Worth the Trouble

by Becky McGraw

  Trey tugged on her arm and looked up at her over his shoulder. "C'mon, Miss Rocky, daddy is in the shed," he told her impatiently.

  Wes wasn't the only one in that shed, but she hoped that truck meant it was either Terri or Joel, because if it was Ethan, she would most likely head out of here.

  Her feet dragging as she went, she let Trey pull her the rest of the way to the shed. At the door, she saw Wes bent over a chest, pulling stuff out and stacking it, but he was alone. Relief washed through her and she walked into the building.

  "Hey, boss," she said walking up behind him. "Need some help?"

  "Tried calling you," he said and grunted as he lifted out something heavy. When he turned she saw it was a dusty old saddle.

  "Going trail riding?" she asked with a laugh.

  "No, he's going to find a lost kid in Palo Duro Canyon," a familiar voice informed from behind her, and Rocky tensed, her fists clenching as tightly as her jaw.

  Ethan stepped closer and his hot breath brushed the back of her neck when he added, "We're going to find her. I was just taking a little siesta, because I didn't get much sleep last night."

  He didn't get much sleep last night? If the way he had treated her was how he normally treated women, then it was no wonder. Sleeping with a guilty conscience wasn't an easy thing to do.

  Evidently, fate was playing trick's on her now, trying to throw her together with Ethan Cassidy again, but damned if she wasn't going to fight back.

  Her eyes met Wes's as she told him, "Wes, I'm out on this one. If he's on the team, I'm out for good, I'm sorry."

  Wes dropped the saddle at his feet then stood up and put his hands on his hips.

  "I need all hands on deck, Rox. This kid is in real trouble. I looked at the weather report, and it's going to rain tonight, and tomorrow night it's going to be below freezing. You know Palo Duro, we have a lot of ground to cover."

  A growl rumbled in her chest, but she stifled it, then huffed out a breath. "Fine, just keep him away from me," she told Wes angrily, then shot Ethan a glare. "I'll go back to the ranch and trailer Reed and Diamond. I'll also see if there are any other horses we can use."

  "See if you can get a spare shotgun too. Ethan's gonna need one."

  "He needs one all right, pointed at his head," she grumbled under her breath as she spun on her heel and stomped back toward her truck.

  Ethan looked at Wes, and the man told him with a shake of his head, "Man, you are in deep trouble, that woman is some kind of pissed at you."

  "No, shit," Ethan said with a laugh. "She's gonna be even more pissed when she finds out you plan on sticking her with me for the search."

  Since the search area was in a remote canyon, he highly doubted her safety from the killer, or his own, would be an issue. Ethan was glad Wes had paired her up with him, like Wes, he was more worried about her being out there searching with someone who wasn't experienced. And it would give him a chance to convince her to stay at the ranch.

  "Yeah, I know," Wes said then added with a chuckle, "I'm not telling her that until we got to Palo Duro though. That way I have plenty of room to run."

  "Good Plan," Ethan agreed. "I'm going to follow her back to the ranch to get my gear. Don't leave without me, I shouldn't be long."

  "I'll finish up here, and we'll pull out when ya'll get back. Both of you. The rest of the guys are meeting us at the canyon."

  Ethan nodded then made his way to the truck and headed for the ranch too.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Three hours later, Ethan followed the dust cloud behind Rocky down the road that led up into the Palo Duro Canyon State Park. Wes was in front of her, and both were hauling four-horse trailers behind their trucks. Ethan had followed behind them to provide a buffer so they could change lanes safely on the way there, and to make sure nobody followed the trailers too closely.

  Ethan had been on plenty of calls with overturned horse trailers and trucks. Most of the accidents had been caused by impatient drivers who were tired of following behind the slower vehicle, so they followed too closely, or tried to change lanes when the truck and trailer did. Those were always horrific scenes, and he was going to make sure it didn't happen here.

  During the drive Ethan called Terri on his cell phone and told her both he and Rocky were joining the search for the missing girl. Terri had heard about the missing child on the television, and made him promise to keep her up to date, and be careful.

