Fatal Ranch Reunion

by Jaycee Bullard

  Halfway down Main, she pumped the brakes. The pedal felt squishy, like an old balloon half filled with sand. And the car didn’t slow down. She gulped down the lump of anxiety in her throat. She probably just needed to apply more force to get the brakes to engage.

  She slammed her foot down harder, but the pedal flapped uselessly under the sole of her shoe. Panic threaded through her veins. She was moving faster now, headed toward the bottom of the hill. Her stomach roiled at she shot past Lois’s flower shop and blew through a stop sign at Third and Vine.

  There were no pedestrians or other cars at the intersection. Thank you, God. Her fingers clenched the gear shift and pressed it into First, but even that didn’t slow her momentum. Neither did her desperate yanking on the emergency brake. There was nothing left to do but pray for a flat stretch of road, long enough for her to slow down.

  * * *

  Tacy’s Nissan swooshed past Seb on the other side of the road, driving way too fast, at least ten miles over the limit. He craned his neck and looked behind him. Her car had already disappeared from his sight. He twisted the wheel into a tight turn, pressed down on the accelerator, and raced to catch up with Tacy, certain something was wrong.

  He pressed a button on the console. “Call Tacy,” he said.

  She picked up on the first ring.

  “Seb. My brakes aren’t working.”

  “Did you try shifting down to low gear?”

  “It didn’t work. And I pulled the emergency brake, but it only engaged for a second.”

  What else? What else? Think, think. Panic was clouding his judgment.

  “Okay. You need to get somewhere flat to slow your momentum. In about a half mile, you’ll come to a fork in the road. Go left, and the pavement will level out. Let’s see if that helps in reducing your speed. When the car stops moving, try to force it into Park. I’ll be right behind you. But let’s keep the line open just in case.”

  “Timmy’s here with me.” Tacy’s voice was tight with anxiety.

  “I know, Tace. You’re doing great. Just a little bit longer, and you’ll come to the split. Go left. Remember.”

  “Left,” she repeated.

  “Okay, then.” he said. Please, God. Let this work.

  His training had taught him not to jump to conclusions. But there was no way this brake failure was just a coincidence.

  Regret battered his conscience. He had promised to protect Tacy and Timmy. But now they were on a collision course with vehicles ahead of them on the road, and there was nothing he could do but pray.

  He kept a few yards behind Tacy as she approached the split. But up ahead, beyond the curve snaked a line of slow-moving traffic.

  “Tace, go right,” he said. “Go right.”

  Too late.

  She went left.

  Tacy’s voice cracked on the console. “Seb. There’s a truck about twenty yards in front of me that’s barely moving. I’m heading off the road. Hold on, Timmy. This could be rough.” Her voice faded as Timmy chattered in the background. Something about Snowy, the mare he was planning to ride that afternoon.

  The Nissan bumped off the tarmac and dived into the gully, thumping straight down into a wide field of sunflowers.

  He stuck like glue behind the runaway vehicle. His speed clocked at twenty as he followed the Nissan down the embankment. Fifteen, ten, five. Thick green stalks bent sideways and scattered in their wake. Mustard-colored petals and black seed pods rained through the air as Tacy’s car finally bumped to a halt against a crowd of bowing flower heads.

  Seb pushed aside a tall plant that had been sheared of its leaves as he edged open the truck’s door. Ten feet in front of him, Tacy stepped out of her vehicle.

  A dozen or so people jumped out of cars and stumbled down the embankment, almost all with cell phones stuck to their ears. The owner of the field arrived on an ATV. He didn’t seem bothered that a portion of his crop was destroyed. He just wanted to make sure that everyone was okay.

  Thank You, God. They are.

  Its red lights flashing, a patrol car screeched to a halt on the shoulder of the road, followed closely behind by an ambulance and a tow truck. As the sheriff bolted out of his car and headed toward Tacy, Seb nudged Timmy to a quiet corner of the field so as not to eavesdrop on what was being said.

  “You okay?” he asked once they were far enough away from the commotion.

  Timmy nodded. “Do you think we can still go riding this afternoon?”

