Steadfast (Iron Horse Book 3)

by Danielle Norman

  “I do have a call in to speak with someone from the Transportation Commission, I’ll let you know as soon as I hear something.” Brandy started folding the graphs and surveys and slipping them back into her briefcase. “Here’s my business card, all of my contact numbers are on there. If anything should happen, say you hear from Holbrook, his attorney, or if he shows up here, please let me know immediately.” She paused for several seconds. “You look good, Reid. I mean that.”

  “So do you. Seems that life is going great for you.”

  “You, too.”

  Brandy stood and headed for my front door. When we got to the bottom of the steps, she turned. “Oh, one final question.”

  “Yes?”

  “How far am I going?” I gave her a quizzical look totally confused by her question. “What I mean is, am I looking for enough information to use to force him to leave you all alone or am I gathering enough to ruin the man and probably put him behind bars?”

  “I want him to leave everyone alone, but if you happen to come across something that will do him in, then please let me know.”

  “You haven’t changed one bit.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Ruining him is not your main focus, living in peace is.”

  “Is that weird?”

  “Actually, yes. People can get very vindictive.” Brandy smiled and then stepped closer to give me a quick hug. “Take care, I’ll be in touch soon.” When she stepped back, her eyes were glistening with moisture. “This is going to sound crazy, but seeing you makes me feel old. It seems like a lifetime ago that we were in high school.”

  I shoved my hands into my jeans pockets. “It was a lifetime ago, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. We had a good time.”

  “We did, didn’t we?”

  I nodded, and with one last smile, Brandy walked off, got in her rental car, and drove away.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Holland

  Once I got to the stables, I thought about Reid asking me to join him to talk with the private investigator. I knew he said this was the person his brother had used and that she did a great job, and I refused to believe that it bothered me because I was jealous.

  I do not care whether he hired a man, woman, or mule, I’m not going.

  Lie. Lie. Lie.

  I did care. I cared because, for some reason, the thought of walking in there and watching that woman hit on him was nauseating.

  Trying to take my mind off the clock, I brushed out Khan’s mane. My eyes constantly watching the minute hand as it moved, five minute after four, ten minutes, fifteen, when it was finally forty minutes, I figured I had proven my point. I could go over, still get filled in on what the investigator had to say, and then leave. Right? Yeah, that was the plan.

  I rode Khan over to Reid’s, and when his front door came into view, I saw him standing there talking to the investigator.

  I pulled Khan to a stop and watched as she moved to hug him. That was not how you said goodbye to someone you didn’t know. The smile he gave her when she released him was one of familiarity.

  It ate at me.

  She was everything I wasn’t. She had long, raven-black hair where mine was dirty blonde. She wore fuck-me heels and I was wearing muddy boots. Everything inside me was turning upside down as I came to the realization that I had feelings for Reid. My heart pounding, my lungs tightened making it almost impossible to breathe, like the reins had somehow wrapped around me and they were cutting off my air supply. I knew that wasn’t the case because I held them in my hands. That was when I realized I was standing right out in the open and that if Reid were to look to his left, he would see me. Turning Khan around, I kicked my heels in and urged him to take off.

  Damn it, I never have luck.

  “Holland!” Reid hollered, but I ignored him.

  I raced back toward my property, and if Khan were younger, I’d jump the fence like we used to. He wasn’t, so I had to go through the front gates and down the drive. Then I was racing across the pasture at break neck speed. We had right at four hundred acres, so by the time I got to the far perimeter fence that edged the road, I was as far away as possible from one Mr. Dick Brooks, and that was exactly where I wanted to be.

  Following the line, Khan cut around a few cattle that were too lazy to budge at the sound of a galloping horse. When I got to the end, I cut left and followed the back line of our property that butted up to the woods. Khan finally slowed when we were approaching the last turn, and I clutched the reins to tell him to turn so we could go back the way we came. I wasn’t ready to go back yet, and I had no intention of riding into view of Reid’s sunroom or his stables. But something else caught my attention, and I pulled Khan to a stop.

