Heartstealer (Women of Character3 (14 page)

"Look at these rocks!"
MaryAnn exclaimed. "There’s dates chiseled in the rocks."

"Some of them go back into the
1800’s," Jacie marveled. "Do you ever come here in the
winter?" Jacie asked Sloan curiously.

"I haven’t in a few
years but it’s accessible by car. In the middle of winter the falls
freeze on top but the water still runs beneath. The upper crust of ice is thick
and looks blue."

The group scrambled up the small
incline and walked back through the pines. As they fanned out she found herself
between Sloan and James.

Jacie pulled a hair band out of her
jeans pocket. As twisted her hair into the band she studied Sloan's face.
"You look very serious."

He leaned close. "I should
have thought about bringing you here, just the two of us." He took her
hand as they pulled up the rear of the group, winding a path through balsam
trees.

Jacie tilted her head. "What a
sweet thing to say." She drew in a deep, appreciative breath. "My
head feels clear today. I don’t think I’ll ever smell balsam again
without thinking of this wonderful trip."

As they emerged from the trees,
Jacie looked around the clearing doubtfully. "It’s hard to imagine
there was a large hotel here."

"For anyone interested, we
have pictures back at camp," James said. "You’ll be amazed by
the differences between past and present."

When they arrived back at camp they
had a quick lunch and the horses were saddled and ready to go. Jacie persuaded
James to let her ride Dandy. He seemed to have settled back to his normal self.
As a group they rode a state designated horse trail to the next site.

About an hour into the ride Dandy
started hollowing out his back and crow-hopping sideways again. When he brushed
her up against a tree, Sloan moved up alongside her with his horse.
"Jacie, dismount and we'll switch horses."

"Okay." In that instant
Dandy kicked his hind feet out, narrowly missing Sloan's leg. The horse then
reared up, a frantic whinny tearing from him. He jerked his head forward.
Caught by surprise, the reins were pulled from Jacie’s fingers.

Sloan lunged forward. The reins
caught for a second on the horse’s ears and then slid over his head. Nose
almost on the ground, Dandy leapt forward and tore swiftly up the narrow path
and away from the others.

"Jacie!" Someone shouted.
There was nothing she could do. She sat upright as best she could, afraid the
horse would catch a foot in the reins and they would both go down. The animal
continued to do odd little hops and she lost her left stirrup. When the horse
plunged and became more frantic, she swayed off balance to the left.

Jacie had only seconds to consider
the best way to get off. Two horses came abreast of her as the path grew wider.
James forced his mount in front of Dandy, forcing the horse to veer toward
Sloan's horse. What happened next was a blur. Sloan's arm snaked around her,
pulling her from the saddle. James slowed his horse, jumped off and grabbed
Dandy by the bridle.

Jacie felt the biting strength in
Sloan's arms. His muscled arm cut into her side as she bounced against him
painfully. He slowed his horse to a walk and then the animal stopped and stood
still. Gripping the corded muscle of his leg, she dangled from the side of his
horse. Her legs hit his horse's legs but the horse remained calm.

Unclenching her shaking fingers,
she slid down until her feet touched the ground. Her legs shook and she held
onto his boot, afraid she’d collapse.

"Jacie, are you okay?" he
asked urgently.

"Yes." She pushed her
hair out of her face. "What was that about?"

Dandy now stood quietly, sides
heaving and foam flecking his belly and legs. The rest of their party caught up
with them and began nervously asking questions.

"What happened to him?"
Jacie stepped away from Sloan’s horse. "My legs are shaky."

Sloan dismounted. "Jacie, come
and sit down." He urged her over to the side of the path, but she shook
her head and pushed away from him.

"I'm okay. What's the matter
with Dandy?"

James spoke softly to her horse as
he unsaddled him. In minute detail he and Sloan examined the saddle pad and
then the saddle.

She crossed her arms over her
chest, feeling a chill chase across her. "What are you looking for?"

Sloan dropped the pad on top of the
saddle where his brother had dropped it on the ground. "I don't know,
Jacie, I just don't know. I can't see any problem with the pad."

"Or the saddle," James
offered quietly.

