Innocence and the Outlaw

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Leah was lost. It was dark and she hadn't realized just how hard it would be to see with only a quarter of the moon lighting her way. The horse she had taken was not happy about being forced to make its way across the plains in the dark of night.

The stallion kept snorting and tossing his head and after hours of feeling as if she was traveling in circles, Leah felt like doing the same. She was simply following the river and praying that at some point it would lead her to a town or a house so she could figure out where she was.

She was happy thought that it seemed she had snuck away without anyone realizing it. At times she felt she was being watched but whenever she looked around her she couldn't see anything or anyone in the shadows.

Nerves were getting the better of her, she decided. The last time she had been riding the plains on horseback she and Benjamin had been attacked. She supposed she was afraid it would happen again and this time there would be no Chase to protect her.... She shook her head. Chase was not her protector, he was her captor and she would be better off without him, no matter what that little voice in her head kept telling her.

Leah had been raised in a home where right and wrong were set in stone. There was no gray area as far as her father was concerned. Her father would probably have a hard time accepting her back after what she'd done by running away with Benjamin and he certainly wouldn't accept her back if he knew she had a soft spot for an Indian who no doubt stole whatever his heart desired and murdered to get what he wanted.

And she had no reason to feel anything soft or tender toward that man. He had kept her prisoner. He had allowed her fiance to be murdered..... Leah had to force them to come, but the tears filled her eyes for Benjamin. She was a horrible person. That was the one and only explanation for her quick recovery over his death. And it wasn't that she wasn't sad because she was and she did miss him but she didn't feel that overwhelming sadness she had just days before.

Leah decided the best thing to do was to quit thinking. She was tired and when she was tired she tended to dwell on the bad and the negative. The horse she had stolen was becoming more restless and Leah tightened her hands on the reins as the horse snorted and sidestepped nervously.

Leah nearly cried out with frustration as she fought to get the beast under control. Suddenly the night was pierced by a feline scream. The mountain lion leapt out of a patch of long grass and the horse snorted loudly, reared back and sent Leah crashing on her back to the ground before running away.

Leah hit the ground so hard that the air rushed from her lungs and she couldn't seem to breath or move. Fear had her heart pounding in her ears when she heard that feline scream again. Suddenly she realized how foolish and stupid she had been. She hadn't been safe out here with Benjamin so what had made her think she would be safe alone? Her gun was in the sack, tied to the horse and currently bouncing away in the distance. As the growling grew closer and she saw the slinking shadow circling her she knew one thing for sure. She was going to die.

***

Chase had been following Leah on foot for hours. She was wandering further into wilderness instead of closer to civilization. He wanted to call out to her but knew that she would run from him if she saw him behind her.

It was clear that Leah was struggling and it didn't help that she had unwittingly taken his horse. No one other than Chase himself could truly control that beast. He was wild, unpredictable and respected no one. Leah was having great difficulty simply staying upon Blaze's back.