Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
T hey’d only been on the road for about an hour when Connor’s phone buzzed. Lacy pulled it from the nook on the dash where Connor usually tossed it while he was driving and opened it. She immediately clicked the button on the side to make the screen blank.
“Wayside is in trouble. Officer Nixon has been shot. Brendon wants to know how far away we are.”
If he hadn’t stopped last night, he’d be there already but he’d thought Lacy and Melinda both needed actual rest in a bed, off the road. He swallowed and tried to quickly figure out if he dared go faster. “We’re still about two hours from home.”
She opened his phone again and quickly typed out a text for him. He prayed that everyone was alright. Now was not a good time to take a call from Brendon. Here, in the truck, he couldn’t be objective with Melinda listening in. She wasn’t the same as a Wayside guest, but certain aspects of running the ranch had to be kept from her as much as they were kept from the guests.
“Should we pull over so you can call him and find out what’s happening?” Lacy leaned forward in her seat and searched the road ahead.
“I’ll wait to see how he answers. He knows I’m on the road and headed there as fast as I can. I wish I knew what ‘in trouble’ meant. Is Viceroy there? Are they under attack? What is going on?”
“I could call your dad, if you want,” she offered.
He glanced at her, then quickly over to Melinda and Lacy nodded her understanding. Melinda had been through enough and her danger wasn’t over. Her husband was free, had skipped town, and was probably headed for Piper’s Ridge. Plus, the main officer in town would now be in the hospital.
His phone buzzed again, and Lacy read the text then lowered her voice. “Nixon was trying to keep out three cars that descended on Wayside early this morning. He was critically wounded in a shootout. Edwyn and Sam were able to keep the vehicles off the property and the officer working with Nixon was told to bring him in since the ambulance was so far away that it made more sense for the officer to do it.” She put the phone back on the dashboard.
“I would imagine if they took him in a squad car instead of calling the Piper’s Ridge Fire Dept., then they thought he would survive the transport. That’s what I’ll believe until I’m told otherwise.” Nixon had become a friend over the years with the help they needed on Wayside. He’d been one of the few people to know what Wayside actually did and he supported the effort.
“Brendon didn’t say whether or not we should use the front entrance or if they were concerned about being stopped. I guess when we get within a half hour of home, we should call and find out what the exact situation is,” Lacy offered.
“I agree with that plan. Things could change quickly there and what would work right now, might not by the time we arrive. We need to let Randy know, though he’ll follow me.”
“Did he call his father?” Melinda asked. “I wasn’t paying attention right before we left.”
“He did. His father said that the news around town was that both of them were gone. The hotel is locked up tight, even though it was supposed to open back up today, and Tod didn’t even go home before he took off. Do they have relatives anywhere?” Connor asked.
“Yes. He has distant family near Piper’s Ridge. He was staying with them the summer we met. They were so nice, so I never thought for a moment to question Tod’s actions. To be completely honest, he wasn’t awful until after we married. Before then, he was a gentleman. I only saw the dents in his armor looking back with 20/20 vision. Being in love can be dangerous. It blinds you to things you would normally notice without hesitation.” She laid her forehead against the window.
“It happens. No one here thinks less of you. No one at Wayside will either,” Lacy said.
“I wish there was a way to know where he is. I would imagine he’ll be heading to Piper’s Ridge. He knows you still have family there even though your aunt is gone.”
“They must not have found any evidence against him in my aunt’s murder.” Melinda’s voice shook. “I will be so angry if they don’t convict him for that. I know he did it. If she hadn’t moved to be closer to me, she’d still be alive. It was worthless. I never got to talk to her anyway. She picked up her life and moved for me and I never even thanked her,” Melinda’s voice trembled.
Connor gripped the steering wheel; glad Lacy was there. He could deal with emotions at work, when he knew what to expect and he’d been trained. When it came to everyday emotions, Lacy was much better equipped.
“She knew, Melinda. You can’t sit in guilt over something you had no control over. Take it to God. That’s all you can do.”
“Without police, am I even safe in Piper’s Ridge?” Melinda turned to look at him. “What if he finds out where I am?”
If they could deal with Viceroy, they could deal with a couple narcissists. “I’m sure we have at least today to get where we need to be and settle in. Tod seems to mostly work with Cal. They were headed in the same direction so they’ll meet, but that will take time. Then, they’ll need to decide what to do. By then, we’ll have you safely behind security.”
