Hunted by the men who abducted her brother…

Her life is in this cowboy’s hands.

Gwen Ryland knows two things about the men pursuing her through the Rocky Mountains: they’re holding her brother hostage…and they won’t stop until they catch her, too. Now Gwen’s life depends on the man who once broke her friend’s heart—former army ranger Caden O’Callaghan. But can they figure out what the men want in time to save her brother…and Gwen?

LISA HARRIS is a Christy Award winner and winner of the Best Inspirational Suspense Novel for 2011 from RT Book Reviews. She and her family are missionaries in southern Africa. When she’s not working, she loves hanging out with her family, cooking different ethnic dishes, photography and heading into the African bush on safari. For more information about her books and life in Africa, visit her website at lisaharriswrites.com.

Also By Lisa Harris

Final Deposit

Stolen Identity

Deadly Safari

Taken

Desperate Escape

Desert Secrets

Fatal Cover-Up

Deadly Exchange

No Place to Hide

Sheltered by the Soldier

Christmas Witness Pursuit

Hostage Rescue

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

Hostage Rescue

Lisa Harris

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-0-008-90714-3

HOSTAGE RESCUE

© 2020 Lisa Harris

Published in Great Britain 2020

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

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“They found us. We have to leave. Now.”

Caden grabbed Gwen’s hand and helped her up. She could hear men yelling at each other in the middle of the camp, shouting her name. There was no doubt they were looking for her.

Pain shot up her calf as she rushed through the brush with Caden, but she refused to let it slow her down. Those men were armed and, from everything she knew, planned to kill her when they found her.

Caden kept his arm around her, keeping her steady on the rugged path as the voices in the camp faded.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“There’s a shallow spot in the river nearby. We need to cross over, then head downstream on the other side.”

And then what? She knew she couldn’t keep running. Not for long. She glanced up at his profile as he tightened his arm around her. As much as she didn’t like it, Caden O’Callaghan held her life in his hands, and she was going to have to trust him.

Dear Reader,

Thank you so much for joining me on Caden and Gwen’s journey! I loved exploring their new relationship, especially with such conflicting pasts. Have you ever been in a situation where you had to face the consequences of lies and secrets? Maybe they were your own secrets, or maybe they were someone else’s, but either way the results can be devastating. And it can leave you feeling lost and alone. Jesus talks about being free, and how true freedom from whatever might be in your past comes through him. Let him be your refuge and your fortress!

Be sure you don’t miss the next page-turning suspense story from Timber Falls and the O’Callaghan brothers!

Lisa Harris

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

—Psalm 91:1–2

To those needing a refuge and shelter. May you find it in Him.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Note to Readers

Introduction

Dear Reader

Bible Verse

Dedication

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

FIFTEEN

SIXTEEN

SEVENTEEN

Extract

About the Publisher

ONE

Gwen Ryland held up her phone to take a panoramic photo of the breathtaking canyon spread out in front of her. Even from where she stood, halfway down the steep wall of the chasm, the view was spectacular. She took a string of photos, then turned back toward her brother, her feet slipping on the loose gravel. His hand gripped her arm.

“Hang on, sis.” Aaron pulled her back a couple feet from the drop-off. “A photo isn’t worth falling off the edge.”

“I wasn’t going to fall.” She laughed away the comment, but that didn’t stop her heart from pounding. And while she was still a good four feet from the edge, Aaron was right. A fall here could be deadly. Three months ago, a twenty-year-old hiker had plunged to his death, and his body had finally been recovered two days later at the base of one of the cliffs a quarter of a mile from here. No, she couldn’t be too careful. And besides, in all honesty, a photo of the canyon could never do the view justice.

She slipped her phone into her pocket and decided to simply take in the beauty of the canyon walls. The sunlight cast gray and purple shadows across the wide ravine and impressed them into her memory. Above them, on the top of the deep chasm, was a thick forest of oak trees, while below a scattering of Douglas firs and cottonwoods spread out along the river.

On the way down, they’d already seen some mule deer, bighorn sheep and an eagle soaring above them. It was definitely a world away from the hectic pace of her life in Denver. She’d been telling herself for months that she needed to take some time off and come back here. There was more to life than just working, and standing here in the middle of God’s creation today had reminded her why.

“I’m glad you talked me into this,” she said, breathing in the fresh mountain air.

“Rough week?” Aaron asked.

“Rough month, actually, but one of my toughest cases is finally over, and now I’m just trying to forget it.”

“What happened?” he asked. “You seem… I don’t know. Tenser than normal.”

“There were threats made by a defendant, but it’s nothing I haven’t faced before.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because it’s over.”

At least she hoped it was.

She felt a shiver run down her spine despite the warm weather as she tried to push back the vivid memories. Carter Steele had caught her gaze in the courtroom, then slowly traced his finger across his throat. The implication had been clear, and she’d tried to shake the fear for days. But giving in to it wasn’t an option. Instead, she’d reported the threat and was thankful that Steele had been convicted and locked away.

She took another sip of water, then shoved the bottle into the side pocket of her backpack. Threats against her were simply a hazard of being a prosecutor, and not something she could dwell on. Which was exactly why she’d needed this weekend to get away.

“You know you can always come to me if you’re in trouble,” Aaron said, interrupting her thoughts. “I’ve got more than a little experience with people like that.”

“I’ll be fine, Aaron. Really.”

“Then here’s what I want to know. Are you going to be able to make it back up to the top once we reach the bottom of the canyon?”

“Are you kidding me?” She shot her brother a grin. The off-the-beaten-trail trip down into the canyon might have been one of the toughest hikes she’d ever attempted because of the steep slope, but while it was a welcome challenge, it was also a chance to catch up with her brother. “Not only am I going to make it to the top, I’m going to beat you there. But first we need to keep going.”

