“They’re ripped up, but we’ll make them work.” Ben nodded.

  “It’s the best we can do.” Ike rubbed his brow. “While I’m gone, why don’t you gather up the things we left on the trail.” Then Ike limped off, struggling up the hill to the trail.

  Ben followed him. He placed everything salvageable in his outer shirt and tied it up. Then he put Abe’s pack on his back and carried the bundle to where Abe lay. Ike still wore his waist pack, but they didn’t have much between the three of them. Ben knew that if the horse and the pack mule weren’t found, they would be limited to these meager supplies on hand.

  Settling down by Abe’s side, Ben began to sort through their items. In addition to the things Annie had packed in Ben’s backpack and waist pack, Abe had a large map of the Lolo National Forest. Ben opened it to see a trail marked with arrows. He guessed that Abe and Ike had planned the route to Scapegoat Mountain. And from the proximity to where they were and where Scapegoat Mountain filled the sky, he guessed they were near Cave Creek.

  Within Abe’s pack, Ben also found a flashlight, knife and knife sharpener, a water bottle with a purifier, a pitch stick for starting a fire, and other items.

  Abe moaned again and moved his arms pressed against the ground as if trying to push himself into a sitting position.

  “It’s okay, Abe. Just rest. Everything’s going to be all right.” Abe settled down, and Ben prayed that Ike would make it back quickly. Preferably with the horse and mule. But even worse than knowing they’d run off was that Ben was here alone. What would he do if the bear returned or if Abe took a turn for the worse?

  Ben made good use of his time by filling his and Abe’s water bottles and gathering dry sticks and pine cones for a fire. The crunching of rocks caused Ben to sit straighter. It was a shuffling sound. Not the sound of a man walking. Had the cubs come back?

  His eyes darted around. Ben looked behind him for the cause of the noise. His hands began to shake. He knew the mother wouldn’t be far behind wherever the cubs were.

  Weren’t bears drawn to the scent of blood? He thought he’d heard somewhere that they were. Ben’s hands tightened around the large stick he’d found, but what good was a stick against a bear? Still, better to fight and die trying.

  The shuffling sound grew louder, and Ben fixed his eyes on the trail above. “Lord, help me to stay strong. Protect us…” Ben stood, and his knees grew weak.

  The shuffling stopped. “Hey, Ben!” a voice called from overhead. “Can you come up here?”

  Ben lifted his face and raised his hand to block the sun. There. On the trail, the form of a man was peering down.

  “Ike? Is that you?”

  “Who else is it going to be?”

  Relief softened Ben’s shoulders. “The bear?”

  “Well, I’m not the bear. Can you come up? And bring that notebook and pencil if you can.”

  Of all the things.

  Ben looked over at Abe, who moaned softly in a restless sleep. He grabbed the notepad and pencil from the pile of things he’d salvaged from his torn backpack and headed up the hill.

  At the top of the hill, Ben found Ike sitting on a boulder on the trail with a large square of cotton cloth spread in front of him. Ben didn’t have to ask about the horse and mule. It was apparent they were long gone.

  Ike folded the fabric in half to form a triangle shape. Then he began to roll the long end toward the point. As he reached the end, Ike folded the point inward and continued to roll.

  When he finished and had a long snake-shaped piece of material, Ike turned to Ben. “This is where I need your help. We’ll brace my ankle but keep my boot on.”

  Ben kneeled beside him. “Just tell me what I need to do.”

  Ike placed the middle of the fabric coil under the sole of his boot, crossed the fabric around the back, then brought both sides back up to the front. “Okay, I need you to take these two ends and pull them fairly tight. Then I need you to cross them, and while I put tension on the middle, I need you to loop them under the fabric on the sides of my boot.”

  Ben nodded and did what he was told. It was apparent that Ike was trying not to wince.

  “Okay, now pull upward,” Ike said between gritted teeth. “Ja, see how it’s bracing my ankle all the way around? Gut, now do a square knot. Right over left, left over right. Ja, gut.”

  When Ben finished, Ike took the tag ends and tucked them in. Then he stood and nodded. “Ja, this is better. At least it’ll help me make better time.”

