Page 14 of A Mile of Ocean (Pelican Pointe #19)

A n hour into their shift, the storm hit with full force, thunder rumbling and lightning illuminating the sky. Savannah sat astride Giselle, trying to keep the mare from bolting. She kept a vigilant watch, her confidence unwavering despite the treacherous conditions.

The stormy weather tested their resolve, but they held their ground, combing through the dense woods, their eyes sharp, searching for any movement. Savannah proved her worth, her eyes scanning the terrain with the precision of a seasoned scout.

The NVGs enabled them to see in the pouring rain, displaying the landscape in a green hue, sharpening the contrast, and providing a higher resolution so that images were crystal clear. But the conditions were far from ideal. For one thing, the rain was nonstop, and the temperature dropped to a chilly forty-five degrees, making her toes feel like little frozen popsicle nuggets.

At one point, she started to complain, but when she turned to face Trent, sitting tall and lean in the saddle, she saw water dripping off the brim of his hat, his eyes on alert but looking exhausted from lack of sleep. After that, she didn’t have the heart to let out a single, whiny phrase. Instead, she went with an upbeat tone. “How do I get a pair of these night vision goggles? They’d come in handy spying on my neighbors. Why is everything so green?”

“Doesn’t have to be green. You can adjust the amplification tube to any color. However, research shows green is the least taxing on the eyes. The military found that the human eye is more sensitive to shades of green.”

“Aren’t you smart?”

“My info came straight from Birk, who’s more savvy about those things. I asked the same question about the color. Are you warm enough?”

Her fingers and toes were freezing even with gloves on her hands and thick socks tucked into her boots. Her cheeks and the tip of her nose had turned bright red. “I’m warm and toasty, thanks.”

“Liar.”

Savannah snickered into her gloved hands for warmth. “If you’re worried about your grandmother, I saw her ride today. She’s a very good horsewoman. But you probably already knew that.”

“Funny, she said the same thing about you.”

“Now, who’s lying?”

“I’m not. You impressed her with your level of skill. You have a way with Giselle.”

In a loving embrace, she laid a hand on Giselle’s neck. “She’s an absolute delight to ride, a real sweetheart. How many horses do you own anyway? I walked past at least twenty stabled in the barn.”

“Including the mares Tate’s rescued inside the corral at Painted Heart? I’d say an accurate count is over a hundred.”

“That’s a lot of hay, oats, and corn.”

“You have no idea. However, four of our Quarter Horses have already been sold to a riding school in Colorado. They’ll leave within ten days or so.”

“Do you ever get attached? I bet Tate does.”

“She falls in love with every horse she meets.” He narrowed his eyes, remembering her reaction to Taco and Trilby’s puppies. “Something tells me you’re much the same way when it comes to animals.”

“I adore animals. If I raised a horse from a yearling, I’d never be able to let it go.”

That got a smile out of Trent. “It’s time to check in with Base Camp. You wanna work the radio. It’s good practice.”

She beamed. “Absolutely. Why do they call it Base Camp?”

“Military and cop lingo. Most of the Pelican Pointe PD are former military—everyone except Trish. I heard Theo and Colt use that phrase to communicate with the team.”

“So I need a down-and-dirty lesson in the right lingo,” she muttered as she radioed Base Camp to check in. “Got it.”

The storm gradually subsided as the long night wore on, leaving the landscape an eerie quiet. What had once been obscured by sheets of rain now lay still and silent under the night sky. Clouds had moved eastward, parting to show off a starry wonderland above.

They continued their patrol, every rustle in the brush or snapping of a twig magnified. Savannah felt the fatigue setting in, but she pushed it aside, focusing on the task at hand, her eyes scanning the terrain in short bursts of energy and boredom. Her thoughts briefly drifted to Trent. She admired his resilience and his unwavering focus despite the bleak situation. It was a reminder that she had to stay strong, not just for herself but for the entire team. The last thing she wanted was to let anyone down.

