Reunited With The Rancher

“I know. We have to keep moving. How often does he do this?”

“Twice in the past year. One time before that.” Carson hated the feeling of loss each time Andy wandered away. Loss and helplessness.

“There’s got to be a way to stop him or to track him,” Isaac offered.

“I’ve thought about several things. I guess I hoped he would grow out of it.”

Max began to bark and started to pull on the leash.

“He’s got the scent.” Isaac unhooked his leash and the dog took off.

Max headed for a stand of trees a short distance from the pond. Isaac stumbled a bit. Carson passed him and went after the dog. His barking increased in frequency and loudness. Carson hurried to the pond bank where the dog seemed to have something or someone cornered. He prayed it would be his son.

He refused to think of other prayers that hadn’t been answered.

“Andy. You have to come out.” Carson stood, listening. Isaac approached, quieter than a man his size should have been.

“Over there.” Isaac pointed to a huddled form sitting on the ground next to a bush, a tiny kitten in his hands.

“Hey, buddy, what do you have there?” Carson asked as he picked his son up.

“I saved it,” Andy said. He leaned his head on Carson’s shoulder.

Andy was a little muddy, wet and obviously cold. “Hey, Isaac, do you have that jacket?”

Isaac leaned down to pet Max, giving the dog a treat from his pocket. Carson repeated the request for the jacket. This time Isaac looked at him and then shook his head. Carson pointed to the jacket.

“Sorry, I didn’t hear you.” Isaac handed over the jacket with an easy grin. And Carson knew there had to be more to the excuse.

They headed back across the field. As they walked, Isaac texted Jack, Kylie and the men who were helping in the search. As he texted he moved to the opposite side of Carson. The side without a scar, Carson realized.

“Go easy on her,” Isaac said.

Carson knew he meant on Kylie. “I don’t need to be told what to do.”

“You don’t seem to be the most forgiving guy in the world.” Isaac grinned at him and then stuck a toothpick in his mouth. Carson could smell cinnamon.

“And you’ve come to that conclusion because I don’t want to take Jack up on his clinic offer? I’m a trauma surgeon, not a family practitioner. And I need to live in a larger city. I need to make sure we’re somewhere that Andy can get the resources he needs, the education he needs.”

Isaac’s expression softened as he looked at Andy, clinging tightly to Carson’s neck. “Yeah, I get that.”

“Thanks.”

Isaac shrugged. “It wouldn’t hurt you to look at the clinic. And you could at least tell the old man that you forgive him.”

“Yeah, I guess I could.” Carson kept trudging along on the uneven ground. Isaac walked next to him, the toothpick between his teeth and a thoughtful expression on his face. It didn’t take a genius to realize the other man looked a lot like family, more like Carson’s younger brother Colt than Carson, but the resemblance was there.

So were memories of his parents fighting, shouting things that his younger self had tried to ignore.

“You really want to raise your kids up there?” Isaac asked.

“There or another city like Chicago. I’ve got to find a job in a city that offers what I’m looking for.”

“Right, of course.”

They were getting closer to the stable. Carson could see people moving, watching. “How many people live here on the ranch?”

Isaac took the toothpick out of his mouth. “Usually a dozen or more. I don’t count them all. Jack likes to take in strays.”

“Interesting hobby for a man who let his wife take his kids.” Carson heard the edge to his voice and stopped there, because Andy had looked up at him, gray eyes troubled.

“You all just need to talk. But I guess that won’t happen if you’re leaving tonight.”

Andy shook his head. “I don’t want to leave.”

“I know you don’t,” Carson responded.

“Give the kid a break. Let him get a good night’s sleep. Does it matter if it’s here or a hotel?” Isaac shook his head. “I thought I was stubborn. You keep making excuses about how you have to get on the road and get your kids settled. But you won’t stop to think that maybe staying a night here could be the best thing for them.”

Carson glanced up and saw Kylie a short distance away, listening and worrying her bottom lip. She’d done that even at thirteen.

“I’m sorry,” she immediately said. Tears filled her eyes.

“You don’t have to apologize. He sometimes wanders away. It happens. It’s happened to me, and to his nanny in Dallas. We do the best we can to keep him safe.”

Andy’s arms went around Carson’s neck, an unusual moment for the two of them. Andy was rarely affectionate. The kitten Andy had shoved between them wasn’t quite as affectionate. He climbed away from them and jumped to the ground, running fast in the direction of the shed where the rest of the litter now played.

“Where’s Maggie?” he asked as they walked through the gate that Isaac had opened.

“Asleep on your...on Jack’s lap.”

“Oh.”

She put a cautious hand on Andy’s arm. “I was worried about you, buddy.”

“Sorry,” he said without looking at her.

“We have stew and biscuits,” Kylie said. “Would you all like to eat before you leave?”

Andy tried to get down from Carson’s arms. “I don’t want to. I don’t like the car. I want to go home.”

Home. Carson sighed. They no longer had a home. They had possessions in a storage facility. They had clothes in suitcases in the car.

He followed Kylie to the back door of the house. Inside they were greeted by a dozen people lined up in the kitchen preparing for dinner. This was Jack’s life, his mission. Or was it a ministry? A group of people starting over. If anyone knew how to help veterans, it would be Jack.

“Well?” Kylie asked, smiling when she noticed where his attention had gone. “This is Mercy Ranch. You should at least take a little time and see what Jack has done with the place.”

“I can see what he’s done. It’s a good thing.” It was easy to admit. A man couldn’t deny what was right in front of his face. The cosmetic changes to the ranch were obvious, but the people were the main reason for the ranch. He got that. He understood why this would mean something to Jack.