Читать книгу Reunited With The Rancher - Brenda Minton - Страница 15

Chapter Three

Carson had made a quick search around the stable, the corrals, the dog kennels. When he didn’t find Andy, he headed back to the stable. Andy could very well be hiding in a stall or a storage room in the mammoth-sized facility. There were a dozen stalls, several storage rooms, an office and an attached indoor arena. Plenty of places for a little boy to hide.

Kids loved barns. Dusty barns with haylofts and dark corners to hide in. This wasn’t one of those barns. It wasn’t like the one that Carson and his siblings had played in when they’d been kids living here.

He didn’t have time to think about the changes to the ranch. He had to find Andy before his son found trouble. It wasn’t the first time he had wandered off. Their nanny had lost him twice in the past year. A friend had suggested a phone with a GPS tracking device.

“Andy? Andy? Are you in here?” He paused to listen for any sound that indicated his son might be hiding inside the stable. Nothing. He closed his eyes and felt the closest to praying he’d been in three years.

The night he’d lost Anna.

That night had been a night of prayer. Carson had determined God could and would get his wife through the trauma of the accident. And now, he was about to close his eyes and ask that same God to help him find his son.

He’d believed that his faith died the day Anna died. But if a person’s first thought in crisis was to call on God, maybe he wasn’t so far gone.

After a thorough search of the stable, including stalls where some pretty decent Quarter Horses pawed at the ground or snuffled water from automatic waterers, he exited on the opposite side. Isaac joined him, leading a big chocolate-brown Labrador Retriever.

“This is Maximus.” Isaac patted the animal’s head.

He led the dog in a circle, talking to him in a low tone that got the animal’s attention.

“Does he know what he’s doing?” Carson asked as the dog began to sniff the ground.

“Nah, but he’ll do his best. I hope you don’t mind, I helped myself to this jacket in your SUV. I wanted him to have Andy’s scent.” Isaac held up Andy’s jacket that had been left in his car seat. He adjusted his cowboy hat, exposing a military haircut and a scar on the left side of his head.

“We should keep moving. Is there still a pond past the stand of trees over there?” Carson nodded in the direction of the setting sun.

“Yeah, we’ll head that way. Max seems to like that idea.”

“How do we know he’s on the right track?”

Isaac laughed a little. “We don’t know, but I trust Max. I promise you, we’re going to find your kid.”

The way Carson saw it, he had no other options. He had to trust the dog and Isaac. Carson hoped that God realized he was putting some trust in Him, too.

“Kylie is really beating herself up,” Isaac informed him as they continued in the direction of the pond.

“She shouldn’t. Andy has done this before.” Carson scanned the area and then shifted his focus to the horizon. “It’ll be dark soon.”

“I know. We have to keep moving. How often does he do this?”

“Twice in the past year. One time before that.” Carson hated the feeling of loss each time Andy wandered away. Loss and helplessness.

“There’s got to be a way to stop him or to track him,” Isaac offered.

“I’ve thought about several things. I guess I hoped he would grow out of it.”

Max began to bark and started to pull on the leash.

“He’s got the scent.” Isaac unhooked his leash and the dog took off.

Max headed for a stand of trees a short distance from the pond. Isaac stumbled a bit. Carson passed him and went after the dog. His barking increased in frequency and loudness. Carson hurried to the pond bank where the dog seemed to have something or someone cornered. He prayed it would be his son.

He refused to think of other prayers that hadn’t been answered.

“Andy. You have to come out.” Carson stood, listening. Isaac approached, quieter than a man his size should have been.

“Over there.” Isaac pointed to a huddled form sitting on the ground next to a bush, a tiny kitten in his hands.

“Hey, buddy, what do you have there?” Carson asked as he picked his son up.

“I saved it,” Andy said. He leaned his head on Carson’s shoulder.

Andy was a little muddy, wet and obviously cold. “Hey, Isaac, do you have that jacket?”

