Hard Evidence by Roxanne Rustand

uneven path…with Rylie sobbing in his arms.

     
    Given the downward slope and the effect of gravity, it should have been a faster trip back, but loose gravel, underbrush and the old injury in Ian’s knee made the descent nearly as slow as the trip up…though the relief in Michael’s heart overflowed every step of the way. Thank you, dear Lord, for your protection of these children .
    Halfway down, he’d been able to find enough cell phone reception to call off the search-and-rescue team and let Janna know that all was well.
    Rylie, her arms looped around Michael’s neck, looked up at him with worried eyes. “Is my mom mad?”
    “Terribly worried. And terribly scared about what might’ve happened to you. The rest, you’ll have to ask her.” Michael nodded down the trail. “There she is. See her, past those rocks?”
    Tears welled up in Rylie’s eyes. “I didn’t mean to cause any trouble. I was only following Ian, because he looked so sad.”
    A few yards behind them, Ian muttered something under his breath.
    “Did he see you following him?”
    “I…” her eyes grew troubled. “I don’t know. I couldn’t catch up, and then I got lost. It’s my fault, honest. Please don’t be mad at him.”
    Janna made it up the trail to meet them within minutes. The radiant joy in her face transformed her from lovely to breathtaking, her cheeks flushed and eyes sparkling as she cradled Rylie’s face in her hands and brushed a kiss against the child’s forehead. “Oh, Rylie—I was so worried about you.”
    Michael gently put Rylie down on a boulder so Janna could envelop her in a hug, then check her over from head to foot. She cradled Rylie’s bandaged ankle gently in both hands. “Just the ankle, sweetheart? Is that all that hurts?”
    Rylie winced at her mother’s light touch, then held out her palm, which Michael had also bandaged. “And this, from when I fell.”
    “Why ever did you come clear up here?”
    The child shot a furtive, guilty look toward Ian, then dropped her gaze.
    “You know the rules. We talked about them the very first day here, and a dozen times since then. Right?”
    Rylie nodded, her lower lip trembling.
    “Why should you never go up here alone?”
    Rylie gave her mother a stricken look, then fixed her gaze on her hands. “Bears. Mountain lions. Maybe wolves sometimes.”
    “Right. A child alone could seem like easy prey. We’ll get you into town and have a doctor take a look at your ankle to make sure you don’t have a fracture. But fracture or sprain, you’ll be in the house for a while…and after that, we’ll talk about this again.” She turned to Ian and smiled. “And this time I do get to give you a hug.”
    She embraced him warmly, then stood back and held his hands with both of her own. “I can’t thank you enough for finding Rylie. With that injured ankle she never could’ve made it back alone. We might not have found her for hours, maybe days. You probably saved her life.”
    He blushed a furious red that reached his cheekbones and the tips of his ears.
    “What about you—can you make it home all right? This was a hard hike for all of us,” she added tactfully.
    Ian nodded, fumbling for the long branch he’d picked up along the way to use as a walking stick. He carefully pushed himself back to his feet and started making his way down the trail.
    “He and I have will have a conversation when we get back,” Michael said in a low voice. “I think he needs to accept some responsibility for this situation.”
    “But he found her. He brought her back—and honestly, right now that’s all that matters to me. I’ll always be grateful for that.”
    “Let’s get you home, young lady.” Michael lifted Rylie into his arms and started down the trail after Ian, with Janna right behind him. “It’ll be dusk soon, and we can all talk about it later.”
    By the time they neared the ravine, the lengthening shadows had cast the surrounding forest in near