But by then, he was nearly across. With a last shove, he gained the boulder on the other side and began his descent. It was just as treacherous going down as it had been going up. One false step, and he'd hurtle to his death.
There weren't as many finger holds on this side. When he was about ten feet from the ground, his hand slipped from the rock, and he began to slide down. Scrabbling for a finger hold, he tore the nail from his thumb but continued to fall. His other hand flailed out but found nothing to grab hold of.
The next thing he knew, he was lying on his back in the mud, staring into roiling black clouds. On either side of him were more rocks, but he'd fallen into the only safe spot. Thank you, God. He struggled to his feet in spite of his screaming muscles. Hobbling toward the ranch, he finally managed to break into a run. The barn and house were just ahead.
First he should see if Allie was back. Maybe his fear was for nothing. He rushed up the steps, threw open the door, and stepped inside. The welcome respite from the storm made him pause, then he hurried to the living room.
Empty.
He turned and ran back outside. His boots smacked through the mud puddles as he ran to the barn. The doors to the barn hung open, and so did the gate. He heard voices around the back of the barn and veered to the back paddock.
The horses were gone. He could see several of them at the far edge of the field. Several of the hands and the teenagers were chasing them.
He caught sight of Fern coming from the barn with a halter in her hand. "Have you seen Allie?" he asked.
"What's wrong?"
He hesitated, unsure if he should alarm her. "She went out for a ride this morning, and I don't want her caught in this storm."
"I haven't seen her all day," Fern said.
"Me neither," Latoya echoed, exiting the barn behind Fern.
"Hang on. I only want to say this once." Rick waved over the rest of the group.
Devon and Emilio jogged toward him with Leon coming up a few paces behind. The ranch hands gathered around too.
"Look, Betsy and Allie are missing, probably out in this storm," he said.
"Dude, you need help?" Devon asked. "We can go out too."
"I can organize them into a search party," Emilio said.
Rick hesitated. While he could use the help, he didn't want the kids in danger from Charlie. "Just pray, guys. Emilio, call the sheriff. Tell him I found out Charlie might be a danger to Allie, and I'm looking for them now."
"Charlie? No way," Devon said.
"It looks like he's behind the attempts on Allie's life. And someone stole Betsy out of the bedroom early this morning. I've got to find them."
"Let me come," Emilio said.
"The kids need protection in case he comes back.You'd better stay here." Rick turned toward the house. "Get in the house. Lock the door, and don't let Charlie in if he comes back."
He jogged across the muddy yard to the house and rushed into the office. The glass in the gun cabinet gleamed. The key was in the desk. He fished it out and opened the cabinet. The black barrels looked deadly. Rick touched the gunstock, so smooth and slick.
He'd sworn never to point a gun at another human being after the accident that killed a child in Iraq. But this was his wife, his child. Didn't he have the right to protect his family?
His hand hovered over the gunstock, then dropped. He couldn't do it. God would have to provide another way. Grabbing up the nightstick, he wheeled and ran to save his family.
THE GUN'S BORE SEEMED TO GROW BIGGER WITH EVERY SECOND. No THAT the rain had stopped and moisture shimmered in the air, Allie felt the danger growing. He would do something now that they weren't trapped here.
"What do you want me to say, Charlie? I'm sorry Mark is dead. I never meant to hurt him. Or you. I thought we were friends."
"Friends?" He laughed. "I'm a better actor than I thought. I don't want you to say anything, Allie. I want you to die. But first you'll watch Betsy drown."
All the air left Allie's lungs. "What are you saying?"
He laughed. "Got your attention now, don't I?" He grabbed her arm and dragged her toward a small opening. The hallway was so tiny, she had to bend over to walk through it.
He forced her in front of him, the gun digging into her back. Then she stepped through into a smaller circular room about twelve feet in diameter.
Betsy leaped to her feet. "Mommy!" She ran to Allie, but Betsy's hands were tied behind her, and all she could do was lean against her mother's leg and cry.
