Realm of the Wolf

By David L. Falconer

A peaceful mountain community holds a dark secret hidden for over three-hundred years. A madman threatens to unleash that secret to the world in an insane bid for control of his peoples destiny.

A dozen friends head for the tranquillity of an old mining camp in the Idaho mountains, unaware of the power play beginning a few miles from their destination. A power play that turns deadly as man confronts a race he has shared the earth with since the beginning of time. A hidden race deadlier than any creature known. Death is a cold introduction to the Realm of the Wolf.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jan 5, 2006
• ISBN: 9781463497354

David L. Falconer

David Falconer grew up in Eastern Oklahoma, running the creeks, rivers and lakes near his home.  An avid outdoorsman, his love of the outdoors is only equaled by his love of reading and surpassed only by his love of family.  He has written numerous outdoor humorous short stories for an outdoor E-zine including Armadillo Warfare and The Hunter’s Peril.   He considers himself lucky to have been raised in the company of old men who taught him the fine art of Southern language, outdoor wisdom, a love of history and the ability to know what is important in life.  David owns a small ranch in Eastern Oklahoma near his hometown but maintains his residence near Sherman, Texas with his wife, Sheila.  They have one daughter who is attending college.

Book preview

REALM OF THE WOLF

David L. Falconer

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This book is a work of fiction. People, places, events, and situations are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or historical events, is purely coincidental.

© 2005 David L. Falconer. All Rights Reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 12/27/05

ISBN: 1-4208-9228-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4634-9735-4 (ebk)

Contents

dedication

prologue

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

chapter twenty-three

chapter twenty-four

epilogue

about the author

DEDICATION

For my grandfathers, Perry Falconer and Melton Lewis who were constant examples of what a man should be in life. They were both veterans of World War II, both married to the same woman all their lives and both always had time for an ornery red-haired boy whenever he was with them. The best qualities in me are reflections of them, my worst qualities; I learned on my own.

PROLOGUE

Martin lay his backpack on the old bunk mattress. The ancient cabin had a thin layer of dust covering everything inside as evenly as though it had been painted on. Jake was already making his bunk so it would be ready to sleep in tonight. There was a musty smell that lingered even after they opened the door to air out the place.

They worked in the cabin for a few hours cleaning everything. It had been many years since occupants had inhabited it for any length of time. The accumulated dust was almost an inch thick in some places, but the cabin was built solidly. No outside breeze penetrated the walls.

They had everything cleaned up as much as they intended by the time darkness settled on the forest outside. The men were tired as they readied themselves for bed and neither heard the soft padding of feet on the porch.

The next morning was cool, the sun twinkling hazily through the misty treetops. Breakfast had been good. Jake cooked on the old wood stove in the middle of the cabin. The stove was located to where it would heat the room as well as serve as the cooking area.

Martin dressed in warm clothing with a T-shirt underneath for when the day became warmer. Jake had done the same, but he carried a Smith & Wesson semi-auto .22 pistol as well as a semi-auto rifle of the same caliber.

Martin left his .338 magnum rifle in the corner of the cabin where he had set it the previous night. He carried the tool bag and the last thing he needed was to be hampered with the rifle too.

They made the walk to the old mine quickly. The worn trail was damaged in many places and the men were careful as they picked their way along the path.

They entered the mine and found the group of old lanterns Martin’s uncle left at the entrance several years ago. He was actually his uncle by marriage and Martin had never met him. They added fuel to several and lit them. It surprised Martin that the old things still worked.

Starting down the shaft, they found pegs on the walls for hanging a lantern. They did hang two as they made their way down the tunnel to where it split.

The shaft on the left was where the vein was supposed to be located. They hung the extra lantern on the peg at the split in the tunnel. They soon found the scars where the old work had been done. Old scars from sharpened picks laced the walls.

His wife’s uncle had left some notes that said a few yards farther down the shaft there was a hole that did not seem to have a bottom. Her uncle said it was a vent to some volcanic action thousands of years ago. Mudslides had closed it off at the top, but the shaft it made in the rocks went down farther than the eye could see.

Where the old work had been done, they found two small bags with ore in them. The thin bluish veins were visible in the rock. They began to dig using the tools Martin had brought and found the beginning of the vein quickly and followed it for several feet, removing the rock carefully and bagging it as they went.

