The winds of Wyoming winter are blowing fiercely today in the run-up to Christmas. We’re glad we were able to visit our kids and grandkids early so we won’t be driving as Wyoming slips into winter storms. I wish you all a blessed, merry Christmas!
Sheri Schofield
Chapter 4
By mid-May I was packed and ready to go. I quit my tutoring job. I wasn’t planning on returning to Denver. The memories were too bitter. Maybe after I’d been home for the summer I’d move to Loveland. Maybe they needed tutors. I gave up my apartment, put my furniture and household goods in storage, and headed north.
On Friday afternoon, I turned off the highway and headed toward Chisum. The town itself held almost a thousand people, still a small town by most standards. But with the outlying ranches and the nearby towns of Wild Horse Bend and Cougar, the area warranted a medical clinic and two grade schools, and a high school.
Our town lay in a winding valley tucked up against the foothills of the Big Horn Mountains. The hillsides along the road which led home were covered with velvety green grass and crested with golden balsam root blossoms interspersed with deep, blue-violet lupines, dandelions, and several other wildflowers. The sky was mostly blue to the east, but I could see a thunderstorm advancing from the west.
As I drove into town, I heard the vague rumble of the coming storm. I hope I can reach home before the rain. Those storms can drop torrents of water at a time, and the creek between the ranch and town could flood quickly. I breathed a sigh of relief after crossing the bridge over the creek before the rain hit.
The winding dirt road led to our ranch. The old log home with its high, rock foundation rose in a clearing, and I felt a rush of warmth. Home. Comfort. Freedom from the emotional pain I’d left behind me in Denver, at least for a time. Nearby spruce and aspen trees provided a natural fit with the rustic beauty if the warm brown logs and red metal roof at the end of our driveway. The honeysuckle bushes next to the house and the green leaf flowering May tree were in bloom, filling the air with sultry perfume. My homecoming was complete when I saw Dad and Mom step out of the house onto the wide covered deck as I pulled into the driveway.
“Mom! Dad!” I called and waved through the open window. Pulling up into the parking area, I stopped the car, hopped out, and walked swiftly into their welcoming arms. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“We’ve missed you, too, honey,” Dad rumbled in his deep voice.
“We’re so glad you’re here. It’s good to have you home again, Skye.” Mom held me tightly for a long moment.
“Let me get my things inside before the storm hits.” I turned and dashed back to the car. Dad helped me carry my luggage and bags into the house.
“I made some lemonade for you.” Mom handed me a chilled glass filled nearly to the brim.
“Thanks, Mom.”
Lightning slashed across the sky as I took the glass. “Just in time,” I said looking out at the sudden burst of rain as thunder crashed outside, shooting nitrogen into the earth to sustain life and green up the grass and trees. The meadows needed both the nourishment and the rain. “I would have hated to bring things inside during a storm. I glanced out the big, picture window and took a sip of the lemonade.
We moved into the living room to catch up on recent events in our lives between rolls of thunder.
“So tell me. What’s been happening in town since Christmas.”
Dad shrugged. “Not a whole lot.”
“We do have a new deputy on staff at the sheriff’s office,” Mom said. “He’s helping John Red Hawk on some cases. His name is Liam Webster, from Montana. He wants to become a detective. Since he’s native American too, John thinks Liam can help him search for the missing Crow children. He’s sure the Crow will feel more open with having a native officer helping with the search.”
“Have more children gone missing?”
Mom sighed. “Yes. With the drug cartels traveling through Crow nation and following back roads north through other reservations all the way to Canada, it’s likely the children are being taken for trafficking purposes.”
“Oh, no.”
“John said sometimes they find the children’s bones on back roads. There’s no way to know for sure what has happened to them.”
“Doesn’t the FBI or the US Marshall help find the children?”
Mom shook her head. “They’re too short-staffed. So’s the tribe. That’s why John is trying to help.”
My heart ached for the missing children and their families. “How many children have gone missing recently?”
“Three this year,” Dad said, shaking his head. “So far.”
I had no words. The shock stunned me.
“But let’s not leave on that note,” Mom said. “Your dad wants to show you what’s happening here on the ranch.”
“Come along, Skye,” he rumbled. “I can show you from the deck. No point in going out into this downpour.”
The sweet scent of rain on the earth and lawn welcomed me as Dad pointed out the various improvements and projects he had going on the ranch.
“I planted the garden yesterday, too. There’s carrots, radishes, peas, and broccoli. I’ve marked the rows in the garden. If you’d like to plant squash and tomatoes, the nursery in town has starter plants.”
“There’s nothing better than fresh veggies. I’ll love it, Dad. I didn’t have a place for gardening in Denver. This will be great.”
“I’ve asked Ethan to check in on you after work every day.”
“Dad!”
“He told me about Joe Alders. I’ll feel better if Ethan keeps an eye on you, honey.”
I thought about Joe for a moment and nodded. “You’re right. I guess I’ll feel safer with Ethan around, too.”
“Good.” Dad smiled and hugged me. “I wouldn’t want anything to happen to my girl.”
