Abby had wrapped his ribs tightly and tried to get him to remain in bed longer, but he was adamantly opposed to doing nothing while each day took Hannah and Gilmore farther away from him. His emotions had run the gamut from outright disbelief that she had gone willingly with Lieutenant Gilmore to outrage and anger. Though she had told Zach she had gone with the blue coat of her own free will, Ryder was not convinced. He needed to hear from her own lips that Gilmore was the man she wanted before he’d believe it. To his dismay, Ryder could not make himself believe that Hannah didn’t love him. He harbored a glimmer of hope that Hannah had gone with Gilmore for reasons that had nothing to do with her wanting the blue coat as a lover. But even that small hope seemed farfetched; the governor had already granted him amnesty, and she’d had no reason to sacrifice herself. The more he thought about the abrupt way in which she had left, without a word or a proper good-bye, the angrier and more confused he became.
