Page 53 of Operation: Unify

“Understood, though in order to know, I’d buy her another one.” If they were only sitting a quarter mile on either side of the driveway, then he could easily drive to that spot with no worries about being seen. If they were further away, their cars might be seen and detained.

“Last question. When she was checking this out with her drone, did she happen to see any other vehicles drive by that area?”

Brendon was quiet for a split-second. “No, but I’ll pray that it’s only because we’re close to Christmas and everyone is preparing.”

“Call John Willis Sr. He lives down that way. If he was stopped, then we know this isn’t safe.” John was a good friend and would be willing to check out the situation if he didn’t know firsthand.

“Will do. I’ll call you back in a minute.”

Connor hung up and the cab was silent as they drove closer to Wayside. He turned down a dirt road that would take him alongside the ranch in the next ten minutes, but he hadn’t heard from Brendon yet. He glanced at his phone, willing it to ring.

“What do we do? We’re almost there and we can’t risk getting stopped by Viceroy’s men. They’ll recognize both of us,” Lacy’s voice had taken on a frantic tone.

His phone rang and he pulled off the road. Randy pulled in behind him and waited.

“Connor, I just talked to John. The road is open but be cautious. He said when he tried to come home from the store, he was stopped by a car parked about a quarter mile from our driveway. They made him turn around and go another way. When he told them he lived down that road, they asked him a bunch of questions. It was only when they discovered he wasn’t from Wayside that they let him go.”

“Okay. We’ll be careful. We’re about five minutes from the fence line. Is Junior in position?”

“Yes. Praying for your safe return.” Brendon hung up.

“Ladies. It’s time to pray us in.”

Gooseflesh rippledover Lacy’s arms as Connor drove them slowly toward a remote area of Wayside, the same area where men had broken through the fence earlier in the year to steal horses. Thankfully, they hadn’t been successful, but they’d torn down a section of fence to do it.

Connor slowed his progress even more and inched along the gravel road. She assumed he was trying to keep quiet, but maybe there was some other reason. Now seemed like the worst time to ask. He was clearly concentrating.

He pulled to a stop and drew the key from the ignition. “Junior is waiting just over there. I want you both to go as quickly as possible while I tell Randy. Someone will come back for your bags.”

“We heard.” Melinda gave a nod and opened her door.

Lacy jumped out of the pickup right behind Melinda and gently closed the door, so it didn’t make noise. She ran through the snow over to Junior. The ATV he had was more like an all-terrain golf cart that went fast. Lacy and Melinda pressed in tightly next to Junior and a moment later, Connor and Randy piled into the back seat.

The machine took off, kicking up snow as it sped over the hills toward the lodge. She’d never been so happy to see the glow of the lights from her house, the place she’d called home for so many years.

The last few days had taught her she didn’t need to go searching for anything. Everything she’d ever held truly dear, she had at Wayside. Her faith had grown here. Her love for Connor had started here. She was who she was because of what she’d experienced on this ranch.

Melinda held tight to the side of the ATV, the strain on her face made her look years older than she was. It was probably past time to take her medication, but they hadn’t stopped to eat, and she hadn’t wanted to take it on an empty stomach. Now, she would need to rest. Hopefully, they could get into the lodge and find somewhere for her to stay until she was healed.

Junior pulled the machine to a stop right in front of the porch. Connor got out first, then helped Melinda get down. He handed her hand off to Randy who assisted her up the stairs. Teddy opened the front door and limped out, immediately pulling Connor into a hug. Then, the moment he freed Connor, he tugged Lacy into the tightest hug she’d ever had.

“I was worried about both of you. I know you’re adults and I’m not supposed to worry, but I did. In fact, I think worry is one of the hardest things to give to God as a parent.” He led all of them inside and closed the door.

A huge tree stood in the living room, beautifully decorated and lit. Lacy wanted to take a minute and enjoy arriving home, but there wasn’t time for that. They were basically under siege. Brendon rolled out from his office and joined them.

“Glad to have you back. I’ve been trying to get a hold of anyone on the police force to come help us, but no one is answering. I’m going to have to call Cheyenne, but I know they won’t want to come out here. Until they do, we’re stuck.”

“How long have Edwyn and Sam been out there?” Connor asked.

Teddy answered. “They’ve been out there for three hours now. They have a heated ATV, but I’m sure they’re cold and tired.”

“Send Eric and Cole out to relieve them. Brendon, go ahead and call Cheyenne. See if they can send anyone. They know the issue, Nixon was shot. They must know that by now.”

Brendon nodded and headed back for his office. This was part of Wayside she usually didn’t see. She wasn’t part of security. Her forte was hospitality and comfort. She took care of making sure the guests had everything they needed. She headed for the tree, wanting a few feet of distance between herself and the stress of the situation.

Melinda followed her. “It’s beautiful. I asked for a tree the first few years of our marriage. Whenever he learned something was important to me, he’d use it against me. If I wanted a tree, he’d buy a small glass one with lights for the table and tell me it was a gift, that he was thinking of me. It took me years to realize that it wasn’t a gift. He was using my emotions against me. If I asked him why he didn’t get a Christmas tree, he could hold itagainst me and say I was picky. Everything that was wrong was my fault, no matter how careful I was.”

Lacy knew it would take a long time of talking through all the things Melinda had been through before she felt good enough to understand that she wasn’t all those things she’d learned she was when she was with Tod. But she would.

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