Word Count 8,469
Episode Three of the Lancer Now Series
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It was a lovely morning in the little town of Morro Coyo…or as locals called it, Corro. No one knew why or when the town had gotten its shortened name, but you could always tell if someone was an old time resident or new blood by how they referred to their hometown.
On this morning, people with clipboards were standing outside of businesses, talking to customers as they exited the buildings. It was obvious that they were there to get signatures on whatever their clipboards held. A few added their names, but most shook their heads and walked away.
Standing outside his office, Sheriff Taylor Adams watched it all, sunglasses hiding his expression from any passersby.
It was a lovely morning on the Lancer Ranch as well. The cows were happy and healthy, the garden was growing, no immediate threats were looming. All the Lancers themselves had scattered to their respective domains after breakfast and were busy at their work.
Grant puttered around the workshop, whistling slightly off key. There were a few odds and ends needing repair, but no one had left any items or notes on his workbench this morning, so there wasn’t anything pressing for his attention. It was a good time to check out some of the other buildings on the property that he hadn’t never gotten around to investigating.
Specifically, there was an older barn out behind the garage. When Grant had asked Steve what it was used for, the older man and simply grunted, “Junk.” So that’s where he headed. Inside was dark and dusty. The lights worked, thankfully, which meant he could see the dust more clearly. Poking among boxes and barrels, he had begun to agree with Steve. Old car parts, a piece of a plow, a broken chair…and was that a piano in the corner? In the very back, a tarp covered a large item. Grant tugged it off, and stared at what he found underneath.
Devin and Grant stood side by side in the barn, arms crossed.
“Huh,” Devin said. “I forgot that was even here.”
“How long since it ran?”
Devin rubbed his chin in thought. “Since before Dad passed. It was his. Probably 10 years or so.” He looked at Grant. “You aimin’ to fix it up?”
“I’m thinking about it.” He went over and peered closer. “Ten years. Gonna need a lot.”
“What for?”
“Stacey doesn’t have a car.”
Devin looked surprised. “You think she’d want this?”
Grant shrugged, and they both looked back at the vintage Jeep.
Dutch didn’t often go to town. He much preferred to remain out on the ranch where he was comfortable. The other hands accused him of just wanting to avoid modern civilization and pretend it was still the old West. With his handlebar mustache and classic cowboy clothes, he could easily have stepped out of the past.
He let them think what they wanted. His reasons for preferring the relative isolation of Lancer were his own.
But today was one of those times when going to town was unavoidable. Although why the crazy doctor thought he had to check his blood pressure so often was beyond him. He’d hardly been sick a day in his life. Still frowning about it all, Dutch left the doc’s office and decided to get a bite at Millie’s before heading back to work. The town had its share of eating establishments, but a sandwich from the deli counter was good enough for him.
On the way down the walk, a young man angled to intercept him. “Good afternoon, sir!” he said brightly.
Dutch nodded in return and attempted to keep walking.
“I was hoping I could talk to you for a moment. You look like someone who might know the importance of living off the land.”
Dutch paused at that. That was all the intruder needed to launch into his spiel of organic farming and how it used to be done before modern chemicals and poisons started being added to the food. He waved a clipboard in Dutch’s face.
“We are getting signatures of good folks like yourself who think it is high time some of the fertile land around Morro Coyo was being put to better use.” He stuck a pen in Dutch’s hand. “If you would like to see this area used for the benefit of…”
Dutch squinted at the paper. “Our neighbors signed this thing?” He flipped a few pages. “Funny thing. I’ve lived here all my life, and I don’t see anybody I…” He stopped at one name.
“Well, I’m sure new neighbors move in all the time. Anyone in the county is eligible to sign…”
Dutch slapped the clipboard back into the man’s hands. Then he stomped off and climbed into his truck. After sitting there a moment, he pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts. Stopping on one, his thumb hovered over the call button. With a sigh, he put the phone away, and started the engine.
Blake entered the old barn and frowned. This was where Devin said he would find Grant. A tool clattered to the floor somewhere in the back of the building. “Grant?” he called.
“Yo!” came a muffled reply.
Carefully walking around dirty debris, Blake followed the sound. He came to a Jeep with Grant’s legs sticking out from under it. He squatted down and bent sideways to see. “What are you doing?”
Grant rolled back out on a mechanics creeper. He stood up and wiped his hands on a rag from his pocket. “Working on a Jeep.”
“Thanks,” Blake deadpanned. “I couldn’t have called that one.”
“You need something?”
Blake handed him a paper. “Just double checking your supply order before I call lt in.” While Grant checked the list, Blake looked closer at the vehicle. “Where’d you get a Jeep?”
“It was Devin’s dad’s. I figure I’d fix it up for Stacey.”
Blake turned back to him with eyes wide. “Really?”
“Why not? Do you think it’s too much of a reminder of her military family?”
“No, I think it’s cool.” Blake grinned. “Very cool.”
As was typical for Wednesdays, nearly everyone was saddling up in order to trailer their horses out to the herd. Dutch led his horse over closer to Devin.
“When I was in town yesterday, a fella tried to get me to sign on this petition.”
Devin paused in tying his cinch. “What petition?”
“To use ‘local land’ for those organic farms.”