  Hmm. They’d have to see how Tacy felt about that.

  “Why wouldn’t the car stop?” Timmy asked.

  “I’m not sure. I think it had something to do with the brakes.”

  Timmy nodded. “That’s what I think, too.”

  Frustration clawed at his senses. Would this nightmare ever end? The thought of what might have happened was too dire to even contemplate.

  Fifteen minutes later, the show was over. The car was towed, the statements had been taken. Even the sheriff was gone.

  Tacy walked over to where they were standing.

  “What did the sheriff say?” he asked. He had kept his composure during the crisis, but seeing Tacy so drawn and vulnerable caused his heart to hammer in his chest.

  Tacy looked at Timmy. She seemed to recognize the need to choose her words with care. “He said he’d get the report from the mechanic, and he’d follow through from there.”

  Timmy scooted into the space between them, “Mom, I’m really sorry the brakes are messed up on your car. But can we still go riding this afternoon? Please.”

  “We’ll see, okay?” Tacy said.

  Timmy reached over and patted her hand. “Okay. But when we get back, we should see if Steven needs help in the stables. I want Snowy to get used to me, just in case we do end up going for that ride.”

  Seb could see the love in Tacy’s eyes as she smiled down at Timmy. He knew where she was coming from. It wasn’t easy saying no to Timmy. But whoever had tampered with the brakes of Tacy’s Nissan had raised the stakes. And now every decision they made going forward would be marked by one immutable goal.

  Keep Timmy safe at all costs.

  THIRTEEN

  Seb pulled his chair in toward the table so Tacy could scoot by him to answer a call. She walked to the next room and leaned against the wall. From what he could hear of her side of the conversation, she seemed to be talking to the mechanic at the shop.

  His mom must have been eavesdropping too because when Tacy returned to the dining room, she voiced her dismay. “Is everything okay with your car, hon?”

  Tacy shook her head. “No. There’s quite a bit of damage to the suspension system, and it looks like they need to replace the brakes.”

  Timmy perked right up. “Seb was right, Mom. He said that was why you weren’t able to stop.”

  Seb looked across the table and met Tacy’s glance.

  He waited until they were cleaning up in the kitchen to find out more.

  “The mechanic doesn’t think it was an accident.” Tacy’s eyes looked haunted as she plunged her hands into the sudsy water in the sink. “The whole time he was explaining it to me, I kept picturing someone crawling under my car and cutting the lines while Timmy and I were in Dot’s. I parked in the back lot, so there weren’t any cameras that might have caught the person responsible.”

  Seb opened the dishwasher and began to stack the glassware on the top rack. “There’s no way you could have expected someone to tamper with your brakes.” But he should have expected it. Tacy’s assailant was resourceful and quick to press for the advantage. And the sight of her Nissan in a crowded, unsupervised lot must had been too tempting a target to ignore.

  She turned to him, her eyes brimming with tears. “Timmy was in the car with me, Seb. He would have died if we hadn’t chanced upon that field.”

  It took all his strength n
ot to reach out and pull Tacy into the shelter of his arms. The possibility of finding his son only to lose him was too horrific to contemplate. “I’m certain the sheriff will check the brake line for prints. But so far, the person targeting you has been smart enough to avoid leaving any trace. Let’s just hang around close to home for the rest of the day.”

  “But I promised Timmy that we’d go riding this afternoon.”

  Why? he wanted to ask. But he knew why. The answer was front and center when he arrived at the corral. His gut clenched at the sight of his son sitting proud and tall in Snowy’s saddle, beaming with joy. To further tug at his heartstrings, Timmy was wearing a beat-up pair of old boots and a dented cowboy hat that looked suspiciously like something he had worn when he was nine.

  He walked over toward Steven, who was grooming Topper.

  “Looks like we’re really doing this.” Steven said. “Tacy told me what happened with her car.”

  “We just need to watch both of them like hawks.”

  “Roger that.”

  They started off in pairs. Seb rode Chief and stuck next to Timmy while Steven was on Topper and Tacy rode Lizzie.

