Missing in the Desert

by Dana Mentink

  Stop your daydreaming. She phoned the hospital and talked with her father, decided not to tell him about the danger she’d encountered that afternoon.

  “Seth’s showing signs of increased consciousness.” Her spirit leaped at her father’s words. She could hear the cautious optimism in his tone. “He’s reacting to stimulus, seems agitated at times.”

  “Oh, let this be the first step to his coming back to us,” she managed. Choking back tears, they prayed together. “I’ll be there early tomorrow, Dad.”

  “How’s it going on the ranch? I don’t suppose you’ve saved your brother’s investment yet?”

  She understood his sarcasm. To her own surprise, she found herself offering a defense. “We’ve actually made progress. There’s a new website, and the bookings are picking up.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, really.”

  “Hmm. I guess that’s two bits of good news, then, today.”

  “We’ll take any good news we can get.”

  “Amen to that,” her father said. “See you tomorrow, baby.”

  * * *

  By evening time, Levi felt reassured that Pumpkin Pie would be all right. She’d returned to her normal sanguine self, scarfing down the apple treat he’d offered and relishing the extra rubdown. He was not as confident that it would be smooth sailing through the rest of the Camp Town Days.

  He snacked on a slice of leftover pizza while Banjo nosed about in the yard, waiting for Rabbit to appear. The dog didn’t realize that Levi had already left the kale offering on the porch during kibble time. Mara was in the cabin, which left him alone to think about next steps.

  The website bookings had indeed picked up, and he was not sure how he would keep her safely away from strangers and procure enough horses to meet the need. He missed Seth and his eternal optimism. Had he actually taken advantage of his friend’s positive outlook? He’d known Seth would say yes as soon as he’d clapped eyes on the property. But Levi hadn’t led him on, had he? He’d made it clear the place was floundering. As least, he hoped he hadn’t let his love of the Rocking Horse create too rosy a picture. He was still staring into space when a rumble interrupted his reverie. Levi immediately strode outside.

  Mara joined him, and they waited for Austin and Willow to climb out of a truck which pulled a small trailer. Willow carried a bundle under her arm. Their tall frames marked them as siblings, though Willow’s hair was strawberry-blond and Austin’s a white-blond that shone in the late-afternoon sunlight.

  Levi stared at the trailer which held a horse. “What’s going on?”

  “Well,” Willow said, “it seems Hank felt so bad about the shooting on his property and what happened to Seth, he wanted to arrange for you to have Cookie. He said you can pay him whenever you get the funds.”

  Levi’s mouth fell open. “That’s too much. I can’t...”

  “Yes, you can,” Willow said, thrusting a bundle into his hands. “Because there’s one tiny string attached.”

  Banjo had left off his rabbit harassment to join them. He immediately set about sniffing at the towel in Levi’s grasp.

  “What string?” Levi asked in voice rich with trepidation. The bundle began to wriggle, and Banjo went on high alert.

  Willow patted her brother on the shoulder. “Since you’ve got Rabbit and a stray dog, what’s one more mouth to feed?”

  Levi glanced from his sister to Austin.

  “Don’t look at me, man. I’m just the labor, and I have plenty of mouths to feed with three dogs already. I’ll just get this sweet Cookie into the corral, shall I? See how she does with the others through the fence before we properly introduce them.”

  Willow giggled. “I’ll put the supplies in the house. Looks like Jude is coming.” And with that she disappeared through Levi’s front door.

  Levi peered at the wriggling lump. Jude pulled up behind the trailer. Banjo was on his rear legs, taut with interest about the bundle. Mara gently lifted the cloth to reveal a green-eyed kitten. “A kitten?” Levi hollered to no one in particular. “Why me?”

  Jude got out. Banjo was too fixated on the kitten to even bark. “Because you are the Animal Whisperer,” Jude explained.

  “So you’re in on this, too?” Levi demanded.

