The M 6 Ranch

Untitled Part 2

Ronnie went toward the house, and stopped in the kitchen. He gave Jane a kiss on the head like he always does. "Have you seen momma?"

"She will whoop you for calling her that. But, no I haven't, why?"Jane laughed at her joke.

Chapter 2

The group made it back home with no more trouble. Ronnie scanned the ranch like he always does when he returns. He stopped when he saw Lighting in the field grazing. That's usually not strange but he still had his saddle on. He rode out to Lighting. "Well, why are you out here all alone?" He looked around for any wrong doings. Everything looked normal. He grabbed the reigns and led him to the stables. He gave the horses to the barn hand. "Have you seen Laura? Why was he out in the pasture?"

"No sir I haven't sense this morning. I don't know why he was in the pasture. I'll cool them down though."

"Lighting was out in the field with his saddle on, with no trace of Laura." He said picking a potato out of the bowl.

Jane looked up from the bowl of potatoes, she was cleaning. She didn't say anything. She got up and headed out of the kitchen. She walked through the empty dining room, through the den. There were a few guests in there relaxing by the fire. She walked on through with Ronnie on her heels. They ran into Anne and Nikki on the back porch. Jane snapped out. "Have you seen your mother?"

Anne looked up from playing with Nikki. "No, what has she done now?"

"She has disappeared." Jane thought but knew she couldn't say it out loud. Instead they relayed the events as they happened that day.

She turned to Ronnie "Where is she?"

Ronnie put his arm around her shoulders. "I don't know honey. She's not in the house. The hands haven't seen her sense this morning."

She straightened, but didn't move away from Ronnie. He knew she was ok then. "Then something happened to her on her way home."Anne said looking Ronnie in the eyes.

"As I told you she came home alone, to help with the cook out. I think she really wanted to get away from one of the guest. I saw them talking right before she left." He rubbed Anne's shoulder lovingly.

Jane nodded her head. "It must have been Mr. Moore."

"Why do you say that?" Ronnie asked. "And, how did you know that?"

"She's attracted to him for some reason."Jane shrugged her shoulders.

Ronnie left Anne and Jane, with strict orders not to be alone. They needed to act like nothing was wrong, and continue with the cook out. Him and a couple of hands would go and look for her.

Ronnie found Steve with some of the guest. He was showing them how to rope a cow. Another hand took his place while Ronnie took him off to one side to tell him what was going on. They didn't notice Tony standing nearby to overhear. He stepped forward. "May I come with you and help look?"

"First tell me what you two talked about out on the range." Ronnie stepped closer then Steve came up behind Ronnie. "You seem to be the last one to talk to her."

"I was?" He thought a few minutes. "All we talked about was the mountain lion....and why she bought the ranch. But she didn't answer she just said later."

"Why would you want to know that?" Steve asked.

"I'm a curious person I guess. Plus I like her." He said raising his hands to them. "Can I come?"

"Yes you can." Ronnie said putting out his hand to Tony. He took it. "Sorry." Steve did the same.

They went to the barn and road out. Retracing their tracks to where they left her early.

"There is two ways back to the ranch, from where I found Lighting. I say she went through the woods."Ronnie said.

"That sounds right." Steve scratched his head. "That's the way to get to that field, without going through the ranch."

"It sounds like that's the way we need to go." They rode out of the yard in a hurry; they were going toward the woods. About half a mile in, her hat was lying on the ground. They stopped; dismounted Steve walked over to the hat and picked it up and froze. Tony came over. "What is it?"

"There's a big hole in the side of her hat." Steve said giving the hat to Tony. Steve looked down at the ground. "There is more than one set of tracks here also." Ronnie squatted down looking closer at the tracks. "It looks like to me there was a struggle here." He said pointing at the tracks all scrambled up together. Steve squatted with Tony next to him. "See, someone came up from behind her and grabbed her. Then they must have knocked her out, because there's only one set of tracks leaving." The tracks lead to another set of tracks this time they were horses' hooves. "Mount up." That was all Ronnie said.