Adam’s clothes still felt damp from the rain storm. He had managed to find himself some cover but not before the deluge soaked him through. He had spent long hours through the night sitting in front of the small fire he had built. It threw out some heat, though not enough to dry him out and he called himself every kind of a fool for not making sure he had a slicker tied behind his saddle. Despite his condition he’d had to smile when he imagined what his pa would have said to such a fool mistake.
His father.
He was still coming to terms with the fact. He had found him, but Brand had ridden out so quickly they hadn’t really had time to forge any kind of bond. Adam hadn’t expected it to happen instantly. He just wanted to get to know the man. Which was why he had acted on impulse, hiring the horse and following his father up into the hills. He knew Brand would be mad as hell when he showed up and the boy admitted what he’d done was downright foolish.
At least he had brought his rifle along with him. Coming all this way without a means to protect himself would have been even more foolish than actually striking out on his own. He had heard distant gunfire and he couldn’t help wondering if his father had been involved. Adam didn’t dwell on that for too long. He held the feeling Brand was well able to take care of himself. With those thoughts on his mind he pushed on across the timbered slopes, admitting to himself he was having some problems tracking. The rain had washed out most of the tracks he had been following and he had to cast around, retrace his steps while he kept up his search.
He found tracks finally but they comprised more than one horse. And the way they were spread out, meandering back and forth, told him there were searching for something, cutting about in a haphazard way. What were the searchers looking for? More likely who were they looking for.
His father’s image came into his mind.
Was he the subject of the search?
Adam took to his saddle, worry in his mind now. He needed to find his father. To find him unhurt and alive.
He told himself he had been right to go searching for Brand. If his father was in possible danger he wanted to be around. To help if he could.
Mid-morning and the rain that had swept the mountain slopes had gone. The sun was back in a cloudless sky, the heat pressing down through the trees. Adam rode with a sense of urgency behind his actions now.
Where was his father?
Sporadic gunfire came and went. Echoes rattled across the slopes, distorted by the clustered timber and he found it hard to pinpoint where exactly the shots came from. He admitted to himself that his tracking skills were not as good as he might have imagined. Becoming an expert took years of dedication. More time than he had spent.
He spotted the gleam of water, decided to stop to refill his canteen. He pulled his horse towards the rushing stream that originated somewhere far higher up the mountain. His horse picked up the scent and turned sharply. Adam’s lack of concentration left him unprepared for the animal’s unexpected move. He felt himself sliding sideways from the saddle, lost his grip on the reins and pitched off the horse. He landed awkwardly, thrown forward across the slope above the stream. When he landed he lost his balance and smacked down on his stomach, throwing out his hands to halt his fall. The impact punched the air out of his lungs a second before he bounced his head against a half-buried rock. The blow was hard enough to open a gash above his right eye that bled heavily as Adam stretched out motionless in the lush grass.
And sometime later that was where Bodie found him.