  Ben stood too. “You’re leaving now?” The tremors of his voice gave away his fear. “Are you sure you don’t want to rest and start in the morning?”

  “Abe doesn’t have that type of time. Sleep is the least of my concerns right now. I need to get down that mountain as fast as I can.”

  “But you can’t just walk through the night. That’s a rough trail we just came up. And if you’re tired…”

  “I have two flashlights in my pack. I’ll be smart, I promise. But if anything happens to Abe…I won’t be able to live with myself if he ends up dying because I didn’t realize how bad off things were and I wanted a full night’s sleep.”

  Ike’s words hit Ben like a hammer blow to the chest. “Like Jason.”

  “I didn’t mean—”

  Ben raised his arms as if in surrender. “I get it. I understand. You don’t need to explain.”

  “I didn’t mean to imply—”

  “I’m not faulting you for your words. You’re right. Hindsight is twenty-twenty. I’d give anything to go back now and change things. To call for help instead of heading to my bedroom and falling asleep. Everything could be different.”

  Ike adjusted the straps on his backpack. “I’ll hurry, but I’ll stay safe.”

  “How long do you think it’ll take?”

  “It took us over three days to get this far. And I’m afraid my ankle’s going to slow me down.” Worry filled Ike’s eyes.

  “I have our water bottles, shelter, the pitch stick, and matches for the fire.”

  “But food?”

  Ben shrugged. “There was some jerky in Abe’s pack. I have some protein bars. Abe had a booklet in his backpack with information about edible plants. I’ll figure it out.”

  Ike’s chin tremored. “I wish…”

  “I can handle it.” Ben attempted to sound more confident than he felt. “I will do my best to care for Abe.” Ben swallowed hard. Neither one mentioned the bears.

  Ben handed the paper and pencil to Ike. Ike wrote his name, age, address, and Annie’s phone number on a piece of paper. On the back, he wrote the general location of Abe and Ben. Then he tucked the paper into his front shirt pocket and passed the rest of the paper and pencil to Ben.

  “Do I want to ask what that’s for?” Ben asked.

  “No, but…it doesn’t hurt to do the same for you and Abe. At least put your names and the numbers of your closest kin.”

  In case something happens to us and our bodies are found… Ben stopped there. He nodded and wrote his name and Abe’s. He put the same contact name for both. Marianna Sommer. Tears sprang to his eyes as Ben wrote her name. Please, Lord, get us out of here. For her sake.

  With a quick wave, Ike turned to head up the trail. Ben could tell he was trying not to limp, maybe so that Ben wouldn’t worry. How could he not worry? How could he not go through the next few days with fear tightening around his heart like a guitar string binding in the nut slot, unmoving? Then a thought hit him.

  “Ike!” Ben’s voice caused his friend to turn. Ben jogged to him. “Why don’t we pray?”

  Ike’s eyes widened. “Ja, of course.” He reached his hand to Ben’s and squeezed. Ben knew for someone raised Amish, this was not a natural response, but Ike—like Abe and Marianna—had grown used to turning to God in prayer.

  “Dear Lord,” Ben began. “Even though we feel so helpless in so many ways, I know that You are with us, and You are strong. Give us Your strength to, well, survive. Help Ike’s ankle. Touch it and heal it. I pray that You will help ease Abe’s pain too. Help his body handle the shock of this injury. And, Lord, I’m completely out of my element. I don’t know what to do, but You do. So help me, too, please. A hot dinner would be nice for starts. Amen.”

  “Amen.” Ike cleared his throat. “And send the right people to help. Somehow make them aware of our situation. You can do that and, uh, other things we’re not thinking about. We love You. Amen.”

  Then, without another word, Ike patted Ben’s shoulder and turned, walking with the same limp yet with a straighter back, as if he had new hope.

  Ben stood on the trail and watched as Ike rounded the trail curve and disappeared. Before today, he’d thought trying to get his music before the right people took courage. That didn’t compare to this. Abe, his future father-in-law, had a severe injury, and Ben needed to keep him alive. He also had to somehow find food.

  And…how would he go about preventing a bear attack?

