Cody would sit with Mr. Howard, and they would chat, and Cody would help him around the ranch. Ross Howard was an Army veteran who served during Operation Desert Storm in the Special Forces. Ross would tell Cody of his crazy antics when he was a young soldier full of life and how he met Skye’s momma at the Post exchange. She was a cashier, and from the moment he set eyes on Jessie Webber, he knew she was his one and only. He just had to convince Jessie. Jessie Webber was a stubborn one, and Ross Howard would often tell Cody how much Skye reminded him of his beloved Jessie.
Cody loved his stories, so when he stopped by Ross Howard’s place that December it was to tell him good-bye. He was leaving for Fort Benning to train as an infantryman, and then onto Airborne school, then if he got through all that, he would go to Ranger school. If Cody was lucky, maybe he could become part of the Ninth Special Forces, same as Ross Howard. Cody hated to leave Ross without help around the ranch, so Cody hired one of his buddies, and Cody would pay him, that was the deal, and his friend was not to reveal it to Ross. Ross was to think that he was there just to help and wanted nothing in return.
Cody left right after the first of the year, and from that day until the day he came back, he paid for Ross Howard’s ranch hand. Not a day went by for him that he didn’t think of Skye Howard, where she was, or what she was doing and why she left. He tried to keep himself busy, but nothing ever seemed to help. He volunteered for optional duties and took every mission he could just to keep his mind busy. Then, on his last mission in Afghanistan, he was injured when the Ninth was ambushed, and their squad leader, Chief Warrant Officer Raleigh Fitzgerald, and Sergeant First Class Jared Thompson were captured. Cody was injured pretty badly and was medivaced to the rear and then transported to Wiesbaden, Germany, then to Walter Reed Medical Center. He had taken several shots to his legs and a shot to his neck. One of the bullets nicked the femoral artery, and he had lost a lot of blood. The shots also broke his legs in several places, so he required many months of physical therapy and recovery.
Once Cody was able, he was medically retired from the Army. His next stop was home, and his first stop was the Triple H Ranch. Cody had told Bubba Jenkins to keep his arrival a secret; he wanted to surprise Ross. He just hoped he didn’t give the old man a heart attack when he came knocking at his door. It had been ten years since he’d left, and he had never missed paying Bubba a paycheck or helping to pay for repairs at the ranch.
As Skye thumbed through the phone book, she finally found an agency that was only a couple of miles away from the motel. Opens at nine a.m., she thought. Well, I don’t have much of a choice. I gotta ditch this Jeep. Parker will be looking for it if he remembers I have GPS on it. Then it hit her she needed to turn the GPS off on her phone. Grabbing her cell, she put in her pin, and there was a ton of texts from Parker.
Parker: Skye, please come home. I’m sorry. 5:55 p.m.
Parker: Skye, answer please. 6:36 p.m.
Parker: Skye, I am sorry. You scared me, I didn’t know it was you. 7:15 p.m.
Parker: Skye, it was all an accident. I didn’t mean it, baby, please come home. 7:26 p.m.
Parker: Skye, I am worried about you, baby, please call me or text me. 8:08 p.m.
Parker: Skye, please, I didn’t mean it. 8:45 p.m.
Parker: Skye, damnit fuckin’ call me. 9:22 p.m.
Parker: Skye, you fuckin’ ungrateful bitch! Fucking call me. 10:15 p.m.
Parker: Skye, when I fucking find you, and I will, I fucking swear I am gonna fuckin’ kill you and that fucking brat of yours. I fucking made you, I can fucking break you. 10:36 p.m.
Parker: You fucking whore, I know where you are right now, and I am gonna fucking kill you when I fucking find you. 11:07 p.m.
Parker: I am sorry, Skye baby, please, I didn’t mean it. I am just upset and worried about you. 11:37 p.m.
Parker: God damnit, Skye, I swear I will fuckin’ kill you, but first I am gonna make you watch as I kill that little bastard boy of yours. You think you can just run away. I fucking own you. 12:06 a.m.
