The Rancher's Return

by Carolyne Aarsen

  And the gleam in Nana Beck’s eyes grew.

  “Shannon wants us to come for dinner,” Nana announced. “And don’t you even think about protesting, Emma Minton. You and Adam are invited too.” She leveled Emma a glance that brooked no argument. Before Emma could either accept or decline, an older woman tugged on Nana’s arm, drawing her attention away from Emma and Carter.

  “Sorry about that,” Carter was saying. “But you know Nana. If you want to go home, that’s okay.”

  Emma was thankful for the out he gave her, yet some ornery part of her wished he insisted she come.

  Then he moved a bit closer and brushed his hand along her arm. “But I’d kind of like it if you did come.”

  That was all the encouragement she needed.

  “Are you sure you want the door here?” Carter called out.

  Emma shaded her face against the lowering sun and looked up at Carter standing astride the uprights of the tree fort, shadows of branches crisscrossing over his shirt.

  “That looks good to me,” she called out. “What do you think, Adam?”

  Adam squinted up at Carter, his hand on his hips, looking like a little adult as he considered. “I think so,” he said with a quick nod.

  “Starting to saw,” Carter announced, yanking on the starting cord of the chain saw. Chips of wood spat out as the saw bit into the solid wall of the fort, and minutes later Carter had cut an opening.

  “Are you guys almost done here?” Emma asked Adam. “It’s your bedtime.”

  “Can’t I stay up a bit longer?” Adam whined. “I want to finish making the door.”

  “That’s not going to happen tonight, sport.” Carter lowered the chain saw by a rope then clambered down the ladder he had built last night. For the past three days Carter had worked in the evenings, helping Adam as he had promised. And each day his smile grew bigger and Adam’s anticipation ran higher.

  And the tiny spark of hope ignited that night on the porch with Carter grew in Emma’s chest. Carter had never said anything more about his plans, but she got the sense that both of them were hovering on the edge of a change. A shift in direction.

  Once down on the ground, Carter looked up at the sky and the gathering clouds. “Glad we got that hay cut today,” he said. “Looks like rain’s coming.” He gave her a quick smile then, as casual as can be, he ran his forefinger down her cheek.

  His offhand familiarity formed a mixture of perplexing emotions.

  The past week with Carter was time out of time. A step back from her world of worry and concern and fear for the future. It was as if she and Carter had an unspoken pact to see where they were going without talking about it.

  They worked together and ate together at Nana Beck’s in the evening. After dinner they sat around and visited. After Adam went to bed, Carter would come by and he and Emma would sit on the deck and talk.

  They talked about the ranch. About Sylvia. And even about Harry once in a while. Carter’s voice still held a trace of pain when they did, but each time Harry’s name came up, Carter seemed more at peace.

  And each time they talked, Emma let herself experience the potential of possibilities. Of hesitant maybes.

  “I hope it doesn’t rain too long,” Emma said, struggling to keep herself grounded. “I want to get some more beans picked this week.”

  “Nana sure appreciates the fresh produce,” Carter said. “And she enjoys our dinners together.”

  Emma looked up at him. “I do too. Nana is a special person. I’m glad she’s feeling better. Do you think she’ll change her mind about moving into town?”

  “I don’t think so.” Carter’s expression grew serious, and he caught one corner of his lip between his teeth. “And about that. I need to talk to you later,” he said, his voice holding a curious note.

  “Sure. Of course.” She felt puzzled at his sudden switch in topic, but the intensity of his expression and the way he held her gaze sent a storm of worry swirling through her head. They’d been talking for the past few evenings. What could he say to her tonight that he hadn’t said in previous nights?

  “Looking forward to it,” she said, keeping her tone light. Playful.

  He just looked at her, and the storm grew.

  Then he picked up the chain saw and walked toward the machine shed.

  “Mom, do I have to go to bed? Can I work a bit more?” Adam picked up a hammer and a handful of nails.

  Emma snapped her attention back to her son. “No, son, tomorrow is another day.”

  “But…”

  “No buts. You need to go to bed. Now let’s put the tools away.”