Isaac leaned down to pet Max, giving the dog a treat from his pocket. Carson repeated the request for the jacket. This time Isaac looked at him and then shook his head. Carson pointed to the jacket.

“Sorry, I didn’t hear you.” Isaac handed over the jacket with an easy grin. And Carson knew there had to be more to the excuse.

They headed back across the field. As they walked, Isaac texted Jack, Kylie and the men who were helping in the search. As he texted he moved to the opposite side of Carson. The side without a scar, Carson realized.

“Go easy on her,” Isaac said.

Carson knew he meant on Kylie. “I don’t need to be told what to do.”

“You don’t seem to be the most forgiving guy in the world.” Isaac grinned at him and then stuck a toothpick in his mouth. Carson could smell cinnamon.

“And you’ve come to that conclusion because I don’t want to take Jack up on his clinic offer? I’m a trauma surgeon, not a family practitioner. And I need to live in a larger city. I need to make sure we’re somewhere that Andy can get the resources he needs, the education he needs.”

Isaac’s expression softened as he looked at Andy, clinging tightly to Carson’s neck. “Yeah, I get that.”

“Thanks.”

Isaac shrugged. “It wouldn’t hurt you to look at the clinic. And you could at least tell the old man that you forgive him.”

“Yeah, I guess I could.” Carson kept trudging along on the uneven ground. Isaac walked next to him, the toothpick between his teeth and a thoughtful expression on his face. It didn’t take a genius to realize the other man looked a lot like family, more like Carson’s younger brother Colt than Carson, but the resemblance was there.

So were memories of his parents fighting, shouting things that his younger self had tried to ignore.

“You really want to raise your kids up there?” Isaac asked.

“There or another city like Chicago. I’ve got to find a job in a city that offers what I’m looking for.”

“Right, of course.”

They were getting closer to the stable. Carson could see people moving, watching. “How many people live here on the ranch?”

Isaac took the toothpick out of his mouth. “Usually a dozen or more. I don’t count them all. Jack likes to take in strays.”

“Interesting hobby for a man who let his wife take his kids.” Carson heard the edge to his voice and stopped there, because Andy had looked up at him, gray eyes troubled.

“You all just need to talk. But I guess that won’t happen if you’re leaving tonight.”

Andy shook his head. “I don’t want to leave.”

“I know you don’t,” Carson responded.

“Give the kid a break. Let him get a good night’s sleep. Does it matter if it’s here or a hotel?” Isaac shook his head. “I thought I was stubborn. You keep making excuses about how you have to get on the road and get your kids settled. But you won’t stop to think that maybe staying a night here could be the best thing for them.”

Carson glanced up and saw Kylie a short distance away, listening and worrying her bottom lip. She’d done that even at thirteen.

“I’m sorry,” she immediately said. Tears filled her eyes.

“You don’t have to apologize. He sometimes wanders away. It happens. It’s happened to me, and to his nanny in Dallas. We do the best we can to keep him safe.”

Andy’s arms went around Carson’s neck, an unusual moment for the two of them. Andy was rarely affectionate. The kitten Andy had shoved between them wasn’t quite as affectionate. He climbed away from them and jumped to the ground, running fast in the direction of the shed where the rest of the litter now played.

“Where’s Maggie?” he asked as they walked through the gate that Isaac had opened.

“Asleep on your...on Jack’s lap.”

“Oh.”

She put a cautious hand on Andy’s arm. “I was worried about you, buddy.”

“Sorry,” he said without looking at her.

“We have stew and biscuits,” Kylie said. “Would you all like to eat before you leave?”

Andy tried to get down from Carson’s arms. “I don’t want to. I don’t like the car. I want to go home.”

Home. Carson sighed. They no longer had a home. They had possessions in a storage facility. They had clothes in suitcases in the car.

He followed Kylie to the back door of the house. Inside they were greeted by a dozen people lined up in the kitchen preparing for dinner. This was Jack’s life, his mission. Or was it a ministry? A group of people starting over. If anyone knew how to help veterans, it would be Jack.

