by Naomi Niles
Taking a deep breath for courage, I stood tall and strong, and took the steps forward until I was just a few feet from him.
"Frank Hill?" My voice sounded confident, despite the roiling in my stomach.
"Yeah. What do you want?" He took off his baseball cap and wiped his brow as he turned to look at me. He was about six feet tall, with a bit of a beer gut. He had brown eyes and a balding head, and I guessed correctly that he was in his mid-forties.
"My name is Bethany Foster." I extended my hand to him in greeting. "My mother is Jillian Foster. I'm your daughter."
Frank gasped audibly and staggered back a half step. "Bethany?"
"Yes," I nodded, smiling at him warmly.
"You're so grown up. You look like your mother. You have Jillian's eyes and smile. You didn't have much hair when you were a baby, but what you did was golden blonde, just like your mother's."
"I may look like her, but she says a lot of my personality takes after you," I said, feeling encouraged that he was remembering.
"No kidding? Like what?" he chuckled.
"Well, I'm creative. I love nature, which is why I like to paint landscapes. I'm stubborn, and don't back down from a challenge. Mom says I get all those traits from you."
"Well, I'll be damned." Frank rubbed his scratchy jaw with his hand. His voice shook a bit as he asked "How did you find me?"
"It wasn't easy. Mom would never talk about you, but I was always curious to know you. I used to search for you on the internet, hoping I could find you. There were a lot of Frank Hills, but none of them were the right one."
"How'd you know that?"
"Mom had thrown out all your pictures when I was little, but I dug some out of the trash and kept them hidden in my dresser. I'd stare at them all the time."
Frank's ruddy face blushed slightly. He plucked a cigarette from his shirt pocket and lit it with a metal lighter he stuffed back into the rear pocket of his jeans.
"So, how'd you track me down here?" he asked, blowing out a plume of smoke.
"When I turned twenty-one, I hired a private investigator. He discovered a post office box in your name in Riverbend. So, I got a job working at Hutchinson Ranch hoping to find you in town, and as luck would have it, you were working right here on the same ranch as me."
"I don't know if that's good luck or bad luck," Frank joked, and I giggled awkwardly.
It was strange talking with him face to face. He looked just as nervous as I felt, but it was exciting, and I felt things were going very well. This might be the beginning of a warm and positive relationship between us, and I felt my heart swell.
"It was definitely good luck, I think." I smiled brightly. "Don't you?"
Frank looked down at his boots and kicked at a clod of dirt on the ground, as if thinking. When he turned his face back up to look at me, his eyes were watery. I held my breath, anxious to hear the words I'd waited a lifetime to hear, but then something happened. I saw those warm, chocolate-brown eyes change right in front of me, into something cold, hard, and ugly.
"No, I don't think it's good luck that you found me." I felt like I'd been punched right in the stomach.
"What?" I swallowed hard against the lump of bile that had risen in my throat.
"Why do you think I left twenty years ago? Why do you think I kept moving around, always using P.O. boxes and unlisted phone numbers? Do you think it was because I wanted to be found?"
"Maybe you were avoiding my mother or someone else; but I'm your daughter. I thought you'd be happy to see me."
"What made you think a stupid thing like that? I never wanted a kid. I never asked for you to be born. I told Jillian to get a damn abortion, but she wouldn't do it."
"So, it's true. You never wanted me." Somehow I managed to keep my tears held back as my hands clenched tightly into fists.
"No. I never wanted a kid, and I don't want one now. Leave me the hell alone. Go back where you came from and never bother me again."
"Don't worry. This is the last time you'll ever see me."
I turned and ran. Unable to control my tears anymore, they ran freely down my cheeks, but my back was to him now and so he couldn't see. Sobs racked my throat, threatening to choke me, and my tears blinded me, making everything a blur.
I just followed the fence line, using the dark wood as a guide back to the ranch. I came to an opening, and knew I must have reached the end of the pasture. Still sobbing, I stumbled through it, hearing Rosie following me, running as fast as I could.