In a few short hours they accumulated six small bags of rock interlaced with the bluish ore. They figured this would be enough for a sample so they pecked and dug in other places coming up with nothing interesting.

They picked up two bags apiece of the ore and carried them out with them. They weren’t very heavy, but both men were basically lazy. Besides, they would have plenty of time to haul out the rest of the ore before the others arrived.

The ore was placed under Martin’s bunk in the cabin. The men ate a light lunch and took a nap before they started the trek back to the other mine and the two cabins there.

Martin heard Jake get up and go outside. He knew that every time Jake ate something a little greasy that his bowels were disrupted for a while.

After 30 minutes and Jake hadn’t returned, Martin began to worry. He put on his boots and picked up his rifle. He checked the loads and went outside. He thought he heard something in the woods behind the cabin and he believed he saw a flash of black below the lower branches of the trees. He went to investigate . . .

realm of the wolf

CHAPTER ONE

The dirt road described in the letter seemed to be the one coming up on his left. He had been on this road for hours since leaving Idaho Falls traveling west and had seen dozens of roads like the one described in the invitation. He turned the black and gray ‘94 4x4 Bronco and proceeded down the road slowly. Garth Brooks sang about that damned old rodeo on the radio station he tuned in this morning.

The trees growing closely to the edge of the road and the slightly overcast day had created a tunnel effect on the view. He traveled two miles according to the odometer before he saw the expected group of vehicles and horse trailers grouped together at a turnout along the road. There wasn’t anyone standing around as he had half expected and he believed that he would probably be the last of the invited party to arrive for this trip.

He sighed, thinking that this might not be a good idea. He had been apprehensive from the beginning. The letter he received two months ago invited him on, An exciting week long gold-seeking excursion. The handwritten letter had been from one of the Co-Valedictorians in his High School graduating class, Millicent Rainesly.

Millicent had been very pretty in high school and undoubtedly was still quite beautiful at the ripe old age of 28. He grinned and shook his head. She was a snob when they graduated and it was doubtful she had changed.

Regardless, he found that he was invited on a six-day camping trip into the Rocky Mountain wilderness in Idaho. Her uncle had left her land that contained two working gold mines on it. Neither mine had ever been very productive, but she had thought, How neat it would be to get the Valedictorians and Salutatorians of the class back together. Combine a reunion with the exhilarating search for actual treasure in the wilderness of the Rockies. And of course they would be allowed to keep 50% of whatever type of valuable metals they found, because not only gold, but traces of silver were found in the mines.

Their graduating class of 78 seniors had contained five Valedictorians and three Salutatorians. Each group had been in an unbreakable tie for the honored positions and therefore a full 10% of the Tipton High School had graduated receiving these honors. The school began to implement a different type of system for honor classes immediately the following year to prevent this from occurring again,

Millicent Rainesly, Miranda Randy Jacobs, Kent Helms, Jerica Saunders, and Foster Logan Denton were the Valedictorians. Threasa Richley, Ranona Haines and Loren Chadley were the Salutatorians.

He grinned again, thinking he had always hated being called Foster and had gone by his middle name Logan since the 1st grade. His parents named him Logan after his great- grandfather on his Dad’s side of the family. He was glad great granddaddy’s name wasn’t Buford.

It would be nice to see his old classmates again after all these years. He had not kept in touch with them since early college except Randy from time to time, though he hadn’t actually seen her since college graduation. He and Randy had been close in school though strictly as friends. She had never seemed to want anything but a friendly relationship and he had been deep in lust with one of the football cheerleaders. He blushed as he thought about how often he had been in lust with some girl in school.

Logan had married the cheerleader in the summer before his sophomore year of college. He found out -- as many young people do -- that while girls that enjoy sex as much as boys do in high school are fun to be in love with, it is often hell being married to them. After five years of fights and separations, they finally divorced. The single casualty to his bad judgment being his 7 year old daughter, Tana, of whom he managed to obtain custody.

His daughter seemed quite pleased when he announced to her that she was going to spend the week with her Grandpa and Grandma while he was off, gallivantin’ through the woods in the frigging Rocky Mountains. as his Mother had so indelicately put it in her gruff, but playful way.