Skye quickly turned off the GPS and the location on her cell and got up to make sure the doors were secure. She moved the small table in front of the door just to give herself added security, as much as it would do. Then she turned off the light and curled into the bed next to Tyler, who had been sleeping for quite some time. When she got in, Tyler turned to her and cuddled up next to her, then she finally closed her eyes.
When morning finally came, she was already up and showered. Tyler was still asleep, but she had been up and down the entire night. Every sound she heard outside or in the room woke her. Her brain was in overdrive, and she jumped when her phone alarm started to buzz. She quickly switched it off and went over to the small coffee maker and brewed a cup. She would need the caffeine today if they were going to make it to Iowa by dinner time. Tapping on Google search, she looked for a place in Iowa they could sleep for the night. As she looked at the map app on her phone and then to the search engine, she found Webster City, Iowa. It wasn’t a big town but had a hotel right off the interstate that she and Tyler could stay for the night, then start the final leg of the trip to Crawford the next day. They would be in Crawford by dinner time tomorrow. She hadn’t called her daddy yet, as she worried that Parker was watching her calls too. She’d have to get a pre-paid cell at a gas station along the way so she could let her dad know they were on their way.
Cody had now been home a few months and had been helping Ross Howard on the ranch since he had returned. The reunion with Cody’s mentor and old friend Ross was nice. It had been a big surprise to him, but he loved surprises. As Cody made his way up to the Howard main house, he heard Ross screaming at the television as he watched wrestling. He screamed at the wrestlers as if he thought he was in the stadium with them. Cody laughed as he watched Ross curse at the TV, then throw the remote at it. Cody figured he best walk in before the old man broke the damn thing. Knocking on the door, he heard Ross scream, “Come on in. Damnit, ya know I’m watching wrestling. Grab some beers and get your ass in here, Cody.”
Cody walked into the kitchen, grabbed the beers, and popped the tops off, handing Ross one as he sat down on the couch. “So who’s winning, old man?” he said, waiting for Ross to acknowledge him.
“Oh, those damned Rosco Twins be beatin’ the shit outta them Angel Boys, damn li’l squirrely sum bitches they are. But I think them Angel Boys gonna come back and get ’em by the nads. Just watch they come back. Just watch,” Ross said, pointing at the screen.
“I’m watchin’, Ross, I’m watchin’.” Cody laughed as he guzzled down a long neck. “You want another, Ross? I’m goin’ in the kitchen to grab another.”
“Yeah, son, grab me another.”
Cody smiled. He really liked it when Ross called him son. Hell, he woulda been his son if Skye hadn’t taken off. He grabbed the bottles, then popped the caps. As he walked toward the living room as he always had, this time as he passed the framed photos, he noticed one he hadn’t seen before. It was Skye, a man a little older than Skye, and a boy. He hadn’t noticed it before, and Skye looked more beautiful than ever. She looked like she had stepped out of the page of some fashion magazine, and the man looked more prissy than he thought Skye would like. He hadn’t asked Ross about Skye, he didn’t figure it mattered anymore, and by the looks of it, Skye had moved on, so it was at that moment he decided that he should move on too.
Handing Ross his beer, Cody sat down. Ross was still screaming at the television and poking Cody to “watch this” every chance he got. “Did ya see that, son? Look at that hit. Ya know that gotta hurt.” Ross loved his wrestling, and it had become a sort of a Wednesday night ritual with them. Cody would sit with Ross till it was over and Ross went to bed or until he fell asleep. It was usually until he fell asleep. Cody would laugh to himself when he would look over at the old man, and his head would be laying to the side and back toward the chair with drool dripping down the sides of his mouth. It was one heck of a sight to behold.
Cody would shake him and tell him, “It’s time to go to bed, old man. I’ll see you in the mornin’. After I get my chores done at Bent Arrow, I’ll be over.”
“All right, son, I’ll see ya then. I’ll have the coffee hot and waitin’,” Ross would say every time. Cody liked the regularity of it all. In some ways he had missed home, but in others home only reminded him of the heartbreak and the hole that Skye had left in his heart. Jumping into the cab of the truck, he headed back home to the Bent Arrow in time to kiss his momma goodnight and help her get his old man upstairs to their room.
