It Takes a Cowboy

What he said made sense, of course, though she didn’t want to admit it. She hated the thought of being cooped up in that cabin with no idea of what was going on outside. But if that was the most helpful role she could play in the search for Jeffrey, that was what she would do.

“All right. Lead me to the cabin,” she murmured, her heart sinking as she realized that she had no idea how to get there on her own.

Still calling Jeffrey’s name, they made their way back. Her eyes blinded by tears, Blair stumbled more than once, but Scott steadied her. She was so worried about Jeffrey, so disgusted with herself for letting this happen. She should have been more vigilant. She should have known he would try something like this. She should have been concentrating more on her nephew and less on the man in the other bedroom. If anything had happened to Jeffrey, she would never forgive herself.

Scott’s hand tightened suddenly on her arm. “Wait,” he said, his tone urgent.

“What?”

His head was cocked attentively, and he was looking away from her. “Did you hear that?”

“What?”

“Call him again.”

“Jeffrey!” Her voice was hoarse, but still loud enough to carry.

This time, she heard it, too—a faint, distant cry. She started impulsively in that direction, but Scott held her back, keeping her behind him as he moved quickly but

carefully down a new offshoot of the path.

Jeffrey was sitting beneath a tree, his face streaked with tears and dust, a couple of ugly scrapes on his chin, his jeans ripped at the knees. His lower lip quivered when Blair and Scott came into view. “Am I in trouble?” was the first thing he said.

Blair dropped to her knees beside him, her hands trembling with relief. “Are you all right?”

“I fell down,” he said with a sniffle. “I’m okay, I think, just sore and—”

She pulled him into her arms, squeezing him so tightly his words were cut off with a squeak. “Oh, my God, Jeffrey, I was so worried about you! I was so afraid....”

Jeffrey burrowed into her chest with a choked sob. “I got lost,” he said in a very small voice.

“I know, sweetie. It’s hard to find your way through these woods. I’d have been lost, too, if Scott hadn’t been with me.”

“Am I in trouble?”

Resting her cheek against his hair, Blair laughed shakily. “Oh, yes. But that can wait. Right now I’m just too happy to see you to be angry with you.”

Scott crouched beside them, easing Jeffrey out of Blair’s arms. “Let’s take a look at you, partner, and see if you’ve hurt yourself.”

Jeffrey mopped at his face with the back of one dirty hand. “I fell off a big rock. I thought it was the one by the stream, but there was a big hill on the other side, and I fell down it.”

While Blair hovered nearby, Scott ran his hands skillfully over Jeffrey’s thin limbs. “Are you in any pain? Is there any place in particular that hurts?”

“I scraped my knees. And my hands. And...and I broke your fishing rod,” he added in a subdued whisper.

“We’ll talk about that later, okay? Did you hit your head?”

“No.”

“Can you stand?”

“Yes. I walked until I got too tired. I was resting when I heard you and Aunt Blair calling me.”

Scott helped him to his feet. It was obvious from the way Jeffrey winced that his scraped knees were stiff and painful, but Blair was relieved that he didn’t seem to have any broken bones. She reached out to smooth his tumbled hair, unable to stop touching him now that she had him safely with her again. “Can you walk back to the cabin?”

“Sure,” Jeffrey said, trying to look tough. He took two steps, grimacing with discomfort.

Scott promptly swept the boy into his arms. “Why don’t you let me give you a lift this time?”