A tall woman in black Levi’s, riding boots, and a faded flannel shirt caught his eye as she moved from between the two farthest vehicles and trailers. She was leading a saddled horse from one of the trailers and stopped, watching his Bronco as it got nearer to where the group parked.

Logan gave a short wave of his hand and pulled his vehicle behind the group of trucks on the left of the turnout. They didn’t have stock trailers attached to them. He picked up his jacket from the passenger seat and stepped out the door, his eyes seeking the woman.

The woman was still standing where she stopped earlier and had an intent look on her face that quickly vanished into a smile as recognition hit her. She started towards him leading the horse behind her.

Well Logan, I had began to believe that you weren’t coming, his old friend said.

I had no intention of it until I thought that it might be interesting to see Milly tossed on her ass by a horse with a bad disposition, he replied with a mischievous smile on his face.

Still holding the old grudge, huh? Randy asked.

Not really, it’s just that I can’t see how she could have changed any that would make her less irritating, he said.

Randy affirmed his opinion with the nod of her head. I think you’re right. I’ve seen Milly several times in the past ten years and she hasn’t changed much. For some reason she gave me the great honor of staying in touch and I see her several times a year . . . . unlike someone else that I know.

Logan shrugged his shoulders and said, Hell, you know how it was between Sandy and me. If I even talked to you she would have thought we were having an affair. She never understood that we were just friends.

Logan looked at Randy, surprised at how pretty she had become since he last saw her. She had been 5 feet 11 inches tall and very slender in high school. Long, brown hair and green eyes that sparked emerald when she was mad set off her face. She had been cute, but no one would have called her beautiful for her looks alone. She had been a good athlete in school lettering in basketball and volleyball, but her body had been plain upon graduation.

That had changed. She was standing at least 6 feet in the riding boots. The long, brown hair, green eyes, and cute face were still the same, but her body had filled out, in Logan’s opinion, quite well. Her body was still athletic, but now it was curvaceous in all the places that would have attracted his attention in high school.

He blushed at that thought. After all, this woman had been his best friend and knew him better in high school than his wife had in 8 years. She knew how shallow he could be, but had always accepted that no one was perfect and a friend that was worth having deserved some latitude in their character. She had always been his friend--exactly why was a little beyond him. She was very aware of his social shortcomings with the members of the opposite sex that he found to be attractive.

Randy stepped forward, gave him an affectionate hug and said, Get your gear and load it on your horse. Milly says it’s almost an 8-hour ride to where the mines are located. We’ll be staying in a couple cabins her uncle built on the remains of some run-down cabins. Everyone else is about a 150 yards down the trail in a clearing. Your horse is tied to the side of the red horse trailer behind that black Chevy truck. She turned, leading her horse up the trail she had indicated.

Logan started getting his gear out of the vehicle. He knew there had been several women in his life that he cared for, but he didn’t feel that he had ever loved any of them. Not even Sandy, though for a while he certainly thought that he loved her. The only true love in his life was Tana.

Randy had felt that little shiver of excitement as it rippled across her lower spine when she gave Logan the hug. All the old emotions she used to feel when they were teenagers came rushing forward.

She kicked a rock in the trail with the toe of her boot and cursed, Damn. She had believed those old feelings were buried years ago and for them to resurface now was almost too much for her to take.

She had been in love with Logan since their sophomore year in high school. Her hope that they would be together as a couple was killed by his marriage to Sandy Trent four years and six months later. She knew he had never been aware of her feelings and it probably would have shocked him if she had told him.

She had been his friend when not very many people were a friend. He had always been outspoken and more than just a little sarcastic in his dealings with people he found to be annoying. He could be cold and ruthless and these aspects of his personality had tended to push people away instead of drawing them near.

But, she had seen through the exterior and seen that his coldness came from a fear of being cheated or bullied. He had pushed himself relentlessly to be number one and it hurt him to his core to see someone placed in front of him due to favoritism or what he called politics. He lost a place as starting quarterback on the football team to a boy who was half as good because the kid’s father was on the school board. He worked hard to obtain his place, but it was swept away because of politics. He quit and never played football for the school again.

She had seen him take up for an impaired child that the school bully regularly picked on after lunch period. The bully was a senior and Logan was a sophomore. The fight lasted for 30 minutes. It ended with both boys exhausted, hurt, and Logan had neither won nor lost, but the point was clear to the bully. Logan would back what he said until he dropped and he wouldn’t stand for someone strong picking on someone who couldn’t take care of themselves.