Devin finished the knot and pulled his stirrup down with a slap.
“Whatcha gonna do?” Dutch asked him.
Devin grabbed the lead rope and headed to the trailer. “I’m gonna move cows.”
Dutch gave a little shrug and followed.
Several days later, JD roared up the drive on his motorcycle. As he pulled to a stop, Grant and Blake were waiting for him.
“You got it?” Blake asked.
In answer, JD reached into his bike’s saddlebag and pulled out a flat package and tossed it to him.
Blake opened it and looked at the license plates. “Sweet.”
They went out to the barn and watched as Grant fastened them on.
“When are you giving it to her?” JD asked.
Grant stood up. “After dinner. We’ll all be there then.”
Stacey raised her fork to take another bite, then put it back down. She looked at all her cousins with narrowed eyes. “Ok. What’s up?”
Devin casually picked up his drink. “What do you mean?”
Stacey looked at him. She wouldn’t be surprised at anything from Blake and the others, but Devin? “Come on. I think every one of you has looked at my plate a dozen times. Is there a reason I need to eat faster?”
Grant cleared his throat. “We maybe, kinda have something for you.”
Her narrowed eyes widened in surprise. “For me? Why?”
“Because,” Blake began.
Stacey waited for more, but it didn’t come. “Because?” she prompted.
“Exactly,” he agreed.
She turned back to Devin. “And you’re in on this?”
“Guess so. Though it was mostly Grant that did it all.”
“Did what?”
JD pointed to her food. “Finish eating and you’ll find out.”
She took another bite, then put her fork down for good. “I can’t stand it. I’m done.”
The boys looked at each other for a moment, then all stood up. Blake pointed toward the kitchen. “It’s out back.”
She frowned at that. “Should I be worried?” She followed them through the kitchen, where Betty just smiled at her, and out a back door.
She stopped suddenly and stared at the freshly painted vehicle. “What is this?”
Grant walked over to her and dropped keys in her hand. “Your car.”
“My what?”
Blake frowned. “If her vision and hearing are this bad, maybe she shouldn’t be driving.”
Devin ignored him as usual. “Grant figured you needed your own wheels, so you don’t have to always borrow something or wait for a ride.”
She slowly walked all the way around it. When she came to the front license plate that said “Ace”, she looked at Blake. He just winked in return. “Where did it come from?”
“It was Dad’s,” Devin told her. He smiled. “He would’ve liked you.”
“So, give it try,” JD urged her.
“Uh,” Grant said, “You can drive a stick, right?”
“Army brat, remember? I’ve been driving these things since I was 12,” she told him and hopped in. Starting the motor, she grinned in happiness and took off. Only a few yards down the drive, she stopped and backed up all the way to where everyone stood. Jumping out, she hugged them all in turn.
“I didn’t do any of it!” JD sputtered.
Stacey just gave a laugh, returned to her Jeep and peeled out.
The four men watched her head down the main road.
“I don’t know,” Blake said. “Do you think she likes it?”
Devin gave him a playful slap on the arm, and they headed in, knowing she wouldn’t be back for a while.
“I’m eating her dessert,” JD told them as they went in.
Devin and a couple of hands were loading supplies into his truck in town.
Charlie paused to wipe his brow. “Is this all of it?”
“Just about,” Devin told him, setting a box down. “How about I treat you to lunch when we’re done?”
“Now that’s a wonderful idea, “Chris agreed.
Devin looked over to the diner to gauge how busy they were. There were some women standing in front…with clipboards. He was about to change his mind and head home to eat, when he caught sight of one of the women. “Finish up here,” he told the men. Jumping down from the truck, he walked up to the diner. “Mila?”
The dark-haired woman turned to him. After just a second, she blinked. “Devin,” she said without inflection.
He looked at her T-shirt that read “Organics-Health Before Wealth”. He nodded at it and her clipboard. “What is this?”
“Growing organically is important.” She recited.
Devin frowned. “You do realize it’s our land that they’re trying to get ahold of.”
“Farming uses the land more wisely than beef cattle.”
“You sound like a robot,” Devin scoffed. “Where are you getting this stuff?”
Mila turned angrily and started to walk away.
Devin put a hand on her arm. “C’mon Mila. You practically grew up on Lancer. Why are you doing this? Your dad…”
She jerked her arm away. “Do NOT talk to me about…” she stopped and regained her calm. “I believe in a cause. I have a right to do that.”
“Even when it threatens my right to keep my home?”
“Nobody is taking your whole ranch. A few acres for farming would not…”
Devin put his hands on his hips to keep from grabbing and shaking her. “A few acres for farming, a few acres for vineyards, a few acres for houses…This,” he pointed again to her shirt, “is one part of a big threat. And it’s hard to take when its friends that are part of that threat.”
At some point, the other women had stepped back out of the conversation. Or at least out of Devin’s reach. Mila’s eyes hardened at Devin. “I get that. It’s hard when friends aren’t there for you when bad things happen.”
Devin blinked at her accusing tone. “What are you talking about?”
“Is my dad still here?”
“Yes. He’s my…”
“Is my mom?”
Devin paused. ”Well, no. Because…” he stopped.
Mila glared at him. “Because what? Did he tell you some story?”
“No.”
