She was going to ground him. Charity stomped back up the road from the stables where the Jenkinses housed their animals. She’d been so sure Bodie and Gracie had to be there somewhere, given how much they both seemed to like the idea of chicks and piglets. But she’d been through every square millimeter of the stables and the surrounding meadow while Dev and Mr. Jenkins searched other areas of the property, along with Lucas. Gracie’s stepdad had come right over after she’d called Naomi. But there was no trace of Bodie and Gracie anywhere.
Actually, grounding Bodie would not be nearly enough. Oh, no. She would Google the absolute worst possible punishment you could inflict on a thirteen-year-old boy legally and that’s what she would do.
As she crested the hill, her consternation quickly iced over into the panic she’d been trying to keep at bay. Dev, Lucas, and Mr. Jenkins all stood in front of the house deliberating.
“Any sign of them?” she called, jogging over.
They didn’t need to shake their heads; their grim frowns told her enough.
“We’ve combed the land around the house and barn, all the way to the edge of the woods.” Dev’s voice had taken on a more official tone. He seemed worried too. “We have to assume that’s where they went.”
“Why would they go into the woods alone? Without telling anyone?” Charity had never seen Lucas’s jaw so tense. He was the mellow Cortez brother, the quiet one. But right now, he looked like he could boil over any second. She didn’t blame him.
“They’re probably just out having some fun,” Mr. Jenkins suggested. “You two boys used to do that all the time back in the day.”
Dev and Lucas shared a pained look. That likely wasn’t all they were doing when they were sneaking away as teen boys. Not that she wanted to know what they were up to. She did not need any help conjuring up worst-case scenarios at the moment. “How are we going to find them in thousands of acres?”
“We’ll take the ATVs and split up,” Dev said definitively. “We can each head a different direction. Neither one of them know the property very well.”
“Oh my god.” Charity’s stomach rolled. “Lucas…I’m so sorry about this.” She wished she could say it wasn’t like Bodie, but that would be a lie. He’d tried sneaking out of her house. He didn’t seem to care about authority at all, and now he had gotten Gracie into trouble. He might’ve even put her in danger.
Lucas’s frown deepened. “If anything happens to Gracie—”
“Hey.” Dev stepped up to him. “As far as we know right now they’re two kids going for a ride. Let’s not overreact. That won’t help us find them.” He directed Lucas toward the barn. “Why don’t you head up into the north section of the woods?
Lucas gave a brisk nod and jogged away.
Dev turned to his father. “You can take one of the ATVs up over to the south side, and Charity and I will head west.”
“Sounds good, son.” Mr. Jenkins reached over and squeezed Charity’s hand kindly. “I’m sure there’s no reason to worry. Bodie seems to have a good head on his shoulders.”
She couldn’t even nod right now. She’d like to think her nephew was more responsible than he seemed, but then something like this happened and she had to wonder.
Dev walked away with his dad. “I’ll bring the ATV around and come pick you up.”
She nodded, grateful for the opportunity to pace out some of the fear that had circulated through her. Truthfully, it was easier to be mad at Bodie. She’d never been a fearful worst-case-scenario kind of person, but in the last couple of weeks, she’d learned that there was something about having a kid that made you the worst kind of fearful.
What if something happened to him? Her throat closed around an onslaught of tears. Even with the roar of the ATV engine behind her, she didn’t turn around. Couldn’t face Dev.
He pulled the ATV next to her and killed the engine. “You can climb on the back. The helmet’s right there.”
Instead of speaking, she nodded, but before she could get the helmet on, Dev turned around. His eyes met hers, and there was no hiding the tears.
“They’re fine,” he said firmly. “We’ll find them. We won’t stop looking until we find them.”
“I can’t believe he’d do something like this. I feel like I’ve failed him. Nothing I’ve done has made a difference at all.”
Dev pushed himself off the ATV and faced her. He gently took the helmet out of her hands and set it on the seat. “Listen to me. Bodie is a kid. He’s gonna make more stupid choices than you can count. Trust me. That’s part of growing up.” He rubbed his hands up and down the backs of her arms. “But you won’t fail him, Charity. You’ve already given him more stability than he’s known his whole life. That will mean something to him someday. Even if he doesn’t realize it now. He needs you.”
