Certified Cowboy

by Rita Herron

  A gut-wrenching sob tore from her and ripped out Johnny’s heart.

  He had to clear his throat to speak. “I’ll be right there.” He gunned the engine, sending dirt flying from his tires as he sped toward the stable. “We’ll find him, I promise.”

  His heart pounded as he hightailed it over the hill to the stable. His phone buzzed again and he snatched it up.

  “Johnny, Blair called—”

  “I know, Kenny’s missing,” Johnny said. “I just talked to Rachel.”

  “On foot he couldn’t have gotten very far. I’ll organize a search party.”

  “Thanks. I’m on my way to meet Rachel.”

  A bead of perspiration trickled down Johnny’s neck as he noticed the sun sinking lower into the sky. Even if Kenny had just wandered off on his own, there were hundreds of acres to search, and the temperature could get chilly at night. There were also coyotes and snakes and other dangers for a young boy on the land.

  But what if Rachel was right? What if her ex had kidnapped Kenny?

  If he was driving, he could already be off the ranch and miles away by now.

  “I’M SO SORRY, MS. SIMMONS,” Blair said, her voice quivering. “I just turned my head for a minute and he was gone.”

  Rachel’s emotions ping-ponged between blaming the young girl and sympathy.

  If Rex had Kenny, it was her fault. Her fault for marrying him. If she’d warned Blair about her ex, the girl would have kept a closer eye on him.

  “Let’s just focus on finding him.” Rachel searched the boys’ faces. “Did any of you guys see what happened?”

  The group of six- and seven-year-olds looked worried and confused, but none of them spoke up.

  One of the boys shrugged. “Maybe he fell in the water.”

  Rachel’s heart churned at that thought.

  Blair fiddled with the pocket of her jean jacket. “Don’t worry, Ms. Simmons, that’s the first place we looked, and the water’s not that deep where we were.”

  Rachel wanted to scream that children had drowned in bathtubs before, but bit her tongue and silently vowed to give Kenny swimming lessons once he was back safe with her.

  Johnny’s pickup roared up, and he jumped out and jogged toward her.

  “Johnny, we have to do something.” Rachel clenched his arms and lowered her voice to a pained whisper. “If Rex has him, I’ll never see him again.”

  “Would Kenny willingly go with your ex?”

  Rachel shook her head. “No, he’s terrified of him.”

  Johnny’s jaw clenched. “I talked to Brody. He’s gathering the ranch hands to look for him now.”

  “I’m so sorry, Mr. J.” A tear rolled down Blair’s cheek. “The boys were so excited about the fishing trip that they were running around and skipping stones in the creek while Andy and I unloaded the fishing gear. When I called the group together, Kenny was gone.”

  A dozen scenarios trolled through Johnny’s mind. None of them good.

  “We immediately searched the creek and the area,” Blair said. “But we didn’t see him, so we came back here.”

  The kids were huddled beneath a tree now, talking and playing with sticks in the dirt.

  “How long did you wait before calling Brody?”

  “Just a few minutes. Five, ten maybe.” Blair swiped at her tears, sounding contrite. “I should have called sooner…”

  “It’s all right, Blair,” Johnny said in a gentle tone. “Brody’s organizing a search party, and I’m going to hunt for him now.” He gestured toward the boys. “Take the kids back to their cabin and stay with them.”

  Blair wiped at her eyes. “But I want to help search.”

  “No,” Johnny said. “One boy is already missing. We don’t want any more to wander off. That means every counselor needs to be on his toes and every camper accounted for.”

  Blair nodded. “Yes, sir, of course. I’ll let the other counselors know.” She hurried and ushered her group into the minivan.

  Rachel followed him into the barn. “I’m going with you.”

  Johnny threw a stern look over his shoulder as he reached for a saddle and bridle. “Go back to the cabin and wait, Rachel. Maybe Kenny will show up there.”

  Rachel remembered the black rose and shivered. “No…I have to do something, look for him. I’m going with you.”

  Johnny began to saddle Soldier. “I said no. Now do as I said. Kenny might be at your cabin now.”

