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“Come on, baby. Marley will carry you back.”
Lightning hit a tree causing me and the horses to jump. The last thing I heard was the sound of rushing water coming from somewhere I couldn’t see.
I stood on the back porch waiting for any sign of him. My chest felt so tight I could hardly breathe.
“Amelia, come inside. The lightning is bad.”
Shaking my head, I replied, “He’s out in this, Daddy. I’m not coming in until he is standing in front of me.”
My father’s warm hands squeezed my shoulders. “He’s fine, sweetheart. He may just be down at the barn, not wanting to get out in this to come up to the house.”
With a nod, I replied, “Probably.”
In my heart I knew he wasn’t at the barn. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong, and I couldn’t shake the awful feeling.
Trevor walked out and stood next to me. “I’m going to drive down to the barn and see if he’s there.”
I turned to my brother, hugging him tight. “Thank you, Trevor! Please bring him back up here. Please.”
I knew he could hear the desperation in my voice. When I stepped back, he looked me in the eyes. “I will, Meli. I will.”
Mitchell was now next to Trevor. “I’m coming with you.”
My hands covered my mouth as I watched them dash out into the pouring rain and into the ranch truck.
Someone reached for my hand. I turned to find Chloe smiling up at me.
“He’s okay, Aunt Meli. He probably didn’t want to leave all the baby horses in this storm.”
My chin trembled, and I fought to keep my fear down. I dropped down to look her in the eyes and grinned. “I think you’re right. If I know Wade, he’s singing them all a song right now so they won’t be scared.”
Chloe’s eyes lit up. “Yes! I bet he is. I’m gonna go draw him a picture for when he gets back.”
I kissed her forehead. “Yes! That’s a wonderful idea, pumpkin,” I said, forcing the words.
Chloe dashed back into the house. I sat on the porch, pulled my knees to my chest and closed my eyes. My father was still there, standing next to me.
“Amelia, come back into the house.”
His stern voice made me stand and mindlessly follow. I sat on the love seat in the family room and watched as Chloe drew a picture for Wade.
An hour passed, and Trevor and Mitchell hadn’t returned. Now I was worried about them. Cord paced back and forth before he stopped at the window.
“They’re back.”
I jumped up and ran past everyone, into the kitchen. Mitchell and Trevor walked in, but Wade wasn’t with them. The looks on their faces told me something was terribly wrong. Mitchell immediately took out his work cell.
“Pax, why don’t you take Chloe into the living room,” Steed said.
“Come on, pumpkin, let’s go see if we can beat Aunt Vi again.”
I couldn’t bear the thought of looking at Chloe. She was smart enough to know she was being sent away for a reason.
Trevor held his cowboy hat in his hands. The water dripped off him and onto the floor. Mitchell took a deep breath, and I knew that for as long as I lived I would never forget the look on his face.
Tears formed in my eyes and rolled down my cheeks. “Where is he?”
Mitchell placed his hands on my arms. I could see the fear in his eyes and it caused my entire body to shake.
“He wasn’t at the barn, but Marley came running up. Wade wasn’t riding her.”
My hands covered my mouth. “What? What do you mean, he wasn’t riding her?”
Trevor sat down and buried his face in his hands.
“We tried to drive to the north pasture but the entire area is flooded. There’s no sign of Wade anywhere. We think…he might…he may have gotten…”
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
I shook my head and dropped my hands. “Don’t you dare say it, Mitchell Parker! Don’t you dare say it!” My body trembled even harder, hysteria overtaking me. My knees gave out, and Mitchell caught me. He brought me over to a chair.
Tears streamed as I felt my mother’s arms around me. Leaning against her, I looked at my brother with pleading eyes. “Please, don’t say it, Mitchell. Please.”
A tear trailed down his cheek. I watched it until he reached up and brushed it away.
“Amelia, I’m so sorry, baby, but the flood waters might have taken him by surprise. I’ve already called it in, and we’re going to start searching.”
Shaking my head frantically, I cried, “No! No!”
My mother pulled me against her. I buried my face into her chest and screamed Wade’s name. “God, please don’t do this to us!” All I remember after that was blackness overtaking me as I leaned against my mom for support.
Twenty-four hours later…