  “I don’t want to go to bed.” Adam’s lower lip quivered, which showed Emma that bed was not an option, it was a necessity.

  “Of course you don’t.” Emma gently removed the hammer from his hand. “It’s hard to go to bed when there’s so many fun things to do.”

  “Tomorrow can we go up to the hills to get the lanterns out of the cabin? For my fort?”

  “No. I don’t think so.”

  “But in a couple of days Carter will be gone, and I want him to finish the tree fort before he goes.”

  “What?” Emma felt her heart slow and turn over. “What do you mean Carter will be gone?”

  “I heard him say to Nana that he had to go. So we have to get the stuff tomorrow. Have to. So we can finish before he goes.” Adam tugged on her hand as if for emphasis.

  Emma swallowed as her heart raced in her chest. Her cheeks burned as reaction set in. Carter. Saying he had to leave?

  This didn’t ring true with Carter’s current behavior.

  Men can’t be trusted. Men can’t be trusted.

  The old voice returned and, with it, her usual doubts.

  But he had kissed her. He talked about making changes. He wanted to speak to her tonight. Surely it wasn’t to tell her he was leaving? Not after what they had shared?

  “That’s why I want to finish the fort,” Adam was saying, his voice taking on a petulant whine. “And go get the stuff from the cabin.”

  Emma dragged her attention away from the voices whirring around her head, playing on her uncertainty and the delicate balance she struggled to maintain the past few days.

  “No, Adam. You have to go to bed now.”

  He stamped his foot in the ground, his hands clenched into little fists. “I want to go now. Right now.”

  “Stop it, Adam. We’re not going anywhere right now. It’s time for you to go to bed.” She reached for his hand, but he spun away and ran toward the river. What was wrong with him?

  “Adam, come back here.” Her voice grew extra firm.

  Adam slowed down then stopped and turned around, tears shining in his eyes. “I have to get the lantern. Because then I can put a light in the fort. So people who are lost can find it.”

  Her heart jolted at his little declaration. What was going through his head? Was he worried about Carter leaving?

  “Adam, honey, I know you want to get the lantern. But we can’t do it tonight, and we can’t do it tomorrow. I promise you when we have a chance, you and I will ride up and get it.”

  Adam frowned at that, as if he didn’t believe her. Truth to tell, she didn’t blame him. She didn’t know what she was allowed to think about or plan for, either.

  Please, Lord. Help me to take one moment at a time.

  She waited for Adam, and finally he trudged back to her, his head hanging and his feet dragging. After half an hour of coaxing him, she tucked Adam in bed. Thankfully, he fell asleep while she said his evening prayers with him.

  Emma wasn’t sure what had gotten into him, but he seemed determined to get that lantern.

  She waited until she knew he was well asleep, reading her Bible to still the voices of uncertainty Adam’s little comment had whipped up.

  Peace is not the absence of trouble, peace is the presence of God.

  Emma clung to that saying and held it close. As she did, she reminded herself that her hope was primarily i
n God. Not in the circumstances of her life.

  Adam snorted then rolled over, his arms flopping to the side. Utterly innocent, trusting and utterly dependent on her.

  Emma put the Bible away, pressed a kiss to his warm cheek, then slipped out of the cabin. Usually Carter came to her cabin, but after what Adam had told her she felt restless and edgy and unable to sit still.

  So instead of waiting for Carter to come to her, she would go to him.

  A light rain drizzled down as she walked across the yard. Lights were on in Nana Beck’s house, but Carter’s cabin was dark.

  As she came closer, the door of Nana’s house flew open and music and noise spilled out, followed by an unfamiliar woman. “C’mon, Carter, let me check out my cabin. I can’t believe you moved into it.”

  The woman was tall and slender, and a spill of reddish hair flowed down her back. Hailey, Emma guessed, recognizing the hair from pictures Nana Beck had shown her. Carter’s cousin and Shannon’s sister.

  Emma held back, unsure of what to do.

  She heard Shannon say something, followed by a comment from Carter. Though she couldn’t understand what they said, it was apparent some type of family reunion was going on. Hailey, she knew, hadn’t been around for years.

