When the Heart Falls

by Kimberly Lewis

  CHAPTER 19

  “I’m going to take Misty home and then I have to meet the fire marshal at the ranch to go over the remains of the barn,” Dylan said to Beth.

  “Ok, Alan and I will stay here with Mom and I’ll call you after the doctor comes back around to see her.”

  “Are you two talking about me?” Katherine asked. She was now in a sitting position with pillows propped behind her. The oxygen mask still hung around her neck and every once in a while she would cover her nose and mouth with it. “I thought I raised you to know that it’s not nice to whisper.”

  “I was just telling Beth that I have to leave for a little bit, but I’ll be back shortly,” Dylan said, walking over to Katherine’s bedside.

  “You’ll do no such thing coming back here,” she said. “By the time you get done with what you need to do I’ll be out of here.”

  Dylan laughed softly. “Ok, Mom, but let’s just wait and see what the doctor has to say about that.” He placed a soft kiss on her cheek and walked towards the door.

  “See you in a little while,” he said to Beth in passing.

  “Ok, see you later,” she replied.

  Misty was waiting in the hall, leaning against the wall when Dylan approached. He still had that tired look on his face, but the worried lines that were there a few short hours ago were gone now. She smiled as he walked closer.

  “Hey there,” she said.

  “Hey. Are you ready to go?” he asked, wrapping an arm around her waist.

  “Yea,” she yawned.

  ***

  Dylan gently shook Misty’s shoulder and she lifted her head. She brought her hand to her eyes and rubbed them with her fingertips.

  “Did I fall asleep?” she asked groggily.

  Dylan chuckled. “Yes, but you needed it. We had a very long and hectic night.”

  The way she was leaning against him had caused the arm he had wrapped around her shoulder to fall asleep. At one point, he had attempted to stop the tingling numbness by flexing his fingers, but it didn’t work. She had looked so peaceful sleeping against his shoulder, that it took every bit of him to force himself to wake her up.

  “I’ve got some things I need to take care of this morning, but I’d like to see you this evening if that’s ok,” he said.

  “I’d love that. How about you come over for dinner? Mom has things ready by seven o’clock normally,” she suggested.

  “Sounds great,” he told her and pulled her towards him to kiss her on the lips. He opened his door, stepping out of the truck but leaving the engine running. Misty slid over from the middle of the seat, and exited through the driver’s side as well.

  “See you at seven,” he told her and kissed her once more.

  She waved as he pulled out of the driveway, and then turned to walk to the house. Maggie met her on the porch, followed by Jack as she walked up the steps.

  “Are you ok?” Maggie asked and wrapped her arms around Misty.

  “Yes, Mom, I’m fine,” she said, patting Maggie’s back.

  “We were worried sick!” Maggie said, still keeping her grip on Misty.

  “Alright, Maggs, loosen the death grip there. Poor child can’t even breathe,” Jack jokingly said.

  Maggie loosened her arms from Misty.

  When Maggie wasn’t looking Misty mouthed the words “Thank you” to Jack.

  He winked and smiled.

  “Well come on in and have some breakfast. And while you eat you can tell us what happened. How’s Katherine doing? Do you know what caused the fire?” The questions continued to pour out of Maggie’s mouth as they walked into the house and didn’t stop all through breakfast. “Well, I’m just glad that everyone is ok.” Maggie sighed.

  “Me too,” Jack said and pushed his chair away from the table. “I’ve got to be getting to work now. I’ve got a lot of things to do so I probably won’t see you till around lunch time,” he said, walking over to where Maggie sat and leaning down to kiss her on the cheek.

  “Wait, Dad. Can I walk out with you?” Misty asked.

  He gave her a puzzled look. “Sure, kiddo, come on,” he said and waved his hand.

  He grabbed his hat from the peg on the wall and waited out on the porch for Misty. She came hopping through the back door, one work boot on already and sliding the other one on her other foot. Jack looked at her and smirked. The dirty old work boots were an odd pairing with the pretty dress she still had on from yesterday.