“I’m glad you’re here.” Charity leaned in until her head rested on his chest. Dev’s arms came around her, holding her tightly, keeping her together. “I couldn’t do this alone.”
Chapter Fifteen
Dev steered the ATV around trees and undergrowth and rocks, taking it slow. They’d already searched the meadows, and were now headed up the steeper incline. Charity’s hands clasped tightly around his waist, arms stiff, body rigid with the tension of worry.
Easing on the brake, he brought the machine to a stop and killed the engine. “It’s too loud. We’ll never be able to hear them if they call.”
“Why haven’t we found them yet?” Charity scrambled off the ATV and removed her helmet, her face flushed and her eyes wild with fear. “Where could they be?”
After ditching his own helmet, he collected her into his arms. “We’ve been out only about twenty minutes. And there’s a lot of ground to cover.” More acres than he cared to think about right now. “We need to stay calm and clearheaded.”
“I wish I could.” She looked up at him. “I didn’t even know it was possible to worry like this. It’s sickening. I feel like all of my nerve endings are on fire. Like I want to puke but also eat a whole pizza.”
Dev smoothed his hand over her hair. “It’s the adrenaline. But it’s good. It gives you the instinct to fight instead of take flight.”
She ducked out of his arms. “I’m not good at that. Standing to fight. It’s easier to run.”
He let her pace a few feet away. “You’re good at it when it’s something that matters.” She’d done nothing but fight for that kid since he’d shown up at her house. “And when you’re tempted to run, that’s when you rely on your anchors.”
“Anchors?” She stepped back, searching his face.
“The people who love you.” Dev slipped his hand in hers and started walking. They had to keep looking. “The people who’ll stand and fight with you.”
“I’ve never had anchors.” Charity tugged him to a stop. “But now with you—”
A faint shout nearby cut her off.
“What was that?” She frantically looked around.
“Definitely a person.” Dev squeezed her hand tighter and brought his finger to his lips, straining to hear…
“Help!”
He could barely make out the word, but it sounded like—
“Bodie!” Charity screamed, breaking away from Dev and running blind through the woods. Dev followed and finally caught her, pulling her to a stop. “We have to listen. To figure out what direction—”
Footsteps crashed through the brush behind him.
“Aunt Charity?” Her nephew sprinted to them, red-faced and out of breath.
“Where’s Gracie?” Dev asked, adrenaline coursing through him.
“She’s hurt,” the kid wheezed. “The horse spooked and we fell off.”
“What?” Charity swayed.
Dev put his arm around her to support her. “Where?” he asked roughly.
“She’s not too far from here. I think she’s okay.” Now Bodie was in tears. “But her ankle hurts. She can’t walk on it, and I didn’t know what to do.”
Dev put his hand on the boy’s s
houlder to calm him down. “Show us where.”
Bodie ran in the direction he’d come from, and Dev and Charity jogged behind.
It took only a few minutes to reach her. She was sprawled on the ground, not far from a whole lot of boulders that could’ve done some serious damage if she’d landed there instead.
“Dev? Ohmygawd! I’m so glad you’re here.” She was half crying, half whimpering. “My ankle hurts. It twisted when I fell, and—” The words broke into sobs.
“It’s okay.” Dev knelt beside her. Relief washed through him. She seemed okay. At least she wasn’t unconscious or anything. He quickly did a visual check on Charity behind him. Her face was a stark white, but other than that, she seemed to be holding up all right. “Can you call Lucas and Naomi?” he asked gently. “Tell them we found her. Tell Lucas we’re about a hundred yards to the west of the log bridge over the river.” He’d know exactly where to come. Dev and the Cortez brothers had built that bridge for fishing access when they were in high school.
Charity nodded and turned away.
Sobs still rattled Gracie. “Peaches took off and I don’t know where she went.”
“Peaches knows the way home,” he told Gracie. “Horses are smart like that.” He carefully straightened her left leg so he could get a look at that ankle. “I’m going to take off your boot.” Before there was too much swelling.