“Doug, could you help me with our suitcases for a minute?” Mom called.
“Coming.”
We both turned and tackled the job of lining up the suitcases and last-minute extras on the deck, waiting for the rain to stop before putting them in the RV. Twenty minutes later, the storm had passed, and we loaded the RV.
“Well, we should probably head out now,” Dad said reluctantly. “I’d rather stick around another day, but your grandma has plans for us out there in Kentucky.” He hugged me and climbed up into the driver’s seat.
Mom put her arms around me and whispered, “You take care of Ethan for us, Skye. We’ve been trying to cheer him up by being hospitable. He needs looking after. I don’t think he knows much about cooking, so we’ve had him over to dinner a lot. I told him to drop by when he gets off work to check on you. That’s around five.”
“Come along, Suzanne,” Dad called.
“Have a safe trip.” I smiled and waved as they pulled out of the driveway onto the long dirt road to town. Standing on the deck, I looked around at the ranch. I felt lonely with everyone gone. But I’d manage.
If Ethan is coming by later, I should probably bake a pie. He’ll be tired after a long day at work. I’m glad Mom has been taking care of him. Maybe he’d like to start having dinner with me, too. I’ll ask.
Opening the fridge, I checked the possibilities. There on the top shelf was a package wrapped in butcher paper containing two steaks. I looked at my watch. There’s just enough time to bake a pie if I use Mom’s canned cherries and the rolled pie crust she left wrapped in wax paper for me. I turned the oven on. Checking the cupboard, I took out two potatoes from the bag of russets. The fridge held lettuce and tomatoes. Everything I needed for dinner was there. I turned the oven on, washed the potatoes and set them on the counter for later. Pulling out the pie crust, I filled the bottom of Mom’s glass pie plate. Mixing a jar of Mom’s canned cherries with some spices and cornstarch, I poured the mixture into the shell, added the top crust, cut some slits in it, crimped the edges and slid it into the hot oven.
***
By the time Ethan’s truck pulled into the driveway, the coals in the barbecue were just right and the potatoes were staying warm in their foil wraps inside the oven, while the pie cooled on the counter.
“Hello Skye,” Ethan called, climbing down from the truck. He pulled off his white clinic coat and his tie, tossing them into the truck before closing the door. His blonde hair, no longer hidden by a cowboy hat, brushed his eyebrows in front. I liked the look.
“Hi Ethan.” I walked out to greet him. “Mom said you’d be dropping by to check on me when you’d finished at the clinic. I have baked potatoes in the oven and cherry pie cooling on the counter. I hope you’re hungry.”
“You didn’t need to do that!”
“Yes I did. Mom said you needed looking after and gave me the assignment. As long as you’re going to be checking on me every day, I’m going to meet you with supper, just like Mom did. Besides, I like the company.” I grinned up into his face and pulled him toward the house. “Mom left steak, and the coals are hot in the barbecue. You want to oversee that part of dinner while I fix the salad?”
Ethan’s eyes twinkled. “I surrender. You’re just as persuasive as Suzanne.”
“Good.”
I brought the fluffy potatoes, butter, and salad out to the deck as Ethan finished barbecuing the steaks. We sat down to a leisurely meal facing each other across the old round table. With the pleasant evening breeze blowing over freshly washed grasslands, we caught up on each other’s lives while we ate.
“Your dad said you were home for the summer. Any chance you’ll stay longer?” Ethan asked.
“I don’t know yet. I’m going to ask Mrs. Cottrell if there’s a need for tutors. If there isn’t, I’ll check out jobs in Loveland for the fall.”
“Um. I see. I’m sorry things didn’t work out for you with the guy you were dating.”
“Don’t be. I’m not.” I paused, looking out over the pasture. “What you told me about recognizing love helped me see the truth about Dale. He was really in love with someone else. I guess that’s what I was sensing. Yes, it hurt at first, but I’m happy to be home now and far away from him.”
“Well, it’s his loss,” Ethan said. “I’m personally glad you are here, Skye. I’ve missed you. Having a good friend across the pasture will be nice.”
I grinned. “Yes. It will be nice to have a good friend here. Any of our other friends home now?”
“There’s Aaron and Annette. I don’t know if you remember Wade Martin or Sandi McCoy. They’re deputies working with Aaron now.”
“Didn’t remember Sandi graduate with your class?”
“Yes. Wade graduated a year earlier.”
“I don’t remember Annette.”
“Aaron met her at the county fair one year. She was in charge of the Wild Horse Bend 4-H girls. I guess one of the kids accidentally let a pig out, and Aaron and Annette chased it down. The way he tells it, they tackled the pig at the same time, and they’ve been together ever since.” Ethan grinned.
I laughed. “I can picture it. What a hoot!”
He shook his head. “Doesn’t sound very romantic, does it?”
I shrugged. “I guess romance comes in many disguises.”
Ethan stood. “Let me help you with dishes. If you’re up to it afterward, would you like to join me horseback riding?”
“I’d love to. I haven’t had a chance to even say hi to Rio yet.”