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Back The Last Mile Save as PDF
Chapters (49)
  1. Also by
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Epigraph
  5. CHAPTER ONE
  6. CHAPTER TWO
  7. CHAPTER THREE
  8. CHAPTER FOUR
  9. CHAPTER FIVE
  10. CHAPTER SIX
  11. CHAPTER SEVEN
  12. CHAPTER EIGHT
  13. CHAPTER NINE
  14. CHAPTER TEN
  15. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  16. CHAPTER TWELVE
  17. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  18. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  19. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  20. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  21. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  22. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  23. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  24. CHAPTER TWENTY
  25. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  33. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  34. CHAPTER THIRTY
  35. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  36. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  37. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  41. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  42. CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
  43. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
  44. CHAPTER FORTY
  45. CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
  46. CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
  47. CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
  48. EPILOGUE
  49. Teaser chapter

“Learned a long time ago, a big knife can do everything a little knife can and a whole lot more.”

“So that snake found out.” She glanced back at the ledge. “He was really big. King said the bigger they are, the less venom in their bite. He said they get smarter as they get older.” She gave him a wobbly smile. “They learn to save enough poison to catch their dinner.”

Abby had almost been bitten by the biggest, ugliest rattlesnake Gage had ever seen, and she was smiling. He desperately wanted to kiss her. He wanted to hold her and reassure himself she was okay.

“We’d better get back,” he said instead.

Abby nodded, took a step, and her legs gave way beneath her. Gage caught her around the waist before she hit the ground.

“Post-adrenaline effect,” he said, keeping her upright and steady. “It’ll wear off in a minute.” Instead of lifting her into his arms and carrying her back, as every instinct told him to do, he gave her a minute to compose herself.

“You ready?”

She nodded and started walking, her legs still a little shaky. He’d been staying close to her. From now on, he’d be staying even closer. In this rough country, there was no way to know when danger was going to strike next.

And the warning was still there, tingling at the back of his neck.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

THE WEATHER TURNED DICEY, FAT BLACK CLOUDS BILLOWING UP OVER the horizon. The warm, sunny weather predicted in the Apache Junction newspaper, the East Valley Tribune, had changed.

Abby waved goodbye to Smiley, who started down the trail back to the ranch at first light, the horses roped together single file behind him.

“Is he going to be all right?” Abby asked Kyle. “He’ll be out there by himself tonight.” The two of them were working side by side, both of them repacking the gear they had taken off their horses and would now be carrying in their backpacks.

A few feet away, Gage did the same, his knife strapped to his thigh, his sheathed rifle within easy reach on one of the mule panniers.

“Smiley won’t be alone,” Kyle said. “For safety’s sake, my dad and I made a last-minute change before we left. Dad’s riding in today, meeting Smiley at the halfway point. They’ll camp for the night and ride back together in the morning.”

“That’s good. After what happened with the snake, I can see how easy it is to get hurt out here.”

Kyle’s gaze traveled to Gage, who was still loading his backpack. Now that they would be traveling on foot, Gage’s jeans and cowboy boots were gone, headed back with the horses, replaced by cargo pants and hiking boots. “This is new to you, but Gage seems to know what he’s doing.”