by Barbara Gee
He was still trying to decide whether to take Hank out to the ranch for a while. Libby herself had told him they’d be welcome, but he also understood her need to distance herself from them. If they showed up there, the two of them would be back at square one, and Ryan was reluctant to go through another goodbye, one that could be even harder than the first.
Still, he felt the call of the Full Heart. He pictured Hank there, being loved and doted on by Kay and Virgil and the others, learning to ride a horse, playing in the creeks, climbing the buttes. It would be good for the little boy, Ryan knew that without a doubt. Was it selfish of him to withhold that experience from his son just because he and Libby might have some issues with being in close proximity again?
He started his truck and pulled away from the house. His mind was so full—missing Hank, missing Libby, missing his job as he’d known it, wondering whether to head back out west for a while. As he drove out of the quiet, tidy neighborhood, he had no reason to notice the black car parked a few houses down from Byron’s. There were, after all, a number of cars parked along the street, and the driver of this one ducked down well before Ryan went past.
Ryan had no way of knowing that the man in the black car had been lurking in the neighborhood for several days, driving a number of different vehicles so people didn’t notice him hanging around while he kept his eyes on Byron and Louise’s house, waiting.
After Ryan passed, the man slowly sat up and drove away, a satisfied smile on his face. The kid had finally shown up, and it was a stroke of luck that he’d seen him go inside with a suitcase, meaning he was going to be there for a while. And thankfully, his vile cop of a father had soon left. That would make things considerably easier.
He started his car and pulled away from the curb. He would be back later. After dark.
CHAPTER 22
Libby had just gotten out of the shower when she heard someone knocking on her bedroom door.
“Hang on a sec,” she called, hastily wrapping her hair in a towel and pulling on her clothes before going to open the door. “Hey, Tuck, Maddy. What in the world are you guys doing up here so early?”
“Hey, Lib,” Tuck said. “Uh, I got a call from Ryan a little while ago.”
Libby took in his solemn expression, her heart starting to pound. “What’s wrong? What happened?” she asked, her voice breaking. “Are they okay? Please tell me they’re okay.”
“They are, they’re okay. Sit down, sis, and I’ll tell you what happened.”
Maddy urged Libby over to the bed and they both sat down while Tuck paced. “What, Tuck? Please tell me.”
“Yesterday afternoon, Ryan took Hank to his grandparents. They wanted to see him, and Hank wanted to go, so they arranged for him to be there for two nights. During the night, someone broke into the house. Ryan believes he was after Hank.”
“But you said Hank is okay, right?”
“Hank wasn’t harmed. The perp broke the glass in the back door and unlocked it. Fortunately, Byron had fallen asleep on the couch in the den, and Louise had covered him up and left him there. He woke up when the guy broke the glass, but by the time he oriented himself enough to go investigate, the guy was already upstairs, going room to room.”
“Did he find little Hank?” Libby whispered, feeling totally crushed at the thought of Hank being awoken during the night, terrified by a stranger in his room.
“No, he was downstairs. Louise doesn’t like him being all by himself upstairs, so he always stays in the room beside theirs.”
“Bless her,” Libby breathed. “So what did Byron do?”
“He went to the bedroom and woke Louise. He told her to call 911, then he got his gun and went upstairs. Sounds like his intent was to try to pin the guy in a bedroom up there, away from Louise and Hank, and then wait for the police to come. Unfortunately they met on the stairs—the guy was coming down as Byron started up. The perp was armed, and he shot Byron in the left shoulder. He must have thought it was a kill shot because when Byron fell backwards he ran right past him and went to the back of the house, where the master bedroom is. By that time Louise had called 911 and grabbed Hank and they were hiding in the back of the master closet.”
Libby’s whole body was trembling and Maddy put her arm around her. “They’re not hurt, Lib,” she said softly. “Ryan and Hank aren’t hurt.”
“Go on,” Libby urged her brother.
