I hoped one of the riders had made it to civilization by now and notified authorities of the situation at Mule Shoe. When I didn’t show up, they’d come looking for me. I needed to be where I could be spotted from the air. I’d follow the stream downhill.

A faint path, little more than a game trail, paralleled the creek, heading roughly east. Maverick paced himself to my slow, hopping speed. I had to pause often to give my good leg a rest. I kept my eyes and ears open to any indication of someone returning.

The trail narrowed, with dense bushes pushing in on all sides, and shifted to a southeast direction. I had to let go of Maverick’s shoulder and hop behind him. Holly followed me.

The trail suddenly split, the right side following the stream and the left heading north. I stayed with the stream. The path widened but became steep. Not good. A fall at any point would be a disaster, but especially downhill. I sat and continued by scooting on my rear.

The track finally leveled and snaked around a large boulder. I stood, brushed off my pants, and patted my leg for Maverick to return to my side. We stepped around the boulder.

I froze.

I was back at Mae’s house.

Chapter 26

Bram gazed down at the sprawling Mule Shoe. It had taken him several hours of walking to cover the ground his horse had so swiftly crossed. The pain in his shoulder had settled into a throbbing ache that flared into a branding iron whenever he stumbled.

He could see no sign of movement at the resort. His original plan didn’t include the disadvantage of a dislocated shoulder, so he needed a more passive approach now.

If Darby or Wyatt had reached their destination, help could arrive at any time. In the meantime, the barn held the most promise. The hayloft had a large door that opened toward the lodge and cabins. He could hunker down behind some hay bales and hope the killer didn’t have the same idea. He’d have to be careful.

The hillside to his left had the most cover. He crouched and moved from bush to tree to fallen log, pausing in the shade of each location to wait for the waves of pain to pass. In the sunlight, the heat pounded down on him. Sweat dampened his back and underarms.

He made it to the barn without raising any alarm. His runaway dun mare was just inside the door. “How nice of you to show up here,” he whispered. He looked inside the open saddlebag for his bottle of water and the GPS. Both missing. He should have looked around the ground after the mare fell to see if they had fallen out. Dumb, dumb, dumb.