Page 4 of Rancher's Strength

“Thanks.” Rushing out of the office before I broke down in tears, I basically ran to my car, desperate not to have my breakdown in the middle of the parking lot.

Slamming the door behind me, I couldn’t fight the tears any longer and let my head fall against the steering wheel, allowing them to fall freely.

Wiping my eyes with the back of my hand, I glanced in the rearview mirror before backing out of the parking spot. It was two in the afternoon, and almost five hours remained until Reverence, Wyoming. If I wanted to get there before the kids were ready for bed, I needed to move.

Tears slipped down my cheeks in fits and starts, blurring the road as I wound through the mountains and crossed into Idaho. Grief sat like a stone on my chest—Anita and Hank gone, just like that. The loss hollowed out my insides, each mile echoing with memories of their laughter, their love.

I pressed harder on the gas, daring the speed limit, daring fate—almost hoping for sirens to break the silence, to remind me this wasn’t just a nightmare I could wake from. But when the welcome sign for Wyoming appeared and the plates around me began to match my destination, a breath escaped my lungs. Not relief, exactly. Just the knowledge that I was closer. Closer to Ruby and Sawyer. Closer to the promise Imade… the promise I needed to keep.

A thought crossed my mind. I hadn’t called Sam to let her know I was on the way. When I pulled up in front of her house, I saw the curtains move, and almost immediately the front door swung open. My other best friend stood in the doorway, her red hair pulled back off her face in a messy bun. She usually lookedput together, but given the circumstances, I didn’t see a stitch of makeup, and she wore yoga pants and an oversized sweatshirt. She ran down the front steps toward me.

Reaching for the handle, I scrambled out of my car, where she waited right outside my door. We wrapped our arms around each other, holding on for dear life. “This can’t be happening.” I sobbed.

Once we composed ourselves, I looked back at the house. “Have you told them?”

Sam shook her head, “No, I couldn’t bring myself to do it until you were here.”

“Once we explain what happened, I’ll take them home, or to a hotel. Their home? Which is just a reminder of where their parents should be—with them. What the hell am I supposed to do?” I mumbled as we walked to the house, our arms around one another.

“Ask them what they want to do. If they might want to go home. It’s all they know.” Sam gave me a weak smile, and I nodded. “What about Ryder?” Over the last three years my friends knew not to even bring up his name. I’d never told them I bumped into him occasionally, and I wasn’t going to open that can of worms.

“The police were going to call him,” I mumbled. Sam squeezed me tighter.

Chapter Two

RYDER

The day had been perfect. Griff and Elle had a beautiful ceremony, and I’d been so happy to be a part of their union. Laughter filled the yard, and aside from the half-built barn and Griff’s arm still in a sling, everything looked normal. If Elle hadn’t worked so quickly, we’d be having an entirely different kind of service.

Over the sound of the music, my phone rang, and I frowned as I looked at the number. I didn’t recognize it, but something nagged me to pick it up. Excusing myself from the group, I walked around to the side of the house.

“Hello?” My voice was stiff,

“Is this Ryder Saffort?’

“It is. Who’s calling?”

“This is Officer Timothy Unger I’m with the Reverence, Wyoming Sheriff’s Department. I regret to inform you that Hank and Anita Forrest have been killed in a car accident. You are on their list of contacts.” Slumping against the house, I was sure I heard him wrong.

“Um, I’m sorry, you said Hank and Anita?” The man on the other end of the line spoke as if he were reading a script he’d rehearsed for hours before calling me.

“I’ve already spoken with your wife, and she’s on her way to Reverence to pick up the children. They will be in your care now.”

“My wife?”

“Yes, Alexandra. She’s a ballbuster, isn’t she?” The man chuckled.

“A ballbuster?” I scoffed. The man on the other end of the line was an idiot, and I truly hoped Lexie had put him in his place. “You obviously didn’t get the full effect of Lexie.” I pulled the phone away from my ear and ended the call.

“Everything okay?” Griff asked as he rounded the corner of the house.

“No, it’s not. I need to go.” I looked up from my phone, and all my business partners were gathered around me. “Can you have the plane ready for me at the airport?” I looked at Linc, and he nodded. We didn’t use the plane often anymore.We didn’t need to, but it came in handy occasionally. When we’d worked as a security team, we’d been fortunate to get high-paying clients, which had set us up for life. We didn’t even need to ranch. We just did it to stay occupied, and it had worked its way into our hearts after all these years.

“Where do they need to file the flight plan for?” he asked as he pulled his cell out of his back pocket.

“Reverence, Wyoming.” None of them asked what was happening, they just stood beside me as I stared at my phone. Linc moved further down the porch and talked to our pilot.

“They’ll get you off the ground within the hour,” he said as he walked back to us.

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