She looked at me and smiled. "Touche. I was thinking about my mother. After she died, I had this dream of a faceless person chasing me through the woods. Suddenly, I"d be in the lake with water up to my waist, while someone grabbed my ankles. I couldn"t move or scream. My mother stood on the other side of the lake, as if she were waiting for me. The harder I tried to get to her, the deeper I sank. As I was about to go under, I"d wake up." She looked at me. "Pretty nutty, huh?"
"No, not at all," I said.
My mind drifted back to that night four years ago and all the nightmares I"d had since. Through all the horrible nights, I"d wake in a pool of sweat, screaming. Suddenly, I felt my body shake as an anxiety attack started. I took a deep breath and it subsided. I could show Maggie a thing or two about being nutty.
I looked up to see her once again watching me with a curious look. "Last night, before I woke, I had a similar dream. It was almost like someone was trying to tell me to wake up, but I couldn"t, you know?" I said.
She nodded while looking at the woods. "Well, whoever it was, I"m grateful. I don"t know what would have happened if you hadn"t come into the room when you did."
We were both quiet as I tried to dismiss the idea. I didn"t want to think what would"ve happened if I hadn"t woken when I did. I looked over at Maggie, noticing the forlorn look on her face. I felt something pull at my heart. I felt bad for this young woman and I only hoped I would be able to help in some way.
"Hey, can"t we get some room to open up these horses?"
"If you think you"re up to it."
"Just get me there."
I said my prayers, hoping I wouldn"t fall off the horse. It seemed I was promising a great many things to the Man upstairs lately.
Maggie led us to a clearing and we stopped for a moment to enjoy the breathtaking view. Straight ahead was an open meadow and I could almost feel my horse chomping at the bit to break into a steady gallop.
I hadn"t been riding for a while, but I"d spent many a time on horseback over the years, in many different states, getting perfect photos.
Maggie gave me a challenging look then did the ole giddy-up and took off. I watched for a few seconds. She was good. Oh well, here goes nothing. I struggled for a few minutes to get the feeling back. I wanted to make sure I was back in the saddle again, not out of it. My childhood hero, Roy Rogers, would be proud, but I knew my a.r.s.e would be killing me later.
All at once, I felt a little more at ease on the galloping mare. However, my inner thighs were burning, my muscles clenching to stay in control. I was having the time of my life. I cannot remember how far we had gone before Maggie motioned to me to slow down.
"These horses aren"t used to going so fast this long. Let"s walk them," she said, a little breathless. We walked in silence for a time before Maggie spoke. "Okay, I"m impressed. I didn"t think you could ride that well."
"I"m a little surprised myself. It"s been a while and I must admit I was holding on for dear life there for a minute."
"Where did you learn to ride?" she asked.
"I"ve been on photo a.s.signments all over the country, in such remote places you couldn"t reach them by car." I shrugged. "Horseback was the only option. I love the untouched beauty of this country. There"s so much out there the average person can"t get to. I like to think through my photos, I"m giving them the opportunity to see G.o.d"s creations before we muck it up with concrete and parking lots." I suddenly realized how much I had been talking and let out a nervous laugh. "Am I talking too much? I haven"t talked like this in a long while. Sorry."
It was true. I hadn"t talked about my job or anything else with anyone but my editor for quite a while. I realized how pathetic that was. I stole a glance at Maggie. She was easy to talk to. Maybe too easy.
"Why should you be sorry?" Maggie asked. "It"s fascinating. I would love to see some of your work."
"Well, when all this is over, perhaps you can visit Chicago," I said.
"I"d like that," she said. It seemed as if she meant it, and I had to admit the idea appealed to me. Then again, it scared the h.e.l.l out of me.
We walked the horses for a while longer. Enough time for me to think about the intruder again. Something wasn"t right and it was nagging at me. What in the world was it and why the h.e.l.l couldn"t I think of it? I rubbed my forehead and ran my fingers through my hair in frustration.
"Okay, you"re doing that thinking thing and you haven"t heard a word I"ve said. What"s bothering you?"
"I don"t know. Something about the intruder last night that I can"t put my finger on. I know I"m no Wonder Woman, trust me, but if he hadn"t hit me in the head, I honestly think I could have subdued him. Something"-I ran my fingers through my hair again.
