The Ranch (Book 1): Troubled Times (4 page)

T
he sun shone brightly
, and the first hints of frost were evident when Beth opened the cumbersome shutter on her window. She made her bed as she always did before going down for breakfast and then looked at her watch. She smiled knowing that she likely was the first of her sisters to be awake. Beth went to Amy’s room and woke her little sister by opening the shutter and saying, “Rise and shine!”

“Awwww, I was having a good dream!”

“Come on, let’s wake up Connie and Debbie and go make breakfast. Maybe we can convince Daddy to let us spend some time outside today!”

That sparked a smile from Amy, and Beth helped her make her bed. Both girls went to wake Connie, and then the three of them moved to Debbie’s room. When they opened her door, they noticed the window was open and she wasn’t in her bed.

“That’s weird,” Connie said. “She must already be downstairs.”

“It’s cold in here!” Amy said.

Connie went to the window and closed it, not really sure why Debbie would have her window wide open when she wasn’t in the room. Although it was odd, she didn’t really think to worry about it. Together, Connie, Beth and Amy went downstairs, sneaking past their father who was sleeping on the couch, and went into the kitchen to make breakfast. Connie expected to see Debbie in there, and when she realized that Debbie wasn’t, she went and woke her father.

“Dad, get up.” She shook him gently and then said, “Debbie’s gone.”

Andrew sat straight up and said, “What do you mean, Debbie’s gone?”

“We went to wake her for breakfast and she wasn’t in her room. Her window was wide open.”

“Maybe she was in the bathroom?”

“Dad, come on, I wouldn’t wake you saying she was gone if there was a chance she was in the bathroom. She isn’t here…at least not in the house.”

“Okay. You and your sisters make breakfast. Where is James?” Andrew asked.

“I don’t know. I thought he’d be down here with you.”

Andrew was beginning to panic, but didn’t want his daughter to worry just yet. So he said, “Okay, you girls go in and make breakfast. I’ll go gather the guys and we’ll find out where your sister is. James must already have gone back to his bunkhouse to sleep.”

“Okay.”

While the girls prepared breakfast, Andrew hurried out of the house and straight to Thomas’s bunkhouse. He knocked and shouted, “Thomas, I need you out here right away!”

Thomas came to the door and pulled it open, “What’s going on?”

“Debbie is gone. Is James at his place?”

“I don’t know. The last I saw him, he was still at your place.”

“Well, he’s not there now. Come on, we have to find her. Meet me at the house.”

“You got it, Boss! I’ll get Keith and Stewart, and then we’ll go see if James is sleeping in his bunk. Maybe she just needed some air and went for a walk.”

“No, she knows not to do that, at least not without telling me first. Hurry and get the guys, we can’t waste any time.”

Thomas first went to wake the twins, hoping they had seen James recently, but neither one of them had seen him since the night before. In a frenzy, the three men ran to James’ bunkhouse and pounded on the door. When no one answered, they tried opening the door but it was locked. All of the shutters had been drawn closed and the windows were locked as well. They knocked again and then kicked the door in.

“There’s nothing here,” Keith said.

“What do you mean, nothing?” Thomas asked.

“I mean nothing. His stuff is gone. All of it. His clothes, his personal items…everything.”

“This isn’t good,” Thomas said. “Come on, we’ve gotta get to the house. We need to find our Debbie.”

The three men ran to the house and filled in Andrew and the girls regarding what they had discovered. The three sisters held hands as they sat on the floor in front of the fireplace. Thomas, Stewart and Keith stood by, waiting for instructions from Andrew. After a moment he finally spoke.

“Keith, I want you to stay here with the girls. Thomas and Stewart, you come with me. We are going to find them.”

“Dad! We want to help look for her!” Connie shouted.

“No, stay here where you will be safe.”

“No way. I’m coming with you.”

“She can stick with me,” Thomas said.

Andrew knew there was no point in fighting it. Connie was not going to sit by and wait. “Fine, Connie, you go with Thomas.”

The group headed out to find Debbie while Keith, Beth and Amy stayed behind. Not wanting to feel like they were doing nothing, the three of them decided to do the household chores and make stew so that when the others returned they would be able to warm up and eat. Keith knew, just as Andrew knew, that it was James who took Debbie.

While the family was out looking for her, Debbie lay tied at the hands and feet, with a gag in her mouth. She was terrified and when she looked across the small clearing in the woods, she could see James and the three other men. She knew they were talking, but was just far enough away that she couldn’t hear them. The way they were huddled together, she could tell they were scheming, and that worried her even more. All she could think about was her family and getting home to be with them.

