Page 30 of Cowboy Mountain Man

“Short distance. Slow pace. He’s strong.”

She relaxes a little. “You’re both very reassuring.”

I look down at the top of her head. “You all right?”

“Not sure how to answer that.” Her shoulder rests against my chest. Then more of her weight. I tighten my arm around her waist.

The trees open briefly along the ridge. Below us, a few scattered lights shine through the rain. Woodbridge Falls. Close enough to see. Too far to reach safely by the road.

My phone vibrates against my chest. I stop Buck beneath a stand of pines and check it.

Alden.

At north gate. Ellis called. Call when you can.

I dial.

“Where are you?” he asks.

“Ten minutes from the cabin.”

“I’ll meet you at the trail.”

“What did Ellis find?”

Alden pauses. I feel Hope listening. “Mrs. Bell’s daughter got a call.”

“What kind?”

“Man said they’d return what was taken from the property if she gave them the photographer’s address.”

My hand closes around the phone.

Hope turns her head. “They asked for me?”

Alden hears her.

“Yes. She refused and contacted the sheriff.”

“They’ve got the camera,” she says.

“They may have realized the card’s missing,” he answers.

I look into the woods. The trail ahead is empty.

“They didn’t leave a number?” I ask.

“Blocked. Sheriff’s working on it.”

“I’m bringing her in.”

“I’m here.”

I end the call. Hope faces forward again. For a few seconds, she sits very still. Then, she says in a distant voice, “They don’t know I have copies on the tablet.”

“No.”

“They think if they get the card⁠—”