“No! It’ll hurt.” She started to pull back, but Bodie took a knee next to her. “You can squeeze my hand.”
Dev waited until she’d taken Bodie’s hand, then he carefully inched the boot off her foot. Even through her sock, he could see the swelling. He couldn’t say if it was broken or sprained, but she definitely shouldn’t walk on it.
“It hurts so bad.” Gracie gritted her teeth and started crying again. “What’re we gonna do?” Panic squeaked through the words. “I can’t walk back.”
“You won’t have to walk.” Dev stood. “Charity called your mom. And your stepdad. I’m guessing he’ll be here with the ATV soon.”
“He’s on his way,” Charity called, the phone still attached to her ear.
“My stepdad’s coming?” Gracie let out a wail. “He’s mad, isn’t he? He’s gonna kill me for taking off without asking. I’m going to be in huge trouble. They’ll probably take away my riding lessons.”
Dev kept his mouth shut and looked at Bodie. “Let’s not worry about any of that right now. You two want to tell me why you came out here in the first place?”
Gracie darted her gaze around like she thought the answer might be hidden somewhere in the rocks. “I don’t know,” she finally said. For a girl who liked to chat so much she was suddenly being suspiciously quiet. “I might as well jump off those rocks over there. I’ll be grounded for the rest of my life anyway.”
“I don’t know about that,” Dev teased. “Maybe just until you turn eighteen.”
She gave him a stormy look. Okay, not in the mood for jokes. He decided to change the subject. “Have you ever ridden out here before?” He still couldn’t get over the fact that they’d come here when they could’ve simply stayed on the road. Then they wouldn’t be in trouble for sneaking away, and they likely wouldn’t have gotten tossed either.
“No, I’ve never ridden back here,” the girl muttered. “I’m supposed to ride on the road. I just wanted to have some fun. We weren’t planning to go very far but—” Her mouth snapped shut at the sound of an ATV engine somewhere nearby. “Oh great. That’s my stepdad. My life is officially over.”
“It won’t be that bad.” But even Dev had to admit, Lucas looked as pissed as he’d ever seen him when he came to a stop and pulled off the helmet.
Bodie wisely drifted away to stand behind Charity.
“Everyone’s fine,” Dev yelled over. “Her left ankle’s swollen, but we don’t have any serious injuries.” Which was lucky since neither one of them were wearing helmets…
“Her ankle?” Lucas rushed over and hit his knees next to Gracie. His face was as pale as Charity’s.
“I’m so sorry, Dad.” Gracie widened her eyes. “I told Bodie we shouldn’t keep going, but he didn’t listen.”
Hmmm. That’s not exactly what Gracie had said to him a minute ago. Dev gauged Bodie’s expression. There was a split second of obvious surprise before the kid moved out from behind Charity.
“Uh. Yeah. It was my idea. I’m sorry.”
“What were you thinking?” Lucas stood and got in Bodie’s face. “Do you even know what could’ve happened? This is your fault. She’s hurt because of your stupid decis—”
“All right.” Dev stood too. “That’ll do. You should get her back, take her to the doctor to get her ankle fixed up.”
Without another word, Lucas lifted Gracie into his arms. Everyone remained quiet, while Lucas carted his stepdaughter over to the ATV and got her settled with the extra helmet. Dev checked on Charity again. It looked like she’d gotten her color back. In fact, her cheeks blazed red.
Uh-oh…that was the same look she’d had on her face when he’d fake arrested her.
“How could you do this?” She whirled to face Bodie. “Everyone was worried sick. It was completely irresponsible for you to leave Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins without telling them where you went. You don’t even know how to ride, Bodie.”
“I’m sorry.” Shoulders hunched, the kid darted a quick look at Gracie, but she stared straight ahead.
Huh. Interesting. Whenever Dev had seen them together before, Gracie couldn’t seem to take her eyes off Bodie. He looked back and forth between the two of them. Something didn’t sit right.
“Sorry’s not good enough.” Charity’s voice shook. “Not this time.”
Dev stepped between them before she said something she’d regret. “Why don’t you drive our ATV back to the ranch?” He reached over and squeezed her hand. That’d give her a few minutes to cool off. “Bodie and I will walk.”
