I crossed my arms tightly over my chest. Wincing, I lay them back at my sides. I didn’t know what to feel. Happy that my worry had been for nothing? Or anger that Amber had made it all up?
The anger won out.
“Stupid, Amber,” I muttered darkly.
Flint, however, seemed to care less about Amber. “Lena, there’s something we need to clear up.”
“What?” I asked warily.
He tilted my chin, forcing me to look him right in the eye. “I want to get one thing straight right now. I was never with Amber, have never been with her, and have no desire to ever be with her. You got that?”
“Okay . . .”
“And I don’t know what she told you, but don’t believe any of it. Don’t believe anything she says. I’m with you and only you. You got that?”
“You are?”
He sighed harshly. “Lena, I want you to be mine. Don’t you see that?”
“Yours?”
“My girlfriend.”
I just stared at him.
Worry grew on his face while the energy around him increased.
I bit my lip as it suddenly dawned on me why I’d been so quick to assume Flint might change his mind about me and why I thought he may have gone on a date with Amber. “So you’re not going to start ignoring me again?”
His head snapped back. “No, never.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure. I thought we cleared that up? I ignored you when we first met because I didn’t know what else to do. It was stupid. I know that now.”
I took a deep breath. He was right. We had cleared this up, but obviously, deep down I’d still been worried.
“Lena?” he said. “Will you?”
I finally nodded. “Okay. I’ll be your girlfriend.”
A smile spread across his face. “Good.”
“But you have to promise me one thing.”
“Anything.”
“Don’t ignore me again. Don’t ever treat me like you did before. I couldn’t bear it.”
His smile vanished. “I won’t.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
I let out a relieved sigh and settled against him as comfortably as I could. Deep down, I knew I should have gone to him first and asked him his side of the story. If only rational thought was my strong suit. I may have only known myself five months, but impulsiveness seemed to be my specialty.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I should have talked to you first.”
He grunted.
I felt stupid for feeling so insecure with him, but it was as if a part of me still expected him to ignore me at any second. Like the fragile bubble we’d created around ourselves could burst at the slightest breeze.
He reached up and pushed a lock of hair from my face. “Lena, when we found you . . .” He stopped and took a deep breath. “Seeing you like that, on the ground, not moving.” He shook his head. The raw pain in his words was so evident.
“Flint . . .”
“No, let me finish. Lena, I can’t lose you. Don’t you see that? I don’t know what this is growing between us, but I have a feeling it’s something deeper than either of us can understand. And I don’t know why, but you mean everything to me. You do. You always have. From that first moment I saw you, that was it. I was yours, for as long as you’ll have me.”
I wanted to say something. My lips wouldn’t move.
“I love you,” he grumbled. “Don’t you see that?”
“You do?” I smiled slowly. “I think I love you too.”
He chuckled. “You think, huh?”
Pulling me closer, he slowly tilted my chin up. I wrapped my arms around his neck as his mouth met mine. His lips were hot, firm and he tasted so sweet.
The brief twinge in my ribs was drowned out by a hot surge of desire. I threaded my fingers through his hair, loving the feel of it. Like soft silk. I didn’t care when pain shot through my ribs again. His words sparked fireworks in my veins.
He abruptly pulled away. The magic disappeared. Everything felt empty.
“Dammit,” he muttered. “You’re going to make me forget you’re injured.”
A commotion of voices filled the hall outside the door. The first voice I recognized was Mica’s excited babble, then Jacinda’s soft voice, followed by Di’s direct tone. When I heard Amber’s pert words, I made a face, but then remembered since she saved me, I shouldn’t be mad at her. Well, at least not for too long.
The door burst open and everyone piled inside.
“Lena!” Mica exclaimed, rushing to the bed.
Jet and Jasper shrugged apologetically. “We tried to stop her,” Jet said.
Jacinda joined Mica. The tall beauty seemed about to cry. “Oh, Little L, look at you!”
