Love on the Horizon (A Northern Woods Novel)

by Roberts, Charliann

  With a grin on his face, he walked out to the barn thinking of how she was completely unaware of the captivating picture she makes when she smiles.

  * * *

  The men from the rescue team completed their walk-through and were very impressed with the setup of the Colburn Stables Ranch. When they departed, Nick and Art invited Jake into the office. Nick laid out their plan to him.

  “Art and I have evaluated your performance and personal commitment in the five years you’ve been with us. We’ll need someone to handle the managing and organizing of this new project.” Jake listened quietly then stared, speechless, when Nick continued.

  “We plan to hire three new men to start, maybe more in the near future if all goes well. We’d like to offer you the manager position of our rescue team. We’re sure you’d be able to handle this job with composed confidence.”

  With a look of complete surprise, he stood up quickly with a smile and an outstretched hand.

  “Does this mean you’ll accept our offer?” Nick asked.

  “You bet I will,” he exclaimed and shook their hands. When he turned to leave Nick waved him back to the desk.

  “One more thing; we haven’t discussed the amount yet, but beginning the first of the month, I’m sure you’ll be quite happy with your salary. Now get yourself home and have a relaxing evening.”

  He let out a long sigh of relief. “Thank you. This means a lot to me,” he said, then closed the door behind him.

  “Man that felt good, that look of achievement on his face.”

  “It did, didn’t it? Well, I’d better head home. Lillie’s gonna have my dinner overcooked if I don’t show up soon.”

  “Uh huh… get home to your sweet Lillie, Art. I know darn well she’s never overcooked a meal for you.” With a grin, Nick unplugged the coffee pot, turned off the lights and locked the door behind him.

  * * *

  “Jake, next week I have three interviews set up for the rescue team. I’d like you to be in on them with me. I want you to meet with them also, since you’d be their manager and working with them. I think three ought to be enough, for the time being. We’d only be taking in three or four horses in a couple of weeks. Maybe more in the near future if all goes well.”

  “I’ll be there. By the way, I had to give Anya her car. It doesn't matter to me, since she put so many scratches and dents in it; I don’t want it. I guess she got a job at some Bed & Breakfast in Duluth. She has to pay me back for all of the credit card debt and the medical and dental bills for her and Zak, which amounted to thirty thousand dollars. I can garnish her wages. I must pay one year of spousal support, five hundred dollars per month," he said, with a not-so-humorous laugh. “Her lawyer tried for five thousand dollars per month. Can you believe that?” He shook his head. “Instead, she has to pay me the money for maxing out my credit cards. My lawyer said he thinks she’ll be out of here before winter arrives. I guess the judge let her know that she’d be better off going back to where she came from. What a relief, Nick. I wish I’d listened to you in the first place.

  “Also… when I walked out to my truck this morning, there were big dents pounded into the hood and she keyed the rear fenders on both the driver’s and the passenger’s side.”

  “Are you sure it was her?”

  “I’m positive. I put up security lights and motion cameras. It showed her and a girlfriend doing it with their car keys. She pounded the dents in the hood with a baseball bat. I called the police, and they wrote up the report and took the photos of her in the act.”

  “You’ll be better off without her, Jake.”

  He nodded his head, and turned away for a moment. When he looked back he added, “I know, Nick. You were right all along. Thanks for your help.”

  “No problem; just make sure you’re here for those interviews next week.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll be here.” He put his hands in his pockets and walked out to his truck.

  Nick was looking up at the sky when Art came out of the stable and stood next to him.

  “Looks and smells like rain coming. I closed and locked everything up for the night. Have you heard of any recent weather reports?”

  “No, but I think we'd better keep a close watch on things tonight and tomorrow. This morning’s report predicted heavy storms on the way. Get some sleep Art. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Art nodded, and walked toward his cottage, while Nick turned in the direction of his house. When he reached the deck, he looked out across the meadow, then up at the clouds. With a worried expression on his face, he stepped inside and shut the door.