Then as we walked, a gentle breeze blew and Maggie"s perfume wafted over my way. I looked at her and sniffed. I stopped as it dawned on me.
"Perfume! That"s it!" I said.
She looked at me. "What, my perfume? I"m glad you like it."
"That"s it!" I exclaimed triumphantly as I leaned over and stupidly sniffed her neck.
"What in the world?" Her face reddened as her hand instinctively went to her neck.
"What a colossal idiot!" I exclaimed while looking at Maggie, who glared at me. "Oh, no, no, not you. Me, I"m the idiot. That"s what I couldn"t remember. The minute I smelled your perfume, it occurred to me-the intruder was wearing perfume as well. Geez, I can"t believe I didn"t think of that before. My father is rolling over in his grave right now," I said and shook my head. "G.o.d, it was a woman."
"Are you sure?" she asked amazed.
"Positive. Let"s get back."
We saddled up and headed back toward the house. Maggie suddenly pulled her horse to a stop.
"What"s the hold up?" I asked.
She said nothing. I eased my horse up next to hers. Maggie was staring into the woods, so naturally, I followed her gaze. I didn"t see anything.
"Maggie?" I asked, ignoring my quick shiver. "What"s wrong?"
"I-I thought I saw someone in the woods, over there." She pointed in the direction we were looking.
"Are you sure, Maggie?" I asked.
"Maybe not. Let"s get out of here, though."
The uneasiness in her voice had me looking once again. Then I saw something move.
Deep in the woods, a woman was standing alone. She was dressed in white that made her stand out against the dark woods. She stood so still, it was unnerving.
She was watching us.
I looked at Maggie, who had obviously seen her now, too. I grabbed her arm to steady her, or to steady me. Maggie leaned into me.
"Do you see?" she whispered.
Is she nuts? "Yes, I do. Why doesn"t she move?" I asked. We were talking in whispers. "Is she looking at us? Who is she, can you make her out?"
"I can"t tell. The trees are in the way. Kate, I"m frightened. We just can"t sit here."
"Okay, let"s go introduce ourselves," I said, not wanting to do any such thing.
I had a feeling Maggie felt the same as I saw the fear flash across her face. She then nodded.
As we started in her direction, the woman abruptly turned and faded into the woods. We stopped and looked at each other.
"Okay, did you see that?" I asked. Maggie nodded quickly and shivered.
"Let"s see where she"s going," I said.
We went off the path and rode in the direction the woman appeared to have gone. We were getting deeper and deeper into the woods.
All of a sudden, Maggie"s horse reared and took off. As she galloped into the woods, I could see Maggie faltering, almost falling off the horse. She was pulling on the reins, trying to stop her horse.
I chased after, but soon lost sight of her. I stopped, listened and heard nothing. I suddenly realized I was completely turned around. I had the horse canter slowly while I looked for any indication of Maggie"s direction.
I had to raise my arms defensively to fend off branches that seemed to come alive as they grabbed for me. I made my way through the heavy brush to a little clearing. I stopped and called out, to no avail. Just as I was about to call out again, an inner voice stopped me.
Leaves rustled to my side, and I turned to look. There was nothing.
Though it was still afternoon, the ma.s.sive pine trees gave the woods an ominous darkness, allowing only a few rays of late sunlight through. I waited, straining to hear something, anything. As soon as the horse slowly started to lope, I heard the rustling to my right, once again. I stopped, and the rustling stopped. I continued, and the rustling continued. The woods and I were doing some kind of a macabre two-step.
Someone, something is walking right by me, I thought as I frantically strained my eyes to see. The sun had gone behind the clouds and the woods took on an even more menacing darkness. Okay, don"t panic. How far can she go?
My shoulder started aching horribly. I was tired and scared and wanted to go home. Nothing better happen to that brat. I looked in every direction. I heard nothing, only my own labored breathing.
"Where did she go, boy?" I asked the horse.
Moving along slowly, I kept my senses alert for any indication of where she might have gone. Then I saw the brush moving and heard a m.u.f.fled cry. Maggie"s horse bolted through the woods, about fifty feet or so in front of me. I started in that direction, but quickly stopped when I saw Maggie lying on the ground.