She grabbed her backpack and started back down the trail, knowing she’d pay for it physically over the next few days, but that was okay. For as long as she could remember, she and Aaron had been competitive about everything they did together. And, as the oldest, she’d always had a burning desire to win. That drive had begun to mellow over recent years, and while she still enjoyed their lively debates and friendly competition, fostering their relationship after the death of their parents was what she was really interested in. That and making sure she avoided the poison ivy and didn’t slip off the edge of the steep trail.

They continued chatting about his last bounty-hunting job and her next case for another forty-five minutes, then he signaled her to stop at a relatively level section. She pulled out her water bottle again and adjusted the straps on her backpack, being extra careful this time to watch her feet on the loose gravel that made up the majority of the trail.

Her heart raced as something rustled in the trees. Seconds later, a falcon soared out from its perch above them.

“You really are jumpy today,” Aaron said.

“I’m fine. I just thought I heard someone—or something—coming down the trail.”

She glanced behind her, but there were no other hikers for as far as she could see. Which was what she liked about this portion of the canyon. It was possible to spend all day in this isolated part of the world and not run in to anyone.

She heard another noise, this time the distinct sound of falling gravel, and looked behind her again. The two masked men ran up behind them on the trail.

The taller man immediately grabbed her, pinning her arms behind her and throwing her off balance. Aaron lunged forward to stop him, but the second man pointed his gun at Aaron’s head. Gwen’s mind spun. While it rarely happened, she’d heard of hikers being robbed at gunpoint, or their cars being broken into while they were on the trail, but she never expected it to happen to her. Not here.

She screamed and tried to pull away from her captor, terrified he was going to shove her over the edge.

Instead, he pinned her tighter against him. “There’s nobody around to hear you, so shut up.”

“What do you want?” Gwen asked.

The older man took a step forward. “I’ll make it simple—”

Without waiting for an explanation, Aaron lunged forward in an effort to disarm the man, but his plan backfired as both men slammed into Gwen. The man holding her lost his grip while Gwen lost her balance and slipped off the steep slope of the canyon.

Caden O’Callaghan heard a bloodcurdling scream and immediately tried to determine the direction of the source. It seemed to be coming from right above him. As a former army ranger, he was trained to run toward trouble—never away—and this was no exception. Because what he’d just heard could only mean one thing in this isolated spot—someone was in trouble. And out here, with resources limited, the consequences could be severe. His hand automatically rested on his Glock. Spending five days alone on the trail, the extra protection was a no-brainer for him. And while he hadn’t had to use it so far, he’d always rather be prepared.

Seconds later, he caught sight of three men in a standoff on a slight ledge on the trail, with two masked men holding a gun on the third man. Caden pulled his weapon out of its holster and continued up the trail.

One of the armed men shifted his aim to his hostage’s head and shouted at Caden. “Back off, or I will shoot him.”

“Don’t do it,” Caden said. “Drop your weapons now.”

Caden kept the barrel of his weapon trained on them as he evaluated the situation. Their hostage looked to be in his mid-twenties and had all the telltale signs of a military service member, judging from his short haircut and stance.

“They shoved my sister over the edge,” their hostage yelled. “You’ve got to find her—”

“Shut up.” One of the men gripped his arm tighter as they started backing away, keeping him in front of them. “Stay out of this.”

Caden held his weapon steady, unwilling to withdraw. “Sorry. I’m already involved, and I said drop your weapons.”

“Back. Off. Now. I will shoot him.”

Caden hesitated, then lowered his gun to his side, unwilling to risk the man following through with his threat.

“Don’t follow us.”

The two men continued to edge their way up the trail, forcing the hostage with them. Ten, fifteen…twenty feet… Caden weighed his options. He could go after the men, but if the sister really had fallen over the edge, she needed to be his priority.

He watched as the three men disappeared around the bend, then immediately moved to where there were scuff marks off the side of the trail…but no sign of the woman. He pulled out his cell, hoping to call for help, then frowned when there was no signal. He was going to have to do this on his own.

Caden pulled a pair of binoculars from his backpack, then studied the terrain below that was sprinkled with trees and brush. He followed the trajectory of where the woman would have fallen, but still couldn’t see any signs of anyone. Which had him worried. Unless something had stopped her fall, there was no way to know how far she’d dropped. And on top of that, in order to find her, he was going to have to veer off the trail. Depending on where she’d landed, the chance of her surviving a fall without injury was slim.

“Hello?”

He stood still for a moment, waiting for a response, but there was nothing.

The steep, unmaintained trails leading down to the base of the canyon were known for their difficulty, and there were even warnings posted to visitors regarding the dangers. The sun wouldn’t set for a few more hours, but because of the steep, narrow walls, shadows had already begun to fall across the bottom of the canyon. Even with his climbing skills, the descent was going to be difficult.

He started down the incline, careful to secure his footing with each step, while trying to avoid the poison ivy snaking across the slope. While deaths here were relatively rare, they did happen, typically from either falling off the steep walls of the canyon or rafting-related accidents in the water below. Most of the time tragedy struck because of people’s unpreparedness. Sometimes, it was simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

His feet skidded on a patch of loose dirt, and he grabbed a branch to stop himself from sliding any farther. So much for his quiet few days of solo backpacking in God’s wilderness. He continued on, moving as fast as possible while still being careful. These off-trails were marked as self-rescue, meaning if you did get hurt, you couldn’t rely on the authorities to help you out. Once he reached the missing woman, he’d have to figure out how to get her the help she needed on his own.

Thirty feet down, he found a red backpack that had gotten snagged on some brush. He stared ahead of him. It had to be hers. But where was she? Another five hundred feet below him, the river roared through the narrow canyon bottom. If she’d fallen that far, there was no way she would have survived.