Everyone crowded around the bed. I grinned. I couldn’t help it. For the first time, I felt like I belonged somewhere and that I had a family. A real family.
I glanced at Flint. He still watched me with fire in his eyes. Love radiated inside me as Mica took my hand and began babbling about how worried she’d been. Her words poured around me, but I barely heard them. Flint’s gaze held my attention. Flint loved me. He said he always had.
I couldn’t believe I’d ever doubted him.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
As the weeks progressed, I slowly healed. Because of my injuries, we stayed on the ranch. Staying stagnant didn’t matter since Di’s visions kept changing. She saw us in more than one city, but rarely got a clear picture, just snippets of us in different places. It wasn’t enough to act upon since nothing was consistent.
A few images repeated themselves, though. She kept seeing a desert and at one point, she thought she saw the Golden Gate Bridge, but since it was a very foggy vision, she couldn’t be sure. Jet joked it probably hadn’t been a foggy vision, merely actual fog around the bridge. Regardless, she didn’t feel confident enough to move us.
To pass time as my ribs healed, I helped with research. I spent a few hours every day at the library or internet cafes in Little Raven. A few hours was all my injured brain could handle, but I did my best to search for the cities Di described. Other than San Francisco, I wasn’t able to find a specific city that matched her visions.
It was frustrating to put it mildly. It didn’t help that it took almost a month for my plaguing tiredness to go away. Of course, my ribs took longer. It was entirely annoying, especially since it felt like everyone catered to me. Val clucked her tongue if she saw me doing something I wasn’t supposed to. Not to mention, she gave me the easy chores when I finally returned to work. Jacinda wasn’t any better. She constantly tried to help me with everything. She’d even tried to dress me the first few days after I’d returned to my cabin. That was entirely mortifying.
Flint, however, was a completely different story.
From sunup to sundown, he only left my side to work. It was as though he thought Aaron would pop up at any second to finish what he’d started. No one ever did find out what happened to the deranged cowboy. His horse wandered back without him the day after he’d followed me, with no sign of him. Pete contacted the local authorities to report the incident, but since an actual attack never happened, it got backlogged to the filing cabinet of never-seeing-the-light-of-day-again.
In other words, I’d most likely never see Aaron again, and he definitely wasn’t getting arrested.
As always, the days continued despite our growing frustrations. The guest ranch closed at the end of September which lightened our workload indoors, but the workload outdoors increased. By the time mid-October rolled around, I was finally, completely whole.
It felt good to be myself again, but like everyone else in the group, I was antsy. We’d been on the ranch for over two months, yet had no idea what brought us to this region in Colorado. Sooner or later, we knew we’d have to make a decision on where to go from here. Regardless of Di’s unpredictable visions, each day it became more obvious that waiting for answers was leading to noth
ing.
IT WAS A crisp, beautiful autumn day when everyone met in the barn for the last roundup of the season. Bitter sweetness followed. Our employment was almost done. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. In a way, this ranch was the only home I’d ever known, but at the same time, our staying put while waiting for memories to return was doing nothing but stagnating us.
It was just after eight in the morning. A nip hung in the air that hadn’t been there a few weeks ago. Everyone was going out for the round-up, even Val, which Pete said only happened once a year. Their daughters: Shelby, Fiona, Haley and their families had returned home for the occasion. Apparently, it was something the Henderson daughters never missed.
“You wanna ride Coal?” Dean asked as we haltered the horses in the back pasture. Tyler led two quarter horses back to the barn, a lead rope in each hand. Mica and Jessie did the same.
“Don’t you want to?” I replied.
Dean grinned. “I know it’s gonna be one of your last chances to ride ‘im. Unless you stay that is.”
The twinkle in his eyes made me smile despite his words. Dean had hinted on and off over the past few weeks of me staying through the winter despite Flint and I being a couple.
Flint’s eyes met mine when Dean and I returned with Coal in tow. The large gelding breathed heavily through his nose, his breath carrying scents of sweet hay and grass.
