Raining In My Heart (Book One of the McKay's) (24 page)

"If I was a kid and wanted to run off, I'd go hide out there beyond the last corral and find me a good place.
Probably just needs some thinkin' time.
"
Caleb
nodded his head toward the high ridge that shadowed the ranch in the evenings.

Everyone looked up at the hill above the corral. "I don't think she'd venture off on foot like that…"
Julie
shook her head.

Cade
stiffened
.
"She wasn't on foot, we found that out. She took that pony I've been training her on, Pinto."

"Is she riding that well already?" Letty exclaimed.

"No
t to my satisfaction
,
she hasn't strayed from a trail yet and doesn't know how to handle him
in the bush so to speak. B
ut she took him nonetheless, that's what
Caleb
and I just discovered
,
"
Cade
announced.

"Oh my God
!
"
Julie
fumed at the older man
.
"How could you let her take a horse, by herself?"

"Now hold on
,
Julie
.
"
Cade
pull
ed her by the elbow to the side. He held her by the arms and looked into her tear
-
stained eyes.
"
Caleb
didn't let
her do anything. I've given her the run of the place and she took it upon herself to take it.
She is rather independent
,
you know.
Caleb
is the one that came to me. He was upset when he realized what was going on
and that she took the horse without asking
.
He makes it a rule that all non-employees ask before taking a horse out.
"

Julie
bowed her head
.
"I-I'm sorry. I guess I'm over
-
reacting.
I didn't mean to sound so accusing.
"

Caleb
shrugged
and went inside the barn
.

"We'll saddle up and go see if we can find her. I thought she told me she was afraid of the dark
,
"
Cade
instructed
,
turning toward the barn.

"She is
.
"
Julie
glanced at him again.
"Always has
been."

Caleb
followed Cade back out a few minutes later as
Cade
led two horses out.

"Well, then I'd expect her to make a fire or take one of those battery operated lanterns. If so
,
she'll be easier to find at night than during the day."

"That makes sense
.
"
Julie
started toward him. "I'm sorry I snapped at you
,
Caleb
.
Cade
told me
D
ad hired you personally. He didn't do that with many, he always left the hiring to Cade. You must have been very special for that to happen."

The old man cleared his throat, and mumbled something as he walked off.

"I guess I upset him
.
I'm sorry Cade
,
"
Julie
apologized once more.

"Aw
w
…don't fret.
Caleb
is used to people snapping at him
,
"
Cade
scoffed.
"He gets cranky off and on
;
I guess that comes with age.
He's very good with the horses and does little odd jobs around here I hate to assign to the others.
"

"Still, I just met him, and started accusing him." She shook her head. "Dad wouldn't ha
ve liked me doing something
like
that to someone he respected so."

"No, he wouldn't, but then he'd be right out here with us if he realized his grandchild was missing. Now, come on, you and I will make a night tour of the p
lace."

"That was fast…"
Julie
took one of the reins from his hand.

"Yeah,
Caleb
had them ready."
Cade
smiled.
"He has the habit of reading my mind before I can say anything.
We work well together.
"

"Remind me to thank him"
Julie
quickly mounted.

Letty nodded
as though she'd been totally forgotten as they all stood about
.
"I'll stay here
;
she might just turn up since it's already dark."

"Thanks
,
Letty
.
"
Julie
smiled at her.
"I've got my cell phone
;
if she comes home, call me."

"Sure, if you can get a reception
,
I will." Letty chuckled.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot about that
,
"
Julie
cried.

"Just be careful," Letty called as she headed back to the house.

Two hours later, it was dark and
Cade
decided to camp. "We'll eat and then go a little further before we bed down."

"I don't want to bed down, I want to find her. She may be out here alone and scared
,
"
Julie
insisted.

"We'll search some more, but we aren't staying up all night. We have to get some rest so we feel like searching some more tomorrow.
Besides, I got an idea, she isn't alone.
"

"Not alone…then who…
?
"

"
Dodger
the dog, they became pals real quick, he probably tagged along on his own."

"Cade?"
Julie
snapped
,
coming up almost in his face
.
"
I will not sleep until I find her. She's still my little girl, and has a lot to learn.
She has no idea of the dangers out here.
"

"Look
,
little Mama
.
"
H
e dotted her nose with a gloved hand and half smiled, half grimaced. "I'm the boss out here
,
n
ot you, and we will sleep."

