Page 3 of Rancher's Strength

“Hello, is this Alexandra Saffort?” the voice on the other end of the line asked in an oddly official tone.

“This is she, may I ask who I’m speaking to?”

“This is Officer Timothy Unger.” A police officer? Why would a police officer be calling me? Oh, god. Had Mom or Lydia been in an accident? “I’m regretfully calling to inform you that Hank and Anita Forrest were killed in a car accident this morning.”

I used all my strength to pull out my desk chair, immediately collapsing into it as if my legs had turned to Jello. “Mrs. Saffort, are you there?” the voice on the other end of the line drew me out of my haze.

“Yes, um, I’m sorry, I’m here. What happened?” It didn’t make any sense; the weather was perfect, and it was the end of summer. I talked to Anita yesterday. She said she and Hank were more in love than ever, but she didn’t want to go to the cabin. She wanted to stay home with the kids and veg on the couch.

“From the information we can gather, they’d been heading to a mountain cabin for their anniversary. A freak storm hit, and a mud slide pushed their car off the cliff.” Bile rose in my throat as the man kept talking, but I was no longer comprehending his words because the rush of my pulse was drowning him out.

“Ruby and Sawyer?” I asked, interrupting whatever he was telling me.

“They are staying at a friend’s house. They haven’t been told, but the adults there are aware.”

“Who are they with?”

“Um... let me see here.” I could hear papers being shuffled, and silence hung on the line.

“You’re telling me that you’ve got two kids out there whose parents have been killed in a horrible accident, and you don’t have a flying fuck where they’re staying? What the fuck else do you have to do in that podunk town? What could be more important than this case?” I yelled into the phone.

“Ma’am, I understand this is a trying situation, but please bear with us while we get you the information.”

“I suggest you quit patronizing me, or I’ll tie up your department for years over the inept police work. Where are the kids?”

“Right, you’re a lawyer.” His condescending tone was enough to make me want to climb through the phone receiver and the telephone lines just to wrap my hands around his throat. “They’re at Samantha Younger’s home.” My anger abated slightly, the kids would be taken care of at Sam’s house.

Anita, Sam, and I had gone to college together, and back then, we decided we’d start our own law practice. That hadn’t happened. I met my ex-husband and stayed in Bozeman. Sam and Anita had settled in Wyoming, in the same town. They worked in the same office but specialized in different areas of law.

“You’re the guardian listed for the children, so they’ll be released into your care upon your arrival.” His voice softened, and I closed my eyes as I thought about the kids. “Will Mr. Saffort be accompanying you? I need to let Ms. Younger know.”

“No, Mr. Saffort won’t be with me. I’ll leave now and be there in a few hours.”

“I’ll place that call to your husband then if you like.”

“Sure, go ahead,” I half answered, my mind racing a million miles an hour.

“Once again, I’m sorry for your loss,” Office Unger stated.

“Thank you,” I mumbled and hung up the phone.

Why were Ryder and I still the kids’ guardians? Surely Anita would’ve updated her will when Ryder and I divorced. She wanted the kids raised in a home with two loving parents. When we’d agreed to be the guardians, Ryder and I fit the bill. We were madly in love, but I’d changed, and we’d divorced three years ago.

A soft knock on my door drew my attention, and I looked up to see Faith. “What do I need to do?” She had a notebook in onehand and a pen in the other. Moving without a word, she sat across from me and said, “I handed off the Tremaines to Rayla. She’s been looped in because they’re ridiculous, so she knows them.”

Being a divorce attorney had never been boring, but the number of couples I saw who were still in love had reached an all-time high lately. The Tremaines were no different; they’d been dragging their feet with this divorce, so I finally sat them down in the same room today to hash it out.

“Okay, great. I guess I need to cancel everything?” It was more of a question than a statement as I sat staring at the phone, waiting for it to ring and for someone to tell me this was a sick joke. But silence hung in the air like a swarm of mosquitoes hovering above the surface of the pond at home when there was no breeze, and the summer heat made everything stagnant and lazy.

“For how long?”

“I don’t know. A while, I would think. Anyone I have scheduled, find new representation for them.” Marriage counseling wasn’t in my college courses, but maybe it should have been, because most of the couples I worked with needed that more than they needed to be in my office ending their marriage. A nagging voice in the back of my mind reminded me that was all I needed, too.

“I have to go to Wyoming. I don’t know how long I’ll be there, and then I’m going to have to go to the Flying Diamond to talk to Ryder.” Faith’s head shot up at the mention of my ex. “You can reach me on my cell if you need me.” Standing, I smoothed down my skirt and packed up the things I would need to work remotely.

“You might as well forward everything to your house. There’s no point in you sitting here twiddling your thumbs while I figure this out. I’ll keep paying you, as normal.” I was rambling…Ineeded to leave. “Once you’re done organizing things, you can go. I’ll call you when I know more.” Grabbing my laptop bag and purse, I headed for the door.

“I’m sorry about your friends, Lexie.”

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