  “Guilty. The kitty was abandoned in a box in the grocery-store parking lot, which is where Hank found it, according to my mom. Mom figured you’d make the perfect Uncle Levi to this cat, and she told Hank as much so he figured he’d toss it in along with the mare. Mom even sent along a litter box and kitty chow so you’ve got nothing to complain about.”

  “But...” Before he could get the words out, Banjo lunged forward, snatched the bundle in his mouth and darted to the shade of the porch. Levi ran after him, followed by Mara and Jude.

  “’Jo, don’t hurt him,” Levi yelled.

  They skidded to a halt to find that Banjo had deposited the mouthful on the porch and was diligently licking the kitten from ears to tail. When it began to mew, he snuggled it up to his belly, tucked a paw protectively over the tiny creature and gave Levi and Mara a satisfied look.

  “That beats all,” Jude said. “Looks like that big menace of a dog is the new mommy. It’s going to turn out to be the weirdest cat ever.”

  Mara exhaled in relief. “I guess Banjo wanted to have his own fuzzy family member.” They watched for a while until the kitten closed its bitty eyes and slept. The dog relaxed somewhat but remained vigilant.

  Levi sighed. “I think people forget I’m supposed to be raising horses, here.”

  “Nah, folks remember that, too. Everyone who has a busted-down horse they’re trying to off-load is keeping you in mind, don’t you worry.” Jude smiled at Levi’s groan. “Getting down to business,” the sheriff said after a moment, “I got the gist of the little problem you had.” He took the jack which Levi had wrapped in a cloth and slid it into a plastic evidence bag. “Unlikely we’ll get prints. Talked to Gene. He’s upset by the whole thing. Figures you picked up a jack during your kids camp.”

  “I know what he figures,” Levi growled. “You know me, Jude. You know the care I take with my horses. You think I’d miss a metal jack stuck under the saddle? Besides, Pumpkin would have noticed that on the ride over to Gene’s. Somebody put it there while we were on his property.”

  “Your guess?”

  Levi shook his head. “Mine would be Teegan.”

  Mara said, “Mine, too.”

  “Why?”

  Levi shrugged. “His open hostility to Mara. Or maybe Amelia. What do you know about her?”

  He tugged his lower lip in thought. “Moved here right after you left, Mara. Same summer, I think. She and Teegan married soon as they turned eighteen.”

  Mara frowned. “She just looks so uneasy around me, but it might be because her husband doesn’t want to talk to me.”

  “Possible. What are your plans for today?”

  “Gonna stick around the ranch,” Levi said.

  Mara agreed. “We have a couple of tours coming up we need to prep for and the parade on Wednesday.”

  “And I’ve got a new equine boarder to settle in,” Levi said, rubbing his chin.

  “That you do.”

  “We’re going to see Seth in Las Vegas tomorrow. After that, we’re meeting Jerry at J and K Excavation.” She told Jude about the old appointment book.

  “Just to be cautious, I’ll meet you there.”

  “You don’t trust Jerry?” Mara asked.

  “I don’t have any reason not to.”

  Levi caught the slightest something in his cousin’s voice. “But...?”

  “But nothing. Jerry’s a hard worker, keeps to himself unless it’s this time of year.”

  “The Camp Town Days brings him out of hiding,” Levi explained to Mara.

  Jude nodded. “Loves the reenactment thing i
s all. He was an actor back in the day. He’s the lead mule-team driver this year. Call me when you’re on your way there tomorrow, and I’ll meet you.” Jude drove away.

  Austin emerged from the barn and caught up with Willow as she rejoined Mara and Levi. “Cookie looks right at home,” he said. “Sunny is her new best friend.”

  Mara chuckled. “So Cookie has Sunny, and Banjo has his new cat baby. What are you going to call her?”

  Levi shook his head. “I dunno. I haven’t even figured out a name for the rabbit yet.”

  “Better get on that, chief,” Willow said.

  Mara peered at Banjo and his new charge. “This ranch is getting to be like ground zero for wayward animals.”

  Willow looked at her sharply. “Levi has one of those exceptional-type hearts, and people around here know that. If you can’t share what you have, then why do you have it?”