Allie's fingers tore at the rope's knot, and even before Charlie emerged from the corridor, she had her daughter freed.
"Here, brat." Charlie grabbed at Betsy.
Allie pushed her daughter behind her and faced him down. "Leave her alone! What kind of monster does this to a child?"
"I didn't want to," he said, a sulky pout to his lips. "You forced me. Always around Rick, never coming out for a ride with me. I told you I was going to strip you of everything you loved. I would have settled for the adults if you hadn't been so smug." He sneered. "All joy and light. You had another fish on your hook, and I couldn't take it anymore."
"Let her go, Charlie. Please. I'll go with you, do anything you want, anything to make amends. Just don't hurt her. She's just a little girl, and you've hurt her enough."
"I haven't done a thing to her yet."
"Didn't you wonder why she didn't talk? It was seeing the the accident." She lowered her voice, hoping Betsy wouldn't be able to make out her words. "For a year she didn't utter a word. Don't you think that's enough?"
For a minute she thought maybe her plea had gotten through to him. His gaze fell on Betsy, and his mouth softened.
"She's a cute kid," he said. His lips pressed together. "I'm sorry, but the sins of the mother fall on the child too." He reached around her.
Allie screamed and beat at him with her fists. She leaped onto his back and pummeled him. "Run, Bets! Run!"
Her daughter leaped past her, squeezed between Charlie's legs, and darted into the tunnel. Charlie whirled around and around in the chamber. He fell against the wall, slamming Allie's back against rock. The pain made her loosen her grip, and he managed to throw her down to the floor.
"You'll pay for that." He dragged her to her feet and forced her into the tunnel.
Praying for God to save her daughter, Allie moved slowly. Betsy needed as long as possible to run for help, to escape. Charlie shoved at her with the gun, and she stumbled to her knees, then took her time getting moving again.
All too soon, her head emerged into the high-ceilinged room. But there was no sign of Betsy, and Allie closed her eyes with thankfulness. All three horses were gone too.
"I'll find her," Charlie said, his teeth gritted together. "You can count on that." He shoved her out of the mine opening onto the ledge outside.
The storm had passed, and she could see a glimmer of blue in the clouds, smell the freshness in the air. Allie breathed in the life, knowing it would be only a few minutes until she lay broken and drowned at the bottom of this cliff where the flood raged. Her gaze swept the valley until she saw a small figure on horseback at the bottom of the path, still above the water's reach. A gulf separated Betsy and Bluebird from the safety of the other side.
Charlie had seen them too. He started toward them, but Allie grabbed his arm. "I admit it. I wanted to hurt your brother. He was such a nerd, and he deserved everything he got."
Charlie stopped and turned his gaze on her. It was odd, looking death in the face. Allie had never expected to see it so clearly. Cold and implacable, his eyes reflected no humanity that she could see.
Then he smiled. "You can't distract me that easily."
He turned toward her daughter again, but the mare and little girl melded into one blur as the combined figure leaped the gulf and gained the safety of the other side.
"Thank you, God," Allie whispered. With her daughter safe, she could handle what came next. She wasn't afraid to die, though she desperately wished she'
d told Rick she forgave him.
He'd feel guilt over her death, and she regretted that.
She sagged to the ground, her legs like rubber. Charlie's fingers tightened on the trigger, and Allie squeezed her eyes shut, expecting a bullet to slam into her skull at any moment. When nothing happened, she opened her eyes and stared up at his smiling face. The smile made her shudder.
She could find no pity or remorse in Charlie's set face, but she wasn't dead yet. Maybe she was giving up too soon. He wasn't going to shoot her, so she had hope. Slim hope, but a tiny sliver at least. The only weapons at her disposal were rocks and her own hands.
"I want you to suffer like Mark did," Charlie said. "He climbed that chair, put the rope around his neck, knowing he was about to die. He kicked over the chair, but his neck didn't break and he slowly strangled to death. It wasn't clean and easy."
He grabbed her arm and yanked her to her feet. Grabbing her hands, he pulled them roughly behind her back. She felt rope chafe her wrists, and he tightened it down until she groaned.