  Once I was on my own feet, I held on to his lead and walked over to where the soil had been torn up. “What the hell?” I reached into my pocket to call London to see if she had any idea, but my cell phone wasn’t in my pocket. “Aww, damn it.” I had left my phone in the stables. Toeing the chunks of sod that looked to have been cut and then thrown back down, I moved closer and then the earth gave way. What seconds ago had been solid had turned to empty space beneath my foot and I was falling, clumps of dried dirt, plugs of grass, and tiny pebbles falling with me.

  I flailed my arms trying to catch hold of something, anything, but my nails dragged down solid soil and dirt rippled underneath me lifting my nails from the beds, the feeling was only one of many excruciating pains triggering my senses. My knees bumped and scraped against the walls, and I tried my best to brace for impact, because there would be one . . . eventually.

  When it came, a pain unlike any I’d ever felt before radiated through my shoulder and arm. Heated knives with serrated blades seemed to be carving into the tendons and muscles of my right arm and shoulder. I tried to move it, and nausea rolled through me, making my breakfast churn in my stomach.

  I pushed myself up as best as I could with my left arm, but all too soon, my shoulder blades hit the wall behind me. The hole that I’d fallen into was barely wide enough for me to stretch my legs out.

  I tried to assess my aches and pains as I rolled my neck. Each movement that pulled on my right shoulder reminding me that something definitely was not right with my arm. Licking my lips, I tasted dirt and salt. I tilted my head back, trying to see how far up the opening was, but all I saw was darkness.

  Had I blacked out? I didn’t think I had, but it had still been daylight out when I’d fallen. A cold chill swept over me, I think that was what drew my attention to the fact that my toes were ice, my boots were wet, my jeans were soaked, even my shirt and jacket were damp. I wasn’t sitting in water, but the ground was thoroughly damp. I reached up and blindingly sharp pain exploded along my arm and down my right side. “Fuck!” I had forgotten about my arm for a brief moment as thoughts of cold occupied my mind, bending forward, I threw up again. The pain was excruciating, radiating through my shoulder, my body, and up to my head, where a dull pounding had begun.

  I took several deep breaths and tried to talk myself through the worst of the pain. “Okay, Holland, the right arm is no use.” So, I got my legs under me so I could stand, and it took me all of five seconds to realize that I was in a hole, how deep, I had no clue. Using my left arm, I tried to feel around, but I couldn’t even feel a ledge or a hold to grab on to.

  “Hello? Is anyone out there?” I shouted. “Hello! Help me. Help.” My voice started mingling with tears as I continued to yell. “Khan, if you’re still out there, go get London. Khan, go.” I knew that was wishful thinking. It wasn’t as if he were Lassie—hell, I wasn’t sure he was even there. He probably went back for dinner. Dinner, my horses, they must be starved.

  Sitting back down, I accidentally bumped my right arm and fought the black spots that danced in my vision. I tried to analyze my situation. How was I going to get out of here? Were London and Paris looking for me? They had to be, right? I mean . . . I didn’t come up for dinner so they would come looking for me. Unless, o
f course, they thought I was with the asshole.

  As I looked up into the vast darkness, I let the teardrop run freely down my face. Leaning back against my dirt cage, the wet soil of the walls soaking through to my scalp, I closed my eyes and prayed that someone, anyone would find me and that I wouldn’t freeze to death in the mean time.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Reid

  I was stalling, there was no other way to explain it. I was hanging out around the side of my stables, waiting to see when Holland returned. How dare she not show up to listen to the investigator, how dare she run off and ignore me, what has gotten into the woman?

  Only halfheartedly scanning the documents on the clipboard in front of me, I continually looked up and glanced to my left for a sign of her gold braid. At the sound of horse hooves, I finally relaxed and set the clipboard down.

