Renewing Lost Love

by Karen Ward

  Richard Dean, the FBI agent, spends several minutes examining the area where the bulk of Bixby’s remains are located as well as the damage to the house and barn. Then he says, “I must say, I am glad I don’t have to wonder what killed him and I am very glad he is finally dead. That man made those of us in law enforcement look like bumbling idiots. With all the blood he had on his hands having to spend tax payer dollars to send him through the court system would have been a travesty.”

  Pinky says, “I too, am very glad he is finally dead. As far as I’m concerned he still got off too easily. He should have suffered the long slow painful death the flames would have caused him.”

  In the middle of the afternoon Scoot’s cell phone rings and he answers, “Scoot.”

  “Scoot, it’s Bear. Stump is finally out of surgery and doing well. The surgeon says he is a very lucky man. That knife missed a main artery by less than half an inch. He did lose a lot of blood and has a collapsed lung but should be fine after a few months. The doctors are going to give him the rabies series just to be safe. He not only had contact with Bixby but the knife Bixby used to stab him is probably the same one he used to gut that wolf.”

  Scoot breathes a sigh of relief and says, “That’s really good news Bear. I’ll let the others know. When we went back and reviewed the security video, it showed Bixby jumping him from behind when he walked out of his bedroom. He was calling Pinky’s name when he walked out so he must have heard some noise and thought Pinky was in the office. Stump never even had a chance to defend himself.”

  Bear asks, “Have you been able to determine for sure that he came across the back pasture?”

  Scoot answers, “Yeah, he cut the fence and walked across the pasture. He didn’t even bother to cover his tracks.”

  As soon as Richard Dean tells them it is all right, the Drake Security team head to the hospital in Cody Wyoming. Of course, the Paparazzi are out in mass trying to get the details about the explosion and other activity at the ranch. As they approach the front gate, Barry says, “We probably should give them a statement. Otherwise they are not going to leave us alone.”

  Pinky says, “Sure, it’s not a problem. As soon as they realize you are not the one that left here in the ambulance they should back off.”

  Barry steps out of the SUV, “Ladies and gentlemen, I am going to make a statement then I would ask that you leave us alone. This morning, we had an intruder at the Rock Springs Ranch. He was a man on the FBI’s ten most wanted list. His name was James Bixby. He died but not before setting fire to my barn and injuring one of my friends that lives at the ranch. The explosion you heard was caused by explosives he was carrying when he got caught in the fire. We are headed to the hospital now to check on our friend who was injured so please give us some privacy. I will give you updates as we know them.”

  “Mr. Farrady, Mr. Farrady, can we get some pictures of the damage to the house and barn?” hollers one of the reporters.

  Another reporter hollers, “Why did the Hazmat team come?”

  Barry, looking over at Pinky shakes his head and says, “The Hazmat team was called because we had some fuel spilled and yes, I’ll let one of you guys come in tomorrow and get some pictures as long as you promise to only take pictures of the damage and then let it rest after that.”

  When they get back in the car, Pinky says, “How do you stand this? It would drive me nuts.”

  Barry says, “It drives me nuts.”

  When they arrive at the hospital they are once again surrounded by media and Barry repeats his statement and then Scoot, Goose, and Pinky encircle Barry and shove their way through the crowd and into the building. They make their way up to the ICU where Bear and Jesse are waiting for the next time anyone can visit with Stump.

  When they enter the room, Bear smiles and says, “I’m glad to see you made it through the circus in one piece. The doctors are keeping Stump sedated so he isn’t awake but the doctor is very encouraging. He still is on a respirator and when they back off on the drugs he comes back to consciousness quickly. They are expecting to be able to remove the respirator tomorrow and stop the sedation in a couple of days.”

  When the nurse comes to the waiting room to escort the next group of visitors, Barry and Pinky follow her to Stump’s room. He is attached to all types of equipment and when Pinky sees him, his eyes fill with tears. He walks over to the bed and lays his hand on top of Stump’s and he says, “Hey Buddy, you’re going to be fine. Bixby is dead and everyone is safe. You concentrate on getting well. We love you man.”

  Barry says, “Hey Stump, I’ve got that deed ready for you to sign. As soon as you are able I’ll call the contractors and we can start building your house. Somewhere out there is a lucky lady that will share it with you. You’ll have a house full of kids before you know it.”

  Pinky says, “Hey, you’ve got to hurry and get well. Jasmine and I can’t get married until you’re well enough to be my best man. I wouldn’t dream of having the wedding without you. Besides, Timmy needs his Uncle Stump to make sure he learns all the right lessons growing up. We’re going now but we’ll be back tomorrow. You rest and get your strength back.”