“Byron didn’t lose consciousness. He dropped his gun when he went down and it took him a little bit to find it again, but when he did he made it to the master bedroom. He saw that Louise was gone, and at first he didn’t see the perp, who was down on the floor looking under the bed. Byron thought the guy had gone and he shouted for Louise, but then the guy stood up and again started shooting. Byron took another bullet but it was an in and out through his side and didn’t hit anything vital. He was able to duck out of the room and into the hall bathroom. The perp came out yelling, asking where the boy was, but by then the police were pulling up, lights flashing. Evidently the guy ran out the back door and the cops never saw him.”
“So he’s still out there?” Libby asked.
Tuck nodded. “For now.”
“And Byron?”
“He was able to give the cops a full accounting of what happened before he had surgery to repair his shoulder. The doctors expect a full recovery. He’s real lucky it wasn’t worse.”
“Thank God it wasn’t, but Ryan must be beside himself. That kind of trauma is the last thing Hank needed. Do they have any idea who it was, or why he was looking for Hank? Anthony is still in jail, right?”
“Yeah, he’s locked up tight. But Ryan put two and two together and he’s pretty sure the perp is one of Anthony’s accomplices, or someone he hired. There’s one accomplice in particular who is heavily implicated by the evidence found in Anthony’s house and computer, but the problem is, he’s never mentioned by his real name. He’s just referred to as Big. Ryan thinks Hank must know who Big is, and Big knows Hank can identify him. If he can take out the boy, he might be able to evade the charges, because his real name is never mentioned. Ryan believes the guy is already on the list of known suspects, because all of Anthony’s associates are on it. But in spite of the efforts of the investigating officers, they don’t yet know which suspect is Big. And Anthony isn’t talking.”
“But how does Big know that? How does he know there’s no other proof, or that Anthony isn’t talking?”
“Because he hasn’t been arrested yet. If they knew who he was, he would’ve been taken into custody long before now.” Tuck put his hands on his hips, his eyes hard. “Ryan told the police that Hank spoke about one of Anthony’s associates. Hank calls him—”
“The mean man,” Libby said, finishing Tuck’s sentence.
He nodded. “Yeah. And Ryan reported early on that Hank had overheard Anthony and the mean man talking about setting Ryan’s house on fire. Ryan thinks someone at the department might have mentioned that to the suspects during questioning, as a way of incentivizing them to go ahead and come clean, maybe try to strike a deal. Instead of it prompting a confession, the perp realized his best chance of staying anonymous was to eliminate the witness, the only person who could implicate him. So he camped out in the Tamblyn’s neighborhood, figuring Hank would eventually show up there.”
“Why not go to where Ryan and Hank were living?”
“Don’t know. Maybe because he figured it would be easier to get the jump on the grandparents than on Ryan.”
Libby shoved her hands under her thighs to try to stop their shaking. “They don’t have any solid leads on the guy yet?”
“No. They’re checking the alibis of the entire list of suspects, but if the guy is smart he anticipated that and already has someone in place willing to swear that he was home asleep the whole night.” Tuck sighed and shoved a hand through his hair. “The next step is having Hank look at photos, but Ryan isn’t sure when that will happen. Hank is badly traumatized right now. He won’t speak
and he panics if Ryan is out of his sight. Ryan is hoping that Byron will be able to have visitors soon, and if Hank can see he’s going to be okay it might help.”
Libby closed her eyes, imagining Ryan’s pain and worry. “That poor little boy. I’d go there in a second if I thought it would help. Do you think I should offer? He responded to me before, maybe he will again.”
“You don’t have to, as it turns out. Ryan is going to bring him here. He wants to get Hank far away from all the bad memories. He wants to leave as soon as he knows Byron is stable, and after Hank identifies Big.”
“I hope that’s soon,” Libby said fervently. “They need to get here as soon as possible.”