  I walked toward the fence to where Khan was standing, alone. “What the hell?” Once I was over the fence, I grabbed hold of his reins and then led him into his stall. “Holland, are you in here?” Scanning the stables and not finding her, I locked up Khan before trudging upstairs and pounding on her door. When there was no answer, I pulled out my phone and shot off a text.

  Me: Where are you?

  I waited a minute for the three little bubbles to appear. When they didn’t, I typed again.

  Me: I found your horse roaming around by himself. I locked him in his stall.

  Still no bubbles appeared, and unease kicked up inside me. I wanted to reprimand her for being so irresponsible, but Holland wasn’t typically irresponsible—childish, yes, but irresponsible, no.

  Girding my loins for what was going to be World War five hundred and something or another, I headed up to the Kellys’ main house and knocked.

  “Reid, come in,” Asher answered as he looked over my shoulder. “Is Holland with you?”

  “No. Which is why I’m here, I thought that maybe she was with you all.”

  “No, we haven’t seen her since around three,” London added. “Why, what’s up?”

  “I just found Khan roaming around by himself and locked him in his stall, I knocked on Holland’s door but there was no answer, so I came here.”

  Paris grabbed her phone. “I’m trying to call her.”

  “I’ll get my set of keys to her apartment,” London said as she ran off to her apartment.

  Paris hung up. “Keeps going to voice mail.”

  “Paris, will you watch Tera and call Braden’s parents for me?” London asked as she handed me the keys.

  I didn’t wait to find out what Paris said before I was out the door and running. Before I knew it, I was stomping up the stairs, pounding on Holland’s door one more time just to be sure before opening the door and searching the tiny apartment. But nothing, she was nowhere to be found.

  “Okay, when was the last time you saw Holland?” I turned and faced Braden.

  I rubbed my palms against my jeans and told myself that I was being paranoid. My mind was playing through a thousand thoughts of where she could be or what could have happened to her. “Today, I don’t know . . . just before five.”

  “And where was she?”

  “She was on her way to my house, but before I could talk to her, she took off on Khan.”

  “On Khan?” Braden asked.

  I nodded.

  “Her truck is outside, so we know that she didn’t go anywhere. Anything suspicious about Khan?”

  I thought about Braden’s question. “Yeah, he was still in his tack.”

  “So she had been riding him.”

  “Do you think she fell off?” I was ready to go get Nostradamus and search every inch of the property for her if I had to.

  “Found her phone.” London interrupted us. “It was in the stables.” Braden turned to his wife.

  “I’m going to go ahead and let the station know. I hate to say this, but I can’t do anything as far as county resources until she’s been gone for twenty-four hours.”

  “I don’t care about county, I’m looking for her. I’m heading over to my stables to grab a flashlight and saddle up my horse. I’ll be back in a few, so if you’re ready, you can join me. If not, I’ll search by myself.” I strode down the stairs, unable to believe that I’d been sitting in my house stewing over Holland’s actions when she could have been lying on the ground hurt. God, I would never forgive myself if something happened to her. If someone did something to take away that spark in her eyes or the playfulness in her smile, I would kill them. Holland, even with her forked tongue, was perfect just as she was.

  On my way to my stables, I called Syd.

  “Hey, what’s up?”

  “Get Nostradamus saddled for me, quick please.”

  “Got it.” Syd hung up, and I slid my phone into my pocket. I ran the last few hundred feet to the fence and then jumped over them. Rounding the corner, I pulled open the door and moved straight to Hightower.

  “Okay, buddy, I need you. It’s your turn to show me what kind of bond you’ve formed with Holland.” I grabbed a bit and a lead rein from the wall and then moved into Hightower’s stall. He wasn’t pleased with me, but I wanted to find Holland more than I wanted to deal with his emotions.

  “What’s going on?” Syd asked as he walked Nostradamus out and into the center row.

  “Holland is missing. No one has seen her since around five when I saw her on Khan. I found him about twenty minutes ago wandering the field still in his tack.”

  “What can I do to help?”

  “You can go grab a light and search around the perimeter of my house. Then stay close just in case she shows up here.”