Mila got right up to his face. “My father chose that damn ranch over me and mom. I don’t really care what happens to it.”
Devin glared right back. “Number one, you better get your facts straight about your mom and dad. And number two, your dad doesn’t own Lancer, I do. It’s MY home you’re attacking. MY family you’re hurting.”
That took her by surprise. “What family?”
“Maybe you should get a lot of facts straight,” he told her and stomped back to the truck. Once there, he handed some bills to Charlie. “Here. I’m not hungry.”
Stacey drove her Jeep down a long path that was what passed for a lane out here in the back parts of the ranch. The wind blew her long hair back as she shifted gears and sped up.
There had been a time, after she had left her military obsessed family, that she would never have wanted to see a Jeep again, let alone have one of her own. But this was different. She was different. Her whole life was different now. And she wouldn’t have hurt her cousins, feelings for anything.
They had gone to all of this trouble for her. Because they saw and knew and liked her. And that meant more than she could ever, ever explain to them.
Back from town, Devin came into the house and threw his hat onto the table. He looked at Blake who was sitting at the large desk. Then he looked around. “Where’s Stacey?”
Blake cocked his head as if thinking. “At a guess? In her Jeep somewhere. Anytime there’s an errand to run, she jumps on it.”
Devin had to smile. “I guess she likes it.”
“Guess so. Did you need her for something?”
“No. Not really. She’s just usually…around.”
Blake nodded understanding. “She’ll settle down.”
Stacey pulled up in front of the cottage. Each week two cowboys stayed in one of these “camps” to keep an eye on the herd. Mason stepped out of the door to greet her and get the supplies she had brought.
“Hey, Stace! How did you get stuck with delivering stuff way out here?”
She patted her Jeep. “We can handle it.”
Kiko came over from the little barn. “Just remember, Chica, the roads out here can be tricky. Even for that.”
“Got it,” she told him, and got back in. “See you next week!”
“Bye!” Mason waved.
“Ciao,” Kiko called to her.
Mason stared at him as they walked back inside. “Ciao? What’s that? You suddenly turn Italian or something?”
“No, but you know I have that friend Silvia…”
Heading back to the hacienda, Stacey was zipping along, when one wheel hit a deeper than usual rut. The Jeep skidded and spun around…
Devin sat down at the table and looked at the empty chair to his right. “She still not back?”
“New wheels is a sweet thing,” JD said.
Grant smiled at him and nodded.
Blake was not smiling. “She probably should’ve been back all the same. Where did she go today?”
“She took some parts out to the guys at camp,” Grant explained.
“That wouldn’t take all day,” Blake said.
JD shrugged. “Probably joyriding.”
Devin and Blake exchanged a look of unease. Then Blake got up and went to the radio. “Bean to Ace. Bean to Ace.” There was no answer. “Stacey, c’mon, darling. Enough joyriding. Dinner’s ready.” Still no reply.
Devin came over and took the mike from him. “Base to Camp One.”
“Camp here, Boss. You looking for Stacey?” Mason answered.
“Yes. She been there?”
“Come and gone. Brought our stuff hours ago.”
“Thanks. Base out”. He put the mike down.
Blake pulled out his cell. “I doubt if there’s much chance.” He called her number anyway and let it ring. And ring.
JD stood up from the table. “I’ll get Dusty saddled.”
The Jeep lay on its side in a shallow ditch. Stacey lay under it, her legs completely trapped. Vainly she tried to reach the walkie that was just barely too far away. She could hear them calling her.
“That means they’ll start looking,” she told herself. “They’ll be here any…”
A rustling near her cut off her words. There weren’t too many life- threatening animals in the area, but with her luck, this would be the time for one to show up. The rustling came nearer. Then snuffling. She tried again to raise up enough to see over the edge of the ditch, but she was pinned too effectively.
Turning as much as she could toward the sound, the face of a cow came into her line of sight. Her breath went out in a huff of relief. “Hello!” she called to it. At her sudden voice, the cow jerked back in surprise. “No! No! I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. Don’t go!” she begged the animal. After a second, the face came back. She smiled. “Thank you. It’s nice to not be completely alone.” The cow put her head down and started munching grass. “Nice for you to have dinner wherever you go,” she told it. “My dinner is waiting for me back home.” She sighed and laid back. “I wonder what Betty made this evening.” She smiled at her cow friend. “I’m sure it was chicken.”
Mila walked into Millie‘s store not really sure she wanted to be doing this. But if anyone in town knew what Devin had been talking about, it would be Millie. As she came up to the counter, the lady in question was on her cell.
“She what?! “ she exclaimed into the phone. “Oh, Lordy. Yes, I’ll send Tom right out.” She pocketed her phone just as she saw who her customer was. “Mila Gordon!! I didn’t know you were back in town! Let me go get Tom then we can chat.”
Her husband came out of the back storeroom just in time to hear his name. “Get me for what?”
“Stacey Lancer is missing. They’re gathering volunteers.”
Mila’s ears perked up. Was this part of the family Devin mentioned?
Tom was already heading for the door. “I’m on my way.”
Mila made a split-second decision. She may not live here anymore, but she hadn’t forgotten the first rule of a small town – a neighbor in need trumped old grudges. “Hang on, Tom. I’m coming.”