“You’re riding Coal?” Flint asked.
I snapped the gelding’s halter into the cross ties and picked up a brush. “Yep. Dean offered.”
“I’m sure he did,” Flint replied.
I bit back a smile. Flint was tolerant of Dean and his persistent affections, although tolerant put it graciously.
Cool air flowed around us when everyone mounted. The entire Henderson family, Jacinda, Di and the twins were riding on four-wheelers, while Flint, the cowboys, Mica, Amber and I opted for horseback. Amber sat prettily on a young mare. Her horse was part thoroughbred and a beautiful black color. Together, they made a stunning pair.
We all waited for the go-ahead from Pete. Amber eyed Jasper and smiled suggestively. Mica fumed.
Amber and Jasper had formed a rather unusual relationship over the past month. The two hadn’t declared they were together, yet the way they flirted, and the amount of public affection they displayed, hinted at something way beyond friendship. Amber however, didn’t seem the least bit perturbed by Mica’s jealousy. In fact, she seemed to revel in it.
“All right, listen up,” Pete said. “We’ve got eighty-eight cattle to find today. With any luck, we’ll have ‘em all by sunset. Work together, follow your leader’s instructions, and don’t get lost.” He said the last bit while gazing at Amber. “I’ll radio Tyler when we’re heading back to the barn. Let us know if you run into any trouble. We all clear?”
Everyone nodded or tipped their hats. Those on the four wheelers would take the lower parts of the ranch that weren’t so hilly and full of trees. The rest of us on horseback were heading deep into the mountains.
“Tyler, did ya test your radio?” Pete asked.
Tyler was the one leading our group. “Yeah, I tested it this morning.”
Pete nodded. “Keep in touch. Good luck.”
Pete tipped his hat into place and climbed on his four-wheeler. The rest in his group did the same. When they drove off, Jacinda winked at me from under her hat before she raced to catch up with Haley. The two were quickly becoming friends, probably because Haley was the first person Jacinda had encountered who loved city life as much as she did.
“Ready?” Tyler asked the rest of us.
Everyone voiced agreement. Tyler reined his bay horse north and kicked him into a canter. We all squeezed our horses and followed, setting out on familiar ground.
When we reached the end of the corrals, the group slowed to a trot. It was the fastest way to cover ground without tiring the horses. The cold, crisp air swirled around. At certain angles, the wind bit into my cheeks enough to make tears sting my eyes. It was hard to believe just over a month ago, I’d worn a T-shirt.
“Think the weather will hold out?” I asked Flint. I had on thick gloves, a GoreTex jacket and fleece lined jeans.
“I think so,” Flint said. “Forecast for the day is clear.”
“That’s a relief.”
Dean rode up to my other side and smiled. “How’s your ribs?”
“Good as new.”
Dean smiled brighter. “I’m glad to hear it. It’s good to see you on a horse again. I’ve missed our daily rides.”
“Yeah, me too.”
Dean seemed about to say something else but then glanced at Flint. “Well, see you.” He nudged Giselda into a gallop and rode off.
I glanced at Flint. The scowl on his face vanished but not before I saw it. “Was that necessary?” I asked.
“What?” he said innocently.
“Scaring him off like that?”
Flint shrugged. “We compromised on this, remember? I’m okay with you two being friends, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
I rolled my eyes. “I think Dean got that message when I was bed ridden and he tried to visit but wasn’t allowed within five feet of me.”
“Whatever are you talking about?” Flint grinned wickedly.
“You know what I’m talking about.” I tried to sound stern, but a smile broke through anyway. While I was healing, Flint had stayed by my side every time Dean visited. He had also practically growled every time Dean came near me. The poor guy had felt so uncomfortable, he’d ended up sitting in a chair . . . by the door.
As the distance passed beneath us, Amber continually moved to the front of the pack. As usual, she wanted to be the center of attention. Tyler didn’t seem overly perturbed, but Mica did. A scowl seemed permanently etched on Mica’s face.