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Tuesday, July 4, West Kootenai, Montana

  Pounding on the cabin’s door caused Marianna to sit straight up in bed. At Trapper’s barking and clawing on the door, the hairs on the back of her neck rose on end. Marianna jumped from the bed and quickly slipped on her robe. The wood floor was cold on her feet, but it didn’t matter. There was a problem. No one would pound on the door in the middle of the night if there wasn’t. Since there wasn’t enough moonlight to light her way, Marianna quickly lit an oil lantern and carried it with her as she rushed to the front door.

  Marianna heard her mother’s footsteps coming from upstairs. She swung open the door to see Annie standing there. Instead of being in its usual long braid, Annie’s blonde hair poured over her shoulders. Annie’s truck was parked out front, and she held a flashlight. Her eyes were wide with panic.

  Immediately, Marianna knew. “Something happened,” she blurted. “Is it Dat? Ike?” She couldn’t say Ben’s name. She couldn’t.

  Annie blinked twice. “Ike? No, no.” She blew out a breath. “They’re four days into their journey. My guess is they’re heading back down from the mountains tomorrow. We should hear from them this weekend.”

  She stated it so matter-of-factly, Marianna knew Annie was counting down the days too.

  “If it’s not our men, what is it, then?” Mem asked.

  Our men. Marianna pressed her lips together, trying not to smile when she heard that.

  A cold wind blew through the open door. Annie stepped inside and shut it behind her. “Deborah Shelter came asking for help. Since Jenny had an early shift, she had Kenzie stay the night at Deborah’s with Evelyn. Deborah woke in the night to discover the two girls weren’t in bed. They snuck out for some reason, and it appears they went into the woods.”

  Marianna glanced out the window, listening to the wind howl. The moon was just a crescent in the sky. She wouldn’t want to be out there tonight. “Why would they do that?”

  “Kenzie got a new flashlight for her birthday a couple of days ago. Everyone’s guess is they wanted to try it out. The Shelters have asked neighbors to help them look for the girls. Deborah and Sarah came and woke me up, asking if they could get more flashlights from the store. When they told me the story, I knew I had to come to get you.” Annie’s eyes fixed on Marianna.

  “Me?”

  “Deborah heard them talking earlier about beavers that come out of their lodges at night.”

  Marianna nodded. “Yes, my special place, the beaver pond. Someone must have shown them where to find it.”

  “Can you take me there? I have a feeling…”

  “Yes, of course.”

  Marianna hurried to get dressed. The sound of Joy’s crying could be heard from upstairs.

  “I’ll be praying,” Mem said before heading upstairs. “I’m glad you came for Marianna, Annie.” Then Mem’s voice lowered. “But I’ll be praying for the men too. I’ve had a strange feeling all day that something’s wrong.”

  Marianna shut her door to change before Annie responded, but both of their voices were low. Is this what being directed by God is like? Having an inner stirring that doesn’t come from your natural senses? She was still learning about how to know God and follow Him. If Mem had a bad feeling about their men, it was worth praying for.

  Ten minutes later, she and Annie were walking side by side to the beaver pond with flashlights in hand. The night was dark, with just a sliver of moon. Even with the flashlights lighting the way, they seemed slow going. Marianna’s ears were perked to every noise, and she again thought of the men way up in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. She knew she could turn and be back home in ten minutes. What would it be like to be so far from civilization?

  “The beaver dam is just ahead.” Marianna angled her flashlight in that direction.

  Annie carried her flashlight and a can of bear spray in one hand. “It’s quiet out,” she said. “Maybe if we called for the girls?”

  “Kenzie, Evelyn!” Annie’s voice rose, and Marianna joined in.

  They called and then paused to listen. As they reached the water’s edge, Marianna held up a hand. “Did you hear that?”

  The softest whimper came from the other side of the pond.

  Annie tilted her head. “Sounds like a cat meowing to me.”

  “It’s a child. I know it.” Marianna motioned her forward.

  They hurried to the other end of the pond, and Marianna caught a flash of red. Kenzie sat on her knees behind a log in a red nightgown, holding a small, pink flashlight. Evelyn hunched down beside her in her white nightgown and sleeping kerchief.

