sure hope B.J. drove one of those trucks. I’ve missed her.”
When they got to the bottom of the trail, theysaw that B.J. was indeed one of the drivers. The other was Red.
“Red! What are you doing here?” Brett asked.
Jake, with his arms around B.J., asked, “Couldn’t you find someone else to drive the second truck?”
“Too many people,” Red assured him. “You’ve been missed.”
Jake smiled, but he turned his attention to the sheriff. “Metzger, you’ll come to the house for dinner, won’t you? There are things that need to be addressed.”
The sheriff nodded. Everyone was thinking about the bodies that needed to be dealt with. “You bet.”
“Well, let’s get the horses loaded.” Jake started the process, opening the door of the four-horse trailer, while the sheriff did the same to the two-horse trailer.
“Griff,” B.J. said, “Your wife will be at the house by the time we get there.”
“Good. Is she speaking to me? Camille wasn’t too happy about my heading off into the mountains.”
Jake frowned. “You didn’t tell us she was upset.”
“She’ll get over it. Besides, I needed to be with you all at a time like this.”
“Any more word on Jim?” Chad asked. B.J. nodded. “He’s recovering nicely from the surgery. Everything looks real good.”
“Is Megan at the house?” Chad asked B.J. as they settled into the truck.
“Yes. She’s helping Patience settle in.”
“So she agreed to stay at the house?”
“Yes. Since Jim is afraid that Kane fellow may still be coming for Patience and Tommy, he wanted them protected. Until he’s out of the hospital, she’s promised to stay with us.”
Chad nodded. Then B.J. added, “She saved his life.”
“What? How?” B.J. told him the story as Megan had told it to her.
When she finished, Chad could only say, “We certainly owe her a lot.”
T HE TABLE IN the Randall kitchen could seat as many as twenty people. When Patience came down to dinner, she stood to one side, out of the flow of people, wondering what she should do.
“There you are, Patience,” her mother said, as if their being in the Randall kitchen was normal. “I told Mildred you’d mix up your special dressing for the salad.”
“You don’t mind, do you, Patience? I tasted it at one of the potluck dinners and I’ve been meaning to ask you for the recipe,” Mildred, Red’s wife and B.J.’s aunt, said.
Patience agreed at once. Anything was better than everyone praising her as a hero. Megan had told them that Patience had saved Jim’s life. Patience tried to explain that she owed Jim for his help, not the other way around.
She moved over to the cabinet and told Mildred what ingredients she needed. Mildred was a kind soul and soon put her at ease.
“Now, we’re going to call the younger ones to dinner, so the men can have room to eat when they get back,” Mildred explained.
Patience dreaded facing the men who had ridden into the mountains after them. Especially the sheriff. She would have to find a time to talk privately with him.
She’d thought if she got Tommy back, everything would be right with her world. How wrong she’d been. Not only did she still need to worry about Kane trying to get Tommy, but she also had to deal with her feelings for Jim.
She missed his strength, his calm appraisal ofsituations. She missed his warmth, a feeling that surrounded her when she was with him. He made her a stronger, happier person. Most of all, she loved his sense of humor.
She blinked rapidly to dispel the tears that filled her eyes.
Megan moved to her side. “Everything’s okay, Patience, I promise.”
Patience gave her a smile and nodded. She knew differently, but she wasn’t going to tell Megan that.
When the first round of dinner was announced, Tommy came running to the table. His grandmother demanded a kiss, and Tommy willingly gave her one.
“You want one, too, Mommy?” Tommy asked.
“That would be nice.” Patience smiled at her
When they got to the bottom of the trail, theysaw that B.J. was indeed one of the drivers. The other was Red.
“Red! What are you doing here?” Brett asked.
Jake, with his arms around B.J., asked, “Couldn’t you find someone else to drive the second truck?”
“Too many people,” Red assured him. “You’ve been missed.”
Jake smiled, but he turned his attention to the sheriff. “Metzger, you’ll come to the house for dinner, won’t you? There are things that need to be addressed.”
The sheriff nodded. Everyone was thinking about the bodies that needed to be dealt with. “You bet.”
“Well, let’s get the horses loaded.” Jake started the process, opening the door of the four-horse trailer, while the sheriff did the same to the two-horse trailer.
“Griff,” B.J. said, “Your wife will be at the house by the time we get there.”
“Good. Is she speaking to me? Camille wasn’t too happy about my heading off into the mountains.”
Jake frowned. “You didn’t tell us she was upset.”
“She’ll get over it. Besides, I needed to be with you all at a time like this.”
“Any more word on Jim?” Chad asked. B.J. nodded. “He’s recovering nicely from the surgery. Everything looks real good.”
“Is Megan at the house?” Chad asked B.J. as they settled into the truck.
“Yes. She’s helping Patience settle in.”
“So she agreed to stay at the house?”
“Yes. Since Jim is afraid that Kane fellow may still be coming for Patience and Tommy, he wanted them protected. Until he’s out of the hospital, she’s promised to stay with us.”
Chad nodded. Then B.J. added, “She saved his life.”
“What? How?” B.J. told him the story as Megan had told it to her.
When she finished, Chad could only say, “We certainly owe her a lot.”
T HE TABLE IN the Randall kitchen could seat as many as twenty people. When Patience came down to dinner, she stood to one side, out of the flow of people, wondering what she should do.
“There you are, Patience,” her mother said, as if their being in the Randall kitchen was normal. “I told Mildred you’d mix up your special dressing for the salad.”
“You don’t mind, do you, Patience? I tasted it at one of the potluck dinners and I’ve been meaning to ask you for the recipe,” Mildred, Red’s wife and B.J.’s aunt, said.
Patience agreed at once. Anything was better than everyone praising her as a hero. Megan had told them that Patience had saved Jim’s life. Patience tried to explain that she owed Jim for his help, not the other way around.
She moved over to the cabinet and told Mildred what ingredients she needed. Mildred was a kind soul and soon put her at ease.
“Now, we’re going to call the younger ones to dinner, so the men can have room to eat when they get back,” Mildred explained.
Patience dreaded facing the men who had ridden into the mountains after them. Especially the sheriff. She would have to find a time to talk privately with him.
She’d thought if she got Tommy back, everything would be right with her world. How wrong she’d been. Not only did she still need to worry about Kane trying to get Tommy, but she also had to deal with her feelings for Jim.
She missed his strength, his calm appraisal ofsituations. She missed his warmth, a feeling that surrounded her when she was with him. He made her a stronger, happier person. Most of all, she loved his sense of humor.
She blinked rapidly to dispel the tears that filled her eyes.
Megan moved to her side. “Everything’s okay, Patience, I promise.”
Patience gave her a smile and nodded. She knew differently, but she wasn’t going to tell Megan that.
When the first round of dinner was announced, Tommy came running to the table. His grandmother demanded a kiss, and Tommy willingly gave her one.
“You want one, too, Mommy?” Tommy asked.
“That would be nice.” Patience smiled at her
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