  Seb kept a tight hold on Chief’s reins to keep pace with Snowy. He didn’t usually like to talk while riding, but Timmy wanted to chat about school, especially his favorite parts, gym and recess.

  What had his dad said when he first met Timmy? The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. It was amazing to hear Timmy describe the things he loved to do—play baseball, watch baseball and play soccer. It sounded like a list he might have made when he was nine. Before he got interested in girls.

  Well, one girl in particular. Tacy.

  “Seb?” Tacy turned around and cocked her head sideways. “Left or right?”

  “Left.” He pointed toward the creek.

  This was nice. Even though the sun was hot and bright, the day was perfect for a long, easy ride. The plan was to do a quick tour of the Hunts’ property and then to cross over to the Tolberts’ so that Timmy could see where Tacy had grown up.

  He squinted against the glare of the sun. Sparse clumps of brown grass dotted the landscape. Off in the distance, the cliffs rose up abruptly and then, further along the horizon, there was a cluster of small pine-covered hills.

  What would Timmy think of the land? To Seb, it was home, beautiful in its severe, unyielding way. But to a kid born and raised against the majestic beauty of the Rocky Mountains? It seemed unlikely this setting would hold much appeal.

  He cut another glance Timmy’s way. Was his saddle secure? Was Snowy pulling at the reins?

  This had to be the downside of being a parent. The fresh worries and endless concern. Timmy didn’t seem to notice as he concentrated on remaining upright in the saddle, his body hunched forward, his fingers griping the reins, a smile of satisfaction creased across his face. The beginnings of a matching smile played on Seb’s lips. This was his son. And they were riding together across the fields. Timmy gave a gentle pull against Snowy’s reins as the mare began to veer to the side, and Seb’s smile grew into a grin. Timmy’s focus reminded him of his own resoluteness, not that it was needed. Snowy was about as docile as a horse could be.

  Up ahead, Steven and Tacy slowed and waited for them to catch up.

  Steven looked at Seb and pointed toward the sky. “You sure you want to give all this up? I couldn’t do it. No way. Move to Washington, DC? No thank you.”

  Uh-oh. Seb grimaced. He hadn’t found the chance to discuss his job offer with Tacy. Not that it was a secret, or that he needed her permission, but he wanted to wait until... What had he been waiting for? He cast a glance Tacy’s direction and read the surprise in her eyes.

  “Hey, Steven,” he called, pulling up on his reins. “You ride up front with Timmy, okay? I’m going to fall back and talk to Tace.”

  “Sure thing.” Steven muttered as he trotted forward, “Sorry if I said something I shouldn’t have.” His face was the picture of innocence, but Seb knew his brother well enough to be suspicious. Not that he would claim malicious intent. Just Steven being Steven.

  Tacy cantered up next to him.

  He waited until their horses synched their pace before turning to face her.

  “I should have said something sooner, but a couple weeks ago, I was offered a job with the FBI in Washington, DC. I’m not a hundred percent sure I’m going to take it. But no matter what, you don’t need to worry. Timmy will always be my top priority, no matter where I go.”

  Tacy nodded, but her clenched jaw and rigid shoulders suggested she was upset. He wanted to be upfront with her, to be able to talk about the options available to both of them. But at the moment, she seemed too closed off for that kind of conversation.

  He shook his head, determined to reclaim the pleasant feelings he had been experiencing just moments before. It was still a beautiful day. The gentle gait of Chief beneath his legs was familiar and soothing. They were following the trail to the old mine. It used to be one of his favorite treks, although he hadn’t ridden it in years.

  The mine wasn’t really a mine anymore. It was more like an abandoned cave that had closed for decades. But that rusty metal link fence hadn’t been enough to deter him and Steven and Tacy. Still, he wasn’t sure he wanted his nine-year-old son following in those particular footsteps.

  “Hey, Steven. Let’s go a bit further and then turn around.”