A flash of movement caught his attention. He zoomed in on the site with his binoculars and found her, wedged between the slope and a shrub tree. His heart raced as he scrambled down the last twenty feet to where he’d spotted the woman and tried not to push any of the loose rocks down on her in the process. He’d seen movement—which implied she was alive—but depending on how badly she was injured, he still had to figure out how to get her out of this canyon.

She was lying on her side when he got there, blood running down her forehead where she must have hit it on something. There were scratches across her arms and a long gash on her right calf. He watched her chest rise and fall and let out an audible gasp of relief. A foot or two to the right and she could easily have ended up at the bottom of the canyon.

He crouched down beside her, surprised at how familiar she looked. He searched his memory for a name, but came up with nothing.

“Ma’am…” He gently grasped her shoulder. “Ma’am, I’m here to help.”

She groaned as she tried to turn toward him.

“Hold on…” he said, recognition still playing in the back of his mind. “I need you to stay still until I can determine where you’re injured.”

He unzipped his backpack and pulled out a bandana and his water bottle. After soaking the cloth in the water, he started wiping the blood off her forehead. There was a cut along her temple that probably needed stiches, but it didn’t look too serious.

Her eyes widened as she looked up at him. “Caden?”

He pulled back his hand and stared at her a few more seconds as the realization hit him like a punch to the gut.

“Gwen?”

Of course. Gwen Ryland. How could he forget the woman who’d accused him of breaking her best friend’s heart? A flood of memories surfaced, but none of that mattered at the moment. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder how he’d managed to run into the one woman in the entire state who hated him.

But what she thought about him didn’t matter at the moment.

“How did you find me?” she asked.

“I was out hiking the falls today.” He hesitated. She had to have seen the two men that had taken her brother, but he wasn’t sure how much she knew.

She pressed her hand against her head, as if trying to remember what had happened. “Where’s my brother? They grabbed him. Had a gun on him.”

“They took him up the hill. There was nothing I could do to stop them, but he told me you’d slid off the trail. You became the priority.”

“I need to find him.” She managed to sit up.

“Slow down.” Caden pressed his hands against her shoulders. “We’ll figure out where he is, but you’re not going anywhere right now. I need to know where you’re hurt.”

She frowned. “It might be easier to tell you where I’m not hurt, but my left shoulder is throbbing pretty badly.”

Caden started carefully checking her over. “It doesn’t look like it’s fractured, though I can’t be 100 percent sure until it’s x-rayed. Do you think you can walk down the rest of the way if I help you?”

“Do I have a choice?” She winced as she tried to stand up.

“Does your ankle hurt? It looks a little swollen.”

“It feels sprained. But only mildly. I think I can walk.” She put pressure on it, winced again, then took a step. “What I need to do is find my brother, and if they took him up the trail—”

“You’ll never make it back up the trail like this—”

“I have to find him.”

He heard the sharpness in her voice and bit back his frustration. He might have purposely buried memories of her and Cammie all these years, but he did remember how stubborn she’d been. Clearly nothing had changed. But she was right. Her brother’s life was in danger, but his wasn’t the only one. Finding her had only been the first step. He had to get her out of this canyon.

“Let’s take one thing at a time. Even if there were enough hours of daylight left, there’s no way you can walk back up before it gets dark. But if I get you down to the bottom of the canyon, I’ve got a camp set up not far upstream with a first-aid kit.”

“And my brother?”

“We’ll search for phone service and try to get help.”

She frowned, but he knew he was right. Traversing the trail was difficult enough for a fit person, which meant it was still going to take them two or three times as long to reach the bottom of the canyon with her injuries. On top of that, even if they could get a hold of the authorities, it might take hours for help to arrive. Their best plan was to get her down to his camp and clean her up the best he could, then try to find help in the morning.

“Do you have any idea why they targeted you?” he asked.

“I don’t know. It all happened so fast.”

“Did you get a look at their faces?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“Me, neither.”

“I’m pretty sure they weren’t expecting any witnesses to whatever their plan was,” she said.

“What about enemies?” he asked.

“It’s possible.” He didn’t miss the hesitation in her voice. “I’m a prosecutor, so I’ve faced my share of run-ins with bad guys, but this… I don’t know.”

He’d press for answers later. Right now, he needed to get her off the canyon wall and somewhere safer.

“Stay behind me and be careful. The actual trail is difficult enough since it’s not maintained, but this is going to be even rougher until we can get back to the trail.”

Caden let out a sharp huff as he stared down the steep terrain toward the trail. Gravel slid beneath her feet behind him. He reached and grabbed her hand, then immediately caught the look of irritation in her eyes. Still, he held on to her a few more seconds to ensure she was okay.

“Thanks,” she said.

He would have laughed if he didn’t know how serious the circumstances were. He was certain that if he was the last person on the planet and she was in trouble, she still wouldn’t want to accept his help. And that was fine. In truth, he didn’t blame her. She only knew one side of the story, but at the time he knew it wouldn’t have mattered what he said. Maybe he’d handled the situation wrong back then, but he knew the truth, and for him that was all that had mattered. And, in the end, he’d never regretted his decision to walk away. He’d never looked back.

“You remember who I am, don’t you?” she asked.

“Of course.” He needed to find a way to cut the tension between them. “You haven’t changed at all.”

It was true. After ten years, her blue eyes were just as intense, and her hair, while a few inches shorter, had the same honey-blond highlights.

“Do you still live near here?” she said.

“I work on my father’s ranch.”

He paused, wanting to ignore the questions he knew were hanging between them. Questions she had to assume he was going to ask.

How is Camille? Has she gone on with her life?

But they were questions he had no desire to pose. Instead, he decided to shift the conversation back to her.

“Are you—?”

He didn’t get a chance to finish as a shot rang out and a bullet slammed into the tree beside them.

