Page 68 of Unexpected Danger
A canopy of trees weaved their branches overhead as she stepped down into a low-lying path alongside the creek before hastening back up the hill. A far distance now from Mila andRoarke’s house, and even farther from Aileen’s, but still on Brenneman land, Londyn continued. She paused for a minute, inclined her face to the sky, and allowed the sun to beat down on her. Summers didn’t get any better than the ones in Pronghorn Falls. Warm. Low humidity. The scent of pine trees and the sound of birds chirping.
Speaking of sounds…a noise reminiscent of a woman crying interrupted the serenity. Londyn craned an ear toward the din and listened again.
“Sesame? Where are you?”
It was a female voice, and as Londyn took a few steps forward, she saw a woman through the trees patting her leg and calling to whoever Sesame was. Londyn stilled for a moment, just watching. While anyone could access this area from the main road, it wasn’t common knowledge that it was here, and while the Brenneman Ranch butted up to the state land, most people didn’t venture this far.
Most people.
But this woman had.
“Oh, hello.” The woman turned to face her, tears in her eyes.
Londyn recognized her as someone who had disputed a bill once when Londyn worked at the hospital billing department, but she couldn’t recall her name. “Did you lose someone?”
“I did. I was taking Sesame for a walk, and he disappeared. Can you help me find him?”
Londyn didn’t need to see the anguish in the woman’s eyes to know that Sesame was an important pet. She took a few steps closer. “Are we looking for a dog?”
“Yes. He’s a Portuguese Podengo.”
Londyn wasn’t well-versed in dog breeds. “What color is he?”
“Yellow with white on his face, chest, and paws. He’s about fifty pounds and such a sweetheart.” The woman hiccuppedbefore launching into a sob. “I don’t know what I will do if I can’t find him.”
“I can help you. You look familiar from when I used to work at the billing department for the hospital and clinic. What is your name?”
“Renee. Renee Corker. And your name?”
“I’m Londyn.”
Renee nodded. “I remember now. You were so nice to help me get my bill reduced after I hurt my back.”
Scant details returned. Londyn smiled at the redhead, whose unmanageable hair had escaped from what appeared to be a former ponytail at the nape of her neck. “Where did you last see Sesame?”
“Right over there near the ravine. We decided to go on a walk after one of my friends told me it was so beautiful up here and that we could get a good glimpse of the mountains.” Renee withdrew her phone from her pants pocket. “I’ve been trying to get some pictures to enter in the newspaper’s photo of the week contest. At first, I wasn’t going to take Sesame because he has a history of running off, but he was so eager to go on a walk this morning. Thank you for helping me find him.” For the next several minutes, Londyn joined Renee in calling Sesame’s name. She thought she heard a bark on the other side of the creek, but she couldn’t be sure.
“I think I hear her down there.” Renee pointed toward the road and, without waiting, started scaling the dirt path in that direction. Londyn followed her, periodically calling out to Sesame.
A truck hauling a horse trailer passed by on the road. “Maybe we should cross to the other side and see if he’s over there,” suggested Renee. She shoved her free hand into the pocket of her purple denim pants covered in dog hair, which did little to flatter her overt pear shape. “What do you think, Londyn?”
Londyn scanned the area across the two-lane road. The state land on that side was covered in sagebrush mingled with some rocky patches. A deer stood eyeing them. She was surprised it would be so calm if Sesame was in the vicinity.
“We can, but I doubt he’s over there. Why don’t we head back up the hill and see if maybe we just missed seeing him?”
Renee shrugged her narrow shoulders, and Londyn turned back around to lead the woman back to where they had come from when she heard a vehicle pull up to the side of the road.
“Oh, there’s my friend. Maybe he can help us.” Renee strode toward the car.
The hairs on the back of Londyn’s neck stood on end, although she wasn’t sure why. She didn’t recognize the vehicle, and she couldn’t see who was inside. Still, she’d learned long ago to listen to her gut. Maybe she should return to the ranch. She increased her speed when she heard footsteps behind her. She assumed it was Renee, but glanced back just to be sure.
That’s when she noticed Dustin following her.
Londyn sped up her pace, but her foot slipped on the dry dirt of the incline. She fell and propelled herself back up again, struggling to get traction. Once on even ground, she would need to switch to a full-out run. When she reached the top, something hard hit her just behind the knees, and she fell to the ground, smacking her kneecaps and shoulder on the packed dirt. Londyn gritted her teeth and attempted once again to rise to her feet.
She was vaguely aware of Dustin’s voice, “Wow, Renee, I’m impressed. I never figured you to be able to swing a tree branch.”
Renee laughed as the pain radiated down the back of Londyn’s leg. Adrenaline urged her off the ground just as Dustin grabbed her ponytail and wrenched her head back. “Where do you think you’re going, Londyn?”
