Love's Rescue Read Online Free PDF

past as the sky slowly lightened. She didn’t bother to look back. Bennett was there, she knew, keeping pace easily on the black, and the other cattlemen trailed behind him, watching out for her. She felt safe—safer than she had since the day Ambrose returned home to Lexington, perhaps even since the day they left Kentucky.
    Why did Jake come, and the others with him? she wondered. A hawk glided on reddish-brown wings over the endless desert ahead, almost daring her to follow as far as it would go. She gave in to the urge to chase after it and wondered no more.
    Sometime later, Jake appeared beside her and took the lead. They turned west, then followed a trail into the mountains that led up toward Lake Tahoe. The valley fell away below them.
    Jess gave the mare her heels, her eyes almost tearing with the invigorating feel of the wind on her face.
    ***
    Half an hour later, Jess and the cattlemen dismounted on a ridge. They tied their horses to clusters of juniper, then stretched their legs.
    Jess wandered for several yards, peering warily through the pine trees to the road they had taken. Far below, miles of valley stretched out in all directions. Peaks loomed all around and wisps of pink clouds floated above. Jake came and stood beside her. “Did any of those men follow us?” she asked him.
    “No one followed.”
    “Good.”
    Cozy as a kitten in Jake’s coat, Jess momentarily let go of her worries. She had forgotten how awed she had been by this mountain range when she’d first arrived from the East. For months, she’d seen little more than the buildings and crowds of Carson City. And now she stood near the top of the world. Below her feet lay green pine forest, the Sierra foothills, and the dark-red valley beyond.
    She didn’t realize she was smiling until Jake spoke again. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”
    “Yes. It almost doesn’t seem real.”
    “The Almighty sure knows how to say good morning.”
    She glanced at him, studying the relaxed, open expression beneath his hat brim. “Is that what He’s doing?”
    “I think He is. Look.” In the east, streaks of pink, orange, and gold lit the sky.
    All at once, a sliver of blazing sun burst over the curve of the earth. Jess squinted at its brilliance, shifting her eyes to glory in the hues above.
    “That’s the Almighty reminding us that He’s with us each day,” Jake said. “Kind of like a present every morning, without the paper wrapping.”
    “A subtle reminder, perhaps,” Jess said, “but there are times I wish He would just tell us He’s with us.” She sighed. “I do love the isolation and the wildness of this place.”
    Beside her, Jake looked over the miles of red desert and mountains. “I know what you mean.”
    Jess felt the rising sun’s energy flow through her, renewing and refreshing her. Ambrose was out there somewhere—and alive. Though he was far away and fighting in a war, they were still connected—the same sun was shining down on them both.
    ***
    When the horses had rested, Jess and the cattlemen remounted and started back down the mountain. They were riding roughly in pairs now—Taggart and Reese in front, Doyle and Diaz after, with Jake and Jess following behind. The five men had said very little; it was as though talking would be an offense to the stillness. She understood. Since they’d ridden away from Carson City, she’d been too contented to even think, though she hadn’t been able to do much else as of late. And she needed to. She still had to find Ambrose.
    “You don’t believe he’s dead,” Jake said.
    Jess glanced at him, surprised by his perceptiveness. “You’re right, I don’t, but I know something happened. Ambrose’s last letter came in autumn. I did all I could to find him, then I tried to send the telegram.”
    “In autumn?” Jake reined the stallion thoughtfully. “With the frequent movements of armies in the States and Indian attacks on the mail stages out here, I expect some folks in this