TWO

There was no time to react. The realization they were being shot at had just barely registered in Gwen’s mind when Caden grabbed her hand and pulled her behind the trunk of a spindly tree for cover. A second shot rang out, this time hitting the bark above them.

He signaled at her to stay down, then fired two shots in the direction of the shooter before ducking back behind the tree beside her. “We need to keep going.”

She nodded, then followed him down the steep incline. Her mind spun as it tried to process everything that had happened. The men grabbing them. Slipping off the trail and tumbling down the side of the canyon. Realizing whoever had just shot at them also had her brother. It was like a nightmare she couldn’t wake up from.

But he was right. With at least one shooter after them, they couldn’t stop now.

Adrenaline masked most of the pain as she followed his lead. All it would take was one slight misstep, and she could slip again. And this time, there might not be anything to stop her fall.

“You can’t hide out here,” the man shouted from above them, rustling through the brush as he made his way closer. “I will find you.”

Caden pulled her into a small, hollowed-out depression just big enough for the two of them and signaled for her to be quiet.

Heart pounding, she listened for movement. A small avalanche of stones trickled over the lip of the hollowed-out area above them. Her mouth went dry. The shooter was there, somewhere above them. Looking. Searching. She could hear rustling in the brush. Another small shower of rocks.

Then suddenly everything was silent. She waited, holding her breath until her lungs began to burn, then slowly let out the air.

Where was he?

“Do you think he’s gone?” she whispered.

“It sounded like he headed back toward the trail.”

She glanced up at the sunlight drenching the top of the canyon, but where they were, shadows had already begun to move in. Before long, it would be dark, and the terrain would be too dangerous to navigate. A bird called out, echoing below them, as every unfamiliar sound around them sent her heart racing. She tried to shake off the layer of fear that had settled over her, but it was impossible.

“Do you think you can keep going?” he asked. “We can still take it slow, but I don’t want to make this descent after dark, and we’ll quickly run out of daylight if we don’t start moving.”

She nodded, determined to keep up with him despite the pain. She started down beside him in silence, ignoring the sounds around them that echoed off the canyon walls, focusing instead on each step. And she listened for any signs that the shooter was still out there. But with every minute that passed, there was nothing to indicate they were being followed.

Then where were they? Had the men given up? Were they planning to use her brother as leverage to get to her? There was no way to know the men’s endgame. All she could do now was make it to the bottom of the canyon, then find a way out of here alive.

By the time they got to Caden’s camp, she was exhausted and hurting. A one-man tent had been set up on the edge of a small clearing a few dozen feet from the nearby river. Canyon walls surrounded them, reaching toward the cloudy spring sky that was already chasing away the last bits of light. It was the untamed wilderness, with its scattering of scrub oak, sagebrush and aspen, that made it a favorite for people wanting to escape the modern world for a short time. And that was the reason she’d chosen to come here.

“This is a beautiful spot,” she said.

“I camp here every year. Spend a few days hiking by myself. Gives me some time to reevaluate things.” He helped her sit down on a sleeping mat. “I’ll go grab my first-aid kit.”

As she watched him head inside the tent, she struggled to pinpoint what was different about him from the last time she’d seen him. He was still quiet and serious, and he looked the same with his brown hair, blue-gray eyes and tall, muscular frame. Even she couldn’t deny the appeal of his rugged stature, with his cowboy hat and the start of a beard. But that wasn’t what had changed. Instead, he seemed more…calm. Focused. Not that it really mattered. She’d seen him walk out on Cammie, and while she was grateful he’d saved her life, she’d never fall for a guy she couldn’t trust not to do the same to her.

He came back out with the small kit and opened it. “You’re going to need some painkillers. There should also be some antiseptic wipes in here for any cuts, and I’ve got clean water if you’re out.”

“I should have some water in my backpack, as well as some food.”

The last thing she wanted was to make him think she expected him to take care of her out here. She’d come prepared for anything. Well…almost anything.

“Good, then we should have plenty to last us through tomorrow.” He nodded at her backpack. “Go ahead and drink some more water. We need to stay hydrated.”

She followed his instructions and took a long swig, while he pulled out what they needed. The same awkwardness that had followed them down the canyon settled in between them again. They’d been silent most of the way down, and when they had spoken to each other, they’d never gotten beyond the basic small talk. Which, in all honestly, had been fine with her.

“How long were you planning to stay out here?” Caden asked.

“We were just going to hike down and back up in one day.”

Caden, on the other hand, was clearly prepared for a week out in the wilderness.

“I can rig a splint for your ankle, but that and the pain medicine is really all we can do at this point, other than clean you up,” he said.

“I don’t think I need a splint, but I will take the pain medicine.” She grabbed the two pills he offered her and popped them into her mouth.

He pulled out an antiseptic pad and quickly cleaned up the smaller scrapes on her forehead and arms, then grabbed a second one for the larger cut on her calf.

“Do you think it needs stitches?” she asked.

“I don’t think so. It will leave a scar, but you should be okay.”

“Where’d you get your medical training?”

“After college I joined the army.”

His answer didn’t surprise her. She remembered he’d been organized and efficient when she’d known him in college, along with a number of other things she’d rather forget. But she wasn’t too stubborn to recognize the fact that she needed him.

Her jaw tightened as he cleaned the gash. “Thank you. For rescuing me.”

“It’s not over yet, but by this time tomorrow we should be out of here, in touch with the authorities and hopefully have found your brother.”

“I’m worried about him,” she said.

“I know. We’ll find him.” Caden took another couple of minutes to finish, then stood up. “I want you to lie down and keep your foot elevated while I get some dinner going.”

“Wait…there’s something you need to know first,” she said.

“Okay.” He sat back down and caught her gaze. “What’s that?”

