Chapter 7: Charlie

Before I drove out to Laredo, I decided to stop by Cross Acres to locate Jack. It was possible that one of his ranch hands knew where he was if he weren't on the ranch. When I turned down his gravel driveway, I passed the ornate wrought-iron gates that were always dripping with vines and colorful flowers. I'd asked once who kept them up, and Jack told me that was Sarah's doing. I wondered if Randi would take care of them in her sister's absence.

I breathed a sigh of relief when I found Jack's F-350 parked in the circle in front of the farmhouse. At the very least, it meant I didn't have to make the forty-five-minute trip to Laredo or traipse all over town to track him down. Instead of pulling into the drive behind him, I parked in front of the barn next to what appeared to be Austin's truck. I hopped out of the cab, wondering what my brother was doing here at seven in the morning. I knew he'd been spending a ton of time with Randi, but this was early even for them.

And then Austin came out of the barn, reins in hand, and Randi's horse behind him. The scowl that marred his brow didn't encourage me. Unfortunately, he stopped and waited for me to come to his side.

"Hey, man. What are you doing? Where's Randi?" I jerked my head toward the horse no one else ever touched.

His lip curled, an expression I'd never seen when his girlfriend's name came into play. That girl was the light of my little brother's life. They had been an item before they knew what an item was. In some twisted Harlequin-type romance, he'd claimed her when they were like ten, and he lived by that promise like it was an oath. "The million-dollar question." He took a step away as if that ended the conversation.

I grabbed his bicep. "What gives, man? You two okay?" They never so much as fought.

Austin cocked his head to the side and then looked around like I'd missed something written in the sky. "What do you think, Charlie? Does it look like shit's good?"

I'd stepped in something, and I could smell it. I just didn't know what it was. "You're being pretty cryptic-"

"She fucking left, Charlie. Gone." He threw his hands into the air, startling the palomino at his side. "Poof-like a damn magician." Austin seemed to think I should know who she was and what he referred to, but I was lost.

"What are you talking about?"

He clenched his fist at his side and gritted his teeth before he answered. "Randi!"

I couldn't have heard him right. "Adams?"

"Jesus, Charlie, are you listening to me? Yes! Miranda Adams."

"She'd never leave Mason Belle, much less without you. You sure she didn't just run off with Chasity for a night?"

His nostrils flared, and his eyes narrowed. "She's gone, Charlie. As in not coming back."

The screen door into the kitchen banged, and I turned to see who it was. Jack made his way toward us when I faced my brother again. "Says who? And if she's gone, what the hell are you doing here at seven in the morning, anyhow?"

He shrugged, some of his anger dissipating and kicked the gravel underfoot. "Jack needed help. He told Mom and Dad last night. She just left. He doesn't know where she went."

"That doesn't make any sense." And it didn't.

Randi grew up in this town, and it was small. People never left Mason Belle, especially not the ones whose families had been here for generations, which hers had. They also owned the largest share of the county, had the biggest cattle ranch for miles, and everything she loved was inside our town limits-including my brother.

I clapped him on the shoulder when Jack joined us. "I'm sure she's just rattled about everything going on with Sarah. Don't get discouraged, Austin. She'll be back. She loves you."

I'd never seen my brother look so lost and downtrodden. He nodded, turned to Randi's horse, and mounted the beautiful animal. I shook my head and gave Jack my attention. "Randi's going to castrate him when she sees him on that horse." I chuckled, but Jack didn't join in.

Jack's stare followed Austin as he rode out into the pastures. "He's a good boy."

He was right; my brother was a good kid. Before I could ask about what had him in such a tizzy and why he believed Randi had left town, Jack motioned toward the house.

"I need to sign that paperwork for you. And I have a check inside." He led the way, and I didn't change the subject.

I'd been trying to track him down for deposits, signatures, and green lights for days. It had started to test my patience, but I tried my best to consider his circumstances anytime my temper started to flare or I got agitated.

We went in the same door he'd just come out. It clanged behind us, and I thought about how that noise was common to every house in this area. It was as familiar as Mom's fried chicken or apple pie.

"Have a seat, son. I'd offer you some coffee or breakfast, but Sarah does all that around here. I'm not one for the kitchen. Might make you sick if you ate after me." He chuckled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.

I sat at the breakfast table and waited for him to join me. "How's she doing?"

"Sarah?"

My head bobbed.

Jack removed his cowboy hat and set it on the table next to him. His weathered hand pushed his hair back, and he let out a slow, low sigh. "She ain't good, Charlie."

"She's only been out of the coma for a little bit. Give her some time, Jack. That was a pretty serious accident."

"Doctors don't know if she'll walk again. I haven't had the heart to tell her."

I blanched. "What do you mean? Isn't that the doctor's job?" I leaned back in the chair and crossed my arms. "Plus, isn't it a bit early to start making those type of proclamations? Yeah, she's banged up, got some broken bones, stitches, and a hell of a lot of bruises, but she'll mend."

His Adam's apple bobbed heavily in his throat when he swallowed. And when his eyes pooled, I realized he'd had to swallow a large lump to speak. "It's the spinal cord injury they're worried about. Not the other stuff. Not to say that all of those things aren't concerns as well. But her back-it's bad."

"Can you get a specialist in? Make sure she gets the best money can buy?"

It wasn't like Jack didn't have it; the family was loaded. They owned their land, the house, and the cattle outright. He was the only man in town that didn't have a loan of any kind at the bank. He paid cash for everything. The paperwork he was signing for equipment wasn't because he couldn't pay his share, it was the other three ranchers around him that needed him to co-sign so he could help them irrigate their land. It benefited all of the property owners, but the fact still remained, Jack could have a back doctor here from Dallas or Houston in no time.

"It's in the works. As soon as she's stable enough, we're moving her to an in-patient treatment facility where she can get full-time, round the clock physical therapy and rehabilitation. It's the best chance she'll have at any type of normal life." He dropped his head, and I wondered if he was going to lose his grip. "I've contacted several plastic surgeons, too." There was shame in his eyes when he lifted his head. "A girl who can't walk in a ranching community needs brains and beauty to help land her a husband. I gotta give her the best shot I can."

"Huh?"

The old man had clearly flipped his lid. Maybe he was just sleep-deprived and hadn't gone batshit crazy, but this was insanity. He could not tell his twenty-four-year-old daughter that she needed plastic surgery just in case her legs didn't work when this was all over.

"She wouldn't have been in that car if I hadn't made her deal with Randi. I should have been the one chasin' my girl down. Not Sarah. Randi got off scot-free while Sarah's laid up in a bed, and God-" A sob ripped from his throat. He covered his mouth with his hand, and I sat in the most uncomfortable position I'd ever endured.

I didn't know if I should hug him, wait for him to stop crying, or what. I sucked at this type of thing; that's what women were for, but the only women in Jack's life were his daughters. Right now, both were unavailable. "It was an accident, Jack. No one's to blame. Not you, not Sarah, and not Randi."

"I wish I believed that."