Smiley would head back to the ranch with the horses, packing their trash out with him, while the rest of them continued on foot, Gage, Mateo, or Kyle leading the mules.
Abby wasn’t sure if walking was good news or bad. She winced as an ache traveled up her thighs into her lower back. She still wasn’t used to riding. But she was in good shape, and she had prepared herself for the trip. Maybe walking would be easier.
She thought of the spiny cactus she had so far avoided and scoffed. Nothing out here was easy.
As soon as they dismounted, the men went to work setting up camp. In the middle of the open space, Kyle built a fire, while Smiley watered the horses and mules. Mateo collected a bucket of water, which he put on to boil for cooking. Later they would boil more to fill their water bottles.
Meanwhile, Gage spread a tarp off to one side of the camp and motioned for Abby to bring her sleeping bag over and join him.
“Don’t unzip it yet,” he said. “You don’t want any unwelcome visitors moving in. Same goes in the morning, roll up your bag as soon as you get up. And check your boots before you put them on.”
She fought a shiver at the implications. She didn’t want one of those scorpions she had seen joining her in bed or curling up in the toe of her hiking boot. She was grateful for all the things King had taught her, though camping in the pine forests of Colorado was far more hospitable than this hostile environment.
She wished she’d had a chance to join her grandfather on one of his adventures, but something always got in the way. College, her mother’s illness, then losing her to cancer. Abby hadn’t dated much over the years, had only been in one serious relationship, with a college professor named Benjamin Gallagher.
She’d given up her one chance to join King in his search for the Devil’s Gold to be with Benjamin, who’d turned out to be everything she didn’t want in a man. A liar and a cheat, not worth spit. He had broken her heart, though it could have been much worse. She was older now and wiser.
Abby smiled to think that at last she was actually here, part of an expedition in search of her grandfather’s treasure. She only wished he could be with her.
Ignoring a sweep of sadness, Abby glanced across the clearing to where Kyle and Smiley worked to get supper ready. They had brought freeze-dried packaged meals, a choice of chicken and dumplings, biscuits and gravy, beef stroganoff, or chili mac.
“Not exactly a gourmet dinner,” Gage drawled as they sat around the campfire and dug into what out here passed for food. “But it’ll keep us going.” He smiled. “We’ll all be looking forward to Mae’s cooking by the time we get back.”
That’s for sure, Abby thought as she took another bite and tried not to grimace at the taste. Kyle did after-supper cleanup while she and Gage walked up a game trail to the top of the hill.
This time of year, the sun set at about six-thirty, painting the sky in pink, turquoise, and red, a lovely backdrop for the giant saguaro that stood like sentinels guarding the mountains.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” she said.
Gage’s eyes followed hers to the colors saturating the distant peaks. “Every place in the world is different. If you look, you’ll find each has its own special beauty.” He glanced down at her. “I’m glad you’re able to see it here.”
Her gaze held his. “How could I not?”
Gage reached out and ran a finger down her cheek. “Some people don’t. They refuse to leave their comfort zones, look at things from a different perspective.”
Abby fell silent, her gaze still locked with his. She couldn’t look away from the intensity in his blue eyes. He moved a fraction closer. She thought he was going to kiss her, and anticipation sizzled through her. Instead, he turned away.
“It’s been a long day,” he said. “We’d better get back.”
Abby managed to nod. “All right.” They headed down the gentle slope and returned to camp. Exhausted, she opened her bedroll, took off her boots, then slid into the lightweight bag.
Overhead, an array of stars, like crystals on black velvet, captured her attention. Her eyelids were beginning to feel heavy when a pack of coyotes began to howl, jolting her awake.
“Easy,” Gage said. “It’s just coyotes. Nothing to worry about.”
“I know. I’ve heard them before, just never this close.” She looked over at him and smiled. “I like hearing them. It’s kind of nice knowing they’re out there.”
“They can be pretty tough on your house cat, but they aren’t as dangerous as wolves.”
Abby said nothing. Her gaze had wandered back to Gage, and it occurred to her he would be sleeping right beside her. She smiled as she closed her eyes. Like the coyotes, it was nice to know he was there.
* * *
By noon the following day, the sun was a bright silver-gold orb, heating the landscape. As Gage’s horse, Sin, plodded along the trail, vultures circled overhead, big, black, and ominous. Death was out there. Gage never forgot that when he was in rough country like this.
Yesterday’s ride into the mountains had been easy. Too Easy, said the tingle at the back of his neck. It was a subliminal warning, and Gage always listened.
As Kyle had predicted, just three miles in, they crossed the old wagon road, turned their animals uphill, and followed it. As the old Apache had said, the worn ruts in the road zigzagged steeply upward, and there were obstacles—boulders that had washed down the mountain and places where the ground had shifted—making it nearly impassable.
A few miles farther, the wagon road narrowed to a single wheel rut. Along the trail, in places, the ground had fallen away on one side, leaving a drop-off of several hundred feet. The horses plodded onward, but the going was getting rougher.
Gage finally called a halt, and they stopped to rest, giving the animals a break and Gage time to look at King’s notes and the map. Abby and Mateo joined him.
“We’ve reached the next checkpoint,” Gage said, using his handheld Garmin Montana GPS to confirm the longitude and latitude written on the map. He checked King’s notes.
“‘When the wagon road turns south, look north over the ridge and you can see the Four Peaks lined up as one. In another direction, you can see a high, needle-pointed rock. At the base of the rock, there is a drainage we used for water.’ ”
Gage searched the horizon, located the points King referred to, glanced over to see Abby doing the same. Looking downhill into the rocks below, he spotted the water hole King had mentioned.
“We’ll make camp somewhere close,” he said. “Lead the animals down to water. In the morning, Smiley can take the string and head back to the ranch.” There was cell service where they had unloaded the trailer. Smiley would be able to call Walt to come pick him up.
Everyone set to work. Kyle and Smiley had a practiced routine, Smiley caring for the livestock while Kyle readied the camp. As Gage unrolled the tarp for their sleeping bags, his gaze went in search of Abby.
He walked over to Kyle, who was scrounging wood for the fire. “Have you seen Abby?”
“She took her camera and went for a walk. Said she wanted to get some background shots before it got dark, said she wouldn’t go far.”
An uneasy feeling slipped through him. “Which direction?”