She knew the love he had for his family. The winter day his brother fell off the high wall of the old coal-mining strip pit on his Grandfather’s place had scared her. The wall was 12 feet high and straight as a cliff. Alan had hit the water, knocked unconscious by the fall and the shocking temperature of the water. Logan, who loved swimming, but refused diving, had never hesitated in the long dive to the water where his brother went under.

The water temperature was 40 degrees and Randy didn’t think she would see either of them surface again. In what seemed like an eternity, but couldn’t have been over 15 seconds, Logan’s dark blue jacket came to the top along with Alan’s lighter blue jacket. The swim to the other side was approximately 25 yards. She could hear Logan’s strained breathing as she ran around the edge of the pit to get to where they would come out of the chilling water.

When she got there, Logan had already ripped Alan’s jacket and shirt from his thirteen- year old chest. Finding the right place with his middle finger he commanded Randy to tilt his head back. He pushed hard into the stomach area and water spewed from Alan’s mouth. He repeated it and got nothing.

Randy would never forget the pain and fear in Logan’s eyes and that he had never allowed himself to get hysterical.

Logan mumbled, He’s not breathing.

He quickly tilted the head back and gave Alan two breaths and checked for a pulse. None. He gave his brother two more breaths. He found the correct spot for the cardiac massage and pumped his brother’s chest 15 times. He leaned over his brother to give him two more breaths when Alan spit water all over his face and began to cry.

Logan had grabbed him, held him close, and he too began to cry and so did Randy.

Randy had given Logan her jacket to wrap around his brother and he carried him the quarter of a mile to where the boys’ Grandparents lived. The last half of the walk home was filled with Alan telling him, Put me down damn it, I can walk.

Randy had seen everything as clearly as a display on a billboard. She knew that Logan was relentless, but not unmerciful, strong, but not callous. For him to love someone meant that he would have to give everything he could possibly give in their behalf if they needed it.

She had known he did not feel that way about Sandy and had tried to warn him, but it only angered him to where he quit talking to her for two weeks. She never approached him about it again. And, she had never had the courage to tell him her true feelings. She knew he was not ready to make that kind of commitment to a woman, even though she honestly believed he thought he had been with Sandy.

He still looked good after 8 years. He hadn’t grown any taller than the 6 foot 3 inch mark he attained at seventeen though his shoulders were definitely wider. He hadn’t lost any hair, unless that was a clever toupee, and though perhaps a little soft in the middle he was obviously in pretty good shape.

Randy had reached the group of classmates and spouses. She wondered if she should have told him they were the only unmarried people making the trip. Everyone else had brought his or her spouse along. Milly did not include, bring your spouse, in Randy’s letter because she knew Randy was widowed. Randy assumed she had left out the same thing due to Logan being divorced.

Milly looked at Randy as she walked up with an expectant look on her face. She had heard the vehicle pull up on the road below.

It’s Logan. He should be here in 5 or 10 minutes, Randy said in answer to the look Milly gave her.

Milly stood two inches over five feet and was very pretty. Her body had developed between their sophomore and junior years quite suddenly. A rather boyish figure before, she soon found herself at a new height of popularity.

Her family was not overly wealthy, but they were not anywhere near the poverty level either. They could afford to get her a nice new sports car for her 17th birthday. This, combined with the new change of looks, had brought a change in her attitude that was quite repulsive to her old friends.

She met her husband-to-be between her junior and senior year of high school. Martin Banks was two years older than she was and approximately ten times as snobbish. They had seemed made for each other as they were both filled with the distorted conception of their own self-importance.

She hated Logan because he had always seemed to be one step ahead of her without even trying. His flippant attitude towards grades, honor societies, and even college scholarships that seemed handed to him with ease made her seethe. She had to work hard to accomplish the things that came so easily for him.

Then come the day at the park during the summer before college. Martin and his cousin, Jake, were shooting bottle rockets over the water of the lake.

Logan and some of his friends were swimming in a small, enclosed cove in the man-made lake. Martin fired a couple of bottle rockets in their direction and laughed as they all dove for cover. As the boys would come up for air, Martin and Jake would fire another salvo of bottle rockets.