Charity tilted her head and studied him. “Are you sure?”
“Yep. It’s not far.” And he wanted a few minutes alone with the kid. Something about this story wasn’t adding up, and he intended to get to the bottom of it.
Without another word to any of them, Lucas blitzed off with Gracie on their ATV, and Charity headed in the direction where Dev had left his. When they were finally alone, he assessed the kid.
“Go ahead,” Bodie said. “Tell me how stupid I am. Tell me what a big mistake I made and how everyone’s pissed at me.”
“That’s not why I wanted to walk back with you.” Dev started out at a steady pace. “Because I’m pretty sure it wasn’t your idea to go on a horseback ride anyway.” He snuck a glance over his shoulder, but Bodie kept his head down.
“You don’t ride,” Dev went on. “But Gracie does.” And when he’d first asked, she’d said, I just wanted to have some fun. So he’d venture to guess the whole thing had been her idea in the first place. “What happened? How’d you two end up out here?” He stopped and faced the kid. “The truth this time.”
Bodie looked him right in the eyes. “We were walking down to the barn, but then we passed her horse and I wanted to pet it. Gracie said we should go for a quick ride. She knew a really cool place that wasn’t far away. I didn’t think we’d be gone more than a few minutes. When we got out here the horse totally freaked out.”
“Why didn’t you tell everyone that?” Why would he let Charity think it was his fault?
“No one would’ve believed me.” Bodie hiked past him. “And I didn’t want to get Gracie in trouble. She’s never in trouble, and I can handle it.”
Dev watched him walk away with a stab of regret. The kid was used to handling things, used to taking the blame, used to living with a label. Troubled. Bad news. Bodie had likely realized Dev wasn’t exactly excited about him hanging out with Gracie, based on their brunch together. So of course he assumed everyone would blame him.
“I’m sorry.” He caught up to Bodie. “I wasn’t being fair earlier. During breakfast. Trying to keep y
ou and Gracie from hanging out.”
Bodie looked over at him like he’d gone off his rocker.
“You’re good kid. A great kid. Gracie would be lucky to have you as a friend.”
Bodie deflected the compliment with a shrug. “You can’t tell Aunt Charity it was Gracie’s idea. You can’t tell anyone.”
That would mean Bodie taking the blame, getting punished for something he didn’t do. “I won’t,” he finally said. He’d spent too much time trying to build Bodie’s trust to ruin it all now. “But I think you should.”
And even if the kid chose not to tell Charity…in Dev’s experience the truth usually came out.
It was amazing Charity could drive at all with her hands still shaking so badly. Instead of dissipating, the swirl of adrenaline and fear and worry had gained strength. A nauseating heat swarmed inside the helmet, making the back of her throat itch. She hit the brakes and ripped off the helmet just in time to lean over and vomit.
Bodie could’ve been killed. Gracie could’ve been killed. Either one of them could’ve been thrown into those rocks, and they had no protection. She inhaled deeply, replacing the helmet, steadying her hands back on the handlebars. Bodie’s choices didn’t affect only him. They affected his friends. His friends’ parents. Her.
The terrain jostled her, and she struggled to hang on in the midst of her weakening grip. Finally, she broke through into the meadow and drove over to where Lucas and Gracie had stopped in front of Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins’s house. Everyone had gathered on the expansive front porch. Even Naomi was there.
Fighting the nausea, Charity killed the engine and hurried to get off the ATV so she could join them. On her way up the steps, she heard Lucas giving Gracie the third degree.
“Did that kid touch you? I swear to god if he touched you…”
“No! God, Dad.” The girl’s cheeks went pink. “Of course he didn’t touch me! Bodie isn’t like that!”
“How am I supposed to know what he’s like? You two took off into the woods without bothering to get permission, and—”
“All right.” Naomi tenderly took hold of her husband’s arm and directed an apologetic smile at Charity. “Let’s focus on what matters. No one got badly hurt—” She stopped suddenly and looked around. “Where’s Bodie?”
Colorado Cowboy - Includes a bonus novella Page 16