She hesitated to bring up the matter that had been plaguing her since the attack, but he needed to know. “I don’t think this was random.”

“Did you know those men?”

“No, but I think I know who sent them.”

“Who?”

She drew in a deep breath. “I believe it’s connected with my job.”

“As a prosecutor?”

She nodded. “His name is Carter Steele. He was arrested for domestic abuse, drug trafficking and child endangerment. I reported the threat he made toward me in the courtroom, but didn’t think he could actually follow through. Not from prison. But this… I can’t just dismiss this as a coincidence. Which also means I’m sorry for the entire situation I just roped you into.”

“It wasn’t your fault.”

“Maybe not, but you’ve still been dragged into it. Threats like this have increased over the past few years, and while most won’t follow through, this… I think this has to be related.”

“You think he wants you dead?”

“Whoever was out there shot at us, so it seems likely. What I don’t understand is why didn’t they just break into my apartment or run me off the road on the highway. This whole setup was extremely dangerous.”

“It was, but it also makes sense on one level,” Caden said. “An accident here would be easy to cover up. A couple of hikers fall off the rim, bodies are found a few days or months later, or not at all. Everyone would simply believe it was an accident.”

She felt a shudder run through her. If that had been their plan, and she was still alive…

“So they grabbed my brother…for what? To use as leverage?”

“Maybe, and then they came after you because they need to make sure you’re dead.”

“If that’s what they want, then we have to assume they’ll be back.”

Caden nodded. “Which means we need to be ready.”

Twenty minutes later, Caden dumped the dry pasta into the boiling water on top of his small propane stove. So much for his five days of solitude in the mountains. He worked to rein in his irritation over the entire situation. It wasn’t that he minded helping out a fellow hiker—it was simply that he’d managed to run into her. But feeding his irritation was only going to make him even more agitated, and there was no reason to let her control how he felt.

He flicked a fly off his pant leg and frowned. Had he let Cammie’s betrayal affect him so much that he’d managed to shut himself off from feeling or caring for anyone again? He loved working on the ranch, because it made him feel free. He didn’t have to concern himself with anyone else. Just him and the open range. But what if he really wasn’t as free as he thought he was? What if he was still running because of Cammie?

He glanced at Gwen’s profile. While he hadn’t known her well, they had hung out a few times with his fiancée and several of their other friends. Until the night Cammie had called off their wedding and walked out on him, blaming the break up on him.

At the time, he hadn’t even seen it coming, and Cammie had caught him completely off guard. Though, looking back, all the signs had been there. Unfortunately, he’d been young, and somehow thought Cammie’s devotion to their relationship had been as strong as his. That had proven to be just one of many lies Cammie had told him.

But for now, none of that mattered. He’d formulated a plan. While the distance to the top of the canyon was just over a mile, the vertical drop was so steep, experts estimated it took double or even triple the descent time when going back up. He’d noted how long it had taken them to make it to the bottom. Going up would be even slower for her, if not impossible. The only alternate route was the river, but even that came with its own set of issues. The shoreline was often narrow and bordered with slippery rocks. Rafters frequently tackled the challenge, but there were sections that should only be attempted by those with experience. More than one overconfident person had lost his life from a foolish move on the water. But Caden believed she’d be able to handle the water route better than trying to hike back up the canyon.

Gwen walked toward him across the small campsite as he was adjusting the propane bottle, then sat down on one of the logs across from him.

“How are you feeling?” Caden asked, not missing the frown on her face.

“Sore, but thankfully the pain medicine is finally starting to kick in.”

“Good.” He bent down and looked at her ankle. “It’s still a bit swollen, but that’s expected considering you just walked down the canyon on an injured ankle. You still need to keep it elevated, but it should be better by tomorrow.”

“I know I should be lying down, but I just felt so restless,” she said. “I was wondering if you had a plan?”

His hand automatically touched the butt of his weapon. “Until morning, we’re going to have to keep our guard up. Then I’m hoping we can find a group of rafters to join so we can head downriver. That would be the easiest way out for you.”

“But still dangerous.”

He nodded.

“What about my brother?”

“He’s another reason we need to get out of here as soon as possible, so we can let the authorities know what’s going on. Even if I wasn’t worried about your ankle, we can’t go after your brother in the dark.”

“I know, I just—I just need to do something.” She picked up a small stick and snapped it in two. “Tell me what I can do to help with dinner in the meantime.”

“Well, I wasn’t planning on company, but pasta alfredo with salmon was on the menu for tonight.” He’d already grabbed the ingredients for the meal that had been neatly packed in a plastic Ziploc in his bear-resistant canister. “I don’t think it will be a stretch to feed two.”

“Pasta alfredo with smoked salmon?” she asked.

He hesitated. “You don’t like salmon?”

“No… I mean, yes. Salmon’s fine, but is this how you always eat on the trail? That sounds like a gourmet meal.”

“What did you expect?”

“I don’t know—ramen noodles and a packet of tuna fish.”

He chuckled. “I like to cook and realized years ago that just because I’m not standing in the middle of my kitchen doesn’t mean I can’t eat well on the trail. Tonight’s pasta, but I can also make a mean chili from sun-dried tomatoes and dehydrated kidney beans.”

She shot him an unexpected smile. “All I can say is I’m impressed.”

He shoved off the compliment and started organizing the food. He’d also learned early on that an hour or two of food prep before he hit the trail translated into a much more enjoyable trip. And as long as the food was light and quick to fix—meaning no cooking, just boiled water—it wasn’t that difficult to carry.

He handed her a small bunch of fresh basil from his mother’s garden along with a knife. “If you’ll mince this, I’ll get the pasta going. Then we’ll just have to add the ingredients for the sauce I already put together back at the house.”

“Of course you did.”

