She glanced up and read the concern on his face. She hated to mention that she was afraid, but she was glad that he cared. “Okay. It’s just that I’m not used to riding horses, you know.”
“You’ll be fine. Mountaineer will take care of you.” Cole pressed her forearm with a light touch of reassurance, releasing it as they passed through to the lobby. Mattie left him there to go to her office to pack the supplies she might need.
With Stella in the passenger seat, Mattie drove third position in their four-vehicle caravan to the trailhead. Cole led the way, finally pulling into the parking lot and drawing his trailer up alongside another rig that was already parked. A tall, beefy man, whom Mattie had known for years, got out of the cab and marched toward the sheriff’s Jeep as she pulled up beside it and parked.
“I wonder who that is,” Stella mused under her breath.
“Ed Lovejoy, Parks and Wildlife manager,” Mattie said.
Stella exited the SUV and introduced herself to Lovejoy while McCoy gathered his things and got out of his vehicle. Mattie went to the back of her Explorer to get Robo.
“Cole said you’d want to ride with us to the site,” McCoy was saying to Lovejoy.
“That was my plan. My boss, Tucker York, is already up there, securing the area.”
“I heard that, too.” McCoy gestured toward Lovejoy’s horse and trailer. “Go ahead and get ready. You can ride with us.”
Mattie raised the hatch and Robo met her at the opening. He danced on his front paws with his mouth open in a silly grin, waiting for her to tell him he could jump down.
She took a moment to pat him and give him a hug. This dog had become her comfort zone during the past few months, and she wished she could cover the ground on foot with him as they climbed the mountain. Since she used the foothills around Timber Creek for exercise and training, both she and Robo were capable of handling the rugged terrain. She thought she could keep up with a party on horseback, but didn’t want to argue about it with the sheriff.
Stella came to get her pack from the storage compartment. “I guess it’s time to bite the bullet and climb onto the back of one of those beasts,” she muttered, apparently unconcerned about showing her own discomfort with the situation.
They exchanged knowing looks, Mattie somehow consoled by the fact that she wasn’t the only one who was afraid.
Stella gave her a wink. “At least you can make the most of it. Have that man of yours flex some muscle and make him lift you up onto your trusty steed.”
Mattie made a face at her before switching her attention back to Robo and the preparation of her supplies. While they strapped packs behind saddles and drew cinches up tight and secure, Robo ranged around the parking lot sniffing everything he came across and marking truck and trailer tires. Before Mattie could psych herself up, it was time to go.
Cole helped Stella mount Honey and gave her brief instructions. When he approached Mattie, her knees felt weak, but she pasted on a game face as she turned toward Mountaineer. Cole helped her put her foot in the stirrup and before she knew it, he’d boosted her into the saddle.
He adjusted the stirrups so that her weight rested on the balls of her feet. “Keep the stirrups out here on the toe of your boot. Don’t let them slip back into your arch.”
She’d worn hiking boots with a heavy tread, and she could feel the stirrup hang up as Cole scraped it along the sole.
“We’ll get you some riding boots with a smooth sole before your next trail ride,” he said. “But you’ll be fine for today.”
As if there’ll be a next time, she thought.
He brought the reins back along either side of Mountaineer’s neck and tied them in a knot as he gave her an encouraging look. “When you want him to turn, just pull the reins toward the direction you want to go. Pull back when you want him to stop. For the most part, I think you can relax and enjoy the ride.”
She nodded, and Cole raised his brows and smiled, trying to reassure her before turning toward his own mount. Robo bounded up, looking at her with excitement as the riders formed a line and headed toward the trailhead.
That was Robo, always ready for something new.
Once they reached the narrow trail, Brody took the lead, his Colt AR-15 rifle slung across his back. The sheriff followed him as Lovejoy, Stella, and then Mattie and Cole fell into line. Mattie clutched the saddle horn with both hands, the ends of the reins clasped between her fingers. An experienced trail horse, Mountaineer seemed to know what to do, and he followed Honey without guidance.
Mattie felt small and helpless sitting atop such a large animal, and she held herself stiff and rigid in the saddle. When the trail broadened, Cole rode up beside her. “Keep the weight of your legs balanced on the balls of your feet and let your hips relax, so that you sway with the saddle. When we reach a steep section, lean forward. Lean back slightly on the downhill.”
She did her best to follow his instructions and sometime during the first half hour on the trail, her heart rate slowed to normal. Although Robo frequently darted ahead, he always came back to look for her. After a bit, he settled in line and seemed content with sticking close.
The forested foothills closed around them as they climbed, blocking their view of the ridge and diffusing what was left of the sunlight. Despite it still being early in the day, towering cumulus clouds had risen from the western horizon and boiled above them, finally opening to splash down huge cold raindrops. Brody guided his horse off the trail into the shelter of some trees, stopping so they could pull rain jackets out of their packs and put them on. Cole dismounted and hurried forward to help Mattie with hers while Ed Lovejoy turned back to help Stella.
They headed upward again while the rain continued to fall, making Mattie worry about the integrity of their crime scene. Rivulets formed everywhere as the mountainside shed the runoff, small streams rushing across the trail and down the middle, turning it slippery and treacherous. Mountaineer continued his steady plod, and when Mattie observed Lovejoy’s horse brush his rider into a low pine bough that her own mount avoided, she realized what Cole meant when he said Mountaineer would take care of her.
It didn’t take long for the damp cold to seep in and steal warmth from her body. If she’d been on foot, she could’ve maintained her body heat. She shivered as she withdrew her running gloves from her jacket pocket and pulled them on. Water resistant instead of waterproof, they offered only slight protection from the icy spring rain.
It seemed like it took forever, but when they came to a swollen streambed, Mattie saw the beginning of the old burn area on the other side. Mountaineer eased down the bank, his hooves sinking into the mud. He picked his way across the stony bed, and then lurched up the bank on the other side. By this time, Mattie had practiced leaning forward and back, and the movements seemed to come more naturally. Still, she kept both hands tightly around the saddle horn, her fingers stiff from holding on.
This region wasn’t entirely new to her since she’d hiked up here years ago, but this trip felt eerie, knowing that she was headed uphill to look for human remains. Charred human remains.
New forest growth had filled in the open spaces between blackened trees, their crooked limbs twisted like bizarre dancing skeletons. Their destination was only a short distance farther up the trail, and she was glad for it. This place had begun to give her the creeps.