Courage To Believe (Cowboys of Courage 2)

  Courage to Believe

  Courageous Love Book Two

  CHARLENE BRIGHT

  Courage to Believe

  Copyright © 2015 by Charlene Bright

  All rights reserved. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, without the express written permission of the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Books by Charlene Bright

  Canton County Cowboys Trilogy

  A Cowboy Worth Loving

  Dare to Love a Cowboy

  Captivated by a Cowboy

  Courageous Love Series

  Courage to Follow

  Courage to Believe

  Courage to Love Series

  More Than Words

  I Saw Mommy Kissing a Cowboy

  (Cowboy Christmas Romance coming November, 2015)

  Courage to Believe

  He just wanted to make a living...

  It seemed that every time Lucas Graham got a little ahead, something threw him back three steps. With financial problems beyond his control and a ranch he’s only just begun to build, the coordinator of Treasure County Search and Rescue in Courage can’t catch a break. Just when he thinks he’s solved his problems, another arises. It’s always a girl, and this one is in a race against time. Gritting his teeth, he heads out into the storm fearlessly, prepared for the worst... or so he thinks. This time, though, the challenge is beyond his experience, and he might be bested.

  She was supposed to be on vacation…

  With her life just beginning, Gillian Grayson simply chose to visit her aunt and uncle up on the mountain in Courage. She wasn’t the most accomplished rider, but with a trustworthy horse, she didn’t count on getting thrown and destroying her ankle. A storm is brewing, and she can’t hike back to the ranch. She’s at the mercy of anyone who might think to look for her. But with her independent streak and a desire to go home and live her dream, she might not have the courage to be truly found.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  About the Author

  Chapter 1

  If the lousy hold music cycled through another bad elevator version of Garth, George, or Clint, Lucas Graham swore he would throw the infernal cell phone deep into the woods and let the next snow storm bury it. He’d been pacing back and forth on his deck for twenty minutes waiting for an answer, inspecting several boards and determining he needed to do a repair job as soon as spring rolled around.

  If it ever did.

  One of the things he hated about living in Courage was never knowing just how long the snow would last. Being in the mountains of Montana didn’t necessarily mean year-round winter like some people thought, but there were years when the blizzards kept coming right on into early June. Tomorrow was the first of May, and it didn’t look like the most promising forecast for a nice summer day.

  “Sir? This is Regina Miller. How may I be of assistance to you today?”

  Lucas was ready to spit nails. He’d already been through this with three other people who seemed to be clueless. “Regina? What department are you in? I ask because this will be the fourth time I’ve explained the situation, and I’d really like to believe I’m going to get an answer and not hold music or a transfer this time.”

  “Yes, sir, I understand, and I apologize for any inconvenience. I’m with the accounting department. I’m assuming you had a financial question to ask?”

  Thank goodness for small favors! “Okay, Regina, I sold three bulls at auction two weeks ago. I should have had a pretty hefty check by now, and yet, my mailbox is still empty. I’m wondering where my money is.” Normally, he wouldn’t be hounding about it. Lucas prided himself on being a patient man. But this time around, he desperately needed the money.

  The Treasure County Fire and Rescue Department was low on funding and had made salary cuts. In fact, a couple of the guys had gone fully volunteer to help save the others a harsh pay cut. Be that as it may, a quarter knocked off the top of his earnings coupled with last year’s poor flax and wheat crops meant he was barely making it right now. This check meant making the mortgage payment on his ranch without having to take any of his cattle to the butcher.

  “Could I have your name and registration number, sir? I’d be more than happy to try to track that down for you. And if we can’t find it, I can have the check cancelled and a new one sent to you overnight.”

  This woman was a goddess! “My name is Lucas Graham, and my registration number is G-7451-TC.” Two days would be cutting it close; he would just make the deadline to avoid a late fee. Lucas had never been this close to missing his mortgage payment, and if the check didn’t show up, he was going to have to swallow his pride and ask for help. He wasn’t going to his daddy, though. The man would lecture about putting ten percent back out of every paycheck and ask why he had no savings account.

  Lucas didn’t mind the thought of saving, but he had to get to a point where he was set up to do that. Right now, every penny he made went to something on the ranch or food in his mouth. Horton Graham didn’t quite understand that. He’d been a lifer in Courage, but he’d never owned a ranch, only worked on them for others. Lucas had grown up in the small town, in one of the rundown old shacks. From the time he was twelve, he’d started working on the ranches, putting away money so he could buy his own someday.

  “All right, Mr. Graham, I’m not going to place you on hold, but I’m going to mute-out for a minute while I search our records.”