Milly had been laughing hysterically when the water erupted at their feet and Logan had charged up the bank in a run. His right fist connected with Jake’s jaw and knocked him down. He grabbed Martin by the thin, white T-shirt and roughly slung him to the ground, knocking the breath out of him from the force of the impact. He said angrily, The next bottle rocket you shoot I’ll force feed the rest down your throat. Now take your bitch girlfriend and firecrackers home before I kick your ass.

Milly sat, frozen in place, shocked as she saw the genuine fear in Martin’s eyes. Jake was out cold and though Logan and Martin were about the same size, it was obvious Martin was not interested in a physical confrontation.

Milly had never forgiven Logan for that incident that had made Martin look so small and cowardly.

The only reason Milly invited Logan was because she knew Kent and Randy would raise hell with her. Despite her inflated beliefs in herself, she still genuinely thought of Randy as a friend. She had never been aware of Randy’s feelings for Logan and Randy had never felt inclined to tell her about them.

Milly turned and her eyes sought out their guide, James River. Martin had hired him four weeks earlier to assist Jake and him to the cabin. Milly met him at a predetermined place in town and had been with him for the past two days to purchase the proper supplies. She had taken a profound dislike to him that she had only been able to conceal to herself and to River. If she had seen Martin, she would have demanded that he fire James, but he had not wanted to come off the mountain until the trip was finished.

Milly’s eyes found the big man and she said, James, the last guest should be here very soon. We should be able to leave in twenty minutes.

She was barely able to suppress a shudder as she turned away. He was never clean enough that she wasn’t able to detect the smell of some animal on him from a few feet away and his hair was slick with oil and dirt. His very presence was repulsive.

James nodded his head and his eyes watched her ass in the blue cotton riding pants as she turned to Randy. He intended to have that ass and the rest of her very soon.

In the two days they had been working together, James River was certain that this rich hussy wanted him. He watched the sway of her ass as she walked and the look in her eyes when she talked to him had sent her subtle messages clearly. He would have plenty of time in the six days that would follow to get time alone with her and James certainly wasn’t afraid of her dude husband.

James River was six feet tall and weighed two hundred pounds even. His hands were big, but his fingers were short and stubby. His face was wide and given to flab in his jaws and chin. He looked slightly fat and therefore weak, but this was a misconception for James River was very strong. And, James River was a man not quite right in the mind.

James readied the packhorses for the trip into the mountains. He was guiding eleven people in to meet two others at the old cabins Milly’s uncle had built. It was supposed to be an adventure that no one would forget.

CHAPTER TWO

Logan unloaded the contents of his largest duffel bag into the saddlebags on the horse. The holstered revolver was on a belt that he slung around his hips and cinched up tight. The gun was a .44 Magnum Ruger Redhawk stainless with a 5-inch barrel and rubber grips. It was loaded with 240-grain hollow-point ammunition. There was a full box of ammo for it that Logan had already placed in the saddlebag.

He walked back to the Bronco and reached under the seat. He pulled out a Duo-tone Springfield Armory .45 ACP and shoulder holster. This was his carry gun he used as a private detective when he was in the field. Rather than run the risk of someone breaking into his vehicle and stealing it, he decided to take it with him. He placed the pistol and holster in his saddle roll that contained his bedding. As more or less an afterthought, he got his extra clip from the glove compartment and included it too, along with several loose rounds rolling around in the ashtray.

He thought that perhaps he might have forgotten how to saddle a horse, but he found it really hadn’t been as long as it seemed. The horse accepted the bit easily enough and he realized he was ready. He swung into the saddle and started the horse down the mountain trail to meet the group of classmates that he hadn’t seen in years.

The horse was an experienced trail and mountain horse. It took its time going up the slight incline to meet the rest of the group. It also sensed the man sitting on its back knew horses and he had been gentle when saddling and bridling him.

Logan looked at the people in the group as he rode in amongst his schoolmates. Millicent with her haughty, somewhat better than thou look, but she looked sexy in the riding outfit. Her body filled it quite well. Kent nodded a greeting, a pretty sandy-blond woman beside him. Loren and a tall woman with black hair that was telling him, I don’t like to camp where there are no modern plumbing facilities, were caught up in a minor argument and did not pay attention to his arrival. Then his eyes caught Randy.