"What are you going to do?" she asked when he shoved her closer to the edge of the cliff.
"Make the most of a storm like this." He propelled her to the very edge of the cliff.
Rivulets of water ran down the hillside to join an ocean of rushing, tumbling water. Churning brown waves tossed up pieces of wood and debris before sucking them under the deadly current again. The flash flood stretched from the base of the cliff across to the next rocky outcropping, a distance of three hundred feet.
Allie caught just a glimpse of her daughter's curls on top of the hill. Rick was standing beside her!
She turned to face Charlie. "You won't get away with my murder. You'll be caught and tried. You'll go to prison or the electric chair, Charlie. Stop this now before it's too late."
"It's already too late. I've killed five people. One more won't make a difference." He smiled, a brief gleam of teeth. "But they won't know I killed you. They'll think the flash flood caught you. It's perfectly understandable. I'll find Betsy and dispose of her before she can tell. All neat and tidy."
He meant to toss her into the raging water.
Lord, help me.
She struggled then, fighting his grip on her arm. "They'll know I was murdered," she gasped. "My hands will be tied."
She spared a glance toward her daughter and found Rick atop the horse with Betsy. They were turning this way. What was he thinking to bring her back into danger?
Charlie turned her around and untied her wrists. "You won't be able to fight the waves anyway." He flipped her around to face the water again.
His hand shoved her in the small of the back, and she was standing on the very edge of the rock. Looking down into the swirling water, she knew Rick wouldn't get here in time.
She wasn't a strong swimmer. The waves would overpower her in seconds. Her only chance was to not go there at all, but Charlie was prodding her. Only a few inches kept her from plummeting down the slope to the hungry waves.
Her gaze fastened on the roots of a tree jutting out from the rock above her head. The closest one looked strong enough to support her weight. She might be able to reach it.
Without waiting to consider the outcome, she leaped up. Her palms slapped onto the thick root, and her fingers closed around the support. Drawing her knees to her chest, she snatched her legs from Charlie's grasp as he lunged for them.
"Allie !"
She heard Rick's voice, and her head turned toward the sound. He was dismounting from Bluebird, who had leaped the gap again. Once he was on the ground, he smacked Bluebird's rump, and the horse carried Betsy back to safety.
Rick's voice made Charlie falter in his lunge. His leap brought him closer to the edge, and she kicked out, her left foot connecting with his head. His arms pinwheeled as he tried to catch himself, but his right boot slid out from under him.
Rick's nightstick sailed through the air. It struck Charlie on the head, and in that instant, he lost his battle for balance. His face turned up to her, and she saw terror in his eyes. Out of instinct, she let go of the roots with one hand and started to reach down for him. She couldn't let him die without at least trying.
"Allie, no!" Rick dove toward Charlie too, but it was too late. Without a sound, he pitched over the side and disappeared in the brown foam.
Allie dropped down and flung herself onto her stomach beside Rick to peer over the side. "Charlie!"
Charlie's head bobbed up, and one arm flung toward the skies before he disappeared again. He never came up.
THE FRESH SCENT OF RAIN WASHED AWAY THE DANK SMELL OF FEAR. IT was truly over now. Rick held Allie as she curled onto his lap and clutched at his shirt as if to assure herself and him that they were both really alive. He still wasn't sure if they were alive or just in heaven.
"You're safe," he murmured in her hair.
"You're wet," she said, pulling her head away.
"I had a little swim in the river to get here." He smiled down at her.
"You swam that?" Her gaze went to the raging floodwaters below their perch.
"I'd swim the ocean to get to you." His arms tightened around her. "I -I love you, Allie." He wanted to say the words before he lost his nerve. Even if she couldn't forgive him for keeping the truth from her, he had to tell her.
She didn't answer for so long, he thought she would pull away and tell him she was leaving. His muscles tightened for the blow.