It happened that while Cody was gone, his father, out with the ranch hands bringin’ in some cattle, fell from the saddle when his horse encountered a rattlesnake. The horse threw him and broke his neck and several vertebrae in his back. Buck Wilson would never walk again and would rely on others to feed, bathe, and care for him. This wasn’t easy for a man like Buck Wilson, who had always done for himself. Every night as he was being carried up to bed he would say, “Just kill me or leave me and let me die.”
Every night Marie Wilson would tell her husband, “We love you, and you ain’t gettin’ outta this life the easy way. Lord help me, darlin’, you’re stuck here on this earth with me, and ya ain’t goin’ nowheres unless I go with ya. Now hush.” But now that Cody was home, his daddy was a lot more accommodating to the nurses and his momma. Cody had a way with his daddy that no one else had.
Chapter Three
Skye was finally on the road toward Crawford. She had a nice new rental car that was untraceable to Parker. Tyler was in the back enjoying the Happy Meal she had bought for him with a Disney toy inside. They had already been on the road five hours, and they were close to Cleveland, Ohio. She still had several hours to go before she got to Webster City, Iowa; she just hoped she could make it there before nightfall. As she drove, she looked over at the SUV’s GPS, and it showed that Webster City was still ten hours away. It was one p.m. now; there was no way she would make it before darkness fell. Chicago, though, was only five more hours from Cleveland, so it looked like it would be Chicago tonight, then on to Mitchell, South Dakota, then home to Crawford, Montana. It would make for a couple of long drives and one more night on the road, but she was ready for it. When they got to Chicago, she would find a place to get a pre-paid cell and then turn off her other cell. She wanted to warn Daddy that she was on her way home.
Parker and Jasmine found a hotel in Crawford that was not far from the downtown area and settled in. He had to turn on the charm if he was going to get any information on Skye. “Jasmine! Jasmine, get the fuck out of the bathroom and come on. We’re going to that diner we passed when we came into town,” he said, grabbing his keys from the table.
Jasmine emerged from the bathroom dressed to the nines her dog in her arms. “Parker, do you think this is okay for dinner, baby?”
“Jas, honey, you would look amazing if we were in New York City, but right now, we’re in this piece of shit town surrounded by all these fuckin’ rednecks, or hillbillies, or whatever they’re called. Just go and change into something else, and for godsake, leave the fuckin’ dog,” he told her as he grabbed her arm and kissed her, then slapped her ass toward the bathroom. “Go change.”
When she finally emerged from the bathroom, she had a t-shirt and jeans on with her hair pulled back into a ponytail. “How’s this, darlin’?” she asked, trying to sound like she was from the south.
Parker wrapped his arms around her and said, “Just like a cowgirl, baby. Let’s go eat and see what we can find out.”
“Are we taking the BMW or are we walking?” Jasmine asked.
“We’re walking, Jasmine. Don’t you think a BMW will attract attention in this town?” he replied.
“Well, Parker, why did you ask for one? Why not one of these trucks they all drive around here?”
Parker turned toward her and swung, slapping her on her cheek. She spun around, barely keeping her balance. “Because I don’t drive fucking trucks. I drive style and class, unlike you. Now get your fucking ass cleaned up. Jesus. Do I gotta fucking tell you everything?”
“I’m sorry, Parker,” she said, holding her cheek. “You didn’t have to hit me.”
Parker turned back to Jasmine, and his face turned soft. “I’m sorry, Jas. I’m just stressed out. I can’t have Skye going to the police, and I definitely can’t have her testifying against me, so my only—no, our only choice is to kill her. So let’s get down to this diner so you can sweet talk some of those rednecks in there into giving us the information we need.”
“All right. Is that why I’m dressed like the Clampetts?” she asked.
“Yes, baby, we gotta blend in with the townfolk,” he said, trying his best to sound like a cowboy. They both started laughing and then walked hand in hand to the diner.
When they walked in, all heads turned their way, and Jasmine gave all the men a smile and a “Well howdy there, boys, how y’all doin’ this fine evenin’?” then did her best to sway her hips back and forth as to draw more attention to herself.
Parker laughed to himself as he watched his New York girl trying to sound country. Finding a booth, they sat down, and a waitress came to the table to take their order, handing them both a menu. “What you would ike to drink?”