  They arrived at the river. With the summer being so dry, it was little more than a trickle. The sight of the water burbling between the barren fields filled him with a pang of nostalgia. Part of him wished that he could be like Steven, throw caution to the wind, and pretend that he was a teenager again. But the woman on the horse beside him was a stark reminder of how much things had changed. Back in the old days, Tacy would have been galloping ahead, her long hair billowing behind her. Now her mare kept a steady walk and her face looked set in stone.

  “Let’s stop at the bluffs and then head for home,” he said to his brother.

  He cast another glance at Tacy. His mind raced as he tried to come up with ways to restart the conversation, but everything he thought of seemed trite. Several yards ahead of them, Steven and Timmy had followed the river beyond the bend toward the rocks and then disappeared from sight.

  A tingle of apprehension slid up his spine. Now he remembered why he didn’t ride this trail anymore. The river. The rocks. They brought back memories of Tacy’s accident. He spurred Chief faster. He wanted eyes on Timmy. Now.

  Bam!

  The blast of a shotgun exploded in the air. Beneath him, Chief tensed and pushed into a gallop. Adrenaline hummed through Seb’s body as he raced around the curve.

  His stomach dropped.

  A hundred yards ahead, he could see Snowy, careening across the field with Timmy clutching his neck and Steven riding hard behind them.

  He yanked on Chief’s reins and charged forward.

  * * *

  A coil of fear tightened in Tacy’s chest. Her anger toward Seb evaporated, forgotten as dread washed over her.

  With shaking hands, she pulled on Lizzie’s reins, bringing the heaving horse to a halt. Lizzie didn’t have the swiftness or stamina to catch up with the three riders galloping across the field. She watched as Seb drew alongside Snowy and then exhaled in an uneven whoosh as Snowy picked up speed and veered to the left. Watching the two brothers galloping after her son, their bodies low and flattened against their horses’ backsides, she felt powerless. And she hated that emotion. It was the same feeling she had experienced when her mother and father used to argue. But this was so much worse. Sharper. Deeper. Shattering.

  Pray.

  The word echoed straight from her heart into her brain. She might not be able to stop Snowy, but she could entreat the One who could. She blew out a deep breath, her eyes still trained on her son, her mind alert to every movement of the chase, as her s
oul silently implored God. Help him. Please.

  She leaned forward against Lizzie’s neck to get a better view. Seb drew up alongside Snowy again, and this time Steven mirrored him on the other side. In unison, the brothers reached forward and pulled on Snowy’s reins. The panicked animal shook his head, his mane dancing wildly, as if to show his resistance.

  And then, finally, Snowy slowed to a canter. And then a trot. And then a full stop. Tacy urged Lizzie forward, slipping off her horse as soon as she reached the three riders, her arms wrapping around Timmy. Tears prickled at the back of her eyes as she held on for dear life. She turned toward Steven and Seb and mouthed her thanks. Both men were breathing heavily, their hats pushed back on their heads and their hair damp with sweat.

  “Mom! Mom! Did you see that?” Timmy’s high voice broke the silence. He pulled out of her embrace. His brown eyes looked huge in his pale face, but there was excitement and eagerness in his expression. “It felt like I was flying.”

  Steven snorted. “Yeah, who even knew that Snowy could move that fast?”

  “Timmy?” Tacy looked at her son.

  “I’m okay, Mom. Snowy got spooked at that loud noise. But I held on.”

  “You sure did.” Seb ruffled his hair and then exhaled deeply. “But I think that’s enough excitement for one day. If we cut across the fields, we’re not too far from home. Let’s walk, and give these horses a break.” He picked up Chief’s and Snowy’s reins. Beside him, Timmy continued talking excitedly about the race, but Tacy recognized a weariness in Seb’s gait.

  She turned to face Steven.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  Steven had been watching his brother as well, but now he turned his gaze toward Tacy. “You don’t need to thank me. I would have done it for anyone. It’s the way things are out here. You watch out for your neighbors. And it’s not like Timmy is just anyone.”

  Point taken. Steven’s words made her feel small. “Who do you think fired the shotgun?” she asked.

  “I didn’t see anything,” Steven said. “The blast could have come from the mine or a nearby field. But this is North Dakota. Shotguns are a part of life here.”