Part 9 (1/2)

By next morning Daisy had decided to escape.

She had lain awake most of the night adding up Tyler's transgressions. His refusal to help her find her father's killer was the final straw.

She was tired of being told what to do. She was tired of having her opinions ignored. He treated her like a prisoner. Most of all, she resented his determination to take her to another member of his family rather than the Cochranes. Aurora's father would help. He had been her father's friend. He wouldn't stop until the killers were brought to justice.

For a brief moment she considered asking Zac to help her, but she doubted he would do anything to endanger his own hide.

”I'm going hunting,” Tyler announced after breakfast.

”See if you can find something besides venison,” Zac said.

”I'll be lucky if I can find any game at all,” Tyler replied.

”Which way are you going?” Daisy asked.

”Why do you want to know?”

She could see suspicion in his eyes. ”I was just curious. You said you couldn't go anywhere because of the snow.”

”I can't go to Albuquerque. The pa.s.s is snowed in.”

”There must be other paths if you can go hunting.”

”There are always paths along ridges or in the lee of a cliff. But you have to go where they take you. That's seldom where you want to go.”

”Won't there be less snow farther down the mountain?”

”Yes.”

”So if you could get down far enough, you could go just about anywhere you wanted?”

She could tell he wasn't fooled. His eyes bored into her until she wanted to squirm.

”I doubt it, but in any case, you can't make it down the mountain. I'm not sure I can get more than a few hundred yards myself, and I'm using makes.h.i.+ft snowshoes.”

”Just wondering,” she said.

”You still don't believe me when I say it's too dangerous. You think if you keep asking, I'll give in and take you back now.”

He didn't know why she was asking. Daisy found it difficult not to breathe a sigh of relief.

”I just want to go home,” she said, trying to sound pathetic. Apparently she succeeded. Zac jumped up like a prairie dog escaping a burrow invaded by a snake. ”I can look for rabbits,” he said, grabbing for his shoes. ”It's not much, but it'll be a change.”

”Stay within sight of the cabin,” Tyler warned. ”You're not one hundred percent well yet.”

”I'm just a little stiff.”

Tyler looked at Daisy. ”I hope you don't mind being left alone for a while.”

”No.”

”Don't go outside.”

”Why would I do that?”

Tyler gave her a hard look. ”Try to get some rest.”

”I'll take good care of myself,” Daisy promised.

”There's plenty of stew on the stove. All you have to do it heat it.”

”She'll be just fine,” Zac said, impatiently. He grabbed his coat. ”How much trouble can she get into by herself?”

”I'm not in the habit of getting into trouble,” Daisy said.

”Maybe not,” Zac said, ”but you've sure done a bang-up job so far.”

Tyler handed Zac a shotgun and pushed him out the door. ”Keep the door locked and don't let anybody in,” he said to Daisy.

”I won't.” She doubted she'd see a new face if she stayed here a month.

The minute the brothers were out of sight, Daisy began gathering enough food to last her two days. She warmed the stew and ate as much as she could hold. That was one less meal she would have to fix.

She chose a coat with a hood and searched until she found a pair of gloves that didn't entirely swamp her hands. She put on the pants Tyler had lent her and the smallest pair of boots she could find.

Outside she saddled the first mule she came to. Then tying everything to the saddle, she headed down the mountain.

She felt a little guilty about taking Tyler's food and clothing. She also felt guilty about running away the minute his back was turned. It made it look like she didn't appreciate what he'd done. She did, but she'd never make him understand why she had to get away.

Most surprising of all, she discovered she was a little reluctant to leave. She had the vague feeling she was leaving something important behind. But that couldn't be true. Tyler had tried to be kind and thoughtful, but he hadn't been very successful. She doubted he would ever learn. Besides the last thing she needed was to be even vaguely interested in a man eaten up with gold fever. There would be no room in his life for anything else. Gold would be his mistress, his wife.

Daisy wanted to stay as far away from the routes taken by Tyler and Zac as possible, so she decided to go around the mountain rather than straight down as she wanted. One look at snow deep enough to cover trees to their upper branches convinced her it would be impossible to go over the crest.

She headed due north, or what she thought was north. An hour later she knew she'd made a serious mistake. The snow was deeper than Daisy had antic.i.p.ated. Even under the trees, it came up to the mule's belly. Where it drifted, it was too deep to allow pa.s.sage. In places it was over her head.

She had hoped travel would be easier in the open, but she had never been on the eastern slopes of the Sandia Mountains. She expected them to be covered with rocks and small stunted trees like the west side.

They weren't. Tall pines, spruce, even aspens covered the mountainside. They kept the snow from drifting so badly, but the shade of their branches also kept it from melting or blowing away. The recent thaw-and-freeze cycle had formed a crust too fragile to hold her weight but strong enough to rub the mule's legs raw. Daisy was afraid if she didn't find some softer going his legs would start to bleed. If that happened, it would be impossible for the animal to continue.

She worked her way through a stand of fir only to find her path blocked by a wall of snow that towered well above her head. The mule refused to attempt to break through. She suspected his instincts told him the snow concealed some dangerous terrain such as a canyon or a ravine. After several minutes spent in a futile attempt to find a way around, Daisy turned back to look for another path. She didn't find one. As much as she hated to admit it, Tyler was right. It was impossible to reach Albuquerque until the snow melted.

She would have to go back to the cabin. She cringed at the prospect of having to face Tyler and admit what she had done, of having to acknowledge her failure. He had been remarkably patient with her. After this, he'd probably tie her to the bed. Maybe if she hurried, she could get back before he did.