  “He’s not,” Rachel whispered hoarsely. “Rex is on the ranch, Johnny. I know. He left a black rose on my bed.”

  Johnny narrowed his eyes. “A black rose?”

  She nodded, her heart in her throat. “When I left Rex, he used to taunt me with black roses. He’d leave them everywhere. Crushed, dead rose petals to remind me that if he found me, he’d kill me.”

  RACHEL’S WORDS ECHOED in Johnny’s head. Her ex-husband left dead rose petals to remind her that he’d kill her.

  Was Rachel lying again as a ploy to gain his attention? Had her ex threatened to kill her?

  If so, Kenny might be in serious danger.

  He tightened the bridle on the horse and adjusted the saddle. He wanted to blast her for putting him and Brody in a bad position.

  But first they had to find her son.

  Time was of the essence.

  Rachel grabbed a saddle and threw it over a dark brown gelding, and Johnny sighed and went to help her.

  “I can do it.”

  “This is not a power struggle,” Johnny said. “It’ll be dark soon and I’m faster. We can’t afford to waste a minute.”

  Anger flickered on her face, but she stepped back, folded her arms and let him saddle the horse.

  “You know how to ride?” Johnny asked as he helped her mount.

  She nodded. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll keep up.”

  Johnny considered her point, and punched Brody’s number. “Brody, I need you to have the security detail and staff ride around the ranch looking for any cars that don’t belong.”

  “What are you getting at?” Brody asked. “You think someone kidnapped the boy?”

  “It’s possible the boy’s father did,” Johnny said. “Have security look for a black Lincoln town car.”

  Brody cleared his throat. “So this is a custody issue?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Is this guy dangerous?”

  “Rachel claims he is,” Johnny said.

  Brody huffed. “And you didn’t think I needed to know about this before now?”

  Johnny clenched the phone. “I’ll explain later. Let’s just find the boy first. Rachel and I are saddling up to ride out and look around.”

  For a moment, they discussed dividing up the search areas into quadrants, then Johnny hung up.

  “Are you sure we don’t need to take the truck?” Rachel asked.

  “The security team will handle searching the roads. Besides, a horse can go where a truck can’t,” Johnny said. “If Kenny did wander off or if he saw your ex, he might be hiding somewhere.”

  They mounted the horses and rode toward the eastern pasture where the creek ran. Several barns had been built on that side to house more quarter horses as they expanded the operation but were empty now. They would be the perfect place for a little boy to hide.

  Maybe Rachel’s ex had been hiding there, as well.

  Johnny led the way, sending his stallion into a gallop, and Rachel followed behind, the wind whistling from the hills as they crossed the ranch. The sun had dipped below the trees now streaking the horizon in hazy red, yellow and orange lines, and the temperature was dropping, the sounds of night animals bursting to life.

  An image of Kenny, so small, scared, running from his abusive father, or even lost and hungry, fending off a snake or coyote, made his skin crawl. The horses kicked dirt as their hooves skidded along the graveled path near the stream, and he and Rachel began to call out Kenny’s name.

  “Kenny, it’s Mommy,” Rachel shouted. “Honey, where are you?�
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  Johnny cupped his hand around his mouth. “If you can hear us, let us know where you are!”

  They rode along the creek, checking for Kenny, and Johnny guided his horse to a stop, tied his reins to a tree and used a flashlight to search along the bank for footprints while Rachel rode farther down and then circled back.

  “Did you see anything?” she asked, her voice raw with nerves.

  “No. You?”

  Rachel shook her head, a tear rolling down her face. “What if we don’t find him, Johnny? What if Rex has him and I never see him again?”

  Johnny’s heart tugged at the anguish in her voice. He wanted to assure her that they would find Kenny.

  But if Rex had stolen the boy, he might be long gone by now.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Rachel shivered as night set in. What if Rex had Kenny and had already left the ranch?

  No…she wouldn’t give up.

  “Kenny!” She guided the horse along behind Johnny as they rode through a wooded area. “Honey, where are you?”

  Trees shook in the wind, cows mooed, and somewhere in the distance a wild mountain lion roared.