“Ry will call back later today to give us an update. He should have a better idea of when they can leave by then.”
“I’ll text him. Just to make sure he knows I want them to come. I don’t want him to worry that it’ll be weird.” Libby gave her brother a sideways look. “I’m sure Maddy filled you in on how I feel about your buddy, but it’ll be okay. Hank is the priority, and I can deal with my feelings for Ryan.”
“Good to know, sis.”
Libby’s mind was whirling. “The studio cabin is too small for the two of them. I’ll move in there, and they can stay here in the main house.”
“There’s plenty of room in here for all of you,” Maddy said. “There are three bedrooms in this hallway, and another empty one over by Virgil and Kay.”
Libby smiled ruefully. “I said I can deal with my feelings for him, and I will. But it won’t be especially easy for me, and giving myself a little distance seems like a wise thing to do.”
“Whatever you think is best,” Tuck told her.
“I just want them here already. I hate that the guy is still out there.”
“They’ll be okay,” Maddy said. “And they’ll be here before you know it. Now come on down for breakfast. Kay insisted on cooking this morning.”
“Give me ten minutes.”
***
After Tuck and Maddy left her room, Libby bowed her head and prayed for safety for Hank and Ryan. Then she spent a while composing a text to Ryan, which was harder than she’d expected. She wanted to convey her deep concern for little Hank, and for Byron, but she didn’t want to come across as so panicked that Ryan started worrying about her along with everything else.
Finally she settled on the wording and hit send.
Hey, Ryan. I just talked to Tuck and he filled me in on everything. I’m so sorry you’re going through this, but so relieved Hank wasn’t hurt. I hope my new hero Byron will soon be on the mend. Tuck said you’re planning to head out here. That was music to my ears. I want to hug Hank so bad it hurts. Please tell him how excited we all are about him coming to the ranch. If there’s anything I can do in the meantime, please let me know. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
P.S. Tuck didn’t say so, but I know you’re beating yourself up for leaving Hank with his grandparents. Don’t go there, Ry. It was a loving thing you did, letting Hank’s grandparents have that time with him. We don’t have crystal balls, and even you can’t anticipate everything. So give yourself a break, okay? And get that boy out here.
She tucked her phone in her back pocket and went down for breakfast, wondering whether he would respond.
Kay was already planning for Ryan and Hank’s visit. “Let me know as soon as you know when they’ll be arriving,” Kay told Tuck as they ate. “I want to make sure I’m here to welcome them. I want that little boy to know we’re delighted to have him here at the Full Heart.”
Libby’s phone buzzed and she quickly excused herself, carrying her plate into the kitchen before she opened the message.
***
Good to hear from you, Libby. Not sure how one text could make me feel so much better, but you always seem to know the right things to say. Hank still isn’t speaking. I asked him if he would want to come out to the ranch to see you, and he nodded, but that’s as much as I could get out of him. We’re going to visit Byron this afternoon, and I hope that helps. It’s hard to see him so scared and withdrawn. I don’t want to rush him as far as looking at the mug shots, but the sooner we get that taken care of, the sooner we can get out of town. Maybe I’ll bring it up tomorrow and see how he reacts. I’ll keep you informed.
P.S. You rock. Thanks for being there for us yet again.
***
Libby closed her eyes and let out a long, slow breath. How was she going to do this?
“You okay, Libby dear?” Kay asked, coming up behind her with and armload of dishes.
“I don’t know, Kay.” Libby started rinsing syrup off the plates. “I’m so glad Ryan wants to bring Hank out here to us, but I honestly don’t know how I’m going to handle it. It’s been twelve days since I’ve seen him and I thought I was doing really well, but one text and I turn to mush again.”
“You’ll find a way to make it work. I don’t believe you’ll be tested beyond what you can bear.”
“I hope not.” Libby smiled. “Anyway, I’ll have you to keep me accountable, so I should be good.”
Maddy and the men entered the kitchen then, and they made short work of the cleanup.
