Chapter 34Charlotte Lane
Chapter 34
The Search Begins
March 1992
Charlotte Lane
T he first weekend of spring break was perfect. Not a cloud in the sky and just a rare gentle breeze. Charlotte lifted her face to the sun, letting the rays kiss her skin as she and Wade made their way to the stables on the Double K Ranch.
She adjusted the Crossroads baseball cap she’d been given for coaching the football team. Wade was wearing a bright white Stetson hat, shining like a beacon in a sea of brown and red dirt, and actual chaps. She wasn’t sure if he was trying to blend in with the ranch hands or honestly thought his chaps were necessary. And then there was the red plaid button-up shirt he was wearing.
They found Jake Longbow waiting for them next to the corral with two horses already saddled and ready to go. In his vest stitched with the Double K brand and his black felt hat dusted with dirt, he was the real thing. She wondered what the old cowboy thought of Wade’s costume.
“Howdy there, partner,” Wade yelled to the foreman.
Charlotte shook her head, wondering if it was too late to ditch him. She may not be a country girl herself, but she’d never once read of a character saying that in one of her books, let alone heard a real cowboy shout it.
Jake’s wiry eyebrows lifted and his stern face cracked into a smile. He tilted his head but didn’t say a word. She didn’t blame him. The last thing they needed was Wade trying to play out some Old West reenactment. Ever since she’d told him that Jake would take them around the ranch to look for the cave, Wade had been practicing his cowboy accent.
Charlotte walked up to Blue, the docile old horse Staten had chosen for her to practice on, and patted the roan’s neck. “Good morning, Jake. Thanks for taking us out.”
“No problem, Miss Charlotte. It’s always a pleasure.” His spurs jingled as he moved toward them. He eyed Wade. “Ever ridden a horse before, Mr. Parsons?”
Wade looked nervous for the first time that morning. “Yeah, once or twice.”
Charlotte couldn’t help teasing him. “Don’t worry, Jake. He knows the most important rule: Stay on.”
The foreman didn’t look reassured. “Well, Blue and Lady are the calmest horses we have. If you can’t keep your seat on one of them, then you’ve got no business riding a horse.” Jake passed the reins to Charlotte. “I’ve got to go saddle up Sadie. You two go ahead and mount up. It’ll only take me a few minutes.”
She swung up on her horse, pleased with how natural the motion now seemed. Jake was a great teacher, and after only a few short months, Charlotte felt like she’d become a part of the West. This was her happy place. Sitting on a horse with miles of prairie stretched out in front of her and endless directions to explore. Here she wasn’t stuck with just north, south, east, and west. Out here she was free to go where she wanted.
Charlotte turned to ask Wade where they should start searching for the cave and saw him struggling to put his foot in the stirrup. She thought about asking him if he needed help. What if getting onto a horse was how he’d injured his arm? But before she could ask, he managed to swing up and land in his saddle. He tilted but didn’t tumble off. Maybe she should give him more credit. After all, he studied cowboys and the West just as much as she did. While she had read about it in her literature books, Wade researched the history and the old culture.
Jake walked out of the stables with his horse. The paint pulled against the reins. The old cowboy clicked his tongue and the horse calmed. Charlotte was always surprised at the power and strength that seemed to radiate from Jake’s pride and joy. She knew she still had a lot to learn before attempting to ride a horse like Sadie.
“Ready to go?” Jake asked.
“Yes, sir.” Wade straightened in his saddle. “Shall we start at the cottage so we can follow it due west? Mr. Kirkland said the cave should be in that direction.”
“Sure thing, Mr. Parsons. This is your circus. I’m just a part of the show.”
As they rode out toward the small cottage, the smell of apples filled the air. Charlotte spied a pie sitting on the windowsill and her stomach grumbled. Staten was sure lucky to have a granny like Mrs. Kirkland.
Charlotte wondered if she’d be able to get a piece once they got back but didn’t think her chances were too high. She knew Mrs. Kirkland loved feeding the men on the ranch, and Charlotte knew how much they could all eat. She’d be lucky if a crumb was left in the pan.
As they steered the horses past the cottage to find a creek bed heading west, Wade sounded off a list of questions for the foreman as if he were cataloging information for his research. “What kinds of threats can we find out here, Jake?”
“Not too many. Besides the snakes and coyotes, there’s really only Senator Kirkland to worry about.” The cowboy laughed at his own joke. “But I doubt you’ll see any of them out this way this time of year.”
“Too cold?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Jake kicked his horse into a canter and Wade followed.
“I guess it does get pretty cold out here, especially in the wintertime. How do you make sure the cattle survive when it’s below freezing?”
The foreman glanced over at the history teacher keeping pace with him. “The animals know what to do. There’s windbreaks and things like that to help them ride out the weather. Mostly they just keep together to stay warm.”
Up ahead of them the ground split, revealing the rocky bottom of a dried-up creek bed snaking through the land. The red dirt curved and swirled like the water that had once flowed over it. Wildflowers seemed quilted into the random patches of grass sprouting out around the rocks.
Charlotte decided to save the cowboy from Wade’s never-ending questions. “Hey, guys. Look over here. Have you ever ridden down this creek bed, Jake?”
“Oh, yes, ma’am. I know this area like the back of my hand. I can’t say I’ve found much interesting out there, but if you follow that almost creek west about three miles or so, it splits off in another two directions.”
Charlotte wondered again how they were ever going to find the cave out here. The Double K Ranch was huge.
“Let’s get going then. That cave’s out here somewhere.” Wade shot out in front of them and nearly fell out of his saddle as he rushed his horse forward.
Charlotte rode closer to Jake. “I never realized there were so many colors out here. Maybe it’ll be an early spring. It’s beautiful.”
“That it is, Miss Charlotte. Wait until you see the sunflowers. Whole fields full in some parts of the ranch.”
She smiled. “Mr. Kirkland told us that the first Mrs. Kirkland loved sunflowers. I wonder if they made her love this place more.”
“Yeah, I reckon they did. Legend has it she’s the one who brought them here.” He pointed out in the distance. “They say she planted a patch of sunflowers out there somewhere. Her favorite spot was high up off a creek, where she could look out on the land and see for miles. And she loved them so much she planted more every year. Story goes she did it to help her folks and her brother find her if they ever came looking. But I think she just liked the view.”
“Do you know where that spot is? Maybe the cave is there.”
“That I don’t know. The land is alive like everything else around here. It changes over time.” Jake swept his hand out, gesturing to the dried-up creek they rode in. “About a hundred years ago this creek was as wet as the Brazos. Not as big, mind you, but it still carried water through this valley. Enough to water the animals. Now look at it.”
Charlotte gazed at the creek filled with nothing but dust, rocks, and weeds. She knew what Jake was trying to say. Even if the cave was still out here, it probably wouldn’t look anything like how it used to. It might not look like a cave at all.