Page 17 of Longest Ride

“How long do we have to get to the airport, Mommy?”

“A couple of hours. I hope we make it in time for our boarding call. I want to go home to Texas. I’ve had enough snow and wind and freezing temperatures to last me for a long while.”

“Me too,” said Lucy. “I didn’t know there was this much snow in the whole world.”

“I’m still shivering.” Annie reached over and turned the heater on high.

“Do you think Eldon is still alive, Mommy?”

“He could be but won’t be alive much longer. Tammy doesn’t have a clue how to look after a surgery patient in Eldon’s condition. She made a huge mistake taking him out of the hospital and if Eldon dies, she could be charged with criminal negligence causing death. Not that she would be, Eldon being a fugitive and on the wanted list.”

“Why did he go with her then?” asked Lucy.

“I’ve been asking myself that question. He was on strong drugs for the pain after surgery and his brain could’ve been foggy.”

“Must’ve been the drugs,” said Lucy. “What else would make him go along with Tammy’s stupid plan?”

Kamloops Airport. B.C.

Annie and Lucy made it to the airport in time to hear their boarding call. The woman working for the airline called it twice while they ran for the gate.

“We have to run faster, Mommy.”

Annie winced with the pain in her bad leg. “Run to the desk and tell them I’m coming, honey.”

Lucy’s face was flushed as she ran through the airport with her dark hair flying.

When Annie got to the boarding desk, the attendant smiled at her. “You have lots of time, Mrs. Powell. You don’t have to hurry.”

“Thank you.”

Annie took a couple of breaths and leaned on the desk until her pounding heart caught up. She slowly limped down the loading ramp towards the door of the plane with Lucy holding her arm.

“We made it, Mommy.”

She and Lucy settled into their first-class seats and buckled up for takeoff.

While the attendant went through the safety regulations, Annie called Travis and told him about Tammy. She gave him the Reader’s Digest version and Travis was totally silent when she finished.

“Thanks for the call.”

That’s all he said, and he was gone.

“I told him, Lucy.”

“Is Travis going to blame us, Mommy?”

“That’s a sure thing.”

Chapter Five

Monday, September 23rd.

Wild Stallion Ranch. Montana.

When Virge and I came in from the barn, Dad was slumped down at the kitchen table with his head in his hands.

I figured Annie had called him and he knew about Tammy. That meant me and Virge didn’t have to tell him the horror story and take the flack he’d throw back at us.

---