  Chapter Twenty-two

  “Drive carefully, Bess,” Nick said. “The roads are still wet from last night’s rain.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want him to stay home today? You know how Nicky’s afraid of thunderstorms,” she whispered out the car window.

  “He’ll be okay. So long cowboy; have fun at school. We’ll see you at lunchtime.” This was Nicky’s second week of kindergarten.

  “Bye Daddy.”

  When her car was out of sight Nick looked up at the gathering dark clouds and shook his head. He removed his hat, scratched the back of his head, then turned and looked to the west. He hoped the rain clouds would dissipate before they reach Pinewood Hills; he placed his Stetson back on and headed for the stable.

  Bess returned within the hour. The rain and thunder had just begun when she climbed out of her car and hurried into the house.

  The twins were crying from a sudden crack of lightning followed by a deep rumble. Mariah held one in each arm and tried to soothe them with the slow motion of the rocking chair.

  “I wish I hadn’t taken him to school, Mariah. I asked Nick before driving away, but he thought Nicky would be fine.”

  “I’m sure he will be, Bess. The teachers have had plenty of experience with bad weather conditions. Right now the twins are upset, this being their first thunderstorm.”

  Bess reached down to take Angie from her and held her in her arms. At another strike of lightning, both babies let out a loud, horrified scream. Bess rocked Angie back and forth while she reached for the television remote control and turned it on. Just as a weather alert appeared across the screen, the back door flew open. Nick, Art and Lucky rushed in.

  “Get to the basement, hurry!” Nick yelled. Art was the last to enter and struggled to shut the door tightly, then latched the bolt lock.

  “A tornado touched down three miles north of here, and it’s heading toward Pinewood Hills.”

  Bess took Angie and hurried to the basement stairway, while Nick helped Mariah out of the rocker, holding Allie tightly in her arms. Mariah grabbed a handful of diapers on her way through the laundry room, which stood at the top of the stairs. The twins were crying out in ear-piercing screams.

  “Nick, can you grab a couple of juice bottles for the babies? They’re in the pantry, third shelf on the left!”

  “I’ll get them Nick, just go down and help the women,” Art yelled. The blustery winds howled and the rain beat fiercely, rattling the kitchen windows. He grabbed the cartons of juice and hurried down the basement stairs, with Lucky following behind him.

  “We didn’t have the television on, Nick,” Mariah cried. She kept rocking Allie, trying to quiet her down.

  “That’s okay, honey. We heard on the radio that a tornado had touched down. We’d been watching the sky, while the men rounded up the horses. The ranch hands went to the cellar beneath the stable. Art and I came to the house to help the four of you get to the basement.”

  “But Nicky, oh my God, Nicky is out there!”

  “I’m sure he’s okay, honey. Don’t you remember? The lower level was one of the things we liked about the school. Built with a basement for the storage of janitorial supplies, they’re also able to use it for emergencies like this. He’ll be fine.” He kissed the top of her head, and then he gently took Allie into his arms and paced back and forth.

  He looked around the room
, impressed with the final changes that he and Mariah’s father had put into it. He walked over to the television, turned it on and then wished he hadn’t. There on the KTSP News were cameras showing damage to the Lindstrom Ranch. The property to the south of Lindstrom’s, McCaffrey’s Dairy, was demolished. There was nothing left. The land was bare, everything gone.

  “Oh Lord,” Bess whispered.

  “They’re only located two miles to the north of here,” Art said with concern. “I’m going upstairs to see if it’s calmed down yet.”

  “No Art, wait.” Nick pointed to the television. “The maps are indicating the storm to be close to us. We’d better stay right here for the time being.” He barely got the words out of his mouth when a rip of lightning seemed as though it traveled from one end of the house to the other, followed by a deafening blast of thunder. It was loud enough to make the bare skin on his arm tingle and raise the hair on the back of his neck.