  Marianna stood before them, shocked that they were hiding. “What are you two doing? Why didn’t you answer us when we called?”

  “Because we’re gonna get in trouble.” Kenzie folded her arms and pouted.

  “Well, is getting in trouble worse or a bear finding you?” Annie asked. “Do you know there are bears out here—and other creatures?”

  At Annie’s words, Evelyn began to cry.

  Marianna stepped forward to comfort her, but Annie grabbed her arm. “They need to learn,” Annie said between clenched teeth. “If they’re living in Montana, they have to learn. This isn’t a game.”

  Marianna motioned them to come out from behind the log.

  “Marianna”—Annie pointed in the direction they came—“let’s walk to your house, since we know the way. And then I’ll call the Shelters with your house phone. I left my cell phone with them.”

  “Yes, of course.” Marianna reached to take the girls’ hands, and Annie shook her head.

  Annie jutted out her chin. “They walked this far without help and can walk back without it too.”

  It was a quiet walk back to her house. When they arrived, Annie motioned for the girls to get into the truck. Then she went to the phone shed to call the Shelters.

  Marianna climbed into the truck with them, waiting for Annie to return.

  Kenzie’s lower lip quivered. “Annie’s mad at us.”

  Evelyn’s large eyes were round, scared.

  “Annie knows the dangers around here more than anyone. She wants you to know how serious this is. She loves you—we all love you—and we want to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”

  “It won’t,” both girls promised just as Annie showed up.

  Marianna climbed from the truck, and Annie stood before her, crossing her arms over her chest.

  “I know why the Amish do what they do. They believe that the telephone invades the family unit, but this is Montana. It would have been easier if the Shelters could have just called everyone. Time was wasted.”

  “Ja, yes, that makes sense.” Marianna had a feeling she knew where this was going.

  “Tomorrow, if you don’t mind, I’m going to send someone over to feed a phone line into your house. With your dat away, you need to be able to call for help.”

  Marianna nodded. “I’d appreciate that.” She moved to the porch and watched as Annie left. Then she said a quick prayer, thanking God that the girls had been found. It could have turned out so much worse. And Annie knew that. She’d no doubt seen a lot and had come to the end of her rope. Amish rules might work well in other locations, but not here. Marianna just wondered what Mem would say about Annie’s plan.

  A sad smile curved on Marianna’s lips when she remembered how Ben had called her on one of the first days in the cabin to see if she’d needed a ride to town. Oh, how conflicted she’d been when the phone rang in the shop—and not out in a phone shed—and she’d answered.

  She missed Ben. An ache in the pit of her gut told her that she didn’t want to live without him. No matter their differences, they could work it out. No traditions or rules she’d grown up with were worth missing out on the man she loved with all her heart.

  Trapper’s whining inside the door reminded her she needed to go in and tell Mem that the girls had been found. More than that, she needed to get to bed. She needed to rethink the old traditions that were tripping her up.

  And she needed to pray.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Wednesday, July 5, Scapegoat Wilderness, Montana

  Ben looked at the sleeping Abe. Was it a good sign or not that he didn’t stir? After Ben had fed him a simple dinner of beef jerky and water, Abe had tried to sleep but wouldn’t settle. That had lasted for hours, him moaning in pain. Even two of the pain relief tablets did little to help. Yet somehow, in the last hour—and long after midnight—as Ben prayed by his side, Abe had stilled and fallen into a deep sleep.

  “Please, Lord, let him rest. And keep us safe.” Whereas the wilderness had seemed so quiet the first three nights, after the encounter with the grizzly, Ben hadn’t rested at all. Understanding that the bear was out there was unnerving. The fact that the bear knew where they were made it even worse.

  “I need rest, Lord.” Ben snuggled under half of the sleeping bag and scooted closer to Abe to feel his slightest movement. Because of the wickiup strung over them, he couldn’t make out the stars, but it gave him peace knowing they were there. He thought of Ike out there alone on the trail. Would Ike stop to rest, or would he keep going? Ben sent a prayer up for him too.