Saved by the Rancher

chapter Forty


JACK ARRIVED BACK at the house in time to meet the sheriff and some of his men in the Great Room. The sheriff, a tall man with a huge potbelly and a sandy grey mustache in need of trimming, commanded the room. His shrewd brown eyes narrowed on Jack.

“How long has she been missing?”

“Since early this afternoon, maybe a little before one o’clock. Nearest we can tell. She was out back planting flowers, and now she’s gone.”

“So, less than twenty-four hours. Are you sure she’s not off visiting a friend?”

“She doesn’t have any friends.” Jack frowned at the thought. “She promised not to leave the ranch.”

“I’ve known you and your family a long time. I’m not saying you had anything to do with the woman’s disappearance, but still, I need to check every possible angle. Where were you this afternoon?”

Statistically the person closest to the victim was usually responsible. He wasn’t upset the sheriff zeroed in on him, but wasting time annoyed him. Time Jenna didn’t have if she was at David’s mercy.

“Caleb and I attended an auction, went to the courthouse to sign some papers, and headed over to a friend’s ranch. He was with me the whole time. I’ve been calling most of the day. She hasn’t answered. Her purse is in the kitchen along with her cell phone. None of her clothes are missing. None of the cars are gone. None of my men or the guards has seen her.”

“Mommy, why are the police here?” Lily asked.

“We can’t find Jenna, so he’s going to help us.” Summer hugged Lily close.

Everyone knew, but no one would say it. David could have taken Lily too. The thought of that evil man touching a hair on Lily’s head was reprehensible.

“Maybe she’s still with that man,” Lily said, working on a Popsicle, her lips cherry red. Every head in the room turned toward her. Her big blue eyes went wide as everyone stared in disbelief.

“What?” Jack came over to Lily and kneeled beside her, Summer’s arms locked around her protectively. “What man, Lily?”

“The man in the woods. He looked like a bush, but his face was mad.”

“You saw a man in the woods?” Jack asked softly, though he wanted to demand she tell him everything. He reminded himself she was little more than three.

“Yes, he watched us plant the blue flowers. Jenna didn’t see him at first, but I did. He tried to hide.”

Jack’s heart sank. His worst fears had come true. “What did he do then?”

“Jenna told me to go inside for lunch. I did, but I watched out the window.”

“What did you see?” Jack was torn up inside. His niece saw what happened to Jenna. He hoped it wasn’t anything that would haunt her.

“The man came out of the trees. He had a really big knife.”

“Did he hurt Jenna?” Jack asked carefully.

“No. Jenna went into the woods with him. Sally followed and I had lunch.”

“Why didn’t you tell anyone about the man?” Jack didn’t know what to do. She was only a little girl. She didn’t know something bad happened to Jenna.

“Because I thought she knew him.”

The sheriff spoke up then, having written everything down. “What did he look like?”

“I don’t know.” She shrugged her small shoulders.

The sheriff tried again. “Was he tall? What color hair did he have?”

“Dark. He was bigger than Jenna. His clothes looked like a bush.”

“What do you mean he looked like a bush?” the sheriff asked, as confused as the rest of them.

“Lots of green, like Daddy and Uncle Jack when they were in the Army. I saw pictures.”

Jack spoke first. “Camouflage. That’s why she didn’t see him sneak up on her. If she heard anything in the woods, she probably thought it was one of the guards.”

“What guards?” The sheriff’s interest increased.

“We have guards watching the property. Jenna’s ex-husband has a habit of finding her and,” he considered Lily, “let’s just say, hurting her.”

The sheriff got the picture and nodded with a frown tilting his mustache. “Who’s the ex?”

“David Merrick. Last I knew he was in San Francisco. His wedding was a couple of days ago. I have someone checking to see where he is now. I don’t know, maybe he came and took her. Maybe he had someone else take her. From what Lily said about the man, my guess is it’s David. Her description fits. Where Jenna is concerned, he likes to do his own dirty work.”

“Okay, we’ll check him out. Let’s send some men into the woods behind the house, see if we can’t find tracks. She could still be out there.” The sheriff’s blunt statement made the situation that much more real. It was a real possibility she was lying dead out in the trees behind the house. Every instinct Jack possessed told him to rush out there, search every square inch of land until he found her, but reason and training prevailed. They needed a strategic approach if they had any hope of finding her and thwarting whatever diabolical plan David had in store for her.

“She’s been gone all afternoon. She could be anywhere,” Jack said, distracted by his wandering thoughts.

“Let’s begin the search where she was last seen, and see if we can’t determine which direction they went.”

“Fine. The men have checked most of the immediate area around the barns and family cabins. We’ll meet you outside and work our way north along the pastures.”

The sheriff and his men headed out to the back patio, taking out their flashlights to look around for clues. It would be slow going in the dark.

“We’ll find her, Jack. I know we will,” Summer tried to reassure him again. It didn’t help.

“I pray she’s alive when we do. Take Lily home. You need your rest. We’ll call when we find her.”

“Jack, call Sam. We talked about this, remember? It’s time.” She’d spoken to Jack shortly after Jenna decided to stay. They agreed Sam could help in some way if Jenna got into trouble. This was big trouble and Sam’s FBI training and experience would be invaluable. Jack knew his twin brother would keep him sane if something bad happened to Jenna.

“I hate to take him away from his work, but you’re right. We need him.” Jack pulled out his cell phone and dialed Sam’s number. As usual, he got his voicemail. “Sam, it’s Jack. I need you to come home. It’s an emergency.” That’s the only message he left and all he needed to say.

Lily squirmed excitedly, squealing, “Uncle Sam is coming? Yeah!”

“Come on, Sunshine. You and me are going home. Uncle Jack and Daddy will look for Jenna.

“Call me no matter what time and tell me when you find her. She’s okay. I know it. She’s a survivor. We just need to find her.”

Jack hugged his sister. Her body trembled and tears rolled down her face. She didn’t need to be here enduring this stress when she was pregnant. “Go home, little sister. Take care of yourself. Caleb and I will call when we know something. Have one of the guards stay with you. I don’t want to take any chances.”

“I’ll have one of them stay on the couch.”

Caleb hugged his wife and daughter. “I’ll be home when I can. Get some rest.” He held them close for a few moments.

Jack’s arms were empty, making him ache as he watched Caleb and Summer. He turned his back on them and walked away, needing to do something besides wallowing in his misery and thinking about what might be happening to the woman he loved. She was out there, and he needed to find her.