  Her sharpness startled Levi. He was about to reply when Mara answered.

  “I didn’t mean to imply anything.”

  Willow paused. “You sure? I know you think this ranch is a money pit and you didn’t want your brother to partner in it, but maybe if you got off your high horse, you could see that the ranch is more than an investment.”

  “Willow...” Levi started, but his sister waved him off.

  “I’m sorry. That was rude of me. I’d better go before I say anything else.” She kissed Levi. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

  He could feel her tension crackling as she walked briskly past him and drove too quickly off the property.

  “Uh...” he started. “Willow is protective of me. I think it’s a twin thing. She was born two minutes before me so she thinks she’s the alpha.”

  Mara’s look was contemplative. “I deserved it.”

  He raised an eyebrow.

  “Because there’s truth in it. I don’t want my brother to be your business partner.” She paused. “But I’m beginning to think I’ve been wrong to accuse you of coercing him. You are a good man, and you wouldn’t manipulate Seth. I can see why he’d want to jump in to the Rocking Horse. It’s...a special place.”

  Good man? A special place? All sorts of feelings galloped through him at that moment. He was still trying to puzzle over an answer when she finished with “But special isn’t going to pay the bills.” Something like sadness throbbed in her words, which kept the sting of the statement from hurting as deeply as it might have.

  He felt a surge of sadness, too. The ranch was indeed the home to lost creatures, castoffs, instead of the thriving horse ranch he knew it could be. Maybe he really was just playing at being a landowner, delaying the inevitable failure of the Rocking Horse.

  To his utter surprise, she took his hand, her own fingers silk soft in his calloused palm. “I’ll make dinner. I know you want to check on Cookie.”

  And then he was left standing there with a heart full of angst and a misfit dog bent on mothering a lost kitten. Long rays of gold drifted across the porch announcing the autumn sunset. In spite of his heavy heart, Levi bent his head to thank God for the beauty of the sun sinking into a molten pool across Death Valley.

  And then he thanked Him for saving the little discarded cat, too.

  NINE

  Mara was awakened by the sound of licking. She climbed out of bed to find Banjo administering another assertive tongue-scrub to the yet-unnamed cat. Since Banjo would not go anywhere without his feline charge, they’d moved the litter box and some of the food supplies to her cabin. The kitty peered at her with teeny crystal eyes, seemingly pleased with the attention of her ersatz mother.

  Mara showered, dressed in some new clothes Levi had taken her to town to purchase, and set out two bowls, one with kibble and one with kitty chow. It was so amusing to watch both animals eating side by side that she could not help but watch. The kitty ate dainty mouthfuls while Banjo gobbled without seeming to chew. When the kitten had eaten its fill, Banjo helped himself to the remainder of the kitten food.

  “Are you supposed to eat food for cats?”

  Banjo answered with a happy tail wag. His exuberance made her laugh. The two followed her to the main house, where she helped herself to coffee and a slice of toast. It was not yet sunup and she heard Levi’s low voice soothing the horses as she sat on the porch in the predawn drinking from a chipped mug. The air was crisp, scented with a whiff of alfalfa and fresh-brewed coffee. The Rocking Horse Ranch had its charms, she thought. No doubt about it.

  Willow’s criticism welled up again.

  Maybe if you got off your high horse, you could see that the ranch is more than an investment...

  And truth be told, she could see the allure of the land, the satisfaction in being surrounded by horses, the freedom that came with owning a property and tending to it. But that couldn’t overshadow the sheer impracticality of it. At least she now realized that she’d made an error in judgment about Levi. Levi invited Seth to join him because he loved the land and her brother.

  Willow was right. Levi did have an exceptional-type heart.

  If you can’t share what you have, then why do you have it?

  She pictured her sister Corinne, who had always shared a similar wide-open, risk-taker mentality. Grief and irritation swirled together. Corinne was gone, and Mara, the careful one, was left to support her parents, tend to a store she’d never chosen, redirect her whole life. It hit her that perhaps a tiny part of her anger toward Levi had actually been some jealousy of her brother. Why should Seth dive into his dream life, pull up stakes and live on the Rocking Horse when she was still mired in duty? Jealousy? Why had she not recognized it before? She felt a deep sense of shame.