  Unwilling to disturb them, she returned to her cabin. She slipped quietly inside and went to bed herself, taking her book and attaching a small reading light to it so she wouldn’t wake Adam. Obviously, Carter wouldn’t be talking to her tonight.

  But what had he wanted to say to her?

  Chapter Twelve

  Emma rolled onto her side, snuggling deeper in the blankets. The only sound in the cabin was the steady drum of rain, which had poured down, hard, all night. Obviously the plans for the day would be put on hold. Which meant she and Adam could sleep a little longer.

  She hoped it wouldn’t cause too many problems for Carter and the hay crop.

  The thought of Carter sent a tiny shock through her system.

  He had said he wanted to talk to her, and though he’d had his cousins visit, she had waited for a couple of hours, clinging to a faint hope that he might come when they were gone. But when the sound of Shannon’s car faded into the distance, Carter didn’t come knocking on her door. When she had finally fallen asleep, it was to dream of her and Carter kissing. Her and Carter arguing. Carter driving away on his motorbike.

  Emma gave up on grabbing some more sleep, sat up in bed and swung her legs over the edge, her feet looking for her slippers as she slipped her housecoat over her pajamas.

  Maybe today she would find out what he wanted, she thought, rubbing her eyes then pushing herself off the bed.

  Stifling a yawn, she padded across the cold cabin floor to Adam’s bed, but as she got close her heart stuttered in her chest.

  Adam wasn’t in his bed.

  “Adam? Adam?” She tried not to let panic take root. “Adam, are you hiding?” she called out, her gaze racing around the cabin, looking for possible hiding spots.

  But there was no answering giggle. No sound of a body moving anywhere in the cabin.

  It took her mere seconds to plunge her legs into her jeans, stab her arms in a T-shirt and sweater. As she did, she noticed that Adam’s boots were gone, as was his rain slicker.

  Relax, relax, she told herself as she tugged on her boots and snatched her own slicker off the peg. Maybe he went to Nana Beck’s house. Or Carter’s cabin. Or the tree fort. Yes, probably the tree fort.

  She grabbed her hat, slapped it on her head and ran outside.

  Water poured off the roof, splashing into puddles beside the cabin as she scanned the yard, misted with rain. No sign of Adam. In the mud at the foot of the stairs she saw a set of footprints leading in the opposite direction of the tree fort, so Adam probably wasn’t there. And three steps later, the footprints disappeared in the mud.

  Slow down, she told herself, buttoning up her slicker, her hands numb with fear. Don’t make this bigger than it has to be. Take it one step at a time. He wouldn’t have gone far.

  She jogged across the yard to Nana Beck’s house and knocked on the door.

  Nana came to the door, looking bright, trim and happier than Emma had seen her in a while. Then her cheerfulness faded into concern. “What’s wrong, my dear? You look worried.”

  “Have you seen Adam?” Emma asked breathlessly, needing to get right to the point.

  “Not since yesterday afternoon.”

  The first sliver of icy panic pierced her self-control. “Is Carter here?”

  “I believe he’s in his cabin yet, though I’m surprised. I thought for sure he would be up and about early this morning. He said he had to get to town today. Said he had something important to do, though he was all secretive about it.”

  Part of what she said registered in Emma’s mind, but all she understood for now was that Adam wasn’t here.

  “Thanks, Nana. I gotta go.” Emma took a step back and spun around, clattering down the stairs, dread clenching her heart in an icy fist.

  “If I see Adam, I’ll tell him you’re looking for him,” Nana called out as Emma raced across the yard to Carter’s cabin.

  Please, Lord, let him be there. Please Lord, she prayed as she slipped and slid in the mud gathering on the yard. She ran up the steps to Carter’s cabin and pounded on the door. No answer.

  She raised her hand to pound again, and the door opened.

  Carter stood framed in the doorway, dressed and looking as if he was ready to go out. He wore pressed blue jeans and an ironed khaki shirt and his motorcycle chaps hung over his arm.

  His cheeks shone from a recent shaving, and his hair was tamed and neatly brushed.

