Page 2 of Lost and Found

“I can’t answer that. All I have for you, other than the address of the ranch, is this envelope he left for you.” The small manila envelope had been sealed, and Luther handed it to him. “I have no idea what’s in it. He sealed it in my presence and gave me the instructions. After he died, I made arrangements with a friend of mine in the area to look after the three horses and the fifty or so head of cattle at the ranch.” Luther smiled. “He’s an old cattleman from way back… and he’s also my dad.”

“Thank you.” Rafe didn’t know what else to say. Hell, he could barely get his head around what was going on.

“That’s about all I can tell you. Oh, the ranch is outside Telluride, Colorado. I can tell you that if you decide you want to sell, there are plenty of buyers who will be more than happy to scoop up the land. It’s in a prime location.”

Rafe shook his head. “I remember it. My memories aren’t as sharp as they were when I was a kid, but I do remember.” He yawned and apologized, setting the envelope in one of his bags. He figured he’d read it once he was alone. “Would you like to get something to eat?”

“I was going to go get myself a steak, so if you’d like to join me, I’d be happy for the company,” Luther offered.

Rafe excused himself for a few minutes to shower and dress. Then he left with Luther to get something for dinner.

LUTHER LOVEDhis food, that was for sure. And Rafe wasn’t about to complain—they had an amazing steak and seafood dinner at one of the casino restaurants. Luther agreed to meet him at the ranch in a few days, giving Rafe time to finish up PBR promotion and drive up to Colorado. After saying good night, Rafe returned to his room.

Rafe iced his arm for a while, took some anti-inflammatories, then lay on the bed, watching television. Then again, maybe “watching” was an exaggeration. He dug around in his mind for those old memories of summers he’d spent with his Uncle Mack. Rafe had learned to ride during those visits, first on a pony and then on a real horse. Hell, if he remembered correctly, Uncle Mack might have given him his own horse to ride. That had been pretty special, as had camping out under the stars while Uncle Mack played the guitar around the fire. He covered his eyes with his arm, plunging himself into darkness as the details began to emerge. Those had been fun times—the best times he’d ever had. And then they had ended with almost no explanation.

It had been so long ago, and yet memories of his time there returned easily. The ranch had left an impression on him, as had his uncle. Uncle Mack had actuallylistenedto him. Rafe’s mom and dad had constantly been absorbed in whatever they wanted or what they thought. Listening to either one of their kids was not high on their priority list. But Rafe and Uncle Mack used to talk for a long time, lying on the ground, looking up at the stars. He wiped his eyes and let his arm settle at his side once again. Sitting up, he blinked and then rummaged in the bag for the envelope. He opened it and tipped the contents out.

A few pieces of paper and a key fell onto the bed. Rafe checked over the key and set it aside before picking up the first piece of paper. It was the receipt for a safe-deposit box. At least that explained what the key was for. He slid that and the key back in the envelope before unfolding the last page.

Rafe,

I know you have to be wondering what’s going on. You haven’t seen me in a long time, but you are the only family I have who cared enough to remember me. I’m leaving you everything I own, and I hope it brings you some kind of happiness.

I hope you always draw the money bull,

Uncle Mack

Rafe read the sheet of paper a second time. It told him very little, other than the fact that his uncle had known he rode bulls. It made him wonder just how closely his uncle had followed his career. He’d already decided to head to Telluride, so he put the letter back in the envelope and stowed it with the other important things. And now that the painkillers had started to kick in, he cleaned up and slipped into bed.

FOR THEnext three nights, his dreams took him back to his uncle’s ranch. He wasn’t sure how much of those dreams was real or simply what his mind was filling in. Maybe it was all some kind of wishful thinking, his mind conjuring up things the way that Rafe wanted to remember them.

But he was here now. He pulled his truck into town and stopped at one of the restaurants on the main street for something to eat, then continued on out to the address Luther had given him, trusting his little portable GPS unit. A few minutes later, he turned into the ranch drive and drove up to a small, low ranch house with paint faded by the sun and weather. Everything seemed to be intact, but it looked tired, as though the buildings—and even the land itself—had been ground down and laid low by life. Although Luther had told him it had been cared for, it lacked… life. Even the horses in their paddocks barely swished their tails as they looked up slowly from the grass they were eating.

“I see you made it,” Luther said, coming out of the barn with an older man behind him. “This is my dad, Arthur. He’s been looking after things.”

“Good to meet you, and thank you for everything, sir,” Rafe said, shaking his hand.

“Glad to do it. It got me out of the house and away from this one’s mother for a few hours a day.” He winked to show he was teasing. “Your uncle has had all of the horses for a while. I know they used to get ridden, but I have a feeling it’s been a long time. But you got yourself fifty head out in the north pasture. They’re in good shape and have water and plenty to graze on. I haven’t moved them, but you might want to soon enough.”

“Thank you. How is everything else?”

“Just about on its last legs, I’m afraid. I’d say there’s lots of fence work to be done, and the paddocks need to be rebuilt. The barn is okay, but it needs repairs. Mack did what he could do, I suspect, but I figure things just got old and sort of reached the end of their life.” Arthur handed him a key. “This is to the house. Every now and then, I’d go inside and check that it was okay. My wife cleared out the freezers and refrigerator, stuff like that. The place is clean enough, but you might want to check on the roof. It probably needs to be replaced before winter sets in.”

Rafe should have figured that there would be plenty of work to do. But he wasn’t afraid of any of that. “All right.” He was already figuring how far the money he had saved up was going to go. He had never lived high on the hog. For the past decade or so, he’d basically been alone, and he had lived simply, so he had some savings. “What can you tell me about the folks in the area?

“You know Telluride. There are small ranches and then there are huge landholdings. They don’t call the area out along the river Billionaire’s Row for nothing. Your neighbor to the south is one of the huge holdings here. I’d check those fences first. Those guys have a ton of money, and yet they’re often the biggest dicks on the face of the earth. Then, to the west is Grant Mendeltom’s ranch.”

Rafe groaned. “Let me guess. He happens to have a son named Duane.” That would be just his luck.

“How did you know?” Arthur asked.

“Dad, Rafe just beat Duane in the finals. He took the championship away from him, and….” Luther grinned. “Duane got himself disqualified for bad conduct.” Luther seemed a little tickled. Rafe guessed that Duane Mendeltom wasn’t any more liked here than he was out on the circuit.

“Okay. Duane is an ass, and he comes by it honestly. Don’t be surprised if Connor pays you a visit. He’s wanted this land forever, and with Mack gone, he’s going to see your inheritance as a golden opportunity.” He shrugged. “To the north are the hills, and to the east, there’s state land, which you let your cattle graze on if you have a permit. I’m sure your uncle probably had one, but I don’t know where you’d find it. People are pretty nice here, I suppose. It just depends on who you run across. Locals are usually fine. But then there are those who like to think they own not only their land, but the rest of the valley as well.”

“Good to know,” Rafe said. “Are there any dogs?” He remembered Uncle Mack having dogs.

“They’re on the back porch right now. The pups are really friendly.” Arthur nodded slowly. “I guess the place is all yours now. I can tell you that it’s a good thing you’re young, because it’s going to take some energy to whip this place into shape. Unless you decide to sell.” He seemed kind of sad at that idea.

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