The Hidden

“I think I’ll spend some time getting to know everyone here at the ranch,” Adam said. He pulled a small notebook from his pocket; he was obviously old-school.

“Owners—Ben, real name Bertram, Kendall and his wife, Trisha. Head housekeeper, Linda Reagan. Angus Fillmore runs the stables. The remaining guests are Terry Ballantree, newlyweds Gwen and Charles Barton and retirees Gigi and Clark Levin. The Levins are regular visitors, coming every year. I’m thinking they could be quite helpful.”

“The guests may be down in town,” Meg said.

“If they are, they’ll come back eventually. I can rock on the porch, talk to Ben and Trisha, or interview the housekeeper. There’s plenty for me to do here,” Adam assured her.

“Are there enough horses, Scarlet?” Diego asked.

“There are eight, so we’ll be fine. Angus can take us. Ben doesn’t let the horses out unless it’s with Angus or himself,” she said.

“All right.” Diego looked around the room and grinned. They were all dressed casually enough to go riding, except for Adam, who was in a suit. Diego had a feeling Adam was always in a suit. It was a good thing he didn’t plan to go riding with them.

Scarlet’s eyes met his, and she quickly looked away. She didn’t actually blush, but he knew she was thinking about last night. He smiled, lowering his own eyes.

It was good to be back with her. It made the day better—no matter what it brought.

And tonight...

He had no intention of thinking about tonight and all the nights to come. Not now. Time for that later, when this case was solved. When Scarlet was safe.

*

Scarlet had always loved the fact that she’d grown up with sun and water—and horses.

Her favorite of Conway Ranch’s hack line was Blaze, a bay gelding with, naturally, a blaze on his forehead. He was a good sixteen hands high, had beautiful gaits and seemed to like just about everyone.

Of course, she wanted to think that he especially liked her.

Angus was happy for the chance to tack up the horses and go for a ride.

After he’d saddled the mounts he’d decided upon for each rider, he confided to Scarlet, “Thank the Lord you all want to go riding. I like it here, and no matter what Ben says or what his finances are, with nobody new coming to stay, I was getting worried he might lay me off ’til things pick up again. So you say where and we’ll go.”

“We want to ride up to the old cemetery,” Scarlet said.

He studied her for a minute and then shrugged. “A little creepy, but okay.”

As the Krewe and Scarlet mounted up, Angus said, “Don’t worry, no one is on a kicker or a biter. And they know these trails better than me. Just sit back and enjoy. There will be a lot of single file up the mountain, so keep up. They’ll want to snack along the way. It’s not mean to stop them. In fact, it’s better for their bellies if you do. They know they’re not supposed to stop for a nibble, but they’re going to test you, so be bosses. Gentle bosses, but bosses.”

Angus led the way. Scarlet was behind him, and Diego rode close behind her on Zeus, another magnificent gelding, black as pitch except for his four white socks.

It was an hour up, but it was a surprisingly pleasant hour. Angus lifted a hand to stop them a few times when they reached a clearing, once to observe a herd of elk, who stopped grazing to look up at the riders. They passed a wild turkey and a number of pheasants as well and Angus gave a little speech about each animal they passed along the way.

The day was cool but not cold. The ride offered all the natural beauty that brought people from all over the country and the world to the Rocky Mountains.

Eventually they reached a high plateau. Angus stopped and dismounted, and told them all to do the same. “Tether your horses to the trees, though. Trust me, it’s a long, lonely walk back down,” he said.