Raging Love(69)

“Go get the Gator. We can cover more terrain with it. I have to go tell the girls what’s goin’ on.”

Ty went flying out of the barn, while I jogged over to the girls, who were standing on the porch. “I was sure they would be in there.” Savanna looked so disappointed.

“I got somethin’ I need to tell you both.”

The girls looked at each other and I watched their faces change from frustration to fear.





Chapter 22

Savanna

“What do you mean? Do you know where they are? What is going on?” I was frantic to find out where our kids were. The weather was picking up and they needed to get inside before it started raining.

Colt creased his brow and couldn’t look me directly in the eye. When he finally did, I could tell there was something wrong. Instinctively, I put my hand on my belly and took a few steps toward him. “Tell us Colt. What is going on? Where are they?”

“Darlin’, we can’t find them and the horses are missin’.”

No! No! No! This can’t be happening….

My stomach turned into knots and my heart started pounding. I heard Miranda gasping behind me, then felt her reaching her arm into mine. At the same time, Ty came whipping around the corner on the Gator, a cross between a golf cart and a four wheeler. I turned my direction back to Colt.

“Ty and I are headin’ into the woods to look for the kids. You two stay here and call us if they come home. Call my mother and tell her to be on the lookout at the main house and try to hunt down Conner. If the kids are on the horses, we are going to need his help.”

Colt leaned over and kissed me on the forehead before he hopped on the vehicle with his cousin. Ty started pulling away from us. “We will find them.” His voice carried as the guys disappeared from out of our view.

I started to cry immediately and Miranda pulled me against her chest. “They’ll find them Van.”

“I hope you’re right.”

The rain started coming down harder as Miranda and I headed into the house. We frantically both went after our cell phones and started calling everyone with a phone on the ranch. I didn’t expect Colt’s mother or Aunt to go searching through the woods, but they did go out and check all around their vicinity. John happened to be over Aunt Karen’s, so when we called, he and Conner set out to start looking themselves.

Once our phone calls were done, it was hard for both Miranda and myself to remain calm. The sun was starting to set and the rain was really coming down. In the horizon, large bolts of lightning lit up the sky.

Our children were out there somewhere. If they were anywhere near Thunder during this storm they were in danger. I didn’t know if I could bear to lose another child. Noah meant everything to Colt and I.

Poor Miranda stood by the front door, hugging her arms around herself. Tears strolled down her face. Noah had been riding for over a year, but I knew that Bella was not as experienced. Noah wasn’t even great at it himself. His little body was too small to maneuver a pony, and especially a horse.

God, please help us find our kids.

“Miranda, I’m so sorry this is happening. Noah knows better than to get on a horse by himself. Maybe Thunder just got out by himself and the kids were never with them. Maybe they are just hiding somewhere.”

She covered her face with one of her hands. “Bella doesn’t like thunder and lightning. Ty knows that too. She hides in his arms every time there is a storm. There is no way she wouldn’t have come inside by now. Something bad has happened. I can just feel that something is wrong, Van.”

“Don’t talk like that! We don’t know that. We just saw them a little while ago riding around having fun. We were outside the whole time and never heard anything. If they got hurt they would have cried.”

I was trying to comfort Miranda, but also myself. She said nothing, but went flying outside. I followed behind her, wondering if she saw one of the kids. Instead, we saw Atticus coming down the driveway, running around neighing. As if seeing the pony running free wasn’t enough, I noticed the horse had a saddle hanging loosely to the side. The reigns were hanging down to the ground as the pony paced around the yard.

It was dark outside and the only thing that gave us light was the flashing of the lightening. Miranda headed toward the pony, but I grabbed her and pulled her back onto the porch. “No, wait! I will never forgive myself if you get hurt. Just let the guys catch the pony.”

Miranda turned around and sat down on the porch. She was sobbing. I sat down behind her and hugged her as close to my body as I could get her. My big belly wasn’t helping too much. “They were on the horses, Van. They were on the horses,” she kept repeating.