  “You look like you got dressed in the dark,” he teased.

  “Stop it,” she said and playfully slapped his shoulder.

  “You coming?” he asked as he started down the steps.

  “Yes, hold your britches,” she said, running to catch up to him. She looped her arm through his and walked with him to the barn.

  “So what do I owe the honor of this escort to the barn this morning?” he asked.

  “I needed to talk to you. Well, actually I need to ask you something,” she started.

  “And what’s that?” Jack asked, opening the sliding doors to the barn and gesturing for Misty to walk inside.

  She removed her arm from his and went to sit on a bale of hay lying next to one of the stalls. “Daddy…” She began to say and she heard Jack chuckle. “What?” she asked miffed.

  “Every time you start a question with ‘Daddy’ I know it’s going to be a doozy.” He laughed softly.

  “Not every time,” she disagreed and smiled.

  “Oh really? Let’s see if my memory serves me right. The times you’ve started off your questions with ‘Daddy’ you’ve asked for a pony, a bike, a horse, and a car.” He laughed again. “So what is it that you want this time?” He smiled and crossed his arms while looking at her.

  She smiled slightly and then let it fade. “It’s a little more serious this time than all of that,” she told him.

  His grin faded when he realized that what she needed to tell him was important. He walked over and took a seat next to her on the hay bale.

  “Ok, Mis, all joking aside now. What’s on your mind?”

  She took a deep breath and began to explain to Jack all of the information Dylan shared with her just last night. When she was done, she looked to him for his reaction.

  “Trent Montgomery you said?” he asked her.

  She nodded. “Yes, I’m pretty sure that’s what he said the guy’s name was.”

  He reached in his pocket for his cell phone and began to scroll through the list of contacts.

  “What are you doing?” she asked curiously.

  “I’m going to see what I can do; make a few calls and hopefully get some answers to some questions I have of my own,” he told her. “Why don’t you go on in the house, take a shower and get some rest? You’ve had a long night. When I have something for you I’ll come find you,” he told her and rose from the hay bale, pulling her with him.

  She brushed the hay from the back of her dress and placed a kiss on Jack’s cheek. “Thank you, Daddy,” she said and exited the barn.

  ***

  Dylan rubbed his eyes and yawned as he pulled off the main road and onto the dirt lane. A flicker of light bouncing off a shiny new pickup truck caught his attention when he got closer to the house.

  “Son of a bitch,” he mumbled to himself and pulled into the driveway. He pulled the truck to a stop and turned off the ignition. “What the hell are you doing here?” he asked, slamming the truck door behind him.

  Trent slowly turned his attention away from the smoldering remains of the barn to look at Dylan.

  “Howdy, son,” Trent said cheerfully and brought the cigar in his hand to his mouth. “Fine mornin’ ain’t it?” he said, extending his hand to Dylan.

  Dylan ignored the gesture. “I asked you what you were doing on my property,” Dylan asked through clenched teeth.

  “Easy there, son,” Trent said, raising his hands. “No need to get your panties all in a bunch. I just came by to talk to your Momma. Is she around?”

  Dy
lan flexed his hand into a fist. This guy had some nerve showing up here. “She’s not here.”

  Trent took a puff of his cigar and blew the smoke out in one big cloud, right into Dylan’s face. Although the smoke stung at his eyes and made them want to water, he held his ground and didn’t even flinch.

  “I see. Well, when do you expect her home then?” Trent asked.

  “She’s in the hospital. But something tells me that you already knew that,” Dylan said, the irritation and anger clear in his voice.

  “And what makes you say that?” Trent asked, amused.

  “It’s just strange that you show up after our barn burnt down. You wanna sit here and tell me to my face that you had nothing to do with it?” Dylan stared at Trent and waited for any signs that would give him away.