  What she didn't do was try and find out if he had talked to Rocky, and Ethan was thankful. Right now was not the time to get into him leaving the ranch, so Rocky would come back. That argument would have to wait for another time.

  After Wes's rig passed through the gate, he stopped to talk to the gate attendant who pointed down the road, then stepped back to wave them through. Wes led them around a curve to the right then Ethan saw several other rigs parked in a huge parking lot, along with a lot of other vehicles.

  Over at the far end of the lot there was a large group pavilion, and behind it was a long travel trailer. From all the people milling about, a good number of those in khaki uniforms and tactical gear, he imagined that was the search command post. When Wes and Rocky pulled off to the left to park by the other horse trailers, Ethan split off right and parked near the pavilion.

  He got out of the truck, then made his way under the awning and looked around to see if he recognized anyone. Someone patted him on the back and he turned around.

  "Hey, man," Brad Thomas said with a wide smile. "Thought you were down for the count. It's good to see the grapevine was wrong this time."

  His friend was dressed in tactical gear, even a bullet proof vest which was a bit of overkill for the operation in Ethan's opinion. Even though he knew this man as well as he would a brother, and he knew Brad had been cleared, Ethan couldn't help but be a little uneasy around him now.

  Ethan wondered if Brad thought he had been behind the accusations against him. He sure hoped not, but if Brad was this friendly, Ethan doubted he did, because Brad had a temper, and a long memory.

  "You know I'm like a cat man," Ethan told him with a snort and a friendly shove. "Nine lives and I still have at least seven left. How've you been doing?"

  "I'm fine...so are you still on the Task Force then?" he asked his eyes sliding over Ethan from head to toe.

  "Nah, I joined an equine search and rescue team that will be working with TTF."

  "Well, I'll be damned," Brad said smiling again, giving Ethan a shoulder pat. "That's good news."

  Ethan wasn't sure if Brad thought it was good news that he was off the task force, or if it was good news that he was joining the equine team for the search. His words could mean either.

  Stop doubting your best friend asshole, Ethan castigated himself.

  Just because Brad had been accused of being the guy behind trying to kill him, didn't make him guilty. And he had been cleared.

  "Wait until you see me on horseback to make that statement," Ethan told him with a wide grin and a laugh.

  "This I gotta see. If you change your mind about that horse and want to ride an ATV, let me know. I brought a spare for my dad," Brad told him then looked around the tent. "He's around here somewhere. I didn't want him going on the search, but you know how he is when he gets his mind wrapped around something."

  Fear shot through Ethan, because Brad's father hadn't been cleared yet. He should probably call and get a status on the investigation from Inspector Gilley. "Um, Brad I need to make a few calls and go help unload the horses," he told his friend.

  "There's a briefing in fifteen, so you better get a move on," Brad informed with another pat on his back.

  "Okay, thanks, man," Ethan told him then walked back toward his truck.

  Before he got there, Rocky stopped him right outside the pavilion with a hand on his shoulder. Like it was a challenge and he was a slacker, she told him, "You're responsible for your own horse. I unloaded her, but you need to tack her up."

  Without waiting for a
response, Roxanne spun on her heel and headed back toward where she was parked. He saw her horse already saddled and tied to the side of the trailer. Diamond was tied beside him still in a lead rope and halter.

  If he wanted to saddle Diamond, and make that briefing, he was going to have to skip the phone call right now. Maybe once they got on the trail he could call, while he still had cell service. He knew it was spotty out here, unless you were high on one of the mesas.

  Ethan hustled over to the trailer, hefted the saddle, blanket and bridle out of the equipment compartment of the trailer then set it down beside the horse. It took him five minutes to get the saddle on the horse's back, then get it buckled and cinched, and another nine and a half to get the bit between the stubborn horse's teeth.