As she lay there helpless, Debbie looked at the four men sitting on tree stumps around near what she wished was an active fire pit and began planning her escape. She knew if she could just loosen the rope keeping her hands and feet tied together, she would be able to get away. She struggled against the ropes, trying to be careful to not let them see her wiggling around. James had held her while one of the others had tied her hands, and when that happened, Debbie held her wrists together, side by side. Now that she was separated from the men, she turned her wrists so that her hands were facing each other, palm to palm. She was almost free from her binding, but when she looked toward the men, she could see two of them coming toward her. It was dark in the thick woods, the sun unable to penetrate the thick cover of trees, so she couldn’t tell if it was James right away. She stopped moving and turned her wrists back so they were side by side again.

“What are you doing over here? You know I can’t let you go, right?” James asked.

Debbie struggled against the tape over her mouth, trying to plead with James. She knew he didn’t want to hear anything she had to say at that moment. She stopped trying, and just lay there.

“You can’t get away, and you need to stop trying,” he said and then nodded at the man next to him.

In one swift movement, the large man lifted Debbie and tossed her over his shoulder. He walked easily under her weight and led her deeper into the woods. When he felt that she was moved a safe distance, he set her down and went back to get the other three men. As a group they set up camp deep in the trees, farther out than Debbie ever had gone. She never was really afraid of the dark as a child, but at that moment, the darkness terrified her. She knew it was morning, but even so, the shadows of the woods made her feel as if it were the dead of night. She lay, curled in a ball, praying that she would make it out of the situation alive.

While Debbie lay there, hoping to escape, her family was rushing through the ranch, searching frantically for her. The checked every inch of every building, and then spread out, calling her name.

“What if we never find her?” Connie asked Thomas, not sure if she even wanted an answer to the question.

“We will find her. We have to find her.”

“But what if we don’t?”

From behind her, Connie heard the familiar voice that always soothed her, “We will find her, Connie. I have no doubt about that.” Andrew said.

Connie went to her father and hugged him tight. “Oh, Daddy, I don’t know what I would do if we didn’t.”

“Don’t think like that. I have faith that we will find her, and you should, too. Besides, when have we ever given up?”

“Never,” Connie said, a more confident look spreading over her face. “Come on, let’s keep looking.”

T
he sun began setting
, and the woods started to take on an eerie darkness that caused Debbie to cower. She never liked being so deep in the forest, and feared that once darkness fell, the bears would be out in full force. It was close to time for hibernation, and bears had a tendency to be more aggressive as they searched for food. The air was cold, and with no direct sunlight, Debbie was growing colder by the minute. Being out as far as they were, James decided to take the tape off of her mouth because it wasn’t likely she would be heard.

“I promise you this: If you scream, the tape will go back on,” James said. Debbie knew he wasn’t joking around, so she nodded. He gently pulled the tape off of her face, and then sat, staring at her.

“Thank you.” Debbie was trying to think quickly, knowing she had to do something to get warm. “Can we have a fire? I’m so cold.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Why?” She asked the question but already knew the answer.

“I think we both know why that’s just not an option.”

“It will be fine. They won’t know where we are.”

James grew annoyed and snapped at Debbie, “Stop it! There will be no fire.”

Scared, having not seen that side of James before, Debbie stopped talking. James walked away, hearing her soft cries, and didn’t seem to even care; he never turned around to look at her. She sat there, her back against a giant evergreen tree. She shivered violently, and wasn’t sure if it was because she was so cold or because she was so scared. She cried softly, wishing she were home with her family.

When James came to live on the ranch, it was instantly obvious he was taken by Debbie’s beauty. There was an attraction that nobody missed; a one-sided attraction. He made Debbie uncomfortable. She didn’t like the way he looked at her, so usually she wouldn’t even look him in the eye. She avoided doing any chores that he took part in, and her father didn’t mind. Now, as she looked across the way at the man that supposedly loved her, all she saw was a monster.

She had been gone only for a day, but she felt like she hadn’t seen her family in years. While the men discussed what their plan was, she worked on the ties that bound her wrists, careful not to let the men see her movements. She almost could hear what they were saying; single words breaking through the mumbled sentences. She wished she could hear more.