“Well?” Kylie asked, smiling when she noticed where his attention had gone. “This is Mercy Ranch. You should at least take a little time and see what Jack has done with the place.”

“I can see what he’s done. It’s a good thing.” It was easy to admit. A man couldn’t deny what was right in front of his face. The cosmetic changes to the ranch were obvious, but the people were the main reason for the ranch. He got that. He understood why this would mean something to Jack.

“It is a good thing.” Kylie looked over the crowd of people and then her attention turned to Andy. “You should feed your children. There’s plenty.”

“We would like to eat,” he said. With those words Andy relaxed in his arms. “I should get Andy cleaned up first. And let Jack know that he’s safe.”

They could spend the night. He could let his children rest. He could give Jack time and listen to his explanations.

It all sounded easy. It seemed like the best plan. But he knew that nothing was ever as simple as it seemed.

* * *

When Kylie had woken up that morning, it had been a typical Friday like any other day. Chores to do, dogs to train and the weekend to look forward to.

She was happy. Content. Her life here at the ranch was good and she didn’t need anything more. She had a home here, friends, and a career she loved, as a therapist. A career born from the needs of the veterans on the ranch. How could one day, actually just a portion of one day, change everything? She had never expected to see Carson. She hadn’t known that Jack offered him the clinic. Jack had talked about it, of course, but he’d laughed and said Carson would never agree to leave his high-powered job in Dallas for a family practice gig in Hope, Oklahoma.

Carson West was not the boy she had known twenty years ago. He was a man still grieving the loss of his wife. He was a father trying to raise two children alone. He was a surgeon on his way to a new job and a new beginning. Jack’s children might have been gone twenty years, but Jack had kept track of them.

And as much as Kylie tried to pretend it was in the past, she’d held on to each morsel of information about the boy she’d once known.

Carson had changed. But hadn’t they all? She definitely wasn’t the girl she’d been all of those years ago. She smiled at the memory of her teen self. She’d been too skinny, often barefoot and always looking forward to leaving Hope. And now she couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.

With the others occupied with dinner, she slipped away to check on Jack. She stopped at the door of the family room. Jack had fallen asleep. The gentle rise and fall of his chest assured her he was okay. Maggie lay curled in his arms, her head against his shoulder, her cheeks rosy from sleep.

Carson appeared at her side, a cleaned-up Andy at his side.

“He’s going to be okay,” he said with quiet assurance.

Of course the minute he’d said the words, the tears she’d been holding in managed to trickle down her cheeks. She brushed the dampness away, thinking he wouldn’t want to see her crying.

Instead his shoulder brushed hers and he leaned closer, his breath warm as it ruffled the hair near her ear. “We’ll stay tonight. I’ll give Maggie and Andy a chance to rest. I’ll be here to make sure Jack is okay. You don’t have to take all of this on yourself.”

How did he know her concern? She was so used to taking on the troubles of the people at the ranch, which included Jack. She worried a lot about him.

She closed her eyes, and leaned her head just a fraction so that it rested on his shoulder. Memories were so difficult because she knew how it had felt to lean on the shoulder of a boy. He’d always made her feel safe. Even then, when he was all arms and legs and not so tall.

The man standing next to her wasn’t a boy. She took advantage of his strength, his nearness, just for a moment. Just long enough to feel strong on her own.

“We should get the kids something to eat,” she said as she drew away from him.

Maggie blinked a few times, saw them and slid off the side of the recliner to toddle their way. Her mass of blond curls framed her sweet face and she smiled a sleepy smile. And then she walked right up to Kylie and held up her arms. Kylie lifted the little girl and held her close.

A tiny hand patted Kylie’s cheek.

“Okay?” the little girl asked.

Kylie laughed and shed a few tears because of the sweetness of the gesture. “Yes, Maggie, I’m okay.”

