Chapter 9 #4
“Yeah, too many losses in one family and not far apart either. As to Glenn and John bugging you, brothers in general love to bug sisters,” he shared, “and I’m not even sure I would blame them for that.
” Ashton gave her a wry smile. “But I can see that, for you, they probably weren’t the easiest to get along with.
Yet you have been very resilient, so kudos for that.
I’m just sorry that your life has been so … difficult.”
“Yet I didn’t think it was all that difficult,” she shared, with a dry laugh.
“Lots of work, sure, but honestly it felt like I was doing okay. Until I realized that not only was I not doing okay at all, but I had also been sucked into drinking the Kool-Aid. Nothing is okay with what you’ve been telling me. ”
“But none of that has anything to do with your adoption,” he noted. “I know my aunt and uncle really wanted a daughter. They were absolutely delighted to have you. So don’t ever think any differently about that.”
She smiled. “That much I do believe, and I do remember them, as my adoptive parents. They were with me during some of my most formative years, so I don’t think I could ever forget them.
” She added, “I felt appreciated and loved, so I can’t let go of those memories.
And the fact that they died so soon after I was adopted was another big blow for me.
After that, I just never felt like I really had a home. ”
She gave half a laugh. “That’s why I was so determined to have a place where the horses could be safe, knowing they had a home for the rest of their lives, instead of being shipped off for meat, because nobody gave a crap about them anymore.”
“That whole meat industry is …” Ashton shook his head. “I’m not a fool, and I certainly appreciate the market raising beef for food. Yet it hits me wrong to think about horses being butchered for just that reason.”
“I know,” she agreed, “and yet it happens.”
“It happens everywhere,” he stated, with a nod.
She sighed. “I just find it personally difficult to fathom. It’s also one of the reasons I wanted to become a vet,” she explained. “I was hoping I could have a rescue in the future and could bring in as many animals as possible and let them live out their days in peace. Does that sound insane?”
He smiled. “No, that sounds like you.”
She laughed. “I always was kind of animal crazy, wasn’t I?
In many ways, coming to live with your family, under such terrible circumstances, I found all the animals were a saving grace.
I was shocked when your aunt and uncle first brought me to the Nelson farm, and I saw what my new home would be like.
That was pretty impressive, especially for an animal lover. ”
Khan set up a series of loud sharp barks. Ashton urged Mirage into a faster pace in Khan’s direction. Moments later, he suddenly pulled up and looked around. “Would you say you covered this area?”
She nodded. “I would have, yes.” Then she frowned.
“I didn’t ride along this section though.
The deputies and I were over there.” She pointed a little bit more to the north.
“I rode along that line and came back around behind here, and I’ve been repeating that search pattern for days.
” She groaned. “You don’t think Grandpa could possibly be lying on the ground out here or anything? ”
He looked at her and said, “No, not at all.”
Not sure she understood, she noted, “Then I don’t understand what we’re doing here.”
He smiled, as they rode forward a little bit. “Any other vehicles coming through here?”
“Other? No. Vehicles are not allowed through here at all. You know that.”
“I do know that,” he declared, “but look.” Then he pointed just ahead, where Khan was lying on the ground, waiting for them. “Whose tracks are those?”
Ashton knew he’d thrown an awful lot at Crystal in a very short window, but he didn’t have time to play games right now. It would really help if he had somebody on his side, somebody other than Jenny, who he knew would always be on his side—and Grandpa’s.
He suspected a long-lost love story was in there somewhere between Jenny and Grandpa, even if just one-sided on Jenny’s part. Ashton knew his grandfather had been well and truly hooked on his grandmother for such a long time that Ashton didn’t think there was room in there for anybody else.
He walked his horse forward slowly, looking to see just what was going on with those tire tracks because Crystal was correct. Nobody was allowed to drive through here. This area was dry and prone to problem foliage. So, they generally rode horses through here but kept the vehicles out.
It didn’t take Ashton and Crystal long to get close enough to the tracks where they were clearly visible, even though it had been dry for days. Khan, as if he understood the importance, didn’t move but watched the two of them.
Ashton hopped down and took several photos. Then he walked up and down the tracks, trying to get an idea where they went, as he stared off into the distance.
Crystal pointed. “That leads to the neighbors.”
Ashton nodded. “They still want the land around here?”
She stared at him. “Yes, at least I think so,” she sputtered. “Grandpa always said, No way. The last thing I heard him say about it was something like, Over my dead body.”