This time he wasn’t sure if she was being sarcastic or complimentary, but she was smiling, so he decided to go with the latter. He dumped the pasta into the water, and for a moment, working beside her seemed oddly…normal. While he loved the solitude of the trail and a solo hike, there were times when he missed the sound of another human’s voice. If only he could forget not only that someone was after them, but also who she was, he might actually enjoy tonight.

A noise behind them seized his attention.

He took a step back from the stove and shifted his concentration to the shadows filtering down the canyon wall. He scanned the surrounding vegetation, senses on alert, but the movement was just a squirrel. He let out a huff of air.

“What if they come back?” she asked.

“I’ve already thought about that.”

“And?”

“While you were lying down, I rigged a trip wire around the camp.”

“An alarm in case they find us?”

Caden nodded.

“How’d you do that?”

“Fishing wire and key-chain alarm. It’s pretty rudimentary, but it should do the trick if they show up.” He stirred the pasta, then tested it to see if it was done. “I don’t usually set one, but I’d say we have reason tonight.”

“I agree.”

“I also don’t want either of us sleeping in the tent. If they show up, that’s where they’re going to assume we are.”

She nodded as they worked side by side for the next few minutes, mixing the dry sauce ingredients with water and letting it simmer, then combining it with the pasta, freeze-dried corn, smoked salmon and the fresh basil.

“This is delicious,” she said, once they’d dished up the food.

“You look surprised.”

“Most guys I know could never pull this off.”

“My mother ensured all of us boys knew our way around the kitchen.”

“Well, I’m impressed.” She took another bite. “I remember you had brothers. Three of them, right?”

Caden nodded.

“What do they do now?” she asked.

“Reid works for the local fire department in Timber Falls. Liam is in the army and is married with a daughter and has another one on the way.”

“That’s exciting. And number three?”

“Griffin is a deputy and getting married in December.”

“And you—you left the military?”

“My father had a bout with cancer a couple years ago, and while he’s made a full recovery, I was at a place in my career that I felt like it was time to walk away and help. I’ve been running the ranch with him ever since.”

“I remember you talking about your ranch when we were in school. It always sounded so beautiful.”

“It is.”

“Do you ever regret your decision?”

He shifted in his seat, uncomfortable with all her personal questions. “There are things I miss about the military, but I love working on the land every day. I just decided if I was going to do it, I wouldn’t look back.”

“Still, that had to be hard.”

“It was. And to be honest, it still is sometimes, but I love what I do.” He stood and headed for his bear barrel, needing a distraction from her questions. “How about some chocolate cookie bars?”

“Why am I not surprised? That would top off a perfect meal.”

He grabbed two, then handed her one. “You said you’re a prosecutor. What kind of cases do you work on?”

“I focus primarily on family law.”

“Do you like it?”

“I do, though the cases can be tough. I represent children most of the time.”

“I bet you’re good at it.”

“It has its rewarding moments.”

He took a bite of his cookie and frowned. He hadn’t planned on giving her a compliment, even though he’d meant it. But smoked-salmon pasta and chocolate couldn’t make him forget whom he was sitting next to.

“I guess you heard Cammie got married,” she said without warning.

He set down his dessert and frowned at the news. For a moment, he could have almost imagined that they were simply old friends catching up. But now, hearing his ex-fiancée’s name made him want to run.

“I did,” he said finally. “Do you ever see her?”

“We used to get together several times a year, but they moved to Dallas, and I haven’t seen her as much since then.”

“Is she happy?”

He frowned, wondering why he’d asked the question. Why it even mattered after all this time. She was a part of his past, and he was content to leave her there.

“She seems happy. Rick’s a decent guy.”

The unspoken tension hung between them. He knew what Gwen was thinking. Knew she’d probably never forgiven him for what she thought he’d done. She’d made it clear that night exactly what she thought about him, and he hadn’t tried to convince her otherwise. At the time, it didn’t seem to matter. He’d known the truth wasn’t going to change anything. Cammie would have walked away no matter what he said.

“So you never married?” he asked.

She glanced at her left hand. “I came close once, but in the end our goals ended up being too different. I guess I was looking for something more.”

He thought he’d found that something more with Cammie. He knew her friends had blamed him for the breakup the night before their wedding, but he’d decided that was fine with him. He knew the truth, and in the end, that was all that really mattered.

As far as he was concerned, he was okay with being the bad guy in the whole scenario. He’d gone on with his life, and while he still might not be able to trust his judgment when it came to picking women, at least he could live with his conscience.

He caught the fatigue in her eyes as she yawned beside him. “Why don’t you try to get some sleep. I’ll stay up.”

“You can’t stay awake all night.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time.” He could tell she wanted to argue with him, but he didn’t miss the exhaustion in her eyes. “I’ll be fine.”

“Wake me up in a few hours and I’ll keep watch. You’re going to need your rest just as much as me.”

Twenty minutes later, she was asleep, and he was going through his gear, needing to be prepared to run if the men showed up. If he’d been on his own, he would have approached the situation differently, but he wasn’t looking for another confrontation against armed men with Gwen’s safety at stake.

He finished packing a go bag, then pulled out his Bible. He settled in on his camping chair, aware of the night noises around him as he stared up at the sliver of stars above him, and started praying that he’d be able to get her out of here before the men found them. Praying that Gwen wouldn’t get under his skin. He didn’t even know he’d fallen asleep until the blare of his trip wire going off jolted him awake.

THREE

Gwen heard the screech of an alarm go off, then quickly fought to dig herself out of the dream and orient herself. A couple seconds later, Caden was hovering over her.

“They found us. We have to leave. Now.”

He grabbed her hand and helped her up, as everything rushed through her in one terrifying flash of memory. She could hear the men yelling at each other in the middle of the camp as they ran toward the tent, shouting her name. There was no doubt they were looking for her. No doubt Caden’s plan had bought them the extra seconds they needed to escape.