She followed him out to his old red pickup and climbed in. “I’m Mila Gordon,” she told him.
“Yup,” he answered as he pulled away from the store. “I’ve known your daddy a long time.”
She said nothing to that, and he didn’t comment anymore.
When they pulled into the yard in front of the Lancer hacienda, a circle of people had gathered. An ambulance was there as well, parked among the vehicles. They jumped out of the truck and joined everyone. Sheriff Adams was there, and Devin of course, but she didn’t see anyone else she knew. So far, so good.
Devin was giving directions. “Here are maps of the ranch. She was last seen at the North camp about 2:00 this afternoon. The roads between here and there have been checked, but her Jeep can go off road, so she probably wouldn’t have stuck to them anyway. We’ll focus our search on the northern sections first. We’ve got three hours of good daylight. Stay in teams of 2 or 3, use channel 5 on your radios. Check in often. We’ve got emergency people here and a chopper on standby.” He looked at a man Mila didn’t know. “Anything else, Grant?”
She wondered who the guy was and why Devin asked him instead of the sheriff or EMTs. She leaned over to Tom. “Who is that?”
“Who?”
“The blond guy Devin is talking to.”
“Grant Lancer.”
Mila frowned and looked back over. When she was growing up here, there was just Devin and his brother and dad. “How many Lancers are there?”
“Five. The four boys and Stacey.”
“But…”
“Looks like we’re heading out. Comin with me?”
“Sure.”
Everyone grabbed a partner and headed to an ATV or horses. She was stepping towards Tom’s truck when she heard the voice she had been dreading. But she knew coming here was asking for it.
“Angela.”
Only one person called her by her first name. She turned to Dutch, schooling her features to be as bland as possible. “Hello, Dad.” And before he could open his mouth again, she added, “I’m just here to help,” and hurried away. She knew it was cowardly but didn’t really care at the moment.
Stacey listened to the sound of the cow munching. It was odd that she was staying in one place so long. Usually a grazing animal wandered all over. “Thanks for hanging with me,” Stacey told the animal. “I think I would have gone a little nuts here alone.” She sighed. She was getting chilly. And very tired. “You’re my guardian angel cow.” She closed her eyes. “I’ve gotta rest a minute. Please stay with me…” her voice trailed off wearily.
Devin and Blake rode along, scanning the area all around them, listening to all of the negative reports coming across their walkies.
Blake held his fingers up to measure the distance between the sun and the horizon. “We’ve still got a good hour.”
Devin didn’t answer.
“We’ll find her,” Blake continued.
Devin stopped at that. “Do you KNOW how big this ranch is?”
“We’ve got help. It’s big but it’s finite. We’ll find her.”
Devin blew out an angry breath. “If he hadn’t given her that old Jeep…” shaking his head, he nudged his horse into motion.
“Wait. You’re not blaming Grant?”
Again, he didn’t answer for a moment. “We’re wasting time,” he finally said and sped up.
JD and Mason rode over another hill and scanned the area around them.
“We should have painted that thing pink like Blake wanted,” JD mumbled. “Would have been a lot easier to spot.”
Mason gave a much smaller version of his usual grin. “Pink, huh? Sounds like Blake. What was your suggestion?”
JD just looked at him. Then something over Mason’s shoulder caught his eye. A lone heifer, in the distance. “That’s weird.”
“What?” Mason turned to follow his gaze. “It’s a cow.”
“All by itself.”
“Don’t usually wander off by themselves if it’s not calving season.”
JD spurred Dusty into a lope until they got closer, then he slowed down. If the heifer was hurt or in trouble, he didn’t want to panic it. “Hey, girl, what are…” he looked past the heifer to the ditch. “Oh my God!” He leaped off his horse, screaming at Mason. “It’s her! Call Devin!”
Mason already had his walkie out. “Mason to Devin. Mason to Devin. We have her. North pasture, just past…” he took a quick look around, “…just past the ‘blue’ hill.”
Devin’s voice came back instantly. “Got it. What do we need?”
Mason was on the ground now, coming over, but JD had his own walkie out. “Devin! She’s under the Jeep. It’s on her legs. She’s not awake.”
“Understood.”
Another voice came on. “We’re on the way.”
It was a half hour before the helicopter landed. Lancers, hands and neighbors arrived in their twos and threes. The EMTs had arrived via ATV and begun examining her as best they could. When enough help had gathered, ropes were tied to horses and the Jeep was lifted off.
Stacey roused at that, but since all she mumbled about was her guardian angel, it wasn’t very comforting.
The Lancers raced back to the ranch, left their horses in Mack’s care and sped off to the hospital in Spanish Wells. No one said anything in the truck on the way. Blake looked at Devin several times, and glanced at the two in the back seat, but he, too, stayed quiet.
At the hospital, all they could do was wait for her to come out of getting X-Rays before anyone knew anything. JD sat and stared at the wall, his face ghostly white and his jaw set. Blake stood, looking out a window and seeing nothing. Devin alternated pacing and glaring at the nurses station.
Grant sat with his hands dangling between his knees. “I wish I had never found that Jeep.”
Devin stopped pacing. “Me too.”
Grant looked up at the angry tone.