  If Rocky hadn't finally had mercy on him and helped, he would probably still be there, instead of hurrying toward the pavilion with her and Wes for the briefing. Hurrying for him meant a lot slower than those two were walking, he was well behind them. They pushed their way through the crowd once they were under the pavilion, but he had to stand at the edge of the crowd gathered to listen to Clay who was up on the podium at the microphone.

  Clay went through the logistics of the search, explained that the child and her father had been camping at one of the primitive campsites in a tent near Fortress Cliff. The little girl, Amelia, went to sleep in the tent with her dad around ten o'clock, but was gone when he woke up. The father had no idea what time she left the tent or why. Local police had scoured the immediate area, but found nothing except a bunny slipper that the girl had been wearing, about ten yards from the tent.

  Canine handlers would be conducting a foot search, the Task Force would be searching on ATVs, and Wes's equine group on horseback. Clay told them that they could get area maps, radios and supplies from the table that was set up by the travel trailer.

  When the briefing ended, Wes had one of his own with their crew. The team consisted of ten horses and riders right now, he told them, but others would probably be joining the search later. Wes would be staying at base camp to coordinate the team. While on the trail, they were to check in with him by radio every hour, or if they found anything.

  Wes began calling out partner assignments and Ethan cringed, knowing what was coming. If had known that Brad's daddy was going to be here, the prime suspect in the fire investigation, he would have told Wes to assign him another partner. It was too late now, so he just held his breath as he waited for the hammer to drop.

  He would just have to keep a good eye on Rocky to make sure they were both safe, not get too comfortable while they were on the search. He just wished he knew where the hell Brad's daddy was in all this. It was hard to keep an eye on someone you hadn't seen.

  In what Ethan couldn't help but think was a calculated move, the last team that Wes announced was him and Rocky. Before he announced it, his eyes met Ethan's.

  Standing beside him, Ethan heard Rocky gasp, he could almost feel the tension radiating from her. He didn't dare look at her, that was for sure.

  "Um, Wes...I have a problem with that assignment," Rocky told him then walked toward a tall lanky man wearing a cowboy hat at the edge of the group. Giving him a smile she told Wes, "I'll go with Roger."

  "No, you'll go with Ethan," Wes corrected firmly. "Those are the assignments, now let's get going so we can find that girl."

  His meaning was clear to Ethan, stop being difficult and do your job. He held his breath waiting to see if she would argue, almost hoping she would put her foot down.

  Rocky didn't argue though, with stiff shoulders she cast Wes a hot glare, nodded then stormed past Ethan on her way to the supply table. Ethan walked that way too, but by the time he got there, she was halfway through the line.

  He watched her stuff her plastic tote with water, power bars, a medical kit and some of the other things on the table, before she moved to the end of the table and got a radio assigned to her. After picking up spare batteries for the radio, she stomped off toward the horse trailer.

  This was going to be a pleasant experience, he thought as he walked to the truck to get the rest of his things. Forcing her to ride with him definitely did not endear her to him. No, what he had to look forward to here was two days in hell with a woman, a pissed off and armed cowgirl, who thought he was the devil.

  And somehow he had to protect both of them from a potential killer, and protect himself from her. If he made it back alive, Ethan would count himself a lucky man.

  When Ethan made it back over to the horses, Rocky was already mounted and stared down at him angrily. "If you think I'm going slow, because of you, you're mistaken."

  "Did I ask you to go slow?" he asked hearing the challenge in her voice. Ethan would ride until his butt was raw, if that's what it took to let the angry woman know she wasn't going to get the better of him. Yeah, she had a right to be mad, but he was not going to let her run over him.

  "No, but if you got any slower you'd be going backwards. Get a move on," she told him then spun her horse toward the woods, where the rest of the group was assembled. "Don't forget to get the extra shotgun and shells out of the cab," she reminded, then added with a sarcastic snort, "And don't shoot yourself in the ass before I get a chance to do it."

  She clicked to her horse and he thought he heard her grumble, or better yet do, under her breath as she moved toward the group.