To pass the time and calm herself, Debbie remembered the last camping trip her family took before her mother passed away. It was before the world changed, and back when life was simple. They didn’t have to worry about people trespassing on their property. They didn’t have to worry so much about their safety. They were all together, and living life as a complete family.

There were two tents, one for her mom and dad, and one for her and her sisters. They faced each other, with the fire pit in the middle. They fished in the stream, and cooked their catch over the fire while they sang songs. Her father played the guitar after dinner, while her mother sang songs from when they were younger. She had the voice of an angel, and Debbie could remember the way her father would look at her as she sang; he was so in love with her, and it warmed her heart. At night, right before bed, her dad would tell them silly but scary ghost stories and then send them to bed. A smile started to form as she remembered how scared her two youngest sisters would be in the dark of the tent, and how she and Connie would comfort them.

She almost forgot where she was and what was happening. With her eyes closed, she almost could feel the warmth of the fire, but when she opened her eyes she was snapped back into reality. The truth was, she was facing a horrible situation, and she needed to change the balance of power to one that was in her advantage. She knew she had to try again to make him see how important it was for them to have a fire.

While Debbie struggled to figure out what to do. Darkness was falling, and her family still was searching feverishly for her. Thomas went back to the house to stay with Amy and Beth, while Keith and Stewart set out with Andrew and Connie to venture out beyond the borders of the ranch. Because of the seriousness of the situation, the group stuck together, searching the paths they knew Debbie was comfortable with.

“Debbie!” Andrew shouted. They had started out not wanting to alert anyone that they were coming, but then decided that, even if she couldn’t respond, maybe hearing their voices would give her hope that they were close.

Connie was almost in tears as she shouted her sister’s name over and over again. Debbie was the one who helped her get through the death of their mother, and she couldn’t even begin to think about what it would be like to have to go through every day without her. The more she thought about her sister out there somewhere, cold and afraid, the more frantic her pace became. Soon, the men were having a hard time keeping up with her.

“Connie, you need to slow down,” her father said. “Here, you need a drink of water.” Andrew handed her thermos from his pack. They had decided they would fill the containers with hot water so they could hydrate and stay warm at the same time.

Connie drank the water, secretly wondering if Debbie had that same luxury. It struck her as odd that she would consider warm water a luxury, and it sent shivers down her spine. “Dad, we need to keep moving.”

“Well,” Keith said, “Let’s get going then.” He smiled at her, and it was a warm and kind smile that made her feel a little better. Aside from her sisters and father, Keith was Connie’s best friend. He was the one who taught her how to swing the axe just right to chop the fire wood, and he was the one that she would talk to when she and Debbie got into an argument. She was glad he was there to help find her sister.

As they walked, they struggled to see in the growing darkness. Even with flashlights, they only had a small area of light, and it was frustrating. They spread out in a line, hoping to cover more ground. Within moments, they came across something that none of them wanted to see. Laying on the ground, almost covered by fallen leaves and brush, Connie saw the necklace glimmering in the glow of the flashlight. It was the one their mother had given her for her Sweet 16; silver with crystals, and in the shape of an owl, her favorite bird. She bent down and picked it up, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

“What is it, Sweetheart?” Her father asked, draping his arm around her shoulders.

“She never would leave this behind on purpose. Something bad has happened,” she said as she handed the necklace to her father.

Andrew held it as if it was the most fragile item on Earth, and stared. He remembered vividly the day Sandra gave it to Debbie, and his daughter’s reaction to it. He smiled softly and was so happy to see the chain was not broken. He turned Connie around so her back was toward him and put the necklace on her. “You wear it and keep it safe. You can give it to her when we find her.” He turned her back around, looked deep into her eyes and then said, “We will find her.”

“Oh, Daddy,” she said, and fell into his arms. She tried so hard, all of the time, to be strong and mature. Sometimes he wondered who was really the older daughter, Connie or Debbie. At that moment, all he saw was a frightened little girl.

“Come on, let’s keep looking,” he said, holding her hand. Together, they walked over to where Keith and Stewart stood, waiting.

“I think we should keep on this path. It leads to the stream.” Steward spoke with confidence, and Andrew was thankful that the twins understood how fragile Connie was at that moment.

While her family was out looking for her, Debbie continued shivering. No matter how tightly she pulled her coat around her, she just couldn’t get warm. She looked over at the four men, huddled together, plotting and scheming. She knew she had to do something.

“Hey, James?” she said.

James walked over to her and sat down on the ground next to her. “What?”