Blake took a step towards them. “It made her happy.”
“It almost killed her!” Devin barked.
“She loves it,” JD said.
Devin spun around to him. “Are you all kidding?”
JD stood and looked him in the eye. “No, I’m not kidding. She loves it. It’s not the Jeeps fault. It’s not Grant’s fault. Shit happens, Devin. Terrible shit happens all the time.”
Devin blew out his breath and ran a hand through his hair. “I should have thought about this when I asked you to come.”
“About what?” Blake asked.
“About the other side of having a family,” Grant agreed quietly. “You have a lot more to lose.”
Devin walked closer to where he still sat. “I’m sorry, man. I needed someone to blame.”
“Glad to be of service,” Grant said dryly.
“Oookay,” Blake drug the word out. “So, does anyone here have a button that this situation hasn’t pushed? Because we may as well get them all done and over with now.” He paused as if waiting for answers. “We are all sick of losing people. And of the ‘shit’ that happens. We all love Stacey.“ He looked around. “But we are all still standing.” He paused. “Except for Grant, of course, who is , in fact, sitting…but the point remains. No matter what happens, we’re not alone anymore. We’re…” he groped for an appropriate word.
“Lancer,” JD finished.
Just then, the door behind them opened. At that, Grant stood and they all faced the doctor as he came over.
“Well,” he began. “You all have one lucky lady in there.”
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
“As near as I can tell from the squad’s description, the ditch that caused the wreck also saved her life.”
“How’s that?” Blake asked.
“Since she was down in it, the vehicle pinned her, but didn’t crush her. One leg is definitely broken, and she has some spectacular bruises, a few contusions and a mild concussion, but nothing more serious.”
“Can we see her?” Devin asked.
“In a few minutes. The nurse will get you when she’s settled in a room. She’ll get a cast on her leg tomorrow, and then we’ll see about sending her home.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” Blake spoke for them all as he shook the physician’s hand.
He smiled at them then disappeared back through the double doors.
The four men practically tip toed into the hospital room. If Stacey hadn’t been so groggy, she would have laughed at them. As it was, she just gave them a loopy smile. “Hey, there,” she said.
“Hey, yourself,” Devin came over, started to reach for her hand, eyed all the wires and tubes and aborted the reach.
Blake had less inhibitions. He took her hand, albeit gently. “I believe the proverbial, useless question at this point is ‘how do you feel?’ “
“Not bad at the moment,” she told him muzzily. “I suppose I should enjoy the drugs while they last.” She thought for a moment. “How’s my Angel?”
Blake exchanged a look with the others. “Come again?”
“My angel cow,” she explained. “Heifer 851. She kept me company so I wouldn’t be alone. I mean, you know how cows roam all over when they graze. She didn’t. She stayed right with me. I want to keep her.”
“Keep her?” Devin repeated.
“Yes, keep her. Safe. Alive. I’ll keep her with the dairy cows. I’ll take care of her. She saved my life. I have to save hers.”
“Good drugs indeed,” Blake began.
“No, she’s right,” JD spoke up. “I went over because I saw this cow standing there all alone. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have seen the Jeep. If it wasn’t for old 851, we might still be looking.”
Stacey smiled at him. “You found me?”
JD shrugged. “Me and Mason.”
She let go of Blake’s hand and reached out to JD. “My hero.” A bit embarrassed, he let her take his hand and squeeze it. “How’s my Jeep?”
Devin scratched the back of his neck. “We pulled it off of you, then hightailed it here. I suppose we’ll need to go out and tow it back.”
Her eyes widened, and she turned to Grant, who was hanging back. “It’s not too damaged is it?”
He took JD’s spot by the bed. “Well, uh,“ he stalled, then looked at her. “I don’t know. I didn’t really look at it. But…”
“But?”
“I mean, “ he waved at her leg , “I’m kinda sorry I gave it to you.”
She sat up off of the pillows. “No! I love it! You don’t shoot a horse just because it throws you off! I was being cocky and not paying attention. You have to fix it!”
“Okay, okay!” He eased her back down. “I’ll fix it. Good as new, if that’s what you want.”
“It’s what I want.” She looked around at all their concerned faces. “I am sorry I worried you all.”
“We’re ok,” JD told her. “Well, we were all pretty upset, but then Blake gave this cool speech and…”
She looked at Blake. “Really? A serious speech? And I missed it?”
“Don’t sound so surprised.” He defended himself. “Anyway, we only worried because we care, and we wouldn’t change that.”
Stacey smiled and settled into her pillows.
The nurse came in the room a few minutes later. “Hey, fellas, I bent some rules to let all four of you in here, but…”
“We’ll head out,” Devin told her, then turned back to Stacey. “You need anything, you call. Right?”
“Yes sir.” One by one, they all leaned over and gave her a gentle hug or kissed her hair. Except for Grant who just kissed her hand. She held onto his for a second. “Someday, when I have the words, I will tell you what that car means to me. Cause it means a lot.”
He nodded and smiled and followed the others out.
Stacey actually traveled back to the ranch in Grant’s old beater, as Devin’s truck was too high and Blake’s sports car was too low to manage her leg cast. Betty set her up in a downstairs bedroom and proceeded to spoil her silly.