  Her misery flowed unchecked until she took a cleansing breath and prayed it away. “No one forced you to do anything,” she reminded herself after the Amen. Her decision had been her offering to her parents in the face of the massive hurt they’d experienced. The choice had blessed them, and it was certainly not grounds to dump any residual resentment she might have on Levi. Again she asked for the Lord’s grace. From now on, she’d try to help the ranch succeed as best she could and let go of any lingering jealousy.

  A lightness fueled her step as she met Levi on the porch.

  “Horses okay?”

  “Absolutely. Cookie is settled in and eating well. Pumpkin’s wound looks good. You treated it perfectly.” He took in the dog and his kitty companion curled up under the porch swing. “I gather Banjo is doing well with his mommying duties?”

  “Yep. He never lets Tiny out of his sight.”

  “Is that her name?”

  “Best I could do on short notice.”

  He smiled. “Breakfast?”

  “Already ate a piece of toast, and Banjo and Tiny are fed as well. I put out some kale for Rabbit, too.”

  He laughed. “I’m not used to having a ranch hand around. Anxious to get on the road to the hospital?”

  “How did you know?”

  “Me, too. Keep a good eye on Tiny, ’Jo,” he told the dog.

  Banjo waggled his tail, and Tiny mewed.

  “I hope he doesn’t teach her how to bark,” Mara said with a laugh.

  They were on the road before sunup. She was not sure if the tingle of tension in her stomach was due to seeing Seth or the meeting with Jerry at his business afterward. For whatever reason, the thirty minute drive seemed to pass slowly, except when she brought up her piece of good news.

  “Guess what? A couple emailed via the website. I got them booked.”

  His smile was effusive. “Really? That’s awesome.”

  “It’s for the Saturday parade.”

  “Well, we agreed to ride our horses in the parade,” he said with a frown. “How can we lead a tour also? I don’t think I can afford to hire on any guides.”

  “No need. I told our customers they would be riding in the parade, and then we’ll guide them
to the Hotsprings Hotel where they’re staying.”

  He quirked a brow. “I never thought to offer a parade ride. That was clever.”

  “Figured we had to think outside the box.”

  His admiring gaze made her cheeks go warm. “You’re one of the smartest women I’ve ever met.”

  The compliment thrilled a deep part of her. She’d heard plenty of praise about her business acumen from the furniture store, but Levi’s words struck a louder note in her soul than all those recognitions combined. The warm glow stuck with her until they arrived in Las Vegas.

  At the hospital she was so eager to see Seth, she could not get out quick enough, practically jogging to get to the elevator that would take her to her brother’s floor. Levi followed along, and they arrived to find several nurses and two doctors in conversation outside Seth’s door. The breath caught in her throat as she hurried to them.

  “What is it? I’m his sister. What’s wrong?”

  The closest doctor put a hand on her forearm. “Nothing wrong. Something right, as a matter of fact. Go on in. I’ll check back in a few minutes.”

  Heart hammering, she pushed inside. Levi stopped behind her in the doorway. Her mother looked up from where she sat at Seth’s bedside, her face wet with tears. Her father stood behind her, hand on her shoulder. And then she saw it...the flash of green. Seth’s swollen eyes were open halfway. His face was haggard and a ghastly grayish tint, but he was awake.

  Tears blurred her vision as she bent to kiss him. “Seth. You’re back. I love you so much.”

  He did not move to touch her or speak until she edged away. He regarded her with a frown. She sent a worried look at her parents.

  “Confusion is normal, the doctor said.” Her mother could not control the tremble in her voice.

  Mara stroked his cheek until at long last recognition dawned in his expression. “Sis,” he said.

  She laughed and cried and kissed him in her excitement. “Yes, it’s me, Seth.”

  He closed his eyes with a tired nod.