“I’m really cold. Can we please have just a small fire? It’s dark now, so nobody will see the smoke.”

“I really don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Well, I think it’s stupid to be out here without a fire. Are you wanting to freeze to death? It’s got to be almost freezing out here now.”

“I can’t risk your father finding us.” James was firm in his decision to not have a fire, but Debbie was not about to give up.

“My father never would come out here to look for me. He knows this is the one place I never would go…no matter what the case was.”

“Why do you say that?” James was curious.

“Because this is bear territory, and it’s the worst time of year to be out here.”

James was from the city, so when he heard it was bear territory, his expression changed instantly. “Is there really a lot of bears out here?”

Almost in a laugh, Debbie replied, “Tons and, just for your information, this is the time of year when bears go out in search of their last meals before hibernation. They are very aggressive right now, and won’t hesitate to eat whatever they can.” She said what she said hoping it would scare the life out of James, and it seemed to be working. “You might want to fill in your friends on that little tidbit of information, too. They seem to be a little too comfortable right now.”

James sat there for a moment and then asked, “Will a fire keep them away?”

“It definitely will help.” Debbie was starting to relax just slightly. She knew he was ready to cave.

James walked over to the three men sitting about ten yards away and said, “We need to light a fire,” as he walked. He stood there with his friends for a minute, and explained to them what he just had learned. After a short debate, Debbie saw the men all nod in approval, and then James returned to Debbie.

“Fine, we will build a small fire, but we have to wait a while first.”

“Why? Didn’t you hear me? You need to keep the bears at bay. We can’t do that in the dark.”

“If we make a fire now, someone still could see the smoke. I’m sure they are out looking for you, and if they don’t see the smoke, they still could smell a fire burning. We have to wait until it’s safe.”

Even though she was relieved he had agreed to make a fire, Debbie was extremely frustrated that she would have to wait until later. With each minute that passed, the evening air grew colder and colder, and the woods grew darker and darker.

While Debbie waited as patiently as she could, her family was about to make a tough decision. It was dark, and cold, and Andrew knew it would do nobody any good if they all got sick or, even worse, if they all died from hypothermia or a bear attack.

“I think for now, we need to get back to the house.”

“Dad, no. We have to keep looking.”

Knowing how hard it was for his daughter to hear him say that, he said, “I know, but first we need to get back and check on your sisters. I’m sure they are beside themselves with worry, not just for Debbie, but for us, too. We can check on them and get some hot food in us.”

“Then we will go back out?”

“Then you and Keith will stay with your sisters and Stewart and Thomas and I will go back out and search the other side of the property.”

“I want to go with you.”

“Your sisters need you, Connie. They are just as scared as you are.”

Feeling bad that she had left them at the house for so long to worry, Connie knew her father was right and reluctantly nodded her head. The four of them made their way back to the house. When they stepped into the warmth of their fortress, Connie realized just how cold it was outside. Shivering, she went to her sisters and hugged them tight.

“Did you find her?” Amy asked.

“Not yet, but they will. We need to eat dinner and rest for a few minutes. It’s really cold out there.”

Beth rushed to the kitchen and got them some bowls and brought the bread into the living room. “It’s not as good as your bread, but it still tastes pretty good,” Beth said and handed her sister a thick slice. Connie took a bite and said, “You did a great job. I think you did it better than I do!” Hearing that eased some of Beth’s worries, and she went to fill the bowls with stew.

The family, minus Debbie, sat in silence as they ate; nobody knew what to say. When they were done eating, Connie took her sisters upstairs to close the shutters and get into their pajamas. They came back downstairs and found three candy bars and three bottles of soda sitting on the small coffee table. Thomas and Andrew already were dressed in their winter gear and Stewart was in the process of bundling up.

“Come on, your dad said we could run the generator for a while. Who wants to watch a movie before you get some sleep?”

Instantly, Amy and Beth went to the shelf to pick a DVD to watch and Connie went to her father to thank him for the treats and to wish him luck. Each night they went out there, she knew there was a real possibility they wouldn’t come back, and this night was no different. She held him a little closer and a little longer this time, and then watched from the doorway as they made their way to the edge of the property.

She closed the door, locked it and then closed the added door, locking it and then turning to her sisters and Keith. “Okay, lets watch a movie.” She faked a smile and curled up on the couch with her sisters. Keith sat in the recliner that was placed near the window. That way he could keep one eye on the girls, and one eye out the window. He hoped the search would end soon and Debbie would be returning home with her father.