She took a deep breath, letting the chilly night air fill her lungs. The storm’s aftermath had left the world around them in a false state of calm. She glanced at Trent, whose eyes were focused ahead, sharp and vigilant.

“I must admit, I wasn’t sure what to expect tonight. I wasn’t even convinced we’d make it this long,” she said, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

Trent turned to her, a faint smile playing on his lips. “Neither was I, but you held up well. Better than most.”

A flush of pride moved through her at his words. “I guess it’s no secret that I was petrified when we started out tonight.”

“You hid your fear well. I’ll let you in on a little secret. We’re all scared of what lurks beyond those woods or around the next bend. Every man out here is on high alert, afraid they might miss something that could cost someone their life. It’s time for me to admit that I’m just not sure how long we can keep this up. If we don’t catch this guy soon, Hawk, Drum, and Lincoln may decide to move on to another job. And I don’t know how long we have Birk and Beckett or Lucien and Brogan.”

“Brogan and Lucien will hang around. I don’t know about the others.”

As they patrolled deeper into their sector, their horses fell into a synchronized trot. As they rode on, the echo of distant thunder over the mountains reminded them of the night’s ordeal. The trees whispered their secrets into the light breeze as the moonlight cast a delicate glow along the trail. Savannah found solace in the steady rhythm of her horse’s hooves, a metronome for her thoughts.

“Do you think we’ll catch him?” she asked, breaking the silence that had settled between them.

Trent’s sigh was barely audible, a testament to his own weariness. “I don’t know. But we have to keep trying. Every minute we’re out here is a threat to him, a message that we’re not backing down.”

The weight of his words landed heavily on her shoulders. She knew the stakes were high, and failure was not an option. The safety of so many depended on their perseverance and unity.

Time seemed to stretch and compress as they continued their vigilant journey back and forth along the perimeter. Savannah’s mind wandered to the faces of those she’d met at the ranch, the people counting on her strength and resolve. She couldn’t afford to falter.

“Now that the rain has stopped, I need to pee,” Savannah admitted out loud, wriggling in the saddle.

“Bushes ahead. I’ll stand guard a decent distance away.”

But a sudden movement in the underbrush snapped her out of the peeing mood. Her heart raced, and her hand instinctively reached for the shotgun Duchess had loaned her.

Trent’s sharp gaze followed the sound as he drew his .45 pistol and slowly dismounted to investigate.

As he shined his flashlight into the bushes, a rabbit burst out into the open, using its powerful hind legs to scamper off and back into the protection of the shrubbery. The surprise movement caused Phoenix to snort and rear up on his back legs.

“Whoa there, boy,” Trent uttered in a soothing voice that put Phoenix at ease again, his front feet back on the ground. “It’s okay. You’re okay,” he whispered, running his hand along the horse from his head to his side to calm him down further.

He scanned the area before swinging back into the saddle and holstering his weapon. “I’m not sure he was spooked by the rabbit,” Trent noted. “Something else must be out there.”

Savannah swallowed hard, tightening the reins on Giselle. “We should probably check it out.”

“Do you still have to pee?” he asked.

“Not if he’s out there somewhere lurking around.”

Trent headed into the thick brushwood with Savannah trailing after him. Fifteen yards in, he put his finger to his lips for quiet, aiming the flashlight onto a muddy set of tracks under the horses. Trent followed the bootprints until they disappeared over a cluster of small boulders and up the hillside.

He radioed the other team members. “This is East Unit. We found fresh boot tracks in sector 19, made no more than twenty minutes ago. Be advised that the suspect seems to be heading northwest. That’s the northern corridor. That’s you, Lincoln and Cecil. Toby and Duchess start heading south. Over.”

“Affirmative,” Lincoln relayed. “We’re on alert. Over.”

“Copy that,” Duchess radioed back. “We’re on the move now. Over.”

They pressed on, using the hillside as a guide, the incident a reminder that the night held too many uncertainties and that circumstances could change instantly.