After dinner, Devin headed out into the cooling evening. He spotted Dutch standing by the corral and wandered over to join him.
Dutch acknowledged him with a nod. “How’s yer girl?”
“Doing good. Betty’s got her well in hand.”
“Good. Good.”
“Speaking of girls, did I see Mila with the search party volunteers?”
Dutch took a breath before answering. “Yup,” he finally said. “Didn’t even know she was around these parts.”
“Did you talk to her?”
“Not then. She wanted to meet up tomorrow, but it’s time to move the herd…”
Devin cut him off. “You should go. You’ve handled the herd without me more than once. We’ll manage.”
After a second, Dutch sighed. “Yeah, I should.” There was another long pause. “I don’t think she knows about me and her mom.”
“She should.”
“I reckon. Won’t be easy.”
“Not much worthwhile is.”
Dutch gave a nod and started to walk away.
Devin called after him, “Tell her to come by and visit. We’ve still got plenty of room.”
Dutch gave a wave over his shoulder and continued shuffling over to his cabin. He and Mack, the old horse wrangler, both had a little cabin of their own. The four younger hands technically shared a very nice bunkhouse, but since there was always someone staying at one of the camps, they were never all there at the same time.
Devin shook his head a little and went back inside. He found everyone sitting in front of the fireplace. Stacey sat on the couch with her leg properly propped up on the ottoman. “Dutch is going to visit his daughter tomorrow,” he told them. “Charlie will ride point with me. You three and Kiko will ride swing and flank. Mason and Chris can ride drag.” This was met with silence. “Is there a problem?”
“Dutch has a daughter?” JD asked for them all.
“Yeah. She hasn’t been around for awhile. But she’s in town, and even came out the other day to help search.”
“Wow! Really?” Stacey exclaimed. “I don’t even know her!”
“Sounds like they’ve got some catching up to do?” Blake asked.
Devin scoffed. “Not as much catching up as chipping away walls.”
“Ah,” Blake nodded. “I see.”
Stacey sighed. “Families can be so messy. I’m glad ours isn’t.” She put an arm around JD who was sitting by her.
JD looked at Devin a bit sheepishly. “At least we work it out.”
Devin looked over at Grant, who gave him a smile and a shrug. “Yeah, I reckon we do.”
Dutch arrived at the park pond where his daughter wanted to meet about 20 minutes early. He sat and waited until she had pulled up, got out and wandered over to a bench, before he got out and joined her. They both sat, the length of the bench and 10 silent years between them.
“You didn’t help with the herd?” she opened.
“I spoke to Devin. He said he’d work it out.”
She raised a brow, but didn’t comment.
“How long are you around for?” he asked.
“I have an apartment in Green River.”
“Oh. Been there long?”
“A couple of months. I came to help with…a community project.”
“Hmph. Well, I’m glad to see you.”
She turned to him. “Are you? Really?”
“I’m here.”
“This time.”
“Right now is all I can control.”
She grabbed her purse as if she was going to stand. “This is pointless. You will always choose other things first.”
“I’ll always be a cowboy, if that’s what you mean.”
“And being a cowboy always came before me or Mom.”
“It’s not a job, Angela, it’s a life.”
“That’s all well and good unless you have a family. Then it’s not just you.”
Dutch stood up and walked a few steps to a nearby tree. He put his hands in his pockets and peered into the distance. “I signed on with the ranch when Jack’s pa, old Leo Lancer ran things. He pulled no punches. You worked and you worked hard. But you always knew he believed in you.
“One night the other fellas talked me into going to this dance up in Spanish Wells. I walked in…and there she was. The prettiest thing I had ever seen. And the amazing thing was, when I talked to her, she talked back. We saw each other a lot, talked a lot. Planned a future. We married and bought that little house.” He paused and glanced back at her. “Then you came. I wanted to spend every minute with you. Ol’ Leo gave me a couple of weeks off…But he passed sudden, and things got rough at the ranch. I went back to work early.” He looked at his boots. “I don’t reckon yer ma ever forgave me for that.”
“You were going to take off two weeks?” Mila asked skeptically.
“Yup. But like I said, things were rough. Over the next few years, Jack did his best to fill his pa’s shoes. But taxes, drought, fevers went through the herd…He couldn’t afford to hire more hands. It was longer hours than usual. But yer ma seemed to have lots of friends in town and never complained, so I didn’t worry.
“I came by the house one afternoon…” he looked back at the horizon. “…I came by and there was a fella there. It got a bit ugly. I asked if she wanted to work things out. She said no. I asked did she want a divorce. And she said no. Said that was her home and she wasn’t leavin. So, I moved to the ranch and kept paying the mortgage.
“You came with me quite a bit. Played with Devin and Robbie. Things on the ranch got harder. Jack got sick. Sometimes we got short pay. Sometimes we got none. He finally had to sell about 100 acres to stay afloat. I think that did him more hurt than the cancer…then Jack died, and Robbie left, and Devin is stuck with folks on all sides tryin to take the ranch. Fancy houses, and Milton’s and some farmers, all kinds of folks tryin to take what we’ve all fought hell and high water to keep.” He turned back to her. “Cowboy’n is a life, Angela. Not a job.”
“You sold the house…” she managed in a strained voice.