“Interesting crew,” Flint murmured.
“I’ll say,” I replied.
During the next hour, we wove deeper and deeper into the mountains and moved in a progressive line northwest. By mid-morning, Pete radioed Tyler to say they’d found thirteen cattle and wondered about our progress. So far, we’d only found twenty-eight. We decided to branch out more.
“Dean, you and Jessie take the southwest ridge,” Tyler instructed. “Flint and Mica—you come with me. We’ll take the north cliff. Lena and Amber, do the midline section scanning from east to west.”
Everyone murmured their agreement, but Amber plucked a hand on her hip. “I don’t want to do the midline, that’s boring. Can’t I go with you?” She pouted prettily, but for once, Tyler didn’t seem charmed.
He shook his head. “You don’t know this terrain well enough to take the cliff. Stay down here.”
She pouted further. “Why does Mica get to go but not me?”
“Because Mica’s been riding on this land for a lot longer than you,” he retorted.
At that response, Mica grinned. Amber’s nostrils flared. “Fine!” She spurred her horse and took off down the valley.
I sighed. “I guess I’ll do the babysitting today.”
Jessie shook his head. “She should have gone on a four-wheeler. We don’t have time for this.”
“Sorry, Lena, will you be okay with her?” Tyler asked.
“Yeah, don’t worry.” I glanced at Mica. She was still grinning.
“Let’s get a move on,” Dean said uneasily. “I don’t like the looks of those clouds on the horizon.”
We all turned. A wall of gray hung to the west, as if it came from out of nowhere. “I thought no snow today,” I murmured.
“There won’t be,” Tyler said confidently. “It’s supposed to stay north, but just to be safe, I want everyone to move. We don’t want to get caught in a storm.”
Everyone split up. Tyler and Mica cantered away, but Flint nudged his horse closer to mine. We were momentarily alone in the clearing.
“Be careful,” he said.
I pushed a long strand of hair out of my eyes. The wind was definitely picking up. “I wi
ll.”
Flint sat still, staring at me. I knew he hated to leave my side, especially in the mountains. “Flint, I’ll be fine,” I added softly.
He continued to stare, but eventually took a deep breath. “Okay.”
I knew it would take time for him to not feel so worried, especially since Aaron had disappeared without a trace. “You be careful too,” I added. “It’s more dangerous where you’re going versus staying around here.” I waved a hand at the sheltered valley.
He smiled and leaned away from his horse to kiss me softly on the mouth. “Love you, babe.”
As always, those words left me breathless, not to mention, wanting more. I watched him go, a flurry of man and horse thundering across the landscape. When they disappeared from view, I turned to find Amber.
There was no sign of her.
I sighed. I was supposed to be finding cattle, not some spoiled teenager. I took a deep breath. “Typical,” I muttered and nudged Coal forward.
I found her not long later. As much as Amber liked to think she was a competent cowgirl, she didn’t actually know north from south. I could tell from her expression that she was already lost.
“Lena!” she called when she saw me. Wild worry glazed her eyes. For a second, I felt sorry for her. According to Amber’s driver license, she was the youngest in our group. I believed it. Even though she turned nineteen last May, she acted a lot younger. I knew I should cut her some slack. I reminded myself that half the time she probably didn’t know any better than to act how she did. Hopefully, she’d grow out of it someday.
“Don’t worry.” I reined Coal beside her. “We just need to move west, and then turn back and go east when we reach the fence. Follow me.”
She jutted her chin out. I ignored her. With another look at the gray clouds, I knew that Tyler was right. We didn’t want to get caught in a storm. We needed to move.
It took us a while to reach the property line, but along the way we found eight more cattle. Slowly, we herded them back to the others and then moved east. The cattle we had found throughout the morning stayed in a circle and slowly, our herd grew, but we still needed to find several dozen more.
The Complete Lost Children Series Page 21