Literally leaping off my horse, I knelt next to her, laid her head on my lap and held her. I looked around, hoping her horse would come back, but it was long gone-probably back at the stable already.
The woods were silent, too silent. I looked down at Maggie. Her long auburn hair was full of leaves and branches. She looked very much like Medusa. I picked the leaves out of her hair and whispered her name. Finally, she stirred and opened her eyes. She seemed confused and disoriented for a moment as she tried to get up.
"Easy," I said.
"What happened?" she asked, clutching my arm and pulling me close. I had no problem with that. I was petrified.
"I have no idea. Can you get up?"
"I think so," she said sitting up and rubbing the back of her neck. "I couldn"t stop. She reared and I couldn"t stop her. I think I hit a tree limb." She still looked a little groggy.
"Okay, let"s see if you can stand," I said.
As she stood, her legs buckled. I put my arm around her waist to steady her and she stood still for a minute or two with her hands resting on my shoulders, her head against my chest. We stood there for a moment or two longer.
"Your heart is beating fast there, Miss Ryan," she whispered and looked up into my eyes.
"You scared the h.e.l.l out of me, Miss Winfield," I said, hearing my voice tremble. I looked down into her blue eyes. For one ridiculous moment, I thought of kissing her. Good grief, Ryan, she"s nearly knocked for a loop, you"re scared spitless, and your only thought is... "Look, can you walk? I think we should get the h.e.l.l out of here."
We walked to the horse. I had my hand under her elbow to steady her because she was definitely wobbling.
"Let"s get you up on the horse," I said feeling as if the woods themselves were coming alive around us.
I steadied the horse and helped her up. I was trying not to panic and I felt very vulnerable in these woods.
Then I got my foot in the stirrup and got on behind her. I put my arms around her waist and held on tight. The last thing we needed was for both of us to fall off. I started in the direction of the house.
"This is like something out of a movie," she said as she leaned back against me.
"Yeah, an Abbott and Costello movie," I grunted and kicked the sides of the horse.
"My head, Kate. I"m sorry I think I"m going to pa.s.s out," she whispered.
"Maggie, stay with me. Are we going in the right direction?" I asked.
She lifted her head and nodded.
"Okay, hang in there-we"ll be at the house in a few minutes."
G.o.d, please don"t let me fall off the back of this stupid horse.
I rode, slowly, not wanting to jar her. Then, ahead of us, a man on horseback came into view. My horse got a little skittish and I steadied him.
"What in the world?" He looked at Maggie, clearly shocked. "Young woman, what are you doing?"
"Her horse reared and bolted. I lost sight of her and I guess he threw her. Who are you?" I asked.
"I am this woman"s uncle, Dr. Nathan Winfield." He brought his horse closer. It was then I noticed the resemblance to Hannah.
Odd that he would show up at this time. Maggie was coming around but still had her head against my chest. He reached over, checked her eyes and felt her forehead.
"Okay, let"s keep her where she is and get back to the house." He turned and trotted ahead of me, leading the way.
Hannah was standing on the deck in the back when we came through the clearing. Teri and Mac were standing behind her.
Nathan jumped off his horse, took Maggie from me, and helped her upstairs.
"What in the world happened, Kate?" Hannah asked, obviously worried as she looked at me, then in the direction Nathan had gone, clearly at odds as to where she should be.
"Dammit," I said disgusted with myself. "Her horse bolted through the woods and threw her."
Teri and Mac stood close by. "Are you all right?" Teri asked.
"I"m fine, Ter."
I explained what happened. Hannah put her hand on my arm. "You saw someone in the woods. I knew it. Someone is out there."
Teri and Mac were understandably confused and I promised to fill them in later. We talked as we went upstairs to Maggie"s room.
I watched Maggie while her uncle examined her. When he finished, he motioned us all out into the hallway.
"She"s fine," he said. "She"s got a good b.u.mp on the noggin. Keep it iced for twenty minutes or so. She"s awake and coherent. Let"s keep her still. With head injuries, you have to be careful. Try to get her to talk and focus, but keep her still. If she wakes and starts vomiting, call me immediately." He spoke in a soft, caring tone and put his arm around his sister. "She"ll be fine."
"I"ll go sit with her," I said.