She could get so attached to this little girl with her giggles and sweet smile. And to Andy with his cautious looks and the sadness in his gray eyes. If one afternoon had proven dangerous, she could only imagine if they stayed longer.

“You found him,” Jack said, his voice groggy.

“We found him,” Carson said. “He took a bit of a roll in the mud but other than that, he’s fine.”

Jack studied his grandson. “Rose makes the best stew. That should warm him up and make him feel better. I guess you’re heading out soon?”

“We’ll stay the night.”

Jack nodded. “Good. I have something I want to suggest.”

“I think we’re good,” Carson said. “We both know where we stand. And I’m not interested in the clinic.”

Jack waved a hand at his son. “I’m not talking about the clinic or what’s between us. I’m talking about Andy. He needs a dog.”

Kylie felt her heart drop, seriously drop. It ached as it plummeted. Jack had told her he had an idea. He hadn’t mentioned a dog. She knew it made sense. But she also knew what else it meant. It meant time. Working together. Carson staying here in Oklahoma.

“I can get him a puppy once we find a home in Chicago. I know that kids need pets.”

Jack waved his hand. “No. Not a pet. He needs a service dog.”

Carson paused his denials. “A service dog?”

“We train them here at the ranch, for our wounded warriors and for others in need. Service dogs are expensive but we’re pretty good at keeping the costs down so we can donate them to those in need.”

“Then those dogs are for service members who need them. We don’t want to take someone’s dog,” Carson insisted. But Kylie could tell he was thinking about it. Thinking about a dog for his son.

“A dog would keep him from wandering,” Jack told him. “It would keep him safe.”

Carson sat down, Andy still in his arms. “I get that. But we’re leaving.”

“If you stay, we could get him a dog.” Jack raised his eyes and met Kylie’s, pleading. “What do you think?”

She couldn’t deny Jack. Her gaze shifted to Andy. She couldn’t deny a child. “We could get him a dog.”

“See,” Jack said with a smile. “Kylie is in charge of our dogs.”

Carson smiled at her. “I think Kylie is in charge of everything around here.”

Jack laughed at that. “She is, but don’t tell her. She’ll start asking for a raise.”

“We’ll stay the night and discuss a dog later.” Carson stood. “But right now, I have to feed Andy and Maggie.”

Kylie followed him from the living room. “Do you need me to get anything from your car, or is there something I can do to help?”

“If you can sit upstairs with Andy and Maggie, I can get our bags. You don’t need to carry them.”

“I can sit with them,” she offered.

He nodded and headed up the stairs. She had to hurry to catch up with him. Maggie clung to her neck and stairs weren’t the easiest for her on the best of days.

“You could give me a break and slow down,” she called out to his retreating back.

He stopped and headed back down the stairs. Before she could protest, he took Maggie so that he held a child on each hip. And then he tromped back up the stairs.

“Which door?”

“Second door on the right,” she told him as she caught up. “It has a double bed and a twin with a trundle.”

He opened it and entered the room. She watched as he set both kids down on the bed. “Stay with Kylie. I’ll be right back with clean clothes.”

“You’ve got this parenting thing down,” she said as he brushed past her to leave.

Her words stopped him and she saw the change in his gray eyes. A soft smile played at the corners of his mouth. “Yeah, I’ve kind of had to figure it all out on my own.”

She touched his arm, stopping him from walking away. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t.” He paused there, just a breath of space between them. “I’d guess you have your own story. Life never turns out how we expect it to, does it?”

“No, it doesn’t. And I think Jack isn’t who you expected, is he? You thought you’d show up and everything would be the way it was when you left. You thought Jack would be the same person.”

“Maybe,” he said with a shrug of broad shoulders.

Time and circumstances had changed Carson the same way they had changed her. The boy she’d known had been fun-loving. In spite of his circumstance he had laughed and found the best in each day. The best in people. He seemed to have lost that side of himself.

The man standing in front of her had jagged edges.