Determined to face whatever was out there head-on, his voice was steady and reassuring when Trent finally spoke again. “If you still need to go, there’s a perfect spot behind that rock.”

“Thanks. I’ll take you up on that.” She dismounted quickly, grabbed the toilet paper from her pack, and scurried around the rock, emerging five minutes later.

“Sorry it took so long. I’m a little out of practice peeing in the wild.”

“Not a problem. The sun will be up soon in less than thirty minutes. Duchess said she worked with you and Brogan on how to use that shotgun. Are you comfortable with it yet?”

Even though her teeth were chattering, Savannah grinned. “She did. I wouldn’t use the word comfortable. I’m just hoping I don’t have to use it.”

“Maybe after you get some sleep, we should think about another round of target practice.”

“That’s a good idea,” Savannah said, taking a deep breath and trying to ground herself with the task at hand. The darkness gradually gave way to the faintest hints of dawn, but the tension in the air remained thick. Trent’s presence was comforting. She drew strength from his calm and steady manner.

They continued their cautious ascent, the rise in elevation nominal. As they crested the hill, the landscape opened up, bathed in the soft, pre-dawn light. The sight was both beautiful and eerie, the shadows still long and deep. Trent paused, studying the ground intently, before motioning for Savannah to follow him down a narrow, rocky path.

“Keep your eyes peeled,” he murmured. “We’re not out of the woods yet.”

Savannah’s grip tightened on her shotgun, the weapon’s weight both reassuring and intimidating. She trusted Trent’s judgment implicitly, knowing that he wouldn’t lead them into danger without a plan. Nevertheless, the uncertainty of the situation gnawed at her, each step a reminder of the peril they faced.

The eastern sky began to lighten, signaling the first light of dawn. She felt those first rays of sunshine touch her skin, bringing warmth and a renewed sense of purpose and hope.

“Time to head back,” Trent said, breaking the comfortable silence between them.

Savannah nodded, feeling a weariness settle into her bones but also a sense of relief. She had made it through the night. They’d gotten drenched. Their clothes were still damp. Their bodies ached from the relentless cold spent in the saddle. Yet, there was a sense of accomplishment.

The teams converged on the stables, where they regrouped, soaked to the bone but undeterred. As they unsaddled the mares, Brogan and Savannah traded stories and close calls that had turned out to be nothing.

“I felt like a gutsy pioneer woman,” Brogan said softly, “even though our first patrol was pretty boring. Do you suppose Trent put us there for that reason, knowing there wouldn’t be any action?”

“No,” Savannah whispered. “He put you there because Lucien is a good shot, and you guys would be the next line of defense if this lunatic got past Woody and Monty.”

“That’s a scary thought. Did you have a close call?”

“We did. And let me tell you, my throat went dry. I couldn’t form spit at the idea I’d have to use this shotgun.”

“Lucien said we’d practice target shooting today,” Brogan said. “I couldn’t believe I made it through the night without once falling out of the saddle during the hardest downpour. Now, it’s learning to use a gun.”

“Be glad you had a boring first night,” Savannah muttered.

“Oh, believe me, I am. But I did have to pee in the bushes. Twice.”

“Me too.”

“You did great out there,” Trent said, his voice filled with genuine admiration.

“Thanks,” Savannah replied, her gaze steady. “I think we all did. Put that first night in the books for us new recruits. Looking forward to tonight,” she lied as she turned her eyes on Brogan.

She waited until Trent’s attention turned to helping Duchess unsaddle Confetti Queen. When he was fully engaged with that, Savannah pivoted toward Brogan, her finger to her mouth. “Not a word out of you.”

“Who me? I wouldn’t dream of ruining whatever’s going on between you two. What we do for love, eh?”

“Is it that obvious?”

“When you willingly spend the night on horseback, peeing in the woods, a shotgun across the saddle, I’d say you’ve shown that you’re more than willing to go above and beyond for this particular guy. You deserve a medal. If I had one, I’d pin it on you right this second.”