She saw a strange look pass between
the brothers. "What's going on?" she asked stiffly. Neither of them
answered. Sloan ran a gentle hand over the horse's back. The animal trembled,
yet now stood unmoving.

She touched a light finger to
Dandy's neck. "He's been acting strange all day, but this was the worst.
He was out of control."

"Geez, Jacie." MaryAnn's
voice was hushed, "I don't know how you stayed on. He acted like he was
crazy or something. You're lucky he didn't throw you."

Jacie sensed anger in Sloan, but
she didn't understand why.

"Are you sure you're
okay?" he asked tightly, a closed look on his face.

"Yeah, I'm just glad Dandy's
not hurt." She reached forward and grabbed the horse's reins. "I'm
going to walk him back."

"No," James said.
"I'll take him. If you think you're okay, you can take my horse. You've
come this far, you might as well go on to the next site."

Trying not to let what had happened
dampen the fun of the day Jacie explored the Kaaterskill Hotel site with the
others. There wasn't much left, a few traces of foundation, an old concrete
swimming hole and what was left of a bottle dump. She couldn't rid her mind of
the bizarre way the horse had acted.

"You're still white,
Jacie." Sloan had watched her like a hawk since the incident with Dandy.

"I'm worried about the
horse."

He expelled a harsh breath, shaking
his head. "Forget the horse. I'm worried about you."

As they started back to camp they
followed a narrow footpath overgrown with bright green foliage. Jacie
recognized it as Mountain Laurel, but her mind was still focused on the horse.
Was she an accident waiting to happen? Why did all this stuff happen to her?

The path grew narrower and she
moved her horse closer to Sloan. "You must have ideas about what caused
this. You haven't said much since it happened."

"Sorry, I know my brother's a
better guide."

Exasperated, Jacie said, "I'm
not talking about that! If you’re worried I’ll hold you liable,
don’t be. Even animals have off days."

Sloan gave her an impatient glance
but kept his voice low. "Don't you think it’s strange these
accidents keep happening to you?"

"I did think about that."

"I'm wondering if this was
deliberate," he said. "I'm wondering if the gas leak in your cabin
was intentional."

"The gas line was a fluke. It
came loose, unless you know something I don’t." She tried not to
panic. "No one would want to hurt me." The track became steep and she
concentrated on the trail ahead.

"There's just too many things
going on here, and they're all happening to you."

As the path leveled out they
trailed the other riders and rode side by side. After a few more feet she
pulled back on her reins and let the others move further ahead.

"Explain what you mean about
the gas leak."

"Maybe the gas line did pull
loose. Maybe the rock hitting you was a freak occurrence. Dandy has never acted
like this before."

Her heart raced into her throat and
beat hard, almost choking her. "When you add them up, it sounds like a
case, but then again maybe it’s crazy even saying something like
that." She rubbed her forehead, feeling flushed and nervous. No, she
admonished herself, don’t let fear take hold. Surely there was a
reasonable explanation.

"It just sounds incredible.
I’ve always been kind of accident prone, but I’ve been lucky enough
to pull out each time." Except for last year. She shivered. She had just
about died that time.

Perhaps he saw her fear because he
muttered a curse. "When we get back I’m calling the sheriff. For
your safety and the reputation of Timber Falls I need this investigated."

She didn’t say anything. In
all honesty, she didn’t know what to say.

Sloan spurred his horse to the
front of the ride. "Okay, everyone ride through the stone pillars and into
the clearing. Donny should be waiting with the horse trailer."

The group moved into a wide, grassy
expanse and found Donny was there with their transportation.

"We'll load the horses and
drive back to camp," he said.

Jacie’s legs ached. She
wasn’t’ accustomed to spending hours in the saddle. She looked
around the field and some of the tension eased from her. The area abounded with
colorful wildflowers. "This is incredible."

"You're incredible,"
Sloan murmured. "That ride you took. I'll tell you what―I got this
God-awful feeling when I saw the reins trailing and you flying by."

"I was scared, but I didn't
have time to think about it. It turned out all right, though. I've been in
worse scrapes." It was over with and she felt a feverish need to move on.

"The outcome could have been
different, especially with a horse like Dandy. We won’t know anything
until the vet sees him."

