They probably wouldn't take the risk of letting them get away again, which meant they would probably kill them…all of them, including the children. There wasn't much he could do, under the circumstances.

Carmen gazed up at him, acutely aware that she might never see him again alive. "I love you."

He nodded. "I know, and I love you too." He leaned down and she stretched up to meet his kiss. He squeezed her hand. "I'll be back."

She watched as he rode away, tears burning her eyes. All she could do was pray.

Jonathan joined her. "Where's he going?"

She hesitated, not wanting to frighten him. He needed to know what was happening, though.

"He said there were two men following us - one he recognized, which means it was the man who captured us. He wants to get them off our trail and maybe find more horses. We're supposed to continue without him if he doesn't come back right away."

Jonathan gasped. "But they might kill him."

She nodded. "Possibly. He's doing the only thing he can. We can't possibly outrun them."

Did Alex have a plan or was he simply assuming he would think of something when the moment arrived? Either might be the case. He had never backed away from a dangerous situation since she met him. He was cautious and intuitive enough to avoid most situations. Those he couldn't avoid, he was always able to talk his way out of, but this was different. Alex knew that. So what would he do? She turned to Jonathan. "I'm going to go up there and watch. You stay here with the children."

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Jonathan remained with the others while she climbed the slope. When she reached a point where she could look down the other side, she stopped and squatted, peering between some yucca plants.

She immediately spotted the two riders, but it took her a few minutes to spot Alex riding on a narrow trail above the trail the other riders were on. Her pulse increased. If they looked up, and saw him, they could easily pick him off with a rifle.

Alex waited until the men were almost directly below him before making his move. At that point Alex plunged his horse over the side of the trail and down the slope toward them. Carmen held her breath as he crossed the trail directly in front of them. He didn't pause before continuing down the steep slope. She gasped in horror. What was he doing?

Alex hung on as the horse scrambled to keep his balance on the steep slope. The horse slid down the slope, nearly on its haunches in the loose shale




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