CHAPTER TWENTY-Two

Hope tried not to think about the people following her and Brady as they left the house and walked out onto the lawn. That quickly proved to be an impossible task.

"I don"t know that I can do it," she leaned in and whispered to Brady.

"I do." He lifted their clasped hands and kissed her knuckles. "Where do you want to do this?"

"A bit further, nearer where it starts to slope. The view of the valley is pretty magnificent."

"Are you nervous? You don"t have to be. You have an audience, but it will focus their energy on your success. It"s like my team when we"re on a mission. We all have a role, and if we all fulfill our roles, then the team will be safe, the objective will be reached, and we can all go home safe and sound."

Brady stopped and turned to face her. "This is our mission. To save Andy. Grace did her part and succeeded. We know Andy is safe for now, and we"re looking for a bright lime green house."

She smiled, almost hearing Andy"s voice in those last three words. But Brady"s smile faded almost as soon as it surfaced. "Okay, color me ignorant and embarrassed, but birds see color, right?"

"Oh yes." Hope forgot her discomfort for a moment. Birds were her fascination. She loved everything about them, actually about every winged animal or insect. "They have far better color acuity than humans and, generally, superior eyesight."

"And you know how to tell a bird to look for a bright lime green house?"

"I guess we"ll see." She was still nervous, but not as much. Brady had a way of shifting her focus, allowing whatever was bothering her to lose strength.

She"d never have imagined meeting someone so attentive that he"d recognize her emotional state and know how to help her reclaim her balance.

It was little wonder she was so crazy in love with him. "I love you. Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"Tell me how to help."

"Stand behind me. Put your hands on my waist, and as I lift my arms, move them to support my arms."

"Support them? What"s going to weigh them down?"

"It depends."

Brady asked no more questions. It was okay if she was unsure; it wasn"t a failing to want so badly to succeed that you fear the idea of failing.

He kept that to himself and followed her directions. Once his hands were on her waist, Hope started to hum. He could feel the vibration in her body. The sound seemed so familiar, yet also unknown. Beautiful and almost haunting, it rose and rode the wind.

As the sound rose, so did the breeze. It lifted strands of her long hair and the hem of her cotton top. Hope lifted her arms, spreading them as if to embrace the sky. She began a slow turn, all the while humming.

When they"d made three complete turns, the humming became a soft song of prayer. Brady had no idea what made him sure it was a prayer, but he had no doubt.

She sang and twirled three more times and then stopped, keeping her arms spread wide, and looked over one shoulder at Brady. "Something's wrong."

"What?"

"I don"t—oh, oh, I screwed up."

"What do you mean?"

"I forgot to get my owl."

"Your owl?"

"I created one. I need it or something with wings. Wings call to wings."

Relief washed through Brady, and he released her arms. "Hold on."

He pulled the small tin from his pocket. Hope turned to watch, and when she saw what was inside the tin, her hands went to her mouth, and her eyes watered.

"Oh, my God," she looked up at him. "Where did you get that?"

"From a lady with a shop called Magic Things. She said a talented felter gave it to her, actually gave her twelve. She kept the first and gave away the others to bring something of benefit to the recipients" lives.

"This was the last one. I"ve carried it in my pocket for six years. I always wished she"d told me who gave it to her."

"Me," Hope whispered, and when he looked at her, she smiled through her tears. "I made it. I always wondered what happened to the twelve bees and if they brought anything of joy to her life or someone she might have shared them with."

"She brought me to you."

Hope"s confusion was evident. "Why do you say that?"

"Because it was six years ago that I put this in my pocket, and not long after, I became interested in bees and learned how humans have almost killed them into extinction.

"That made me read more and learn more, and I talked with my dad over the years because he"s the most prominent conservationist I"ve ever known.

"And because of this little guy, the idea for the conservation camp was born. And because it was, I met you and Andy."

He took her hand and placed the bee on her palm. "It gave me what I wanted the most. You. It brought me to you.

"And now, you use it and let it help take us to Andy."

Hope nodded and threw her arms around his neck, holding on tight for a minute. When she released him, she was smiling. She tucked the bee into her bra between her breasts, then resumed her arm spread stands.

"Hold on," she said in a much stronger voice.

Her song started up and it wasn"t long before he heard something. Something in the air. Shock vibrated through him when he saw them. Birds. All kinds, all sizes.

He"d witnessed a murmuration, but never one like this. Birds of all kinds, flying together, dancing their way across the sky, headed for them.

Two birds broke off from the flock. As they got closer, he recognized them. An eagle and an owl. Brady felt his arms tense as the birds dove toward them.

A moment of discomfort passed over him as the birds circled over and behind them. When they suddenly alighted on Hope"s arms, his arms sagged under the weight.