He shot her a look and muttered, “Let’s hope not.” He watched as the color drained from her face.
Crystal stared at him, whispering, “You really know how to make a point, don’t you?”
“Not at all. I’m just trying to find our grandfather.”
“And you think he could be here?”
“No, I’m not saying he could be here—but I am wondering if he’s over there.” Then he nodded toward the property on the other side of theirs. Khan stood and walked in that direction, as if understanding something they were only beginning to consider.
“But surely somebody would have said something,” Crystal suggested.
“Who? The very people who have always wanted the very land you are living on? There used to be two brothers living over there.”
“I think there’s only one now,” she shared. “The other one? I think, he died of cancer.”
“Which one? Max or Oliver?”
“Max died. It’s just Oliver now.”
“Which is even more concerning.”
“Why?” she asked.
Ashton knew why, but he just wasn’t sure if she should hear this. But then again, she was in the middle of all this, so she had a right to know. “Because Max would have kept Oliver slightly in control.”
“They were both pretty angry at Grandpa for not selling them the land, and they thought it was theirs to begin with. Something about Grandpa stealing from their dad. Max was somewhat reasonable, or he appeared to be.”
“And when you get an emotional property dispute like that,” Ashton noted, “it can get pretty ugly.”
“Yeah, you’re not kidding,” she murmured, staring in the distance. “You really think they kidnapped him?”
“I don’t know, but you can bet I’m going to find out.
” He struggled to get back on Mirage without the stool he’d used in the barn.
When the color drained from her face, he realized she had just seen his prosthetic.
“Yeah, looks pretty, doesn’t it?” he quipped, his tone curt.
He hated to admit it to anyone, but her reaction caused pain inside him, an instinctual pang.
He’d seen her face, and the shock, anger, and pity were all so clear.
He just had to live with it, but he didn’t have to like it.
He just wasn’t okay with it, not right now.
He moved ahead of her, deliberately trying to stay up front so he didn’t have to see her face anymore.
She raced to catch up. “That look wasn’t because of what happened to you,” she explained, her tone apologetic. “I knew about it of course. Grandpa told me. However, I’d never seen it. It startled me is all.”
“Maybe I should have shown it to you earlier, but you already made your feelings pretty clear here.”
“No,” she snapped. “That’s not fair. I’ve never seen a prosthetic before, so, if nothing else, it would have been a shock no matter what. The least you could have done was prepared me for it first.”
He shrugged, not sure he was ready to believe her or not. It was definitely the kind of reception he had half expected.
“Did Grandma know?” she asked.
“She knew. She even told me not to bother coming home if I wasn’t whole. That no cripples were allowed here.”
She stared at him in shock. “What?”
“You heard me,” he snapped, glancing at her. “If you’re thinking there’s no love lost between me and Grandma, maybe now you can get a better understanding of why.”
She frowned, shaking her head, muttering, “But she’s family.”
“Yeah, she sure is. Yet she was quite capable of ignoring that fact when it came to my injury.”
“What about Grandpa?”
“He told me to get home where I belonged,” he replied, with half a laugh.
“And, you know, if we hadn’t had the big blowup when I was here before, I wouldn’t have gone back out on that next mission.
And I wouldn’t have gotten hurt,” he shared.
“So, believe me that I have to work my way through an awful lot there.”
“I’m sorry, Ashton, for all you had to go through,” she muttered. He never replied. She looked around, asking, “Where are we going?”
“Closer to the neighbors,” he said, taking the horses farther along the tire tracks. “I want to walk that fence line and see where these tracks go.” He pointed to Khan ahead of them, the dog’s tongue lolling to the side, waiting for them. “He wants to go there as well.”
“I never saw these before,” she shared, staring down at the tracks they were following.
“I’m sure they were there days before,” he noted, checking the indents. “But the question is, if they were, when were they made?”
She stared, then frowned. “But nobody comes onto this part of the property.”
“Well, nobody’s supposed to come onto this part of the property,” he clarified.
“That’s true. Still doesn’t mean that nobody did.
Obviously somebody has. So, did they come over with permission?
Did Glenn or John ride through this area, knowing that these tracks would be here, wanting to hide them?
Or did they not have a clue? Because, well,” he laughed and added, “we both know the boys don’t have a clue. ”
She winced. “They’re really not the most observant,” she noted apologetically.
“I do know.” Ashton chuckled. “The question is, were they na?ve, or did they really let this slide and not pursue this intentionally?”
“Why would they do that?”
“To hide their own crime.”