“Ready to head out to our luxurious new office building, Lib?” Maddy asked with a silly grin.
“Can’t wait. Our new copier is supposed to be delivered today. I’m so glad we finally have room for a decent one.”
They actually had room for that and more now, thanks to the mobile office building now sitting out at the job site. The women had broached the subject with Tuck, and he’d readily agreed that it was time to move the administrative operations closer, thus eliminating the multiple trips they made back and forth every day. So the week before they’d purchased a simple prefab building and had it set up near the construction zone. It was far from luxurious, but Libby loved being close to the action, where she could look out her office window and see the building taking shape.
Maddy’s phone rang as they walked out to the Gator, and Libby smiled when her friend gave an enthusiastic greeting. “Jolene! You’re back. How was Maine? Wait, don’t answer that yet. Libby is here, so I’m going to put you on speaker.”
Jolene told them all about her latest retreat, eagerly describing the new gym that had been built since the last time she was there.
“We need more details,” Libby told her. “When are you going to come here and give us a week of your time? We’ll pay you, you know.”
“That’s why I’m calling,” Jolene said cheerfully. “I talked to one of my partners about covering a camp I was scheduled to go to week after next. He’s good with it, so I thought I’d head up your way and see how things are coming. But I won’t let you pay me. You know I’m as excited about your project as you are, and consulting with you for a week is one way I can invest in it.”
“We won’t turn that down,” Libby assured her. “Can’t wait to see you.”
“Well that’s good news,” Maddy said after they hung up. “Jolene has so much real world experience. She’s never been able to spare more than a day or two up here at a time, and yet we always learn so much from her. I can’t even imagine how much we’ll gain from having her here for a whole week.”
“The timing is perfect. If she thinks we need to change any of the interior layouts in the buildings, now is the time.” Libby stopped the Gator by their new office, then stood with her arms folded, looking around the site. The main lodge building, which would house thirty guest suites, the cafeteria and an auditorium, was in the framing stage. The gym and PT rooms would be housed in another building, and the footers for that one had just been poured last week. The administration building would be next.
Then there was the riding center, which hadn’t been started aside from clearing the site. It was an important element, because the thing that would set their operation apart from any others was their authentic ranch setting. They would have a stable area for up to twenty horses, with a full size arena, complete with handicapped acces
sible stands for cheering audiences. The plan was to have riding lessons for the veterans who were able and wished to participate, culminating in a fun demonstration, and possibly some competitions, at the end of the retreat. Libby also hoped to offer lessons to children and spouses, and it would be fun to include them in the final show as well.
There were so many possibilities, but right now the construction phase consumed almost all their time. If they wanted to have all four buildings under roof before winter, the crews needed to kick it into another gear. Libby hoped that Ryan would stay long enough to settle back into his role as their on-site construction manager. He was a natural at it, and even though he’d only been there a short time, his presence had taken a huge load off of Tuck.
That gave her another idea. “Hey, Maddy,” she said when she entered the office, “think we could set up that empty room back there as a play room? If we’re lucky enough to get Ryan to stay for a while, it would be nice if Hank could come out here to the site with him sometimes. I’m sure Kay will want to watch him some, and I certainly don’t mind taking some time with him, but if he would be happy being in here part of the time, that would make things easier.”
Maddy walked to the back room and looked around. “I think that’s a great idea. We can put a little desk in here and get some of those cool educational games.”
“And Legos and trucks. He’s into those.”
They spent fifteen minutes discussing it, and Libby made a list of items to purchase if Ryan decided to stay. “I’m also going to talk to Virgil and Kay about getting a dog,” she said as they settled in at their desks. “I’ve been trying to think of something that would get Hank even more excited about coming here, in order to take his mind off what happened, and a dog popped into my head. I remember he asked about dogs when I was telling him I lived on a ranch, so I’m pretty sure he’ll be excited about it.”
