“Is she with Savannah and Brody?” Jericho had passed another house on his way in and guessed it was Brody’s place. Even if he and Brody had clashed over the wild horses last time Jericho was in the high country, he still respected Brody and was relieved the fellow had found a way to help control the mustang population so they weren’t competing with the cattle for grassland.

“Savannah and Brody are still down on the Front Range.”

Jericho glanced around the quiet ranch yard. “Then she’s not here?”

“Nope.” Flynn followed his gaze, the furrows in his forehead deepening. “I take it she’s not at Wyatt’s either?”

Jericho shook his head. “No one’s seen her since early afternoon.”

“Maybe she went to town.”

“Don’t know why she would.”

“Don’t know why that girl does half the stuff she does.” Flynn’s tone was loaded part with affection and part with exasperation.

Jericho’s pulse hammered harder with a worry that had been growing with each passing hour of her absence.

Ivy was in trouble. And he needed to find her.

Chapter
9

Nothing and no one. Jericho held his lantern high and scanned the rangeland that lay before him.

“Ivy!” he called.

In the distance, the night breeze brought the echo of the others shouting her name. With him, Flynn, Wyatt, Judd, and several cowhands out searching for her in all directions, Jericho figured they would’ve found her by now. Unless she was lying unconscious. Or even dead.

A chill shot through his blood as it had every time he considered what might have happened to her, especially that she’d been kidnapped. Although he didn’t want to let his mind go there, he couldn’t release the nagging prospect someone had captured her in order to get to him. It wasn’t possible anyone had figured out his connection with Pinkerton, was it? Certainly Rodney James didn’t know he was working as a bounty hunter. Not yet.

“Ivy!” he shouted again.

Judd had indicated Ivy had been out delivering rock salt, something the cattle needed in order to gain sufficient weight as well as keep them from developing certain diseases. Carrying and distributing the salt was a standard job throughout the summer. Ivy had likely done it dozens of times over the years. So what had happened today?

Had she headed up into the foothills? Gone farther than usual? Maybe she’d raced after a band of wild horses. She had a tender heart for the creatures. Or maybe she’d roamed into a fire zone and been trapped.

Even though Jericho’s thoughts galloped at full speed, he tried to rein them in and think rationally. “Ivy, what were you doing?” She would have been going about her job, putting out the salt. And then, no doubt, she’d gotten caught up rescuing one of the cattle. But from what? And where?