Once the horses were loaded into
the trailer, the group moved toward a wide-open area where the Catskill
Mountain House had stood.

Jacie pulled out her camera again.
"The view is spectacular!" she exclaimed. "The lower Hudson
Valley is at our feet."

"The Mountain House stood on
the edge of this ledge," Sloan said. "Boats traveling up the Hudson
River could see the hotel standing here like a beacon."

"How did people get
here?" Emma asked, her voice full of awe.

"In the early days they
brought horse drawn carriages up the front of the mountain. Later on, they
built a railway called the Otis Incline. It worked on the principal of weights
and it was quite an ingenious idea. When you look over the edge here, you can
see the straight-as-an-arrow scar down the mountain to the valley where the
rail line ran."

Jacie snapped Sloan’s
picture. When he looked up and stared at her, she zoomed her lens and snapped
another picture. He lifted a brow tolerantly.

"See, I’m just like any
other tourist," Jacie said. She moved away with a grin and shot the
remainder of the roll on the group.

Sloan followed her. "I can see
you appreciate our mountains the way I do, Jacie. They’re beautiful,
aren’t they?" he asked.

"I envy you," she said
softly. "With all the traveling I've done, I've never felt like I belonged
anywhere the way you seem to fit here."

"People rush through life.
I’ve chosen to stop and look."

"I know what you mean. I have
a tendency to rush ahead."

"Look." He pointed toward
the sky. "There’s a red-tailed hawk."

The bird flew gracefully over their
heads then zoomed down toward the grass a fair distance away. She captured the
bird with her camera as it landed and then almost immediately took off again, a
snake clutched in its talons.

They walked back toward the waiting
truck and everyone climbed wearily into the extended cab for the ride back to
camp.

The return trip to camp only took
ten minutes. It was over paved road, winding through heavy woods. At the camp,
Jacie carefully climbed down from the cab on her sore legs.

"Everybody okay?" James
asked as they unloaded the horses from the trailer. "Any saddle
sores?"

She managed a laugh. "It's
been a while since I spent this much time on a horse. Some of my muscles have
tightened up."

"Need help?" he asked,
closing the corral gate behind the last horse.

She waved him on. "Go ahead,
I'll be fine."

An arm encircled her shoulders,
sending a jolt of heat through her. She turned her head and came eye-to-eye
with Sloan. "Mmm, I believe I’ll lean on you."

"Come on, old girl." His
mouth crooked in amusement as he tightened his arm around her. "We'll
never eat if we have to wait for you to amble into camp."

"Very funny." A wry smile
touched her lips.

"My brother has a weird sense
of humor," James said as they joined the others beside a small bonfire. He
handed each of them a plate. "The food is behind you on the small table.
Drinks are in the coolers and there’s coffee set up next to the
grill."

Jacie smiled. "I’m so
hungry I’m forgetting about how tired I feel."

During dinner around a brightly
glowing fire everyone discussed the day's events. James had an album of old
postcards depicting the hotels in their heyday. The manicured lawns, carefully
tended carriage drives and the immense size of the wooden structures was
amazing.

Jacie took in the chatter but
remained quiet. In truth, she still felt jittery over what had occurred
earlier.

After dinner the atmosphere felt
very relaxed. Jacie helped clean up the trash and pack the food away in the
coolers. Skirting the camp fire, she carried the last of the trash to the
truck’s garbage container. She felt a bit of an odd man out since the
rest of the party was couples. Sloan, James, Michelle and Donny were all either
cleaning up or attending the horses.

Jacie washed her hands and swiped
some bottled water from a cooler, then moved to the edge of the camp, admiring
the sky as the sun faded from view. She heard a step behind her and looked over
her shoulder at Sloan.

"You look wiped out," he
said.

She rolled her head on her neck and
lifted her shoulders. "Pleasantly so. Do you have a Jacuzzi hidden
somewhere?"

"Aches, huh? I think I can
help."

When his warm hands touched her
shoulders, gently at first, then more strongly, she was lost in pure sensation.
The tenseness in her shoulders and neck eased as his strong fingers massaged
her. Hard, sure, smoothing, exotic. Erotic. "Is that helping?" he
murmured.