  Her imagination drifted to all the dark things that could happen to a little boy on his own. This section of the ranch hadn’t been developed yet, and the prospect of poisonous snakes and other wild animals posed dangers that could be deadly for her son. There were several ridges up ahead in the hilly part, ridges with sharp rocks and uneven land that dropped off several feet, drop-offs that Kenny might not see at night until it was too late. If he’d fallen, he could be lying at the bottom of a ravine, injured and needing help.

  “Kenny!” Johnny shouted. “We’re looking for you, son!”

  Heavy gray clouds moved across the sky, the breeze stirring leaves behind her, and tree branches snapped with the force of the wind. Johnny steered his horse through the maze of trees, then to a clearing that led to a series of stables.

  “I’ll check the first barn while you look in the second,” Rachel suggested.

  Johnny shook his head. “No, we stay together. If your ex is dangerous like you claimed, he might have a gun.”

  A shudder coursed through Rachel. He was right.

  Pebbles skidded beneath the horses’ hooves as they galloped to the barn, slowed and climbed off. Johnny tied both of the animals to a post outside, then removed a handgun from his saddlebag and inched toward the first door.

  “Stay behind me,” Johnny ordered.

  Rachel did as he said, practically hugging his back as they crept to the barn door. The wood squeaked as he eased the door open, and the fresh scent of hay hit Rachel. There were no animals housed here yet, and darkness shrouded the interior. Johnny shined a flashlight across the stalls as they searched.

  “Kenny!” Johnny called.

  They paused, listening for a sound, for Kenny’s voice, any sign he was inside, but dead silence filled the air.

  Johnny slipped to the next stall and looked inside while Rachel gravitated toward the back of the barn, willing her son to appear.

  “If you’re here, answer me, baby.”

  Seconds later, they’d searched the entire barn, and it was empty.

  Disappointment warred with fear in Rachel’s chest. “Come on, there’s one more,” Johnny said.

  Rachel nodded, her throat aching too badly to speak. Outside, clouds covered the stars, and a clap of thunder rent the air. She checked the sky, growing more agitated as lightning flashed in jagged lines. What if Kenny was out in the open, the worst place to be in a storm?

  “Rachel.” Johnny squeezed her arm. “Come on, we’re not giving up.”

  She stayed close beside him as they crossed to the second barn, both of them running when lightning crackled again, streaking the ground. When they reached the door, Johnny clenched his gun by his side and pushed open the door. Again, they were pitched in darkness, but she thought she heard a sound from somewhere in the back.

  A rustling of hay? Maybe mice or a cat?

  “Kenny,” she said in a raw whisper. “Kenny, Mommy’s here.”

  Another sound, feet moving across dirt? A whimper? Then one of the boards in a back stall banged.

  Johnny motioned for her to stay behind him. She squeezed his arm to indicate she would, and they eased toward the sound. Another clap of thunder popped outside, lightning sending a shard of light across the back wall. Suddenly Rachel spotted the silhouette of a man lurching up and running toward the door.

  “Kenny!” Rachel shouted.

  A low cry, then a noise as if there was a scuffle.

  Johnny took off running, wielding his gun at the ready. Rachel chased behind him, her instincts urging her on.

  A screeching sound rent the air, then the back barn door whipped shut.

  Johnny swung the flashlight toward the noise, his eyes widening. “Stay here.”

  Rachel’s pulse pounded as Johnny dashed toward the back. But she couldn’t just stand there. She ran behind him calling Kenny’s name.

  “Mommy!” Kenny yelled.

  Just as she and Johnny made it to the back stall, the sound of horse hooves pounded the ground outside.

  “Are you all right, Kenny?” Johnny asked. “Are you hurt?”

  Kenny was huddled in the corner of the stall, hay sticking to his clothes and hair.

  “That mean man tried to make me go with him,” Kenny said in a shaky voice.

  Johnny motioned Rachel toward her son. “Take him back to the cabin and let Brody know you found him! I’m going after the guy.”

  He disappeared through the door, and Rachel knelt and cupped Kenny’s face between her hands. “Kenny, are you really okay?”