My mother had been right. Frank did leave because of me. He didn't want anything to do with me. My own father hated me. Fueled by emotion, I jumped onto Rosie's back and urged her into a gallop. Blinded by tears, I couldn't even see where the mare was taking me, but when I saw an opening in the fence, I steered her through it, knowing that must be the way back.
I couldn't believe my own father had rejected me so brutally. It was silly of me to have expected anything else, but the reality of it was still devastating. I leaned against Rosie's strong neck, buried my face in her mane, and cried away all my pain, trusting the horse.
Eventually her running slowed to a walk, and I cried away all of my tears until my throat was dry and my eyes were red. I pulled Rosie to a complete stop and looked around. Surely we must be home by now, but when I took in the scene around me, all I saw were trees. She hadn't taken me to the ranch; somehow we'd ended up deep in the forest with no trail or path to follow back home.
"Hello? Can anyone hear me?" I shouted out into the trees. A flock of birds flew up into the air above me, but other than that, there was no response. I looked up at the sky and saw the sun was high in sky. I was already thirsty and hungry, with no idea which direction to go in to find my way back to the ranch. The only thing I knew for sure was that I was in trouble.
Chapter Eight: Colton
"Hey, Mama, something smells good." I hung my Stetson on the hook by the door and entered the dining room. Brett, Tom, and Travis were already filling their plates, but William was out working a night shift.
"Are you alone?" Mama glared at me as I took my seat. My stomach rumbled at the sight of my favorite dish: shepherd's pie.
"Of course I'm alone," I said, confused by her question.
"Well, where is she? I thought she was with you."
"Who?"
"Bethany. Who else? Besides me, she's the only other she here." Mama sounded exasperated, and it took a moment to understand just what she was saying.
"Wait a minute. You mean, Bethany is missing?"
"I haven't seen her since she left a little while after breakfast. I thought she was going to paint, but her canvas in the barn hasn't been touched."
I turned to Brett, who always followed her around like a dog. "Where was the last place you saw her?"
"I saddled up Rosie for her this morning. She said she was taking a short ride, but I didn't ask where. I'm sure she hasn't gone far. Probably out sun tanning or doing her hair." Brett shrugged and shoveled a forkful of food into his mouth. Christ, how could he eat at time like this? I wondered.
"Rosie isn't in the stable, so she never came back. Where do you think she could have gone? She might be trapped someplace or lost." Mama was severely worried, and now I was, too.
"She was going to talk to Frank Hill this morning, out in the east pasture," I told her.
"Why would she do that?" Mama asked. I hesitated to break a promise, but now wasn't the time to be keeping secrets. I explained the reasons, and everyone at the table looked stunned.
Travis said, "Well, she's not with Frank now. He was working the east pasture all morning checking the fence line to make sure it was safe for the herd to be transferred. I saw him at noon during lunch break and he looked agitated, but I didn't ask him why. I sent him to help Mack and Butch move the herd in the afternoon into the east pasture, and then he went home to his cabin at the end of shift just now. Bethany wasn't with him."
"I saw the two of them talking in the late part of morning when
I was riding past. They were standing by the fence at the back end of the east pasture,” continued Brett. “That's the last time I saw her."
"That's where I'm going to start my search," I stated. My heart was thumping in my chest, and I couldn't remember the last time I'd been so worried about someone.
"I'll call Will and tell him we have a missing person." Mama said and directed Brett and Travis to search the ranch grounds while Tom went to talk to Frank Hill.
"Come on, Whiskey. Let's find Bethany," I urged the horse into a gallop. The pasture was filled with grazing cattle. I wound my way through them, calling out Bethany's name, but there was no sign of her. Mack and Butch would have noticed if something was amiss when they were working today.
It didn't make sense. What could have happened to her? I hadn't known Bethany more than a couple of weeks, but I already cared deeply about her. In fact, as I thought about all the terrible things that could have happened to her, I realized that I loved her.