She was sitting straight in her saddle and had a dark blue baseball cap on with her long hair in a ponytail. He noticed her horse had a saddle boot for a firearm and there seemed to be one in it. That didn’t surprise him because she had never been skittish around firearms and had owned several long guns when they were teenagers. They often went shooting together in high school.

He rode within speaking distance and Millicent said politely, Logan, I am so glad you made it. We thought you weren’t going to get to come with us after all.

I had some business in Denver that took longer than I expected. Sorry I’m late, replied Logan apologetically.

The apology pleased Millicent, as it was more than she expected. There even appeared to be a slight smile on her face as she said, The only one who couldn’t make it was Ranona and her husband. Some kind of emergency kept them at home. We’ll make the introduction of everybody you haven’t met while we are on the trail. James says we need to hurry if we are going to make it before nightfall. It’ll be easier to unload the supplies in the daylight.

Logan nodded and then he saw James. The guide had been staring at him and the look on his face was definitely not friendly. Logan knew what James was seeing when he looked at him because it was the same thing he was seeing when he looked at James. It was a look of challenge. The same look two male grizzlies will give each other before they fight over territory or breeding rights. Logan knew that he and James would have to stay apart or a fight would occur.

It wasn’t that Logan was a troublemaker or that he looked for a fight. It was that some men are destined for struggle or conflict. James River and Logan Denton were two such men.

James averted his eyes from the man that joined them and his hand closed over the reins of the three packhorses. He started his horse up the trail with the packhorses following behind.

He was not pleased with what he saw. The tall man was the only one of the male guests that carried a firearm. Openly anyway. He looked as if he would be proficient with it and wouldn’t hesitate to use it if necessary. He didn’t look like a dude. He looked capable of handling himself in the woods. James wanted them all to depend on him for the knowledge they would need in making it for a week in the wilds of these rugged mountains.

If all of them depended on him then Milly would see how much more important he was out here. He didn’t want Milly to start looking elsewhere for answers to her questions.

James River also noticed the look she gave Logan as he joined the group. Just as he had mistaken the looks she had been giving him as ones of adoration, the one she had given Logan had seemed to be one of burning desire.

James decided then that at any time the man became a distraction of any size he would kill him. There were dozens of ways to kill a man out here that could be made to look like an accident and James knew he could do it. He had done it before.

Two hours into the trip Logan had reacquainted himself with all his old classmates and had been introduced to their spouses. He liked his old friends, though some of the spouses seemed a little standoffish. Actually, only one of the ladies was like that. Loren’s wife looked at him as if he was carrying a communicable disease.

Kent and his wife, Callie, were both teaching high school in south Texas. They had been married for six years and had no children yet. Kent had always been easy going and his wife was the same.

Logan couldn’t say that about Loren’s wife. She was a good-looking woman, but she had a whining aspect to her voice that grated on his nerves. Unless he just completely missed his guess, it looked as though it grated on Loren’s nerves too. Her name was Cindy. Loren had his own construction company and it was one of the few that was doing quite well.

Jerica’s husband was a friendly man named Ben Ashley. Jerica had always been bubbly and friendly throughout the time Logan had known her. She was now, as she had been in school, slightly overweight. Not enough to say she was fat or even plump. Perhaps well rounded or buxom would be the best description, but a very pretty woman regardless. She was the type that if you sat and talked to her for a few minutes, you soon forgot she was overweight at all and you would see the wonderfully, interesting person she was within. Ben seemed to be tailor-made for her. They had three kids and Ben had been talking about a fourth. Ben was a criminal lawyer with a new practice that was showing extreme promise.

Threasa had married Bob Dillion. He had been a year ahead of them in school. He had gotten his license to be a CPA and she attained her license as a veterinarian. They were the wealthiest of the group. Threasa had never been uppity and her personality was as glowing now as ever. Her husband had been one of those good ol’ boys that Logan had known quite well from back home. They seemed very happy together and Threasa was well at home on the back of a horse. Her family owned several on their ranch while she was in high school.

Logan had not bothered to speak to James River. He had a feeling they were going to meet soon enough.

He slowed his horse until it was walking beside Randy’s horse. He glanced at her and smiled.

Randy found she still enjoyed the smiles that seemed to light up his entire face. The smiles used to be rare. It was good to see one so readily appear after so many years. She said, Why are you smiling you grinning baboon?