His men would deserve a party and time off after Viceroy went to prison. All those who had been asked to testify would do so and get him put away for a long time. Even as he thought about it, he had doubts. When they had been in Cheyenne at a hotel, they’d found out it was known to be used by traffickers and owned by a politician. Viceroy wasn’t the only man they needed to stop but when would it end?
Miles on the road brought them closer to home and the turmoil there. He reached for his phone and called Brendon. After two rings, he answered.
“Connor, how far away are you?”
“About a half hour. What’s the plan?”
Brendon paused for a second and Connor heard him rolling his wheelchair, then closing the door. “So, the front entrance is probably bad. We have it covered right now, but we don’t know how far down the road before it’s blocked. Edwyn and Sam both report that no cars have gone by all morning. Now, we both know that people driving on this road is rare, but not that rare. It’s possible they are stopping traffic on both sides and sending them a different route. I’d bet they’re waiting for us to try and leave.”
“Or for us to come home.” Either way, if they were rerouting traffic one or the other would know someone was coming from Wayside if they came from the opposite direction as other traffic. There would be no other explanation.
“Right, so I propose that Junior will meet you over by the eastern fence where it meets the road. He’ll have one of the ATVs that seat four.”
“We don’t have one that seats five, but we’ll make it work,” Connor said.
“Leave all the bags in the vehicles. We can send someone to get them afterwards. It’s more important to get you onsite than it is for your belongings to get here,” Brendon continued.
“Agreed. I’ll have everyone ready to run to the ATV. Have Junior there when we arrive. Has anyone checked that way to make sure no one is even close to that area?”
“Affirmative. Nadine has been employing drones to check areas that are too far away for us to ride to. She has been our eyes and ears. She can confirm they aren’t near that spot, but she’s afraid to fly her drones down the road to see where the men are. If they shoot it down, it’s expensive to replace.”
“Understood, though in order to know, I’d buy her another one.” If they were only sitting a quarter mile on either side of the driveway, then he could easily drive to that spot with no worries about being seen. If they were further away, their cars might be seen and detained.
“Last question. When she was checking this out with her drone, did she happen to see any other vehicles drive by that area?”
Brendon was quiet for a split-second. “No, but I’ll pray that it’s only because we’re close to Christmas and everyone is preparing.”
“Call John Willis Sr. He lives down that way. If he was stopped, then we know this isn’t safe.” John was a good friend and would be willing to check out the situation if he didn’t know firsthand.
“Will do. I’ll call you back in a minute.”
Connor hung up and the cab was silent as they drove closer to Wayside. He turned down a dirt road that would take him alongside the ranch in the next ten minutes, but he hadn’t heard from Brendon yet. He glanced at his phone, willing it to ring.
“What do we do? We’re almost there and we can’t risk getting stopped by Viceroy’s men. They’ll recognize both of us,” Lacy’s voice had taken on a frantic tone.
His phone rang and he pulled off the road. Randy pulled in behind him and waited.
“Connor, I just talked to John. The road is open but be cautious. He said when he tried to come home from the store, he was stopped by a car parked about a quarter mile from our driveway. They made him turn around and go another way. When he told them he lived down that road, they asked him a bunch of questions. It was only when they discovered he wasn’t from Wayside that they let him go.”
“Okay. We’ll be careful. We’re about five minutes from the fence line. Is Junior in position?”
“Yes. Praying for your safe return.” Brendon hung up.
“Ladies. It’s time to pray us in.”
Gooseflesh rippled over Lacy’s arms as Connor drove them slowly toward a remote area of Wayside, the same area where men had broken through the fence earlier in the year to steal horses. Thankfully, they hadn’t been successful, but they’d torn down a section of fence to do it.
Connor slowed his progress even more and inched along the gravel road. She assumed he was trying to keep quiet, but maybe there was some other reason. Now seemed like the worst time to ask. He was clearly concentrating.
He pulled to a stop and drew the key from the ignition. “Junior is waiting just over there. I want you both to go as quickly as possible while I tell Randy. Someone will come back for your bags.”
“We heard.” Melinda gave a nod and opened her door.
Lacy jumped out of the pickup right behind Melinda and gently closed the door, so it didn’t make noise. She ran through the snow over to Junior. The ATV he had was more like an all-terrain golf cart that went fast. Lacy and Melinda pressed in tightly next to Junior and a moment later, Connor and Randy piled into the back seat.
The machine took off, kicking up snow as it sped over the hills toward the lodge. She’d never been so happy to see the glow of the lights from her house, the place she’d called home for so many years.