Suddenly, I noticed hoofprints in the dirt on the other side of the fence, and I knew instantly they must belong to Rosie, although it surprised me that a novice rider like Bethany would have gotten the mild mannered mare to jump the fence.
Galloping in a wide circle to build up speed, I urged Whiskey to jump the fence at the exact same spot. We followed the trail of prints, plodded slowly through the forest, as I called out Bethany's name.
Suddenly, Whiskey perked up her head and whinnied excitedly. I let her lead the way, and she came to abrupt stop.
"What is it?" I asked her, and the horse simply snorted in reply. I dismounted and walked slowly forward through the dark forest, my eyes and ears straining for any information.
Suddenly, Bethany appeared from the darkness, with a large tree branch she held like a bat. When she saw me, her eyes brightened with happiness and she dropped the weapon the ground.
"Colton! I'm so glad you found me."
Without saying a word, I grabbed her and pulled her into my arms. I'd never been so happy to see anyone in my life. My mouth took hers in a powerful embrace as my hands ran through her hair, clutching her to me. She kissed me back with equal passion, wrapping her arms tightly around me as we clung to each other like drowning souls.
"Are you all right?" I asked when we finally broke apart, gasping for air.
"Yes. I'm okay. Rosie and I got lost, and I couldn't find my way back to the ranch. Of course, I'd left my cell phone in my bedroom, along with my jacket. When the sun set, I was terrified I would have to spend the night out here."
I kissed her again, feeling so grateful to have her safely in my arms. Then a thought occurred to me, and I asked her, "What are you doing way out here?"
"I don't know. I was in the pasture, talking to Frank, and he..." Her voice halted, and she unexpectedly burst into tears. Unsure what to do, I put my arms awkwardly around her shoulders and held her against my chest.
"What's wrong? Did that son-of-a-bitch hurt you?" I was going to kick his ass if he had, but Bethany shook her head. She told me the whole, ugly story about how that jerk broke her heart and turned her away. It made me sick, and I wanted to kick the crap out of him more than ever. How could he reject someone so sweet?
"You don't need his acceptance," I said, firmly. "You have mine. I love you, Bethany Foster."
"You do?" She looked at me with her robin's egg eyes. "I love you, too."
We kissed then, long and deep, and I could feel her heart beating in rhythm with my own, as I held her against my chest.
"We'd better get back. Mama has been worried sick and has my brothers – and probably half the town – out looking for you."
"All that trouble just for me?" Bethany sounded surprised.
"Of course. My entire family cares about you."
I helped her onto Rosie's back and with me and Whiskey leading the way, we headed home.
"How did you get back here in the forest?" I asked her as we rode.
"Through the opening in the fence," she said matter-of-factly. "I was so upset after talking to Frank, I didn't pay attention where Rosie was going. I thought it was the opening leading out of the pasture back to the ranch house. It never occurred to me there would be another opening leading out into the forest."
"There isn't," I stated, feeling ticked off. "What kind of a gap? Like a small hole somebody missed patching?"
"No. Like a gate. It swung open on a hinge, and when Rosie ran through it, it swung shut behind us. That's why I thought it was the regular entrance I had come through."
"Could you show me where it is?" I asked her, and Bethany looked surprised.
"You don't know?" she said, and I explained to her my suspicions.
"Of course, I can," she agreed.
""Good." I plucked my cell phone out of my back pocket and called William. "Call off the search for Bethany. I have her."
"Thank God. I'll tell the others and head back to the office," my brother said.
"Don't," I told him. "Meet me out in the east pasture. I know why the ranch has been losing money. Someone's been stealing our cattle."
Chapter Nine: Bethany
"I know it was here somewhere," I said, feeling like an idiot as Colton, William, and two of his deputies followed behind me on horseback while I sat on Rosie's back, trying to retrace our steps. "There was a gate, I swear it."
"I know there was," Colton said in support of me, while William and his deputies exchanged a look that said they had their doubts.