  “That’s a pretty strong accusation, boy,” Trent warned, taking another puff of his cigar. “Let me ask you this,” Trent said in a menacing tone and moved a step closer to Dylan. “Why would I burn my own barn down?”

  Although Dylan tried to keep his calm composure he couldn’t restrain himself any longer and shoved Trent backward. “You son of a bitch! That is not your barn and it never will be. Neither will any of this!” Dylan yelled and watched Trent as he stumbled to keep his balance.

  “We’ll just see about that,” Trent said and spat at the ground. “I’ll be bringing my lawyer with me next time I come here. You all best be packing your bags.” Trent gave him an evil glare and strode past him.

  “If I were you I wouldn’t set foot on this property ever again,” Dylan threatened.

  “I wouldn’t be making threats you don’t intend to keep, boy. And if I were you, I’d watch my back from now on,” Trent threatened in return before hauling himself into his truck and pulling out of the driveway. He brought his hand to his clean shaven face and rubbed his jaw. His hand moved from his jaw and slammed down on the steering wheel as a long string of curse words spewed from his mouth. He picked up his cell phone and pressed a speed dial button.

  “I’m just leaving now, didn’t go as I planned,” Trent explained. “I’m tired of playing these games. Are you all ready to go with our back up plan?” Trent asked and waited for a response. “Good. Be ready and I’ll meet you there after dark.”

  ***

  “Looks to me like it was deliberate,” the fire marshal said.

  “What makes you say that?” Dylan asked, although in the back of his mind he knew it wasn’t an accident.

  “We found this towards the back of the barn,” the marshal said, holding up the remains of a cigarette butt. “Every man in his right mind knows better than to toss a cigarette out next to a bunch of hay.”

  Dylan took the cigarette butt from the marshal and examined it. As far as Dylan knew, Trent only smoked cigars. Was he wrong after all in his accusation? Confusion swam through his mind and was quickly replaced with frustration. If Trent hadn’t caused the fire then who did? None of the hired hands smoked to Dylan’s knowledge. Who else could have done this?

  “Well, thanks for coming out,” Dylan said to the marshal and shook hands with him.

  “Not a problem. I hear your mother is in the hospital because of this,” the marshal said, nodding his head in the direction of where the barn used to stand. “She ok?”

  “Yes, sir, she’s doing just fine. Thank you. I’m actually expecting her home this afternoon sometime.”

  “That’s good to hear. She’s lucky she survived that. We have a couple more pictures to take for evidence then we’ll be on our way,” the marshal said and walked past Dylan to his truck.

  Dylan turned to look at the barn. It was just a skeleton of a building now. Smoke still rose from little piles here and there, and the dirt surrounding it was still damp from when the firemen had beat the flames. He looked at the cigarette butt he was still holding and tossed it to the ground. Nothing was making sense anymore. A few short months ago his life was simple and easy. And now, ever since he came back home, his life had been nothing but one confusing event after the other. He rubbed his hands over his face and let out a long sigh. When was it going to end? He turned around and headed toward the house to change out of his good clothes and into some old ones. There were still chores that needed to be done and the sooner he got them done, the sooner he could see Misty.

  ***

  Misty laid restless on her bed. She had tried numerous times to close her eyes and take a short nap, but couldn’t seem to force herself to drift into sleep. Finally she decided that enough was enough and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She walked over to the dresser and pulled out a pair of holey jeans and replaced them with the lounge pants she had been wearing. Then she made her way to the closet, pulling out a fitted short sleeve red plaid button up shirt and replaced her tank top. She ran her fingers through her hair to remove any tangles as she made her way down the stairs.

  “Where are you off to?” Maggie asked and looked at the clock on the wall.

  Misty sat down in the chair beside the back door and proceeded to put her boots on. “I’m going to go for a ride.”

  “Now? But dinner’s going to be ready soon,” Maggie protested.

