly.
Swift relief clogged Greta’s throat, making speech impossible. She swept her gaze over the rest of the open area in a frantic attempt to find Astrid. But except for the horse, the area seemed deserted. What if a group of Indians had come to the hot spring for a bath, found Astrid there, and had taken her captive?
Wyatt slipped down from his mount and tied the lead line around a nearby aspen. Greta wasn’t sure her legs could hold her, but she dismounted too, forcing herself to remain strong.
Wyatt hiked through the brush away from the creek, and Greta trailed him. They passed several boulders, until at last she caught a glimpse of steam ahead. It was like the steam that wafted from a bubbling pot of soup on a cold day, with translucent fog swirling upward and disappearing into the air.
She wanted to shout out Astrid’s name and tell her to come to her immediately. But she continued behind Wyatt, who didn’t make a sound as he crept closer. The steam grew thicker, rising out of the tall grass. Behind the grassy area, the hillside was covered with more ponderosa pine, providing a shelter of sorts to the hot spring.
At a sudden chorus of barking, Wyatt paused. Was that Chase? Had he sensed their approach?
“Chase, come on, boy,” came Astrid’s worried voice. “Stay by me.”
Wyatt started forward, striding too fast for Greta to keep up. An instant later, he was holding a wiggling puppy.
“Chase!” Astrid called. “Come back here now.”
Carrying the puppy, Wyatt pushed through the grass toward the steam, breaking through and reaching what appeared to be a pond. Beneath the cloudy vapor, the water was clear and shallow, showing the rocks that formed the basin.
And there on the opposite side, submerged in water up to her shoulders, was Astrid.
Greta pressed a palm to her chest, the relief so staggering she wanted to sit down and cry.
“Hey there,” Wyatt said calmly, stroking Chase. “I think this little guy misses home.”
Astrid pushed up until she was sitting cross-legged. “W-e-l-l, he might’ve missed it, but I don’t, and I’m not going back.”
Emotion pressed for release, and Greta couldn’t hold back. “Oh yes, you are!”
Wyatt’s hand encircled hers, and his gentle squeeze stopped her tirade. He’d discarded his gloves and left them with his horse, and now his skin was warm against hers. “We sure did miss you and Chase.”
Astrid’s lips faltered at Wyatt’s declaration. Her hair was unbound and hung in wet, tangled waves over her shoulders. She wore only her shift, which revealed her pale, skinny shoulders and arms.
From what Greta could assess, the child was unharmed and hadn’t suffered in any visible way from being out in the wilderness by herself. In fact, her face had more color to it than Greta had seen in months, if not years—likely from the heat of the hot spring.
“Since we realized you took off,” Wyatt continued, “we’ve been looking for you night and day.”
“You shouldn’t have looked.” Astrid lifted her chin stubbornly.
Greta started to reprimand her, but again, Wyatt’s fingers pressed hers. When she glanced up at him, his eyes implored her to let him do the talking. She hesitated. She’d never had anyone to help her with Astrid before. She was used to shouldering the discipline and parenting all on her own. What if she let Wyatt share the burden, only for him to discover he didn’t like carrying the load?
On the other hand, Judd had told her that a team could carry more together than apart. Did she need to trust Wyatt to bear the care of this child with her rather than pulling away and trying to do it all on her own?
His warm brown eyes waited for her permission to continue. Her heart quivered, but she gave his hand a squeeze back. He nodded, then repositioned his hand, lacing his fingers through hers. The connection told her more than words could, that he wasn’t afraid to stand beside her and hold her up during this trial.
“It ain’t just been me and Greta looking.” His tone turned serious. “It’s been Judd and half the town of Fairplay. We’ve all been worried near to death about you. Thought something bad must’ve happened.”
Astrid had the grace to drop her eyes, her expression turning remorseful.
“’Cause you know this mountain land ain’t an easy place to survive.” He released Chase, who meandered along the edge of the hot spring, rooting among the weeds, no doubt hungry. “Especially for someone trying to make it on their own. We’ve got to stick together. We’re better together.”
When he shifted his gaze to Greta’s, she sensed he wasn’t just talking about Astrid but was also referring to himself and his desire for them to remain a family.
“I wanna stay together.” Astrid’s eyes flashed with defiance. “Greta’s the one who wants to leave. Not me.”
“I just want to save your life. You know that’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”
“My life is saved.” The little girl skimmed her hands across the steaming water. “The waters have made me all better. And now we can stay with Wyatt and Judd on the ranch. We don’t have to leave and go to a hospital.”
Greta’s heart dropped. Of course Astrid, in her simplistic view of life, would think she was miraculously cured and that their problems would so easily go away.
Before Greta could figure out how to respond, Wyatt shrugged. “If you have to go to the hospital, I’m aiming to be right alongside you and Greta. And then when you’re better, I’ll bring you back.”
“Greta’s mad at you, and she won’t want to come back.” Again, Astrid glared at her, as if she blamed Greta for all their problems.