Page 100 of Sweet Like Whiskey

Jackson

“Fuck, that sucked balls,” Colton mutters as the ranch house comes into view. He’s riding beside me atop Clementine, just as wet as I am. The rain has mostly stopped, but with the sun having fallen behind the mountains, we’re all cold and plain miserable.

But at least we have Tara.

She’s on horseback with her dad, who joined the second search party. The little girl is in remarkably good shape, having waited beneath a tree once she was sure she was lost. It was smart of her to stay put instead of continuing to wander in a direction that might have taken her further from her group.

She’s shaken and tired, but whole and healthy. And that’s what matters.

“Think Ash will have whipped up something warm for us?” Colton asks, a grin on his face.

“It’s his weekend,” I remind my brother.

“Yeah, but you know he wouldn’t care. He likes cooking for us.”

“And should be appreciated for it,” I grumble.

“Hey, did anything I say sound unappreciative?” he combats, not waiting for an answer before going on. “You’re in amood.”

“Can you blame me?” I ask, sliding down off Starlight’s back as we reach the stables.

“Nope,” my brother answers easily. “Like I said, that sucked.”

Tara’s dad jumps down and helps his daughter off their horse. In the dim light, I can see the girl’s mom approaching swiftly alongside my mother, both coming from the direction of the ranch house. I give the family privacy as they reunite, their soft cries tugging at my heart.

My mom beelines my way once close, her eyes sweeping the group of us who rode back with Tara and her dad. We’re the last to arrive. “Is Ashley with you?” she asks, her voice shaking in a way I don’t like.

“No,” I say slowly. “Why would he be?”

She sets her jaw, working through something. “He’s not here. I think he went after you lot.”

“You think?” I ask, my heart jumping.

“I don’t know, Jackson. He was here, and then he wasn’t. And he didn’t come back with the first group.”

“Ma,” I say a little harshly.

“Jackson Darling, I suggest you curb that tone. I’m just as worried as you are.”

One look at her face confirms it. I spin around, heading into the barn.

“Shorty isn’t in there,” my mom calls.

I curse, my feet carrying me forward faster. The moment I set eyes on Shorty’s empty stall, I spin right back around.

“You tried calling?” I ask.

“Him and his friend Virginia both,” she confirms. “She hasn’t seen him since earlier, before he got home.”

The rest of our party is looking between the two of us now, having realized something is wrong. My mom hands me Starlight’s reins as soon as I reach them.

“Go,” she says. “I’ll talk to the others.”

I swing up onto Starlight’s back, looking Colton’s way. He hasn’t yet gotten down off Clementine. “You got the lamps?”

“Yep,” he says. “Let’s do it.”

I turn Starlight in the direction of the woods and kick my heels. “Ya.”

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