She stumbled to her feet beside him, thankful not only for his suggestion to sleep in her shoes, but also for the full moon high above them. The problem was, even with the moon out, there was still barely enough light to see where they were going because of the tree cover. Pain shot up her calf as she rushed through the brush with him, but she refused to let it slow her down. She knew how this could play out if they didn’t run. Those men were armed, and from everything she knew, they planned to kill her when they found her.

Caden kept his arm around her, steadying her on the rugged path as the voices in the camp faded.

“What time is it?” she whispered.

“Just past two.”

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“There’s a shallow spot in the river nearby. We need to cross over, then head downstream on the other side. After I set the trip wire, I left a trail of false tracks heading upstream. Hopefully they’ll follow them and buy us more time.”

And then what? She knew she couldn’t keep running. Not for long. She glanced up at his profile as he tightened his arm around her. As much as she didn’t like it, Caden O’Callaghan held her life in his hands, and she was going to have to trust him.

She struggled to catch her breath as he led her into the icy river water. She’d known that he’d planned on trying to catch a ride down the river in the morning, but there was one thing she hadn’t mentioned. Her fear of water. Panic swallowed her. She gripped his hand harder but wasn’t going to let him see the fear. The water was shallow here, like he’d told her, but it still rushed across her calves, almost to her knees. She took another step, and another, fear of the men behind her compelling her forward.

At the middle point of the river, she glanced back toward the camp. Beams of light hit the tree line. The men were still rummaging for clues as to where they’d gone. Confirmation they were at the right place. But it wouldn’t be long before they extended the perimeter of their search. Her foot slipped on a rock—she couldn’t allow herself to be dragged into the water. All it would take was one misstep, and she’d end up sucked into the current.

But Caden was there to steady her.

“Gwen?”

“I’m fine.”

“How are you really feeling?”

She hesitated. “Like I was hit by a truck.”

“I’m not surprised,” he said as they kept walking. “What about your head?”

“Just a slight headache.”

“As soon as we can stop, I’ll get you some more pain medicine. Any nausea or dizziness?”

She was shaking now, as much from the cold as from fear. “I’m just sore and tired.”

She knew what he was thinking. Headache, confusion, dizziness, nausea—the symptoms of a concussion. If it was a concussion, treatment meant she needed to rest, but there was no more time for that. Instead, they were looking at a long hike out of here. Her only option was to push through.

They stepped onto the other bank and started downstream, keeping to the dark shadows of the canyon to ensure they stayed hidden.

“I’ll be fine.”

They walked in silence along the side of the river. She tried not to think about where her brother was, or what would happen if the men found them. She just had to keep moving. Had to make sure the men didn’t catch up to them. Caden stopped every twenty yards or so and listened to the night sounds. She could no longer see the flashlights or hear the people after her, but she knew they were out there.

“Did you hear something?” she asked.

“Yes, I’m just not sure if it’s them.”

Another few yards down the river, he steered them behind an outcropping of trees. She was barely able to distinguish his movements as Caden pulled his weapon out of his holster. Gwen shivered in the darkness. She had no idea what their plan should be, or how they were going to defend themselves if those men struck again. But clearly, they needed to be ready for anything.

“Caden…”

“Have you ever used a gun?” he asked.

“A few times at a shooting range. Why?”

“I need to go out there and figure out which way they’ve gone. Make sure they’re not behind us, but I don’t want to risk doing that with you. I also can’t leave you defenseless.”

She shook her head, wanting to scream at him not to leave her, but she knew he was right. They needed to know where the men were. But was leaving her alone the solution?

“You’ll be fine if you stay here.” He tilted back her chin and caught her gaze. “I promise I’ll be back.”

“I don’t want the gun. You’ll be defenseless.”

“I have no plans to confront them. Not at this point, anyway.”

He rechecked the weapon. “Leave the safety on and don’t shoot unless you absolutely have to. And when I come back…don’t shoot me.”

She watched him walk away, then stood frozen in the shadows until she lost track of time. Five, ten…fifteen minutes… She had no idea how much time had passed, but she heard every sound around her. Her ankle throbbed and her head pounded. She didn’t want to be here alone and hated the helpless feeling overtaking her. Hated that she was a liability. But there was nothing she could do to change the situation.

She studied the surrounding terrain, listening carefully for anything that sounded out of place, but every noise caused her pulse to quicken and her heart to race. What if something had happened to Caden? What if she was left alone to find her way out of the canyon? The river churned beside her, crickets chirped. If those men were out there, close by… No. She gripped the gun tighter. She wasn’t going to panic. She had to be ready. Caden was counting on her to stay calm. Which made her want to laugh. As part of her job, she’d stood her ground to protect dozens of vulnerable children who had dealt with domestic violence, trauma and child abuse, but put her in the middle of a potential gunfight and her only instinct was to run.

Something rustled behind her.

She turned around and aimed the weapon in front of her. “Whoever you are, don’t come any closer. I’m armed.”

“Gwen…it’s just me.”

Her heart pounded as Caden came into view. She took a step backward and realized she’d been holding her breath. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

She handed him the gun, barrel first, glad to have the weapon out of her hands. “Did you find them?”

“They’re headed upstream like I hoped. Can you keep moving?”

She nodded.

“Good, because we need to put as much distance between us and them as possible. And in the meantime, pray we find someone to take us downriver once the sun comes up.”

Caden glanced at her, impressed by the grit and determination in her step, knowing it had to be painful. Not that it changed anything. She’d once told him exactly what she thought about him, and he was pretty sure that even with all the time that had passed, her feelings toward him hadn’t changed, either.