  “I’m too amped up to just sit around. I won’t be gone long.” She walked over to the counter and pecked Maggie on the cheek before scurrying out the door.

  She whistled when she came to the pasture, and Bandit came trotting to the fence. She placed the halter over his head, led him to the barn and saddled up. A few minutes later she was galloping out of the yard and into the field. She slowed their pace after they were some distance from the yard. The sun was beginning to set and the sky was filled with brilliant shades of orange, pink and deep purple. It was truly a beautiful sight to behold.

  She turned her attention away from the setting sun when she heard the bellow of a cow, and then another, followed by what sounded like a man’s voice. She reined Bandit in the direction the sounds were coming from and urged him into a trot. She stopped when she came to a small hill and dismounted, dropping the reins and letting Bandit graze on the grass. She slowly walked up the hill and carefully peeked over the top to see what all the commotion was. Backed up to the fence was a shiny black pickup truck with a long cattle trailer attached to the back. There were two men rustling a small group of cattle, one on horseback, and the other standing by the fence. The horse in the distance whinnied as the man cracked his whip to keep the cattle in line. Just then, Bandit lifted his head and whinnied in response.

  “Shit!” She ducked and mumbled then ran to where Bandit was to cover his muzzle.

  Once she had him calm, she crawled back to her spying position and saw the two men looking around and talking to each other. They went back to work and Misty left her hiding spot once more to return to Bandit. She un-hooked the latch on the saddle bag and dug around looking for her cell phone. Bandit shifted nervously and she reached for the reins to calm him before turning her head to see what had spooked him. Her eyes widened when she caught sight of the horse and rider standing no more than fifteen feet away from her. She opened her mouth to scream, but he was out of the saddle and covering her mouth with his hand before she had time to act.

  CHAPTER 20

  Dylan helped ease his mother into the rocking recliner in the living room.

  “There you are, Mom. You need me to get you anything?” he asked.

  “No I’m fine,” she replied and breathed deeply.

  “Are you hungry? I can make you some food,” Beth suggested from the doorway.

  “You all really don’t need to make such a big fuss over me. I can take care of myself,” Katherine said and covered her mouth to cough.

  “I think food sounds like a great idea. You need to eat something Mom and get your strength back,” Dylan agreed.

  “Should I just go ahead and make dinner for all of us?” Beth asked looking to Dylan and Alan.

  “If you want to make food for the three of you go ahead. I’m just going to finish up with my evening chores, and t
hen I’m going to get washed up and head over to have dinner with Misty and her parents,” he explained.

  Beth’s lips curved into a smile. “Dinner with the parents, huh? Pretty serious,” she teased.

  He playfully shoved her shoulder and dodged quickly out of the way when she attempted to get him back. “I’ll be back in a few,” he shot over his shoulder and strode out the back door. With the barn being destroyed, he and a few of the ranch hands had made a make shift shelter out of one of the sheds for the time being. It wasn’t much, but it would do until they could afford to rebuild. He walked over to the pasture with a bucket of grain and shook it to bring the horses in. One by one they came galloping to the fence. He led them into the small corral and poured the bucket of grain into the troughs, then closed the gate behind him.

  As he was making his way back around the shed he heard a noise that brought him to a stop. He stood quietly for a moment, barely breathing and listened intently. He heard nothing. He looked around to see if maybe an animal was in the yard, but he didn’t see anything. Thinking his mind was just playing tricks on him, he continued on his way. He placed the bucket next to the others just outside the building when he heard the noise again. This time it came from directly behind him. He turned to see what it was, and as he did he felt the sharp sting from a hard object hit him on the head over his right eye. Dylan grasped his head and crumpled to the ground. The searing pain had blinded him briefly. He heard footsteps walking closer to him and then the clicking sound of a gun being cocked back.

  “On your feet,” the man said.

  Dylan opened his eyes, but the blow to the head had left his vision blurred. He tried to make out who his attacker was, but his head spun and he grasped it once more.