The smile got bigger. I was thinking that Milly’s taste in men has certainly changed. The tone was sarcastic.

A little frown darkened Randy’s face and she said worriedly, Milly didn’t hire him. Martin hired him three or four weeks ago to take Jake and him to the cabins the first time. He was waiting on us at the motel when we arrived. He had spent the week hiring out horses for the trip.

Logan couldn’t stop the look of surprise from showing on his face. You mean when Milly sent those invitations she had never been there before?!

Randy shook here head. No, she inherited it from her uncle upon his death. From what I understand Jake and Martin have been up there for three weeks cleaning up the cabins and looking at the bracing in the mines. I think this is their way of finding out whether the mines have any real mineral worth to them without having to hire a bunch of labor to do it.

Figures, he grunted disgustedly. Logan nodded his head toward her saddleboot. Why the rifle?

It’s not a rifle. It’s a shotgun, a 12 gauge riot gun. I bought it for protection against snakes or other varmints that might need shooting while we’re up here.

It should still be a little cool for rattlers where we’re going, said Logan understanding what her real reason was for having the gun.

Some snakes may have two legs and be just as cold-blooded, replied Randy nodding towards the guide.

Yeah, I kind of thought that too, but I ain’t going to express my opinions about people I don’t know very well to the public.

Then maybe you have changed some, Logan.

Probably not for the better. I spent 3 years, nearly four, in the military while attending two years of college on the side. A year and a half of the military service I spent in the Special Forces, three months training with the British SAS in Great Britain. It was during the time with the Special Forces that I decided that I couldn’t take any more of Sandy. We divorced and she didn’t want custody of our daughter. I did and . . . , Logan was saying when Randy cut him off with a question of her own.

How come you spent only three years in the military? I was in ROTC in college and you can’t enter Special Forces training without a minimum of four years enlistment.

Logan gritted his teeth and with a slightly pained expression looked Randy in the eye. Nearly four years. My left foot is a prosthesis. I lost it in a training accident. That made me ineligible to continue my military duty in the SoCom and I received a medical discharge.

Randy glanced at his boot and said, I couldn’t tell by the way you were walking earlier.

I’ve grown accustomed to it. The only thing that bothers me now is that, every once in while, I’ll get an itch on my big toe of the missing foot and there isn’t any way I can scratch the damn thing.

Randy grinned and said, You’re still incorrigible.

Logan’s face became serious and Randy knew that whatever was coming next was something that had been bothering him.

What is it with the guide? Hell, he looks like an escaped criminal. Why didn’t they find someone else to guide them? Logan’s face expressed genuine concern and Randy didn’t hesitate to tell him what she knew.

James claimed to be an expert on the area where the gold mines are located. I think Martin got his name from an ad James runs in the state paper. Martin believed him when he told him there wasn’t anyone else in the area that knew it as well as he does. Milly and I came up here three days ago and James met us in town at a place Martin suggested two weeks before. He was to help us go get the horses and trailers and buy the supplies we would need, but he gave me the creeps. I know Milly feels the same way that I do, but she won’t admit it. You know how she is about admitting she may have made a mistake. I bought the shotgun on the pretense of being scared of snakes. James argued against it, but I finally convinced Milly that buying the shotgun would be the smart thing to do since James couldn’t go with us on calls of nature.

Logan smiled at the thought of Milly finding a snake while looking for a place to relieve herself. The snake would probably drown in a flash flood.

Randy continued, So I bought the shotgun, two boxes of 0 buck, two boxes of slugs, and a box of copper-plated sixes. He didn’t like it, but he didn’t say much after Milly agreed. I don’t believe Milly would be safe alone with him. The last she said in a whisper.

Well that’s all we need. A perv’ for a guide, grumbled Logan. He looked at the men around him and shook his head. Of the men on the trip, the only one that could be counted on for sure was Loren. He had served in the U.S. Marines and called back to active duty during the Desert Storm campaign. Kent didn’t hunt, but some of the others might hunt enough to be familiar with firearms.

Suddenly he grinned despite himself. Randy not only could shoot, but undoubtedly would shoot. Okay, if the guide flips out there were three of them that would stand for sure. Possibly more of them were worth counting, but only three people for certain had the training needed.

Logan glanced at Loren and didn’t see a firearm. Bet he has one in the saddlebag though, he muttered to himself.