  “Holy crap!” Art jumped away from the stairway. “Guess you’re right. I'll just sit down for a spell,” Art muttered. “I hope Lillie went to our basement."

  Above them, they heard a loud bang, followed by a crunch, as if something had fallen inside, or against the outside of the house; it was such a horrific blast it was hard to determine exactly where it was located.

  When the storm appeared to have let up, the twins finally quieted down. Nick informed Mariah and Bess to stay where they were, for the time being.

  Nick and Art slowly ascended the stairs. Nick attempted to open the basement door. It came to a halt about one foot from the frame. “Something must have fallen. The door’s blocked.” He squeezed his head through the small space and could see a wooden cabinet lying on its side. “The shelves that stored cleaning supplies fell over, leaving soap streaming across the stone tile flooring. At least it’s flowing toward the laundry room drain.”

  Mariah stood at the bottom of the stairs. “Let me come up, Nick. I’d be able to fit through the space easier than you.”

  “No, just stay where you are until I check the entire house, honey. This may not be the only damage.”

  He and Art leaned against the door and together were able to push it open, far enough for Nick to squeeze through. Art followed close behind.

  Looking out the kitchen window, they noticed that a tree along the west side of the deck had fallen, and hit the laundry room wall.

  “There’s the culprit,” Art said, and they continued to walk through the kitchen and into the living room.

  They inspected each room. “It looks like the fallen tree was the only disturbance,” Nick said. “Let’s pick up the pieces of shelving. I’ll mop up the soapy floor, and then the women will be able to come back up.”

  When Nick and Art safely assisted Mariah, Bess and the twins up the stairway, they went out to the barn to make sure the men were safe. Everything looked just as they’d left it. The ranch hands were already tending to the horses, and nothing had been disturbed.

  “I guess we were the lucky ones, Art. We’d better get over to see if we can be of any help at the neighboring ranches, but first I’m going over to pick Nicky up from school. I don’t want Bess driving, in case any trees have fallen in the roadway, or power lines down.”

  Nick pulled up in front of the Pinewood Elementary School and looked around. Everything seemed to be in place and there appeared to be no damage. Relieved, he opened the door of his truck and jumped out. He found no sign of a storm coming through here whatsoever. This area only received a light amount of rainfall. He smiled in relief, and walked into the school. When he entered the office, the receptionist glanced up from her paperwork.

  “Mr. Colburn, what are you doing here?”

  “I came to pick up my son.”

  “But he left an hour ago.”

  “What do you mean he left? You must be mistaken. My son is Nicky Colburn.”

  She shifted uneasily and straightened some papers on her desk. “A woman was here around fifty to sixty minutes ago. She said the storm had damaged your ranch, that she was related to your wife – her cousin I believe, and you asked her to pick Nicky up from school.”

  He glared at her. “What did she look like?” he asked, as he tried to discipline the tone of his voice, now fully alarmed.

  “She appeared to be one of Mrs. Colburn’s kinfolk. Isn’t Mrs. Colburn Russian?”

  “What did the woman look like?” he repeated.

  “She had green eyes, auburn hair, and seemed to be around five feet tall, maybe a bit taller. She said her name was Karina.”

  Chapter Twenty-three

  The muscles of his forearm hardened beneath his sleeve, his anguish almost overcoming his control. He took a deep breath and released it slowly, turned and stormed out of the school. When he climbed into his truck, he dialed the number of Jake’s cell phone. He answered immediately.

  “Jake, this is Nick. What kind of car does Anya drive?”

  “Why? What’s wrong?”

  “Just give me the information on her car, Jake. I’ll explain when I get there.”

  “She drives a 2002 Lincoln Continental.”

  “What color?”

  “Deep green. What’s going on, Nick?”

  “Anya picked Nicky up from school about an hour ago. I needed that information to give to the police department. I’m on my way home.” Nick closed the phone. A huge cloud of dust erupted from the spin of his tires as he backed out of his parking space, left the school, and tore down the highway at an unthinkable speed.