Jasmine ordered a Diet Coke and Parker a sparkling water. The waitress quickly told Parker, “We don’t have no sparkling water, but we got bottled water. Will that do?”
“Yeah, that’s fine,” he said to the waitress as she walked away.
“Jasmine, why don’t you go over to those good ol’ boys and see if you can’t find out where the Howard Ranch is? Tell them you’re a friend of Skye’s, and you’re supposed to meet her there, but you lost the address. If they ask who I am, say I’m your gay friend, Jack.” Jasmine almost spit out her gum.
“All right. I’ll be right back,” Jasmine said as she made her way over to a bunch of men all circled around a table in the middle of the diner.
“Hello, boys, I wonder if you can’t help me. I’m a friend of Skye Howard’s from New York City, and she and I are supposed to meet at her daddy’s ranch, but I lost the address and Skye ain’t answering her phone. Would any of y’all know where the Howard Ranch is?” She leaned her hand on the back of one of the men’s chairs.
One of the older men spoke first. “Well, little lady, if you askin’ bout the Triple H Ranch—Ross Howard lives out there past the Wilson place—the Bent Arrow Ranch. If ya take this here road right outside and go ’bout five miles out, you see a road to your right. Take that road ’bout oh, six or seven miles. Then take that fork in the road that goes toward the right, then down the hill a bit is the Bent Arrow. You gotta keep goin’ ’bout another eight miles, and that be the Triple H Ranch. You got that, little girl?” the old man asked her as she stood in front of the men, a confused look on her face.
“Did he confuse ya, little girl?” another man asked.
“A little bit. Can someone write the directions down for me, please?” she asked, smiling then giving one of the older men a wink. Grabbing a slip of paper from his front pocket of his shirt, one of the men wrote down the directions, then Jasmine quickly made her way back to the table where Parker was waiting.
“Did you get it?” he asked.
“Baby, do you doubt my skills?” she said as she winked at one of the men over at the table.
“No, that was a dumb question, but if you keep flirting with those men over there when we get back to the room, I’m gonna beat the crap outta you. Stop it now,” he ordered.
Jasmine’s demeanor changed, and she sat down next to Parker when the food was brought over to them. “You ordered for me, Parker?” she asked.
“Yes, you’re getting fat, so you’re just having a salad.”
She grabbed her fork and quickly ate her salad as she watched Parker eat a steak, baked potato, and corn, with a piece of cherry pie. She sat silently and waited for him to finish. When he did, he paid for their meals, and they
went back to the hotel and prepared to go to the ranch the next day to wait for Skye.
It was seven o’ clock when they pulled into the hotel in Naperville, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. Skye had stopped earlier, and she and Tyler both ate, so at least this time she didn’t have to worry about feeding Tyler too late in the evening. Tomorrow they’d make it to Mitchell, South Dakota, spend the night, and then home to Crawford. Skye had thought while they were in Mitchell, since they would arrive early, she would take Tyler to see the Corn Palace for fun. He had been so good on the trip, he deserved a little fun for a little while. She had picked up the pre-paid cell phone at a gas station in Gary, Indiana, so she would call her dad tomorrow and let him know they were on their way. She didn’t want to call tonight as she was exhausted and she wanted to get them both to bed as soon as they bathed and watched a little television. Tyler was beginning to get tired of watching his same cartoons over and over again, so it would do him some good to watch something different. She would pick up a couple of videos tomorrow on the road.
Cody couldn’t seem to get Skye’s image out of his head after he saw the picture of her with another man and who he guessed must be their son. How he wished that was him in that picture with Skye. She hadn’t changed at all; in fact, to him she was even more beautiful than she was as a young woman. But he was different, and it seemed, so was Skye. She looked sophisticated and rich—she looked really rich, in fact. Cody could see just a bit of the house in the background of the photo; it looked massive and expensive. That was a life Cody could’ve never given her. Although his family was well off, they weren’t millions rich by any means. He had to admit to himself Skye did deserve the best, and if this guy could give it to her, then he was happy that she was happy. He just wished he was the one who made her happy and not some rich yuppie in a suit.
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