He nodded. “I kept payin the mortgage like I said. Then one day the bank calls and asks if I want to sell it since it was empty. I knew you hadn’t come by for awhile. But I didn’t know she had left.” He finally sat back down. “Did I do things wrong? Yes. Should I have been a better husband and pa? Yes. Do I regret being there for the Lancers when they needed me? No.”
Mila sat quietly for a long time. Finally, she said, “Mom told me you were never there when I was born. She said you walked out on us. And she said we had to leave because you sold the house out from under us.” She took a deep breath. “I can verify a lot of your story.”
He nodded. “Good idea.”
Neither of them said anymore for a long time. Both absorbed in the past, they stared out at the little pond.
“When did all these new Lancers show up?” Mila asked.
“A few months ago. Like I said, Devin was alone. So, he got ahold of some relatives and these four came to help.”
“How’s the girl?”
“Broke leg. Some nasty bruises, but it’s a miracle she’s alive. Jeep flipped over on her. But she seems like she’s going to be okay… If Betty don’t smother her.”
Mila smiled. “I remember Betty. I remember her kitchen always smelling like cookies.”
“Devin said to tell you to come visit. He said there’s still plenty of room.”
“Mmmm,” she made a non- committal sound and stood up. She took a breath. “Thanks for coming.”
He stood up as well. “Thanks for asking me to.”
With nothing more to say, they each went to their vehicle and drove off.
Blake looked out the French doors just in time to see who was riding up. He turned to the woman on the couch. “Hey, Ace, you feel like taking a little stroll outside? You might want to see this.”
Stacey grabbed her crutches and hobbled over to him. He opened the doors and they both stepped out onto the porch. Following his pointing hand, she looked toward the pasture beside the barn.
JD was riding toward them on Dusty, leading a young cow on a rope.
“Is that…?” Stacey asked excitedly.
JD waved at her and that was all the proof she needed. “Angel!!” she called and began hobbling faster.
“Whoa, girl,” Blake laughed. “If you trip and break another leg on my watch, Devin will have my head.”
Barely slowing her pace, Stacey reached the corral as JD led the heifer over to her. He took the loop of rope off of her neck and backed Dusty away. Stacey ran her hand along the neck of the unusually docile animal.
“Hey, Angel. Do you remember me? You took good care of me the other day. I’m going to take care of you now.”
Angel snuffled and pushed her nose into Stacey, nearly knocking her over.
Blake steadied her with a grin. “Take it easy, there, Angel Girl. Ace is the only thing between you and McDonalds.”
Crutches or no, Stacey punched him. Hard. “Don’t you ever say things like that to her.”
“Ow,” Blake rubbed his arm and whimpered. “Whoever coined the phrase ‘hits like a girl’ never got between said girl and her cow.”
“Heifer,” Stacey corrected.
Grant came out of the barn to join them, wiping his probably greasy, hands on a rag. “Is that who I think it is?”
“Yup,” JD told him. “Only took me 2999 tries to find the right one.”
Stacey knew he was kidding, but she looked at him seriously. “Thanks, JD. That’s two I owe you.”
He paused as if surprised, then smiled at her. “You don’t owe me a single thing.”
Mila came out of the realters office with a frown on her face. She had been all over town the last couple of days, tracking down anyone who might have known her parents years ago. So far, everything she had heard lined up with Dutch’s story.
She frowned further. Why would her mom… Oh, well, it didn’t matter much now. She could not undo the past. But maybe she could start a future. If she had been wrong about her dad and her past all this time, there was nothing keeping her from making a more permanent home in this town.
She had always loved Corro. Maybe the growers association that she had been volunteering for had a more long term position available. She felt a twinge of guilt, recalling Devin’s words. And her dad’s assertion that the Lancer clan would never part with any more land. But surely, with a little more information on both sides, they could come to a mutually beneficial agreement. And having a foot in both camps, so to speak, she was the perfect person to initiate some communication.
With a goal in mind, and the frown off of her face, she headed to the small building that the representatives for the organic growers were using as a headquarters. There were a couple of cars out front, but none she recognized. Pushing open the door, she found the small lobby empty. Flyers and clipboards were strewn all over the receptionist desk. Odd. She thought all of those names were supposed to be tallied and sent off somewhere.
The door to the back office was ajar, and she could hear voices. Not being high up enough on the ladder, yet, to have dealings with the powers that be, she turned to leave. Until she heard a raised voice.
“I don’t give a damn about their mushrooms, tomatoes, almonds or anything else these crazy hippies want to grow. That land is valuable and they are our ticket to get our foot in the door!”
“I’m telling you, the Lancers won’t sell, no matter how much you push the agenda.”
“Everybody has a price. If not money, then something else they value. If they don’t need cash, maybe they would like to make a deal for us to leave them alone….for a ‘few’ acres. They have thousands. A hundred or so won’t even matter.”
“I’m telling you, it’s not like that out here. These people are entrenched. They won’t give up that easy. Not like that deal you did in Florida.”
The other man laughed. “That was a sweet one, alright. Those old geezers never knew what hit them.”
“Well, these aren’t old geezers. They are young and determined.”
“Then maybe we should ramp up the pressure a bit and see how determined they are.”
“Like how?”