  Ethan was glad she had brought him a weapon, at least it made him feel a little safer. He grabbed the shotgun, and stashed it in the scabbard on the saddle, then stuffed shotgun shells into his saddle bag. He was surprised how well his other things, his tent, backpack, bedroll and supplies fit behind the saddle. It made getting up onto the horse a little more difficult, but once he was astride, he felt more comfortable, because the stuff behind the saddle gave his back more support.

  In all likelihood, he wouldn't need all that stuff, they'd probably be back at base camp tonight, but he never went anywhere, especially on a mission like this, unprepared. It was the boy scout in him.

  The volume of noise around the area picked up as he clicked to Diamond and she started walking toward the other mounted riders. ATVs were being cranked, radios squawked and a familiar sense of anticipation gripped Ethan. There was nothing else like that feeling, and Ethan was just glad he could be a part of something like this again. For a while after his injury, he thought he never would.

  "Okay, that should be everyone," Wes said glancing at Ethan when he approached. Standing inside the circle of mounted riders, Wes said, "If you find any clues, or find the little girl, let me know on the radio. If she's injured, Ethan can help if he's close, if not we'll send in a medical crew. Ya'll be safe out there, and let's find that little girl," Wes told them then gave each team their grid search coordinate assignments.

  He and Rocky would be headed to the northeast side of the park toward Little Fox Canyon. From the map, he saw that area was comprised of rugged hiking trails, and rocky and mountainous bike trails. Ethan stifled a groan imagining climbing those areas on horseback. Well, since they were starting the search at the Fortress Hill Campsite, then spreading out toward their assigned areas, at least the first part of the search shouldn't be too bad. He was thankful he had brought a large bottle of ibuprofen with him. He felt sure he would need it.

  A sudden thought hit him that Wes hadn't addressed. When kids got lost and scared they hid, and some kids were very afraid of strangers. Parents drilled that into their heads, and unless the searchers made themselves familiar, in all likelihood she would remain hidden. Even if they passed within three feet of her, if they didn't call her name, she could stay quiet.

  Ethan grabbed his radio and keyed it then said, "Equine team make sure you call for Amelia while you search, she could be hiding."

  "10-4," came several replies over the airwaves.

  Rocky pulled up beside him and griped, "You're not in charge here, Ethan. I think they're smart enough to know that."

  "Stop being prickly, Rocky, or this is
gonna be a helluva long mission," he told her then clicked to Diamond to get her moving toward the campsite.

  Rocky grunted behind him, and he glanced back to make sure she was following. They rode in silence to the campground, then through it. Police personnel were everywhere interviewing campers when they passed through. Moving into the woods, the voices faded after a minute, and Ethan pulled out his cell phone to try Inspector Gilley again before he lost service.

  The man answered on the second ring, "This is Ethan, Inspector Gilley. Have you interviewed Brad's father yet?" he asked hopefully.

  Ethan still hadn't seen him, but if Brad said he was here, the man was here somewhere. Brad's words replayed in his mind too, and Ethan's memories verified them.

  You know dad when he gets his mind wrapped around something.

  It was true. Ethan remembered when he and Brad were on the football team together and his dad got it in his mind that the coach was out to get his son, overlooking him to start because of some imagined vendetta.

  That had gone on through their senior year, and the more Mr. Thomas grumbled, the more pissed off the coach became, until finally Brad got benched for good. There wasn't a vendetta that Ethan knew of, until he started that crap.

  Even though he was big, Brad had just not been as fast as the cornerback playing in front of him. The coach knew Brad had heart though, and he would have played him more if his dad had just kept his mouth shut.

  When his younger brother Jimmy tried out for the team, understandably he had never made the team, even though he was good, very good.

  "Uh no, I haven't been able to pin him down yet. I've called a couple of times and Mrs. Thomas said he wasn't in. I even went down to Henrietta again and knocked on their door this morning, but he wasn't there."

  "He's here," Ethan informed.

  "Where?" Gilley said with excitement in his tone.

  "Palo Duro Canyon," Ethan told him then added. "There's a missing kid and I'm helping search, Brad and his daddy are both here too. I haven't seen him though."