He’d never been able to forget her words that night. She’d caught up with him in the parking lot as he was leaving the rehearsal dinner. Twenty-four hours before he was supposed to marry Cammie. Instead, everything he’d thought was real—everything he’d believed about his fiancée—had all turned out to be a lie, and his plans for the future had suddenly come crumbling down around him.

If you don’t think she’s the one you want to spend the rest of your life with, then fine. Better now than after you’re married. But I hope you never forget what your selfishness is about to cost you.

He’d stood in front of Gwen, lights from the barn where they’d planned the dinner twinkling in the background. He’d wanted to tell her the truth. That his actions hadn’t been what broke things off between him and Cammie. But he’d seen the anger in Gwen’s eyes and knew how loyal she was to her friend. No matter what he would have said at that moment, she never would have believed him. And all these years later, he was sure she still wouldn’t.

Gwen let out a soft groan next to him.

He grabbed her waist to make sure she didn’t fall. “Gwen…”

“Sorry, I just stepped wrong. I’m fine.”

He studied her gait. Her limp was definitely more pronounced.

“You’re not fine. We need to stop.” He flipped on his flashlight, then reached down and checked her ankle. “It’s swelling again.”

“I’m fine, Caden. I can keep going.”

“If you don’t take care of this, you won’t be able to walk out of here. We’ve put some distance between them and us. You need to take some pain medicine, soak your ankle in the river water and rest, at least for a few minutes.”

She hesitated, then nodded. “Fine. But just for a few minutes.”

“We’ll leave your shoe on in case your ankle starts swelling.”

He found a small inlet, where the water moved slower next to the shoreline and there was an outcropping of rocks where they could sit. He handed her the pain medicine and some water from his backpack, then kneeled down in front of her and eased her shoe into the water. It might not be an ice pack, but it was the next best thing.

“How does that feel?” he asked.

“Cold, but good.”

Moonlight filtered down the canyon wall, bathing the rock’s crevices in a soft glow of light before shifting across the water. While he loved exploring the canyon during the day, there had always been something captivating about the scene at night.

“You’re shaking,” he said, sitting down beside her. He needed to get her out of here.

“I’m just cold.”

“The temperatures drop significantly down here at night.” He moved closer to her and wrapped his arm around her. “On the bright side, it gets too cold for venomous snakes.”

She shivered next to him. “I’ve tried not to think about what might be out here.”

He glanced across the darkened river, knowing it was impossible. The most dangerous enemy out there wasn’t the wildlife.

She needed a distraction.

“I’d like to hear more about your job,” he said. “You mentioned you represent children.”

“Yeah. The center I work for was started to help ensure that child victims didn’t fall through the cracks. We work primarily through stopping any abuse before it starts, but we also support victims of all forms of abuse.”

“Sounds like an important mission.”

“It is. We end up being advocates for these families through the entire process, giving counsel and support through the criminal investigation and ensuring that the victims and their families have the resources they need.”

“That’s got to be a challenge.”

“It is. While I love my job, I want to do more than the system allows. One of our goals is preventing abuse but there are still issues that are hard to deal with.”

“Meaning?”

“I help ensure the children get placed into a safe environment and defend their rights, but most of these kids need more than that. They need help learning how to communicate and resolve conflicts. And also figuring out what they are made of. That with the right resources they can thrive.”

“Any ideas on how to do that?”

“Yes, actually. I’ve spent the past few months researching several programs for at-risk teens that are located right here in the state. So many kids struggle navigating into adulthood, but the potential is there. If they aren’t intentionally worked with, most of them will never reach that potential. And the majority of the kids I deal with don’t have anyone at home to advocate for them, let alone teach them basic life skills. All they need sometimes is someone who cares. Someone who can teach them how to problem-solve and set goals. I’ve seen it work firsthand, but instead, we’re losing too many of our young people.”

“You’re passionate about these kids.”

“Sorry.” She let out a low laugh. “I do tend to go overboard when someone asks me.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about. Anyone can go to work every day and do their job, but I find so many people end up losing the passion that put them there in the first place. Sounds like you haven’t done that.”

“One of the things I’m actually looking at is a wilderness program where at-risk youths, in particular, can address issues and uncover their strengths in an outdoor setting.”

“Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t remember you being the outdoor type.”

She shook her head. “I wasn’t. Not back in college, at least. I was definitely more of a bookworm.”

“What changed?”

She hesitated, making him wonder if he’d asked the wrong question.

“Aaron and I… Our parents were killed in a car crash about six years ago by a drunk driver,” she said, finally.

“Wow… I’m so sorry.”

“It turned our world on end, but especially for my brother. He was nineteen, impulsive and anything but serious about life. I struggled reaching him for a long time, but eventually found that this was a way for us to connect. He loves the outdoors, so we plan something different every few months. We’ve hiked Pikes Peak, the Rio Grande Trail, Bear Creek Falls… Last year we even tried downhill mountain-biking for the first time at Crested Butte.”

“He’s fortunate to have you.”

“It’s mutual. Losing someone you love changes you. It makes you realize how fragile life is and reminds you not to take people for granted.” She pulled her foot out of the water. “We should go. They know I’m injured, and more than likely assume we’re still around here. It’s not going to take them too long to realize they’re headed in the wrong direction.”

He helped her up, knowing she was right. He hoped to have them both out of the canyon by dinnertime tomorrow, but there was no way to know how this would play out. Expecting to outrun the men if they came back was foolish. Which meant they were going to have to outsmart them, and the way to do that was to get out of here as soon as possible.

But he was already questioning his decision to try to leave via the water. There were too many sections that even experts found intimidating, and he wasn’t sure if she’d be able to handle it physically. He shoved aside the questions. Worrying wasn’t going to help and certainly wasn’t going to change the situation. Once he got a signal on his cell, he could arrange for a helicopter to pick them up downriver, but in order to do that, they had to keep moving.

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