  When he barreled down the gravel drive and pulled up along the north side of the stable Jake was there to meet him. Nick jumped from his truck and slammed the door.

  “The police will be here any minute. Damn it, Jake! Anya kidnapped Nicky. We’ve got to find her.”

  “What makes you think it was her? She’d rage like a wildfire at me, but she wouldn’t do anything to a child.”

  “She told the receptionist in the school office that her name was Karina and that our ranch was one of those hit by the tornado. She said she was a cousin of Mariah’s. Jake, Mariah doesn’t have any cousins.”

  “Karina… shit. The evening I kicked her out of the house I checked the computer, because she was on it constantly. I wanted to find out whom she’d been in contact with. I found her name listed as Karina.”

  “You have to report this to the police when they get here. Do you have any idea where she may have gone with my son?”

  “This is absurd. She sent Zak back to his father in Russia. She couldn’t afford to support him. She was unable to collect child support from me, although she tried. I’m not Zak’s father, and I didn’t adopt him. I don’t know why she’d pull a stunt like this.”

  “I’ll need your help Jake. The police will want your full cooperation.”

  He looked up and noticed rising dust off in the distance; four police vehicles were approaching. Art had been exiting the stable when he saw the officers arriving, and immediately knew something was wrong. He rushed over, and Nick explained the situation as quickly as possible.

  “I don’t know what to tell Mariah, Art. I don’t know how she’ll handle this. Bess is with her, but they haven’t yet heard what’s happened.”

  “I’ll call Lillie over, and the two of us will go in to support them. They’ll be fine.”

  “She’ll be in shock, Art. She knew I went to pick up Nicky. He should have come back with me. Tell her I’ll be in as soon as I can.” Desperate to locate his son, both Nick and Jake headed toward the officers.

  When they finished questioning Jake, one of the officers followed him home. Jake informed them that he has a picture of Anya, standing next to her car the day he purchased it. He explained to them that he recently learned she also goes by the name of Karina. The remaining three officers accompanied Nick to the house. They’d need a recent photograph of Nicky for the Amber Alert.

  Lillie and Art brought the twins into their bedroom for their afternoon nap while the police spoke with Mariah
and Bess.

  After completing their report, the officers assured them that they’d do everything in their power to find Nicky.

  “We have the necessary information to proceed with an Amber Alert which will be broadcast throughout Minnesota and all of the surrounding states.”

  “I’m going to head out in my truck,” Nick said.

  “It would be best if you’d stay here with your wife, Mr. Colburn. The police have already been notified, and the Amber Alert will be out soon.”

  “My son is missing. I can’t sit here and do nothing!”

  “Have family and friends help search your land and theirs. Look in places where she may have gone. Don’t attempt to drive to Duluth. Our highway patrol will have that covered. When the Amber Alert goes out, everyone will be familiar with the photos, and they’ll be on the lookout for them.”

  “Thank you, officer.” Nick ran a hand through his hair and followed the officers to the door.

  “We’ll be in touch with you, Mr. Colburn. I believe we have plenty of information to go on. With the picture of the woman and her vehicle, hopefully someone will be able to identify her soon.”

  “Thank you.”

  The three officers left and Nick closed the door behind them.

  Art immediately went out to the stable to have the men saddle enough horses for every ranch hand. Nick asked Bess to prepare sandwiches for them. He walked over to his wife, where she’d been sitting with Lillie.

  He sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her. He placed his forefinger beneath her chin and lifted her face, so her eyes met his. “We have to be brave, sweetheart. They’ll find him. You need to be strong for the twins. They can sense that something is wrong. Kim, Garrett’s wife, will be arriving shortly. You remember Kim, don’t you?”

  Mariah nodded. “Why have so many horrible things been happening to us, Nick?”

  He looked into her swollen eyes, hot tears trickling down her cheeks. He held her face in his hands and wiped the tears away with his thumbs.