They were five hours into the trip and all conversation had ceased to a minimum over an hour before. Everyone seemed to have attuned to the slow, easy sway of their horse’s gait except for Cindy. She looked as though her backside was going to be very sore before they arrived at their destination. Her griping about the horse accounted for 98% of the current conversation.

Logan found it was still easy to sleep in the saddle. Doze anyway. The horse was sure-footed and kept an even pace. The slow gait served to put him asleep. He woke as they crossed a stream. The water looked clear and cold. There wasn’t much chance of them losing their way back unless they went at night or during a blizzard. The trail was very visible. He commented as much to the group.

Milly replied, That’s true, but it was grown up more when Jake and Martin came in the first time. There have been several horses back and forth since so the trail is easier to follow now.

Everyone was weary when the cabins came into sight and it was a beautiful sight even if they hadn’t been eager to see them. Two cabins sat about 35 yards apart. The smaller and older one was slightly uphill and to the left of the larger one. The larger one had four walls around it, but the older one was built into the hill. A stable could be seen uphill about 100 feet from the big cabin, but it didn’t look big enough to house all the horses.

The cabins were constructed to last through the most extreme high mountain conditions. The small one was the only cabin that looked as though someone had built on to an existing structure long ago, but from what Logan understood, they both were rebuilt from pre-existing buildings. The trees were mature and reached high above the cabins forming a kind of roof above the area. It was surprisingly clear immediately around the cabins. A large brush pile down the hill told the story why. There was a modest size creek from the sound of it running somewhere below out of sight.

Saddles creaked as people began to dismount and almost all of them walked as though certain parts of their anatomy were now feeling a little raw.

Logan asked Milly, Where is Martin and Jake?

Probably at the oldest cabin. It’s a good mile and a half to two miles away and through rough terrain. No trail like the one we followed here.

Logan nodded his head. He knew how rough a mountain trail could be after years of erosion took its toll. It could be very rough going.

James raised his right hand in front of everybody to get their attention and said, Folks, there ain’t enough room in the old stable for all these horses so we’ll have to picket them. We knew this was going to be a problem so the stable was used to store enough feed to get the horses through the week. I’ll be staying in the stable to keep an eye on ‘em to make sure there ain’t any wild critters bother ‘em through the night. The picket pegs are up by the stable.

Logan noticed James’ eyes stop on him in the crowd and the eyes took on a somewhat greasy look, but only for a second. Then they were moving again. James ground-hitched the packhorses and led his riding horse up the hill. Everyone followed.

After getting the saddle gear off the horses and placed in the stable tack room, Logan, Loren, Kent and Randy began unloading the packhorses. They placed the supplies in the two cabins. Soon, Ben, Bob, and Milly joined them.

Milly did not carry anything, but she did direct the others as to where everything went for storage.

Logan looked at Loren and said, When we get this stuff unloaded I’m going to go down to that creek I can hear down the hill and wash up.

Loren said, That’s a damn good idea, but it isn’t an original thought. Cindy, Jerica, and Callie went down to the creek to wash off already. Loren saw the question coming before Logan could form it. James went down there with them to stand back and watch for bears or what have you.

Logan’s eyes locked with Randy’s as she had been listening to the conversation. Randy set down the bundle she was carrying and said, I think I’ll go down there and wash up myself. Milly? I am going down to the creek to wash up. These men can finish this without us.

Randy walked out the door snatching up the 12 Ga. and a small duffel bag as she went out the door of the cabin. Milly grabbed her stuff and fell in behind her jabbering as they went down the hill. Randy was already 40 feet ahead of her with that mean-looking little 12 Ga. slung across her shoulder.

Kent walked in with a bundle and asked, Lord, did you see that shotgun that Miranda had on her shoulder? Remember how quiet and timid she acted in school?

Logan grinned at him and said, If you had seen her some of the times that I’d seen her, you would have realized that was just a cloak that she was outgrowing.

Bob grinned and asked, How close were ya’ll in school? There was always talk that she was your piece on the side.

Nothing like that. We were always friends. No, more than friends. Like Kent and me were friends. I never screwed you did I, Kent? Logan inquired teasingly.

No, but I caught you looking at my ass with lust in your eyes once or twice.

All five of the men laughed as Logan responded with a cheery, "Kiss