  Where was he going in this weather?

  The question was banished as Emma’s gaze slipped past Carter into the cabin. No little boy hove into view. No voice called out for her.

  “Emma, what’s wrong?” Carter tossed the chaps aside and caught her by the arms. “Your face is white as a sheet.”

  “Is Adam here? Have you seen him?”

  Carter’s grip tightened. “Not this morning. Why?”

  “He’s not in his bed. He’s not at Nana Beck’s. I didn’t see him on the yard. I have no idea where he could be.” She heard her voice growing more shrill and hysterical with each word, but she couldn’t stop herself.

  Carter’s face blanched, and Emma knew exactly what he was thinking. “Okay. We need to go looking.” He grabbed his slicker and hat and put them on.

  “You’re sure he’s not at the tree fort?” Carter asked as he stepped out of the cabin.

  “I saw his footprints in the mud in front of the cabin leading the other way.”

  Carter dropped his hat on his head and ran down the steps, glancing around the yard. “Adam. Adam, come here right now,” he called.

  The only sound she heard was the rain splattering on the yard and the far-off whinny of the horses.

  “Looks like he came here.” Carter pointed to the mark of a small boot in the wet ground. “But then, it looks like he went away again, but not back to your cabin.”

  He kept his eyes on the ground, following the footsteps.

  “Did he say anything last night?” Carter asked. “Anything about going anywhere today?”

  He sounded so calm. So in charge.

  But Emma saw the anxiety in the lines bracketing his mouth.

  “No. He just said he wanted to finish the fort today because…” Her voice faltered there. One thing at a time. Find Adam. Deal with Carter later.

  Carter chewed at his lip, his eyes skittering around the yard, his hands resting on his hips, his frown deepening. “Yesterday he talked about going up to that old abandoned prospector cabin and getting some stuff out of there.” He walked away from Emma, his eyes on the ground.

  All Emma wanted to do was run to the corral and grab a horse, jump on it and ride off. Call 911. Do something. Anything. Find her son.

  But she had no plan, and she sensed Carter did.

  “H
ere. His prints again.” Carter knelt down and pointed to another set of footprints leading away from the yard. “Looks like he’s heading up to the hills.” Carter turned back to the yard. “Let’s saddle up the horses. You take Diamond and I’ll take Elijah. He’s faster than Banjo.”

  Finally. A job to do.

  She squelched her other fears. Because to go up to the hills, Adam had to cross the river.

  Emma headed to the tack shed, slipping in the mud. It seemed to take hours to saddle up the horses with fingers clumsy with fear and cold. Then, finally they were up and riding away from the ranch.

  They came to the river, and fear clutched Emma with an icy hand. Please, Lord, don’t let him have fallen into the river. Please, Lord, keep him safe. Please, Lord, let us find him. Please.

  Carter stopped by the river and rode away from the bridge downstream. Then he passed Emma and rode upstream.

  Then without a word to Emma, he led his horse across the footbridge, Elijah’s shod hooves beating out a muffled rhythm on the wooden bridge. Emma followed.

  “Are you sure that’s where he would be going?” Emma called out as they rode up the hill. What if Adam had left the yard going down the road? What if they were heading away from him?

  Carter didn’t answer, his head down, water dripping off his hat onto his broad shoulders. Then a few feet after they got off the bridge, he pointed down. As Emma rode by, she saw it too. The remains of a print in the dirt.

  Her son’s boot.

  Carter flexed his fingers inside his sodden gloves, unclenched his teeth, lowered his shoulders. At least Adam had made it safely across the river. As far as he could guess, the boy had gone to the cabin. They would find him there, give him trouble for making them so scared. They would have a reunion, and then he could talk to Emma about his plans.

  Carter stifled his panic as he shifted in his saddle, looking back.

  Emma hunched over the saddle, looking down at the trail, water dripping off her hat. As if sensing his gaze on her, she looked up, but her cheeks were pale and her eyes shone with a frantic light.

  He wanted to reassure her that everything would be all right. But his own worries were like a howling storm that he struggled to stay on top of.