The last few days had taught her she didn’t need to go searching for anything. Everything she’d ever held truly dear, she had at Wayside. Her faith had grown here. Her love for Connor had started here. She was who she was because of what she’d experienced on this ranch.
Melinda held tight to the side of the ATV, the strain on her face made her look years older than she was. It was probably past time to take her medication, but they hadn’t stopped to eat, and she hadn’t wanted to take it on an empty stomach. Now, she would need to rest. Hopefully, they could get into the lodge and find somewhere for her to stay until she was healed.
Junior pulled the machine to a stop right in front of the porch. Connor got out first, then helped Melinda get down. He handed her hand off to Randy who assisted her up the stairs. Teddy opened the front door and limped out, immediately pulling Connor into a hug. Then, the moment he freed Connor, he tugged Lacy into the tightest hug she’d ever had.
“I was worried about both of you. I know you’re adults and I’m not supposed to worry, but I did. In fact, I think worry is one of the hardest things to give to God as a parent.” He led all of them inside and closed the door.
A huge tree stood in the living room, beautifully decorated and lit. Lacy wanted to take a minute and enjoy arriving home, but there wasn’t time for that. They were basically under siege. Brendon rolled out from his office and joined them.
“Glad to have you back. I’ve been trying to get a hold of anyone on the police force to come help us, but no one is answering. I’m going to have to call Cheyenne, but I know they won’t want to come out here. Until they do, we’re stuck.”
“How long have Edwyn and Sam been out there?” Connor asked.
Teddy answered. “They’ve been out there for three hours now. They have a heated ATV, but I’m sure they’re cold and tired.”
“Send Eric and Cole out to relieve them. Brendon, go ahead and call Cheyenne. See if they can send anyone. They know the issue, Nixon was shot. They must know that by now.”
Brendon nodded and headed back for his office. This was part of Wayside she usually didn’t see. She wasn’t part of security. Her forte was hospitality and comfort. She took care of making sure the guests had everything they needed. She headed for the tree, wanting a few feet of distance between herself and the stress of the situation.
Melinda followed her. “It’s beautiful. I asked for a tree the first few years of our marriage. Whenever he learned something was important to me, he’d use it against me. If I wanted a tree, he’d buy a small glass one with lights for the table and tell me it was a gift, that he was thinking of me. It took me years to realize that it wasn’t a gift. He was using my emotions against me. If I asked him why he didn’t get a Christmas tree, he could hold it against me and say I was picky. Everything that was wrong was my fault, no matter how careful I was.”
Lacy knew it would take a long time of talking through all the things Melinda had been through before she felt good enough to understand that she wasn’t all those things she’d learned she was when she was with Tod. But she would.
“While you’re here, I hope you enjoy the tree. There’s one in the dining room too. Want to go see it?” The one in the living room had all the presents under it and that was where everyone would gather on Christmas Eve to have a celebration and open gifts. They’d sing a few songs, and Connor would read Jesus’ birth story from Luke. The continuity of it all made her soul happy.
“Yes, I’d love to.” Melinda grinned.
The smile made the last two days easier. If she could handle the pain of needing her medications and still be joyful about a Christmas tree, Lacy wasn’t going to let this stress get her down.
Lacy headed for the door to the dining room and held it open for Melinda. Her breath caught as she saw the tall tree in the corner. Ferd had done such a beautiful job with the trees. As Lacy brought Melinda over, Victoria, the Wayside chef, came out of the kitchen. “Lacy! It’s so good to have you back. I was worried you wouldn’t make it in time.” She gripped Lacy in a tight hug. “Who do we have here?”
Melinda stepped back a little and ducked her head.
“This is my friend and she’s starving. Do you have any leftovers in that kitchen that you wouldn’t mind parting with?”
“Do I have leftovers?” Victoria laughed. “You know I do. I make big portions around here. Have a seat wherever you want, and I’ll bring something right out.”
Melinda looked at Lacy and her cheeks turned pink. “I’ve never had anyone make me anything before. At least, not that I didn’t pay for.”
Lacy laid a hand on her arm. “Think of this as the best way to heal. We’ll find you a room, probably here in the lodge temporarily because we won’t want to be out and about any more than we have to be with those guys blocking the road. After this, I’ve had Ferd, Connor’s sister, make up a room for you.”
Melinda laughed. “I guess I’m safe from Tod as long as they’re there.”
She hadn’t thought about that and wasn’t sure that made the situation any better, but she could appreciate a small silver lining. “I’m just praying that both of our troubles are gone before Christmas.”