He glanced at the two men between him and Josiah. “The two of you go back to the farm and make sure we didn’t miss anything. Josiah and I will check here and across the river.”
“Sure thing, Boss.” The men divided and rode off in the directions they’d been told.
“They didn’t just disappear,” Bass said thoughtfully. He turned his gaze on Josiah. “What are your thoughts?”
“If it were me and I was trying to erase my tracks, I’d use the river. Oldest trick in the book.”
Bass smiled, one side of his long mustache rose higher than the other. “Just what I was thinking. These boys aren’t stupid, but they aren’t smart, either. Rather than wastin’ our time here, let’s cross and see what we can find.”
Josiah led the way, his horse high stepping as he chose the safest way across the fast-moving water. On the other side, the brush opened, allowing them to see more of the ground near the riverbank than they could on the other side. It wasn’t long before Josiah picked up a partial hoof print then another. Soon, a trail emerged and Bass whistled for the men to join them.
The tracks led them away from the Canadian several miles them circled back again. For whatever reason, they had avoided a few farms and again headed west again, back to the river. About a mile away, they saw a black man leaning against a tree, his eyes closed.
“You there!” Bass hollered, but the man didn’t move.
They stopped a few feet away, and Bass climbed down from his saddle and walked up to the man. He squatted facing him, his arms draped on his knees. After about a minute of staring at the man, he swiped a hand across his mustache then reached forward and with a finger, moved the man’s coat jacket aside to reveal the blood-covered spot on his shirt front.
“Teague, ride back and check those last two farms we passed. Make sure the people there are still alive.” Bass ordered. “Josiah, do you know him?”
Josiah shook his head. “Never seen him before, but that doesn’t mean much. There are a lot of people out here who don’t want to be seen.”
Bass nodded. “I understand that. Lots of upset still riding high about the Union and the Confederacy. Memories run long and some families will never be the same.” He pointed toward the westward branch of the river. “You ride out that way and see if you can find any trace of tracks, and I’ll go back toward the farms on this side. Hopefully, we’ll come across something.”
Josiah nodded. “It’s as good a plan as any. If we don’t find anything, we can circle back north and begin searching on the other side of the northernmost farm and move toward Muskogee. From their past movements, they seem to keep going back to that area, so there’s something they’re returning to. We just need to figure out what it is.”
Bass nodded. “I think you’re right.” He cocked his head to one side, his narrowed gaze on Josiah. “You might make one helluva marshal yet.”
Josiah only smiled and turned his horse’s head, his gaze moving to the nearby brush, looking for broken leaves, branches, out-of-place rocks, anything to give away the passage of horses. However, the further west he moved, the denser the underbrush grew, and he knew nothing had passed through the area where he searched. A carpet of small white flowers covered the ground, and further in, throughout the gently waving grasses, were the beautiful blends of oranges, purples and blues of wildflowers spreading out from the riverbank like the flow of water. The area was pristine. A few times, he had to back his horse out and find another, less dense path through the thick vegetation. In some places, the brambles and briars threading through the wildflowers were impassible.
The sound of shouting and galloping horses grabbed his attention. With no prompting, the buckskin turned and, moving alongside Bass’s white mount, hurried across the river to meet Teague and his partner. He noticed a third horse behind the two deputies but couldn’t tell who the rider was until he heard his name called.
“Josiah!” Summer’s small voice came from behind the men.
He dismounted and ran around the deputies’ horses. Summer’s face was pale and her bottom lip and chin quivered as she glanced down at him. He held out his arms, and without hesitation, she fell into his embrace, wrapping her thin arms around his neck and sobbing so hard he couldn’t understand a word she said.
The fact that she was crying concerned him the most. Summer didn’t show emotion. She was one of the toughest girls he had ever known, so this was completely out of character for her and didn’t bode well. His first thought was that something happened to Billy and Mia had sent her to fetch him home.
He tried to gently pull her away so he could calm her down, but she didn’t budge and only cried harder. “Summer, honey, I know you are really upset, but I need you to take a few breaths so you can talk to me.” He continued to rub her back, not liking how thin she still was. He was able to feel her ribs through her dress. Mia would be so much better at this than he.
Finally, her sobs slowed and with a final hiccough, her arms slid down to her sides and she stepped back. Josiah pulled out a handkerchief from his back pocket and wiped her eyes then made her blow her nose. He wadded the dirty linen and held it out for her to take, which she reluctantly did.
“Now, tell me what has you so upset. Did something happen to Billy?”
Summer drew in a shaky breath and nodded. “After you left, Mia decided we needed to make something special for our supper, dishes from our childhood, so we would all get to taste something from each culture. She thinks it’s important we all learn about one another.”
“I agree. That’s a wonderful idea. Go on. What happened next?”
“We drove to town and bought what we needed at the mercantile then returned home.” Summer pulled in another shaky breath, and Josiah noticed how she clutched the handkerchief, her knuckles white. His chest tightened, a queasiness filling his stomach. “Mia asked me to check how well Billy and Elias cleaned and cared for the horses, so we unhitched the horse from the wagon and the boys took the food into the house.
“I was almost done when I heard Billy holler Johnny’s name. I snuck outside into the trees and around to the back of the house. I could see two more men by the river, holding two more horses. They didn’t see me as I snuck up to the back window just as Johnny shoved Billy down. Another man I’d never seen before held Mia and said they were gonna take them with them to draw you and Bass out.” She met Josiah’s gaze. “That’s when I ran back to the barn and jumped on the horse and took off after you.”
Fury settled deep inside him. How could he have been so ignorant to think the outlaws wouldn’t circle back to his own house? He knew they were in the area. Why had neither he nor Bass considered that?
“How did you find us?” Bass asked.
Summer’s dark gaze met the marshal’s. “I tracked you, sir. I’m half Creek and half Seminole. I’ve lived on my own since I was six years old and have taken care of my younger cousin for the last two years. I amverygood at certain things and tracking is one of those.”
Bass’s brow rose. “Yes, I do believe you may be right, young lady. How long ago was this?”