  Kenny’s head bobbed up and down. “I didn’t want to go, Mommy!”

  “I know, honey, I know, but it’s okay now.” Tears stung Rachel’s eyes as she pulled her son into her arms.

  JOHNNY JAMMED THE GUN into the back of his jeans as he mounted his horse, then snapped the reins and kicked the horse’s sides, sending him into a gallop as he gave chase.

  Thunder boomed and, on instinct, Soldier tried to buck and spin around to head back to the stables, but Johnny soothed him with a soft command, maintaining control by his grip on the reins. “Don’t freak out on me now, boy,” Johnny murmured. “We have to catch that bastard.”

  Soldier settled into the rhythm, and Johnny coaxed him to go faster as they crossed the pasture. The man was hightailing it, whipping the horse, dust flying behind him as he climbed the hill. On the other side of the ravine, the pasture banked up to a dirt road, where Johnny had a feeling the man had his car waiting.

  He wouldn’t let him get that far.

  Nudging Soldier a little harder, he gripped the reins tighter and closed the distance. Judging from the awkward way the man sat in the saddle, he didn’t ride much, which gave Johnny the advantage, and he quickly gained on him.

  Obviously, the creep didn’t know the lay of the land either, because he tried to steer the horse toward the ravine. A big mistake. The horse balked and skidded, fighting the man’s commands, and Johnny dived from his horse and knocked the bastard to the ground.

  They fought and rolled, tumbled down a hill, grunting and struggling. The man swung a fist up to connect with Johnny’s jaw, and pain knifed through his cheek, but he punched the man in the gut, then his nose. Bones crunched, blood spurted and the man bellowed in pain.

  “Damn you!”

  A lightning bolt illuminated the man’s face. Burgess.

  “You son of a—” Johnny shoved the man to his back, then climbed on top of him, pulled his gun and jammed it in his face.

  Fear made the whites of Burgess’s eyes bulge, and blood trickled down to his mouth. “Don’t shoot,” he cried. “Please…don’t kill me.”

  Remembering the fear in Rachel’s voice and Kenny’s eyes a few moments earlier made it hard to restrain himself. He wanted to kill him.

  “Please…” Burgess rasped. “I…don’t want to die.”

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nbsp; Johnny settled all his weight on the man, then jerked him by the collar, squeezing it so tight that Burgess gagged for a breath.

  “Why did you try to kidnap the boy?”

  “His father…” He coughed, sucking in blood.

  Johnny pressed the tip of the gun into his temple. “What about him?”

  “He…offered a reward,” Burgess said hoarsely.

  “For kidnapping his son?”

  The man nodded. “And for bringing his wife back.”

  Johnny’s heart drummed in his chest. “Where is he?”

  “I don’t know,” Burgess said.

  Johnny cocked the trigger. The click sounded ominous in the silence.

  Burgess’s shaky breath rattled with fear. “I swear I don’t know where he is now.”

  “How did he contact you?”

  Panic flashed in the man’s eyes. “Friend of mine told me about it. He did some work for him before.”

  “You know he hit his wife?”

  Guilt mingled with the panic on his face. “Listen, man, I just needed the money.”

  “So bad you’d turn a little boy and a woman over to an abusive man?”

  “He’s the kid’s father. He’s got rights.”

  “Not if he was abusing them he doesn’t.” Johnny waved the gun in front of Burgess’s face and was rewarded by Burgess’s eyes bulging with fear.

  “You know, I could call the sheriff and have you arrested for kidnapping and assault on Rachel.”

  “I didn’t assault her,” Burgess argued. “I offered a deal, a trade-off.”

  Bile filled Johnny’s throat. “What? You were going to let her go if she slept with you?”

  Burgess’s terrified look confirmed Johnny’s suspicion.

  “So, I’ll just add arson and attempted murder to the kidnapping.”

  “I wasn’t trying to kill them. I just wanted to smoke them out, but then you showed up.”

  “Damn good thing, too, or they might have died,” Johnny spat back.

  He should call McRae. But then he’d have to explain to the sheriff why he had been harboring a wanted woman.

  He had to find out the truth first.