  I handed Syd Hightower’s lead and then climbed up on Nostradamus, once settled, I took the lead back and wrapped it around my hand.

  “Let me know if you hear anything, that girl is a sweetie,” Syd hollered as he moved to saddle up another horse.

  “Will do.” I rode out, with Hightower at my side. When I approached the Kellys’ stables, I was surprised by the small group of people who had gathered. There was a rescue truck, two deputy cars, several pickup trucks, and a few Jeeps.

  “You’ve brought Hightower,” Ellie exclaimed.

  “Yeah, have you bonded with him as well?”

  “Ever since Holland started, he lets me.”

  “Great, you take him.” I handed her the lead. “I didn’t saddle him because I didn’t know anyone else could handle him.”

  “We have a light saddle that she can use,” London offered as tears ran unchecked down her cheeks.

  “Come on, Ellie, I’ll help you find it,” Asher said.

  “Here’s how we will run things.” Braden had assumed lead and was directing everyone. “Ben”—he pointed to the fireman—“will be here as home base since he has the medic vehicle. Marcus, if you’ll drive your Jeep and use your spotlights, and David,” Braden said to the other deputy, “will use his Explorer with its spotlights. We will divide into two groups, you will stay in front of the vehicles and fan out so that you are covering more area. She may be hurt or unconscious, so pay attention.” Braden turned his focus to me. “Reid, is anyone at your place?”

  “My stable manager knows what’s going on and is on the lookout, he’ll notify me if she shows up there.”

  “Great. Asher and Marcus’s mother is also looking out for her. My parents are here, one at the big house and one at my home just in case she shows up at either place.”

  My mind was whirling with a million and one horrible scenarios. What if she wasn’t on the property at all? With each image that flashed in front of my eyes, a lump grew in my throat that made it almost impossible to swallow.

  “Are you okay?” Ellie asked as she sidled up next to me.

  “Yeah. Just worried for her.”

  Ellie reached out and grabbed hold of my hand and gave me a knowing look. “We’ll find her, I promise. She’s had an accident, that’s all. I feel it. We will find her—”

  “Let’s roll!” Braden hollered. “Stay
in contact with each other. Call London or me if you see anything.”

  We divided into two groups, and Braden climbed onto Khan, hoping that the horse could lead them back to where they last were. So, I made sure that Ellie stayed with me, I wanted Hightower there. It ended up being Ellie, Asher, and myself riding in front of David’s sheriff’s truck. While London, Paris, and Braden rode in front of Marcus, since they wanted a sheriff on both sides.

  Both groups headed out with London’s group veering right and our group going left. Asher moved toward the fence, Ellie stayed in the middle, and I took the right part of our first sweep. We worked our way away from the stables. With four hundred acres to cover, we would be here through morning. But if that didn’t pan out, there was still my land and Asher’s mother’s. It could take another twenty-four hours if we went non-stop.

  I scanned the ground, to the left and right of me. David, had his spotlights on top of his sheriff’s truck with the light bar totally illuminated, I could see a good distance in front of me.

  I hadn’t told Holland that I had a crush on her. Jesus Christ, crush? How old was I? But, what else was it? I liked her, and I have liked her for a while. God, after our night, I hadn’t been able to get her out of my mind, and the thought of not being able to have that again made it hard to breathe.

  The first time I saw her, she was extending her heels when she rode, and I mentioned it to her and she lost her mind. Shaking my head at the memory, another flashed front and center, it was the first time I had gone over to the Kellys’ and she had lost her mind and had called me an asshole in front of everyone. I couldn’t lose that—the world couldn’t lose that fire, and I needed her to spar with. She made my day brighter. I wouldn’t know how to start my day without seeing her out riding.

  “Holland!” I hollered, I was the first one to break the silent night sky. I glanced over to find Ellie watching me. A second later she hollered, and a second after that, Asher did as well. Before I knew it we were each hollering, taking turns and then waiting a little bit to see if she responded.