Her fingers toyed with the buttons on his shirt, but her eyes stayed downcast. "I hated you for all of fifteen minutes," she said. Her gaze finally lifted to lock with his. "I wanted to dig the love up by the roots and fling it back in your face, but the tentacles went clear to bedrock. You're stuck with me."
"You forgive me?"
"Yes." She curled her fists into his shirt and gave him a slight shake. "Just don't ever hide anything from me again."
"You've got a lot of room to talk," he said, his grin breaking out. "I seem to remember all kinds of things you didn't tell me in the beginning."
Her smile was shamefaced. "That's different." She swatted his arm. "Okay, I was wrong too. Let's go home. I need to see Betsy. You're sure she was okay when you saw her?"
"Riding like the wind. She'll be proud she played a part in your rescue. I would never have been able to get across that water without a horse to jump it."
"Why did you bring Betsy with you?"
"Bluebird wouldn't let me on without her. You know how Bets calms animals. It was with Betsy or not at all. They're back to the ranch by now, and this place will be crawling with cops any minute."
"We need to go. I have to hold her."
"In a minute." He gathered her closer and bent his head. There was nothing between them now. Everything was out in the open. He loved and was loved in return. It was too much to hold in.
His lips brushed hers. She wound her arms around his neck and kissed him back. His. She was all his. Now and forever.
EPILOGUE
THE BIRDS FILLED THE MEADOW WITH SONG. THERE HAD BEEN NO NEED TO buy flowers for the ceremony because God provided them himself. The rains had brought the wildflowers into full bloom, and their fragrance and color flooded Allie's senses.
She glanced at her watch. Where was he? The ceremony was about to begin, and she wanted to give Rick his surprise first. It was supposed to be bad luck to see the groom before the wedding, but it hardly counted since they were already married.
"You're more jittery than me," the young man at her side said.
Allie smiled at her newly met brother-in-law. "Chad, don't be mad if he doesn't recognize you, okay? It's been fifteen years. You look a little different than you did at five."
Rick had shown her the last picture he had of his younger brother. Chad's hair was blond then, and he had mud on his face. This quiet young man with starched hair and clothes didn't even come close.
"I know." Chad's nervous smile chased away the picture he'd presented of a polished young yuppie. "I just barely remember hi
m, but he was like Superman to me."
"There he is,"Allie whispered when her husband's broad shoulders moved through the crowd. "Stand behind me and turn around so he only sees the back of your head."
She blocked the view to Chad as Rick spotted her. His face brightened, and he wagged a finger at her to indicate he wasn't supposed to see her yet. She waved him to her, and his smile beamed out.
He glanced around. "If Dolly sees us together, we're in trouble."
"I have a present for you," she said. She couldn't stand it much longer. Rick's face would be a picture.
"I have something for you too, but you can't have it until after the wedding." He waggled his brows at her.
She laughed and felt heat on her cheeks. "Shh, people will hear."
He laughed. "Girl, your mind is in the gutter. That's not what I meant, but it's not a bad idea. This is something more um substantial." He glanced at her hands. "So where's this big present?"
"Right here." She stepped aside. "I'd like you to meet someone."
Chad's face was pale, but he mustered a smile. "Hi, Rick."
Rick looked perplexed for a minute, then his gaze locked with Chad's before sweeping up and down the young man. "Wh-who are you?"A dawning hope filled his eyes.
Allie grabbed his arm. "If you could have one person here to witness our wedding, who would it be, Rick?"
"Chad?" he whispered.
Chad nodded jerkily. "It's me, Rick."
Rick stepped forward first, his arms coming up awkwardly. Chad embraced the bigger man, nearly swallowed up by Rick's muscular arms. Though the older man was bulkier, the resemblance was impossible to deny. Chad had Rick's nose and thick hair. The shape of the eyes was the same too.
Allie swiped at her wet cheeks. She wanted to sit down and just howl with indescribable joy. She couldn't help but think how she'd feel if the sister she knew was dead walked up to her. That was a little how she imagined Rick felt right now.
Then Rick was pounding his brother on the back, and saying over and over, "Chad, I can't believe it." His voice was choked with emotion.