  When they returned to the waiting room, Scoot and Goose take their turn going to see their buddy.

  ******

  Texas Safe Search ended up finding a total of fourteen bodies at the compound in Idaho that was once the home of both Melanie Brentwood Farrady and Jasmine Leblanc. Besides Keith Williams and Jasmine Leblanc’s infant son, one was a man that died of natural causes and twelve were young girls between the ages of fifteen and twenty that had disappeared over a period of twenty years. All were ruled to have died from physical abuse and sexual assault.

  Once the remains were identified, primarily through dental records, Keith and Jasmine began receiving letters of appreciation from families all over the western United States thanking them for funding the search that recovered the remains of their loved ones.

  EPILOGUE

  Jasmine Leblanc and Keith Williams are married three weeks later in a small ceremony in the chapel at the hospital in Cody Wyoming. Stump, Clarence Kincaid Jr., sitting in a wheelchair, serves as the best man and Melanie Brentwood Farrady serves as the matron of honor. The bride is given in marriage by her brother, Leaf Leblanc. Timothy Williams serves as the ring bearer. The entire extended family from the Rock Springs Ranch crowds into the chapel to witness the nuptials.

  Standing in the front of the chapel beneath the cross, dressed in a black tuxedo, Pinky is so nervous he is shaking. He can hardly believe that his beloved Jasmine is finally going to become his wife. It has been a long difficult road that at times seemed impossible. His heart is pounding with anticipation.

  He glances down at his buddy, Stump, very pale but steadily improving. His eyes fill with tears and he sighs with relief. He is so thankful Stump is on the way to a full recovery. They came so close to losing him because of James Bixby. He remembers seeing him lying so still on the floor of the office the day Bixby stabbed him, his life blood staining the floor. It would have been devastating if Bixby had taken his best buddy from him. It is truly a blessing that he is alive and able to be here with him on the happiest day of his life.

  When the music starts he glances toward the back of the small chapel and he sees his precious adopted son, Timmy, walking slowly toward him grinning from ear to ear, holding the pillow with the wedding rings in front of him. He grins back at him his heart overflowing with love for the child. A tear slides down his cheek as the thinks about the son Bixby took from him and he thanks God again for blessing him and Jasmine with Timmy.

  Then he sees her, his beautiful Jasmine standing at the back of the church, clinging tightly to her brother’s arm. She is so beautiful she takes his breath away. Her auburn hair is hanging loose, falling in waves around her shoulders. She is dressed in a flowing white floor length gown and a sheer veil covers her face. She is carrying a bouquet of spring flowers. As she slowly advances toward him, his heart spe
eds up and a grin slides across his face. Just a few short months ago, he believed she was dead. Now she is here about to become his wife. So much has changed. He quickly whispers a short prayer of thanks for her safety. He is truly blessed to be here today, the love of his life walking toward him and soon to be his wife.

  Jasmine’s heart is pounding furiously and she is shaking so badly she hopes her legs will continue to support her. She can hardly believe that she is here, walking down the aisle of this little chapel wearing a beautiful wedding dress, toward Keith, her one true love. He is so gorgeous standing before the altar in his black tuxedo, his auburn hair glistening in the lights from above. It feels like a dream and she is afraid she is going to wake up on the hard bed in the freezing cabin in northwest Montana with James Bixby lying beside her. She shakes the thought from her head and takes a deep calming breath.

  She glances over at her brother, Leaf. He grew into a handsome man during her absence and she is so proud of him. She is so thankful he is here with her today. He squeezes her hand and smiles broadly warming her heart. She looks back at Keith and he smiles at her and her heart overflows with love. This is real, it’s not a dream.

  She and Keith repeat their vows while gazing deeply into each other’s eyes. Then, surprising everyone in attendance, the minister looks at Timmy and asks, “Timothy Ronald Westbrook Thompson Williams, do you take Keith and Jasmine Williams to be your Mommie and Daddy for all time?”

  Grinning from ear to ear he says as loud as he can, “Yes! They’re the best Mommie and Daddy in the whole world!”

  Everyone in attendance chuckles at his enthusiasm. Then the minister says, “I now pronounce you husband, wife, and son. You may kiss your bride.”

  Keith turns to Jasmine, slowly raising the veil, and takes her lips with his in a warm tender kiss. Then he bends down and raises his precious Timmy in his arms sitting him on his left hip. He extends his arm to Jasmine and they face the crowd. The minister says, “Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Keith Williams and their beloved son, Timmy.”