  “I am grateful for your help, ma’am,” he said, calming a little. Now that something was finally getting done, he wasn’t so on edge. Squinting up at the sky through the bare tree limbs, Lucas reaffirmed that two days might still not be enough. There was a storm brewing that would have the mountain locked down. But if he could get it sent to the sheriff’s office or to Sieverson’s house, Lucas could get off the mountain to get it. Ryder Sieverson, the fire chief, would hold it for him till he got there, as would Garrett Woodward, the Treasure County sheriff and one of Lucas’s oldest friends. In fact, if the check didn’t come through, Garrett was his first choice when it came to borrowing money. The guy wasn’t exactly rich, but he was settled. He’d done well for himself after his parents died, mostly because he’d thrown himself into work on the ranch. And with his fiancée Shakota to help him, the Woodward ranch was thriving.

  Lucas held the phone away from his ear and sighed. He didn’t know which was worse, the offensive hold music or the irritating silence. He was tired of listening to the sound of his boots on the creaking, cracking wood of his deck already.

  Almost instantly, he regretted the thought. The sound of hooves beating the ground and throwing up patches of s
now and ice sounded in the near distance, and Lucas stopped moving to listen for the direction. Facing north, he frowned as he saw a beautiful horse crest over the hill and come straight toward him. He scowled. It was still a bit far away, but he didn’t see a rider.

  Likely, one of his neighbors’ equestrian friends had escaped the corral, and he’d need to lead the horse back home. When it got closer, he’d be able to tell better whose it might be. He didn’t go back to pacing, wanting to calm the horse and not spook it further. Eventually, the horse slowed, and he got a better look. It was a roan, with slightly gray dapples you could only see when he turned just so. Male, about fifteen hands, and not a show breed.

  And he was saddled.

  That wasn’t a good sign.

  This wasn’t one of Garrett’s horses, Lucas knew. Besides, Garrett lived much further up the mountain. It could have belonged to the new couple who’d moved into what had been Hoyt Brooks’ place, before he’d been relieved of his sheriff’s badge and thrown in the clink. He framed Garrett for his murder and skipped town on a murder rap of his own from dozens of years ago.

  But he didn’t know if the Marshalls even had a horse like this. He didn’t think their little girl was old enough to ride yet, or he might have thought this was her horse. If this gorgeous fellow didn’t belong to the Marshalls, he would almost have to have come from the Breckinridge ranch, since Simon at the ranch next to his didn’t have any horses. That was two ranches over and about a fifteen minute ride. Lucas didn’t hesitate. He was an EMT, and he knew that whoever had been in that saddle was out there somewhere. With the cold front and the storm moving in, that person needed to be found quickly.

  Debating on trying to ride, lead, and carry the phone, Lucas growled at himself and hung up the phone. He’d get the horse home, find whoever had been on it, and call back. This time, he knew to ask for Regina, and she would likely already have the information for him.

  The damn horse was spooked to high heaven, but with some cautious movements and soothing noises, Lucas managed to catch his reins and lead him toward the stable, where he kept his one lonely horse, Rover. Someday, he’d fill the stalls, but for now, Rover was a good horse and got him through the rough spots. He tied the rogue horse to a post and saddled Rover in record time. He wasn’t going far, so he just grabbed the leather duster and hat that hung in the tack room for emergencies and rode out.

  The Marshalls were one direction and the Breckinridge ranch was the other. Making a split second decision, Lucas headed up the mountain first, to Breckinridge. But Hilda said she wasn’t missing any horses, and she didn’t recognize the gear on this one.

  The temperature had already dropped several degrees again to just below the freezing mark when Lucas reached the Marshalls. He didn’t like coming here; in his mind, it still belonged to Hoyt, and that man had bought himself a one-way ticket to hell, as far as Lucas was concerned. He’d betrayed everyone who ever trusted him, and Lucas didn’t like how this place reminded him of that betrayal.

  Carrie Marshall stepped outside as he rode up, an expression of intense concern on her face. She was a sweet woman in her late forties; she and Roger didn’t have any children, and they’d saved up a lot of money over the last twenty years to retire on a ranch. They’d thought they were going to have to work another ten years, but Hoyt’s place had been foreclosed, and they’d gotten a steal on it. Now, they were in the process of renovations. Lucas had come over to help Carrie lift a couple of heavy items when Roger had been away, bidding on livestock at auction. They hadn’t been around long, but Lucas respected them and didn’t like that look.

  “Lucas, what are you doing here with Hiram?” she asked, her tone filled with alarm.

  Well, at least he’d found the owners. “You tell me. He came flying up toward me with a ghost in the saddle that was spooking him. Was there someone in it before, or did your boy here just feel like practicing wearing some riding gear?” He tried to make light of the situation. After all, he didn’t want to scare Carrie if it wasn’t necessary.

  “No, Gillian took him out. Are you saying he came back without her?” Carrie’s eyes grew wide, and she covered her mouth, looking terrified now. Roger stepped out and joined her, glancing back and forth between his wife and Lucas with the horses. It didn’t take him long to put two and two together, from the change in his countenance.

  Lucas was confused. “Wait, who is Gillian?” he asked.