"Maybe she just jumped the fence or ran through a wide gap in the boards." William suggested.
"No. It swung open, like the entrance gate. That's why I steered her through it when I saw it open," I insisted, although I was beginning to wonder if I actually had imagined the whole thing. I had been really upset when it happened yesterday. Then there was my horrible ordeal in the forest, wondering if I'd die of exposure in the night or be attacked by a cougar.
When Colton had found me, I'd never been so happy to see anyone in my life, and when he told me he loved me, I knew I felt the same way. I felt terrible for having to give him the bad news that someone had made a gate in his pasture without his knowledge, and I wanted to show him where it was that night so they could catch the bastard, but when we got home, everyone else had a change of plans.
"Thank the Lord you're all right," Margie had greeted me and Colton in the front yard the moment we rode up. She wrapped a blanket around my shivering shoulders and escorted me into the house. "Sit by the fireplace and get yourself warmed up. I've got a bowl of shepherd's pie all dished up for you. You must be starving."
I was, but there were more important things to do. "Thank you, Margie. But I've got to go with Colton out to the pasture and show him where I got out."
"That can wait until the morning," she insisted, shoving a bowl of food in my hands. My stomach rumbled at the delicious aroma, making it harder for me to object.
William was there, and he nodded in agreement. "We won't be able to conduct an investigation until daylight. We might as well wait until then to go out there."
"Besides," Colton put his arms around me in a loving embrace, "you won't be any good to us if you get sick from exposure. Get some good food and a good night's rest."
"Okay." I smiled in acquiescence.
The next morning, Margie fed me a big breakfast and everyone looked at me like some kind of fragile doll. I really felt fine, though. When William's deputies showed up, I took everyone out to east pasture to show them the gate.
Only now, there was no sign of it. Exasperated, I climbed down from Rosie's back and put my hands on the wooden fence. William and Colton climbed down beside me as the deputies did the same. The five us walked up and down the fence line for the better part of an hour, but still came up empty handed.
"It was here. I swear it," I sighed with defeat. How could I be such a failure?
"It's okay," Colton said. "I'll have the ranch hands perform an extensive search."
William said to his brother
, "Call me when you find it, and we'll come back out."
"Aren't you going to help?" Colton glowered at him.
"I've been elected Sheriff," he snapped back. "All the citizens of Riverbend depend on me to keep this community safe. I can't just focus all my resources and time helping you."
"I'm a citizen of this community, or have you forgotten that?" Colton gave William a shove on the shoulder.
"I haven't forgotten anything. Like how you wouldn't campaign for me when I was running for Sheriff." William shoved him back.
"You know damn well why I couldn't do that." Colton shoved him back, hard.
Suddenly, William tackled his older brother, knocking him to the ground. I stared at the two deputies, wondering why they wouldn't do anything to break up the fight.
Colton and William rolled on the grass, each trying to get the upper hand on the other. They crashed into the fence, and suddenly a portion of it swung slightly ajar.
"Holy crap, she was right," Deputy Carlson cried out, making Colton and William pause mid punch. They got to their feet and looked at the slight opening in the seemingly solid fence.
As they studied it, they saw someone had very carefully hidden a hinge in the fence post, allowing it to swing open like a gate. To the casual onlooker, the fence appeared to be solid and could have been there for months, or even years.
"Son of bitch," Colton swore under his breath. The secret gate opened up into the forest land, and a hoof trodden path could be subtly detected through the brush, ending in a wide clearing with a dirt road stretching out to the main highway in the far distance. A pile of tracking tags that had been removed from the cows’ ears lay in a pile by the road.
Colton was furious. He kicked the pile, scattering the tags and shouted, "Son of a bitch. We'll never find them now. Anyone could have taken our cattle from the pasture through this path, loaded them into a truck, and driven them away to sell. No wonder we've been losing money. We're being robbed blind right under our damn noses."
"Take it easy," William tried to calm him. "Now that we've discovered this, thanks to Bethany, we can figure out who's responsible and bring them to justice.