  The audience erupts in applause and cheers as the happy threesome walks back down the aisle to the back of the chapel.

  After the ceremony, the group enjoys cupcakes decorated with wedding bells and punch in paper cups. A small tray of oatmeal cookies makes its way around the room landing in Timmy’s lap.

  Stump is still extremely weak but he is very happy he got to be the best man at his buddy Pinky’s wedding and tears cloud his eyes as he watches Pinky with his new wife and their precious son. Their road to this night has been long and very difficult. He is actually very jealous, not just of Pinky, but of all his buddies. He’s the only one now that hasn’t been lucky enough to find the perfect woman and have a family. Barry and Melanie have a new baby. Goose and Evelyn have twin boys. Scoot and Skye are expecting their son any day. He wonders if he will ever find a woman to love and make him a father. He can only hope.

  He looks over at Samantha Wells. Bixby almost killed her too. He remembers how guilty he felt the day Scoot told him Bixby had come so close to ending her life. She was very lucky the bullet only grazed her forehead. He really needs to apologize to her for being such a bully. He admits that he has been unreasonable at times. Something about the woman drives him insane. Every time she opens her mouth he wants to stuff a rag or something in it. Maybe he should try stuffing his tongue in it. Yeah, that would be a lot more fun. He’ll have to think about trying that some day.

  Samantha Wells has stayed in the background during the wedding ceremony and reception. She is sitting in a chair along the wall, her crutches lying next to her. She doesn’t want to cause any trouble for Pinky or Jasmine on their big day. They have waited a long time to become husband and wife and deserve the happiness.

  She is very happy for Timmy too. He now has a mother and father that love him and will take very good care of him. Pinky is an awesome father. She wishes she could find someone like him to marry and be a father to the children she wants to have. She was so disappointed when she found out about Jasmine. She had really hoped she could be Pinky’s wife and Timmy’s mother but that is not meant to be. To top it all off she really likes Jasmine. When she heard the story about Jasmine being kidnapped as a teenager and held captive by that horrible man for fifteen years she really has to admire her strength. Not many women could go through something like that and even survive, much less flourish like she has and it is so obvious that Pinky adores her and she him.

  She looks over at Stump, her nemesis and guilt floods her soul. He really looks pale and so vulnerable sitting by the wall in that wheelchair. It scared her to death when she saw them load him into the ambulance and carry him away the day Bixby was killed. She thought then Stump was dead and she was so afraid she would never get a chance to tell him she is sorry for the way she has been harassing him. She’s not sure why she does it. Something about the man brings out the worst in her. Well, anyway, she is not quite ready to go down that road yet, but she will, some day.

  If he wasn’t such a bully he would be kind of cute. She would really like to run her hands over his muscular chest and through that thick mat of chest hair she sees peeking out from the open neck of his shirt.

  She hasn’t told anyone at the ranch yet of her plan to relocate to Wyoming. She doesn’t have any family back in Tennessee or anywhere for that matter and she really loves it out here. The Native American history of the area fascinates her and she can’t wait to be able to explore Yellowstone National Park. It won’t be a problem for her to transfer to Yellowstone. That is one advantage of working for the national park system, you can ask to be stationed anywhere there is a national park. She longs to be a part of the Rock Springs Ranch extended family.

  ####

  About the Author

  Karen Ward is the pen name used by Glenda Hays. Glenda grew up in Texas but traveled the United States as a healthcare consultant for many years. She has over twenty years in the healthcare industry and has spent many hours on airplanes and in hotel rooms reading the stories of her favorite Romance writers. A few years ago she found herself one of the millions of Americans on the unemployment rolls and after a few months began to put some of her own stories down on paper. She loves the challenge of writing and plans to spend every spare moment sharing her love of her heroes and heroines with the world.

  Glenda is divorced with two grown children and three grandchildren. She lives in a small town in the DFW Metroplex.

  From the Author

  Thank you for reading my story. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please recommend it to your friends and don’t forget to rate the story before you leave.

  Be sure to read the other stories in the Wounded in Wyoming Series:

  FINDING DIAMOND GIRL

  SEARCHING FOR A NEW HOME

  SEEKING SAFETY

  MAKING NEW MEMORIES

  UNCOVERING HIDDEN TREASURE

  COMING SOON!

  TEXAS LOVING SERIES

  LOVING MR. CREEP

  LOVING THROUGH THE PAIN

  LOVING MY CAT

  LOVING CINDERELLA