  “She’s our niece,” Roger said as his wife tucked herself into his arms for comfort. “Carrie’s sister’s daughter. She came in about a week ago and wanted to go for a ride. We’d showed her an easy trail, and she’s an average rider, so we put her on Hiram and told her to be back before dark with the storm coming in. Hiram’s usually calm. Something terrible must have happened if he came back without her.”

  Now, Lucas was on high alert. Mountain lion and wolf season were over, but hunting for beaver, black bear, and wild turkey were still in full swing. He hadn’t heard any guns going off recently, but that didn’t mean the horse hadn’t. For all they knew, the Marshalls’ niece had been shot. Best case scenario was she had been thrown for one reason or another and didn’t know her way back. With all the snow still on the ground, the trails were hard to follow, and if she’d gone deep into the woods, she could have easily veered off without even realizing it.

  A worse possibility was that she was injured or even unconscious and couldn’t get back, even if she knew the way. Lucas could have railed at the couple for allowing a girl who obviously wasn’t an expert rider out alone in this sort of wilderness, especially with a storm brewing overhead. If they didn’t find her tonight, she would surely freeze to death out there.

  Lucas went into search and rescue mode immediately. “Carrie, I want you to take Hiram and get him cleaned up and put away. Roger, I want you to find me a picture of Gillian, and I need to use your phone to call in some of the SNR team. We need people out looking for your niece now. We’ve got about a five-hour window before this storm hits and we can’t see where we’re going anymore.”

  Carrie let out a whimper, but Lucas pressed the horse’s reins into her hand. ”Come on, you need to be strong now. If you fall apart, you’ll be of no help to your niece when we get her home. I want you to be prepared to help her. She’ll need a warm bath and clean, dry blankets and clothes to bundle up in, okay?” He spoke in definite terms, knowing from his training “when” was a much more motivating term than “if”. He couldn’t make promises, but he could certainly keep positive.

  The woman nodded and started in a daze toward the stable, leading the horse with her automatically. Roger motioned to Rover. “Do you want to stow him for now?”

  Lucas shook his head, tying the reins around one of the posts on the patio. “I have to take him back to my place to use in the search in a bit. I’ll keep him out for now. He’s a little hot blooded anyway. The cool air should do him some good.”

  He followed Roger into the house, noting that the man winced every time he stepped on his left foot. “What’s got you hurting, Roger?” he asked, concerned. With a career that involved medicine and treating wounds and ailments, he couldn’t ignore the signs of a serious underlying condition.

  Pouring a cup of steaming coffee for Lucas and drinking from another mug sitting on the counter, he slid into a chair at the modest kitchen table. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. Lucas leaned against the counter and watched him flip through pictures until he finally tugged one out.

  In an apologetic tone, Roger told him, “Most of our photos and albums are still in storage in Baltimore. We wanted to get the place renovated before we brought in things that were easily damaged. But I do have this.” Lucas took the photo from his hand and stared at it while Roger explained, “It’s about four years old. Carrie’s on the left, her sister, Norma Rae is on the right, and Gillian is in the middle.”

  Gillian Grayson was a pretty girl, her hair thick and dark brown with red and gold highlights. Her
eyes were a bit intimidating and so black they looked like marbles that sparkled with happiness. She closely resembled her mother and aunt, though there was some exotic quality to her that didn’t ring true in the other women. Lucas assumed it came from the girl’s father.

  “Which trail did you send her on?” Lucas asked, trying to figure out the best way to organize a quick search as he picked up the phone to call the alert.

  “We thought the one that crosses Piney Creek to the north would be best. It’s the easiest terrain I know of, and it’s the most visible right now, with the snow and all.” Roger hung his head. “I told Carrie we needed to wait and make sure she was comfortable with Hiram first. I should have been more insistent.”

  Confronted with the desires of two women he loved, Lucas would probably have had difficulty sticking to his guns, too. It was part of the reason he was still single. Love did a number on intelligence and willpower. It also meant someone else came first. It wasn’t that Lucas was a particularly selfish guy. He just didn’t want his emotions forcing him into selfless decisions.

  Ryder Sieverson answered the phone, and Lucas told him, “We need to get a small party up to the old Brooks place now. We’ve got a missing person, and she’s not equipped to last the night.”

  “How many?” the fire chief asked. Lucas could already hear him moving around.

  “I need two pairs. I can get Garrett and Shakota to look further up the mountain.” The fewer people he called in, the faster they could get started. He looked at his watch and asked Roger quietly, “How long ago did she leave?”

  “It was late this afternoon, around three.”

  Pinching the bridge of his nose, Lucas told Ryder, “She’s already been out there for about three hours, and the storm’s blowing in. We’re already below freezing up here. It’s urgent.”

  “I’ll bring Maynard and see if I can’t wrestle up Jack or Darrell,” Ryder told him. “We’ll be along in twenty.”