Rustlers could at least have the decency to show up when Chisholm and Whit gave up sleep to look for them. It sure would have made it easier. He and Whit could have arrested the miscreants and left the Brady City area without a second thought. Well, he’d have second thoughts about Caro, probably for the rest of his life, but at least she could move on.
They reached Brady Creek, which marked the separation of the two ranches. While the Mesquite herd was grazing a couple of miles away, the Walking Diamond’s filled the plain. It was a good-looking herd. Bigger than Chisholm thought, too. Hank Reynolds should be proud, and with the mild spring weather, the calves should be putting on weight in no time.
Three cowhands kept their eye on the cattle, and Chisholm imagined a couple others were out looking for strays. Chisholm didn’t see Ricardo’s or Hank Reynolds’s horses, so he hoped the two men had taken care of the cow and gotten some much-needed sleep.
Bullet and Buckshot ambled toward the ranch house of the Walking Diamond. Neither Chisholm nor Whit felt the need to push their horses. There were no new leads, so what was the point?
Caro bolted from the barn, waving her arms.
Chisholm nudged Bullet to a gallop and hopped from his horse when he grew close. “What’s wrong?”
Her dark eyes flashed with anger. “How could you leave?”
“We didn’t leave. We went to look for the rustlers. I wouldn’t leave without saying good-bye.” He blinked. “Caro, what’s going on? Why do you look undone?”
“Ricardo is missing.”
“Are you sure?”
She glared at him and held up the sheathed knife. “See this? His knife and his gun are here, but he isn’t. He would never leave his weapons behind. I’m telling you, something is wrong.”
“Is his horse gone?” When she nodded, he went on. “Caro, maybe he forgot them.”
“He was almost lynched! If you were him, would you go anywhere without your gun?”
Chisholm rubbed his stiff neck. Caro had a point, but Ricardo was hardly a reliable person. He glanced at Whit, still on Buckshot, and knew his partner was thinking the same thing.
“I’m sure he’s fine, but we’ll go look for him. Where’s Hank Reynolds? I’d like to talk to him first.”
“And I didn’t think of that?” Caro swung the sheathed knife in her hand as she spoke. “He is not here. He didn’t come home, so he has no idea what’s happening.” Her voice broke. “What if Slade’s men have come back and taken him?”
It was a possibility, but since he and Whit had been at the Mesquite, watching the herd, he found that doubtful. It was more likely that Ricardo was off drinking somewhere again.
Chisholm’s stomach growled, but given Caro’s state of mind, he reckoned asking for breakfast was out of the question. Instead, he squeezed her arm and mounted his horse. “We’ll find him.”
They turned at the sound of the pounding of hooves. One of the Walking Diamond’s cowboys rode in fast. “Twenty head went missing from the back quarter this morning. Mr. Reynolds said you should come while the trail is hot.”
Chisholm looked from the concerned cowboy to a distraught Caro. He wanted to hold her and tell her everything would be all right, but instead he had to do his duty. “Caro, I’m sorry. We have to check this out, but I’ll go look for Ricardo as soon as I can. In the meantime, promise me you’ll stay here. I can’t look for him if I’m worrying about you.”
Caro hugged her waist as she watched the men depart. She’d always known Chisholm would choose duty over her, but the pain of it now made her stomach knot. What if Chisholm’s duty cost Ricardo his life?
She wandered back into the barn and sat down on Ricardo’s cot. Ricardo had volunteered to come with her mamá and her when they fled Mexico. Until recently, he’d been their rock. He’d taken care of them and made sure that he found work at a ranch where the two of them could also be hired. And now he was in trouble. Where was he?
She’d promised not to leave the ranch, but she’d not promised not to look for Ricardo. Maybe one of the cowhands had seen him. After heading outside, she took the narrow path down to the bunkhouse and knocked at the shack’s ramshackle door. No one answered. She nudged it open a crack. “Anyone home?”