Julie
registered that small movement with blushed cheeks. "But…"

"No buts, now let's have some beans and rest a bit and then we'll look some more
,
"
Cade
instructed.

"I never realized what a boss
man you are."
Julie
stomped away.
"I thought it was just
Wade
who did the bossing."

"You never realized a lot of things,
Julie
.
Wade
did most of the hiring, and firing. He also helped check on what needed doing, who needed to do it and when, but I did the actual bossing of the men. I had to put them to work, see the job done.
Wade
had more important things to take care of, like supplies, stock, buyers and general running of the property
,
"
Cade
snapped back.

"What's that supposed to mean?"
S
he whirled around at him.

"Nothin'
,
forget it," he barked and moved away.

"Do you always bark at everyone?"

"That's right, it's my job."

They split a can of pork and beans and some jerky and
Cade
nodded
.
"Get a little rest, then we'll head out again."

"I don't want to rest, I want to find my daughter." When he didn't react
,
she stood up and moved closer to Cade. "She's your daughter too
.
A
ren't you worried?"

"Worried?"
h
e snapped
,
turning until he was in her face
. "You damned right I'm worried. She's on a horse she don't know enough about, she's out here in the dark, she's afraid of the dark, and she's confused as hell about us.
Of course I'm worried."

"Then…why?"

"Because once sh
e finds a comfort place
, she'll bed down too and we'll catch up to her then."

"What if she hurts herself
?
"
Julie
fumed.

"I'm thinking if that happens she's gonna be a little louder than she is now."

"I can't make you out, Cade…I really can't."
Julie
moved to turn away.

But
Cade
pulled her back around to face him. So close she could feel his breath on her face, so close she could kiss him if she tiptoed.

Why did that thought dominate her mind suddenly?

"You sure can't, but maybe this will give you something to think about," he said and brought her against him as his lips fastened onto hers with a mesmerizing softness. His kiss dominated and opened a storm of reactions in
Julie
. She wanted to struggle and pull away but the
reminder of his lips persuaded her otherwise. The kiss went on forever, and somehow their arms got tangled into each other, holding each other as though the kiss was the last straw.

Cade
tried to pull away but couldn't seem to break the contact. His sharp breathing against her cool skin as his lips slid across her face, her nose, her eyes, and then back to her soft
pillowed lips merely matched his
own. A ragged moan echoed in the wind, neither knew where it came, neither cared.

When he finally let go of her,
Julie
almost sank to the ground she was so weak.

What just hap
pened? How could Cade's kisses a
ffect her so? And how could she stand there and wonder about Cade's kisses when her daughter was missing
?
But she did. She was stunned into a silence.

"Saddle up, we're riding
,
"
Cade
said throatily.

"But I thought…"

"Saddle up
Julie
, if you know what's good for you
,
"
Cade
instructed.

Without looking at him,
Julie
knew he was right. She saddled up and they rode for a while.

Then through a clearing,
Cade
saw a light and he nodded to
Julie
.

Kellie
sat around a small campfire, shivering and shocked to see both her mother and father.
Dodger
barked and ran right up to them.

"You gave us quite a scare
,
young lady," Cade scolded
as he almost ran up to her, grabbed her with all his might and hugged her
.

"Don't scold her,"
Julie
shouted as she ran to her daughter to hug her, but
Kellie
backed away from her.

"I'll scold her when she scared the living daylights out of both of us, had the whole ranch upset looking for her for hours. When you do wrong, you need to know you do wrong, young lady
,
"
Cade
barked as he came closer.

Kellie
frowned
.
"I'm sorry, but I didn't want to be around the two of you anymore."

"That's too bad. Your running away didn't change anything,
Kellie
." Cade's voice calmed now.
"On a ranch one of the worst things a person can do is leave without telling anyone. It means hours of searching. It is very costly and very exasperating."

"I can't believe you, either of you. You made love one night, without even feeling anything for each other. So I was a big mistake on both your parts.
And now you stand here lecturing me about running away from something I don't understand. I needed time to think, time to figure out what was happening without the two of you trying to tell me. I have to sort this all out, make sense of it.
In my own way.
"