Page 8 of Stormy Ride

Once my gut settled, I grabbed a log off the pile and set it up on the chopping block, then reached down for the axe.

Covered in dried blood that belonged to Billy Johnson, I decided that wasn’t an axe I could use today. The house would have to remain bone-chilling cold until I drove into Coyote Creek and bought myself a new axe.

Walking away from the woodpile, I circled around to the front of the barn and opened one of the doors. Inside, I had a quick look around and the barn I loved had an empty feel to it.

A faint trace of Outlaw’s scent lingered on the air in the barn and peering into his empty stall, I realized how badly I was missing him.

As I closed the barn doors and fastened them, I wondered how long I’d be here this time. For some reason I couldn’t explain, this ranch felt like home to me and gave me a deep sense of calm.

Would it be worth it to have Outlaw trucked up here?

“I need to visit Uncle Carson’s grave. I never should have left him. I feel like I belong here now that I can think clearly again.”

Retreating to the cold house, I cranked up the thermostat figuring I’d be the one paying the next oil bill. Whether the furnace could deliver enough heat to warm the house up was a mystery to me. Billy had taken care of things like that.

In the middle of starting a pot of coffee, it came to me that I’d forgotten to call Annie the night before. When I’d finally arrived at the ranch, it was the middle of the night and there was no point waking her up to tell her I was safe.

That was the excuse I was going to use. I sucked it up and scrolled to her number.

“Sorry I forgot to call last night, Annie-girl. I hit the bed around three and I was out cold.”

“Too far for a two-day drive, sugar. As long as you’re there and you’re safe. Will you see Billy today?”

“I’m driving over to the hospital first thing, and I promised Tammy she could talk to Billy on the phone while I was there.”

“She’s been asking me questions about his injury.”

“I’ll find out more when I get a chance to talk to his doctor.”

“Let me know and I’ll fill her in.”

“I will. I love you.”

“Same.”

Sheriff’s Office. Coyote Creek.

After making a quick fried egg sandwich and still too early to go to the hospital, I drove to Coyote Creek to see how Molly was doing holding the fort on her own.

With tears in her eyes, she greeted me with a hug and bigger hugs for Max and Sarge. “I’m so pleased you were able to come back for Billy. He needs you so badly.”

“I’m going to the hospital as soon as visiting hours start and when I see him in person, I’ll have a better idea of the situation.”

“You could glance at the paperwork stacked up on his desk,” said Molly. “He’s been working on something that he hasn’t let me in on. He might confide in you what it is.”

“Huh. I wonder what that could be. I don’t have any real authority in Harrison County any longer, and I’m not sure I want any. I enjoy being an ordinary citizen.”

“Since the minute you walked through the front door of this building, Travis, you’ve never been an ordinary citizen. You are a lawman. It’s ingrained in you.”

I laughed. “Texas Ranger too long and I can’t shake it, is that what you’re saying?”

Molly laughed too. “Something like that.”

Cut Bank Hospital.

Billy was asleep when I walked into his room, and I didn’t wake him up. I sat in the chair next to his bed and gazed over at his pale face.

Jack told me his cousin had lost a lot of blood before his father came looking for him and found him out by the barn.

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