It took a second, but he stabilized and held Hope"s arms up. She looked from one bird to the other. "If you can"t understand, look inside my mind. We need to find a bright green house, bright green."

Brady nearly backed away with the eagle stuck his face close to hers. It lowered its head and rested its forehead against Hope"s. A few seconds later, it lifted its head. She turned toward the owl, and it did the same.

In moments, both birds lifted off. The eagle"s cries must have carried a message because the murmuration glided into a smooth turn and suddenly dispersed, creating a circle of emptiness that grew until the birds had flown out of visual range.

"Wow," Brady said and wrapped his arms around Hope. "That was amazing."

"But will it work?" she asked

"It will," he said.

"How can you be sure?"

"Because the birds will help you. Come on, everyone is waiting."

He started to turn, but she stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Wait."

She removed the bee from its safety and offered it to him. "This is your magic now. It was from the moment you called it yours and protected it. You have to keep it."

"Okay, I"ll treasure it now even more. Now, let"s go tell everyone we need to start preparing for a rescue mission."

"Are you that certain? Seriously, Brady. Don"t try to protect me. I need the truth. Will we find him, and will we bring him home?"

"Yes. We will find him one way or the other, and I promise that when we do, I will make sure he comes home to you."

Hope smiled at him. "Let"s join the others. We have a mission to plan."

*****

Rob had more to drink than usual, way more, and drinking brought out what he referred to as "his bad side," meaning people around him were liable to get hurt.

At least that"s what he told Sharon. She was beginning to think it"d been a mistake to hook up with him. He didn"t seem to be into her but had endless questions about the Blackstones.

She didn"t feel comfortable answering his questions, so she played dumb and just kept telling him she didn"t associate with the family, heck with anyone. She just did her job and came home.

Sharon worked for the Blackstones as a cook for the hands. She left every morning before daylight, cooked breakfast, cleaned up, cooked lunch, cleaned again, and headed home. The man in charge, took care of the evening meal, he and two of his helpers.

Sharon loved working for the Blackstone family. They paid her a good wage, were kind, and always gave her the holidays off to be with her folks who lived in Boseman, a good distance away.

She thought she was lucky when she first met David. He looked like a movie star and was so charming. She snuck a photo of his press pass the first night they were together and looked him up online.

David Starns worked for the Washington Post, covering the conservation summit for youth at the Blackstone Ranch.

That seemed pretty impressive. What didn"t make her feel good was that the photo online of David Starns looked nothing like the man currently sleeping in her bed.

In fact, when he showed up with the kid, the drugged kid, she started to feel downright uncomfortable and unsafe. She asked about the kid, and he backhanded her so hard she stumbled back, tripped, and tumbled over the coffee table, scattering beer cans and magazines everywhere.

Since then, she"d stayed out of his way. He locked the kid in her spare room, grabbed her only bottle of liquor, and took it and his phone to bed.

That left her wondering if she should call the cops or talk to the kid. Maybe he knew who the guy was and why he and the kid were there.

Sharon eased her way past the bedroom door and to the end of the short hall. One look at the door knob had her remembering how confused she was when the guy calling himself David, insisted that she change it to lock from the outside.

She should have asked why. Why didn"t she? Was she so desperate, so pathetically lonely that she"d let some stranger with a pretty face come into her home and treat her like a servant?

Anger started to bubble, and she unlocked the door and slipped inside. The room was nearly pitch black from having the windows boarded over. "Hey, kid? Are you awake?"

"I know you." His voice came from the darkness ahead. "You work for Mr. Blackstone and cook for the wranglers. One of them brought me one of your biscuits with egg, bacon, and cheese, and it sure was good. I"d like to have another of those sometime. Why are you here with him? He"s not very nice."

"No, he"s not. And I"m sorry if he hurt you. I"d like to take you back, but I"m scared he might catch us and—"

"You don"t have to worry." She felt his hand on her arm. It worked down to her hand and clasped tight. "You don"t have to be scared. My best friend, Mr. Brady Blackstone, will be coming to take me back. I"m sure he"ll give you a ride, too."

"What makes you think Brady Blackstone will be coming here?"

The soft chuckle surprised her. What was funny about that question?

"I told you. He"s my best friend."

Sharon felt a sinking sensation in her gut. The kid was just making up things to ease his own fear, waiting on a hero who wasn"t going to come.

"That still doesn"t explain how he"ll even know where to find you."

"Oh, that"s easy. My mom will call down the birds, and they"ll bring him to us."

"She"ll call down the birds?"

"Yes."

"Sure, kid." She hated how dismissive that sounded and amended her comment. "I mean, I really hope you"re right, but I wouldn"t bet on it."

"And you"d lose," this time, his tone was serious. "Because the birds will come, and so will he. You wait and see, ma"am."