“I’ve got some ideas. I’ll let you know…”
Mila didn’t wait any longer and chance being found. She dashed out the door and down the street. She didn’t stop until she came to where her car was parked. Jumping in, she headed out of town and towards her apartment in Green River.
Once there, she sat on her couch with her phone in her hand trying to decide who if anyone she should report this to. Had anybody done anything actually illegal yet? And could she even prove to anybody what she overheard?
Suddenly, she knew exactly who to tell. Grabbing a couple of items from her tiny bedroom, she headed back towards, then beyond, Morro Coyo. Driving up the long lane, the hacienda came into view. It didn’t matter how many times she saw it, it was an impressive house.
Pulling to a stop, she glanced down at the car clock and realized it was nearly 6:00. It had been a time honored tradition of the Lancers as far back as she could recall that only drastic emergencies interrupted their 6:00 dinner time. She didn’t really know if this qualified as a drastic emergency, but at least there was a good chance that Devin would be there.
She knocked on the massive wooden door. In another life, she had carte blanche to just walk in anytime. But that was then.
A young man with black hair and a gray t-shirt opened the door. He cocked his head at her in question. “Yes?”
“I’m…is Devin here?”
The sound of a chair scooting back and Devin’s voice calling came from the great room. “Mila?”
The dark haired man stepped aside, opening the door wider for her to come in.
She stepped down into the room, and back in time. Not a thing had changed from when she was a 13 year old girl, chasing Robbie Lancer around this very room. The only thing different was the fact that she and Devin were older, and four strangers were there as well.
A tall, very blond and very good looking man stood as she came in. Another curly headed one followed suit a half a beat later. The only girl present remained seated, and the crutches propped near her reminded Mila of why.
“Good to see you, again,” Devin said, in a slightly puzzled tone. Then to the others in the room, he said, “This is Dutch’s daughter, Mila Gordon. These are my cousins, Blake, Grant, Stacey, and you met JD at the door.”
She nodded at each in turn. “I came to give you a couple of things,” she told him. Reaching into her shoulder bag she pulled out a shirt and handed it to him.
He unfolded it, and she could see his jaw tighten in anger at the “Health Before Wealth” logo. “And what the hell am I supposed to do with this?” he ground out.
“Burn it, shred it and line a stall, I don’t care. Because the other thing I have to give you is an apology.”
Blake had come over and taken the shirt out of Devin’s hands. He looked just as angry. “You are with these…”
“Was,” she clarified. “I was with them.”
“What changed?” Devin asked her.
“I overheard my manager…who I thought was our manager…arguing with someone about how to take advantage of you with this whole organic farm scam.” She told them all exactly what she had heard.
Blake looked over at the fireplace. “Burning would be instant gratification…”
JD snatched it out of his hand. “But I kinda like the horse shitting on it idea.”
As upset as she had been, she couldn’t help smiling at them all. Her smile grew even wider when Betty Hoskins came into the room.
“Mila? Is that you? Land sakes, child, come here!” Betty set the dish in her hand down on the table and enveloped her in a big hug.
“Can you get another plate for her?” Stacey asked.
“Course I can! A dinner plate, and a room made up if you’re staying.”
“Can you?” Devin asked.
Mila paused. “If…if it’s okay. My manager…or whoever he is, has my address in Green River. I don’t feel like going back there right now.”
“Absolutely, it is okay!” Blake said enthusiastically. He pulled out an empty chair at the table for her.
She sat down with Blake to her left at the foot of the table, and Grant to her right. Betty brought her a plate, and dinner proceeded as if it was perfectly normal for her to be there. Something inside of her felt really good for the first time in a long time.
After dinner, she went over to her father’s cabin to let him know she was going to be visiting for awhile. He smiled broadly behind his bushy mustache and gave her a tentative hug. She returned it just as tentatively, but it was a start.
Then she and Stacey stayed up half the night, talking and sharing stories of Lancer from the past and the present. In the morning, Stacey took her out to the barn to meet Angel, and told her the whole story.
“We have almost the same name,” she told the heifer, petting her.
Stacey looked at her in surprise. “How’s that?”
“My name is actually Angela Mila,” she explained. “Although my dad is the only person in the world who uses it.”
Stacey smiled. “I guess you were your dad’s Angel.”
“I guess.”
Stacey wrinkled her nose. “It’s better than my dad calling me ‘Muffin’.” She took Mila’s arm. “And if you ever let Blake hear about that, I will disown you as my new best friend.”
Mila solemnly crossed her heart. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
After lunch, Blake and Devin escorted her into town, where the sheriff took down her statement of everything she had heard, and everything she knew about the people she had been volunteering with. He had no expression, and very little comment, but he dutifully wrote it all down.
“Now, what?” she asked as they left the sheriff’s office.
“How about we go to your apartment, and get the rest of your stuff?” Devin suggested. “You can stay at Lancer until you figure out what you want to do next.”
“I have to admit, I would feel safer there,” she told him.
Blake raised an eyebrow. “Safer at the one place around here that seems to have a giant target painted on it?”
She shrugged. “It’s just nice to be…”
“Home?” Devin supplied.
“Yeah. Home.”
From across the street, two very angry men watched her with the Lancers.
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Lancer Lovers L-O 