8. Ryland

EIGHT

RYLAND

“There’s never a dull moment, swear to Christ.” I’m sitting on top of my horse, Ace. We’ve been riding the fence line after we moved the cows out of this pasture. The last thing we need is to have a break in the line for our neighbors’ animals to trample through. We’ve had our own prized bull do similar to the Ellison Ranch. Luckily, he wasn’t too pissed. Still, we had to pay a hefty fee. That doesn’t seem to be the problem today.

The smoke billows up along the ridge. There are no other buildings up there except for the cabin. I whip my phone out and shoot off a text to the family group chat.

Me: Heading to the cabin. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Can someone dispatch the sheriff?

I glance down at my phone before I spur Ace into action. There’s a well out there with a hose, but if it’s too bad, we’ll lose the whole damn place before the fire trucks can make it out here.

Lawson: 10-4. Call if you need us to ride up.

I pocket my phone, click my tongue, and tap Ace in his flanks. Luckily, we’re not too far away from the log cabin. It’s not a lot, but it’s where our parents go once a month to get away. The rest of us use it when we need to take a breather. Lawson and Juniper will do what Mom and Dad do when time allows. Still, it’s part of the original family homestead. No one wants to see it burnt to a crisp.

I’m heading uphill at a fast pace. The cabin is just over the horizon. A small creek runs down the back of it, and I’m already running through the mental process of how I’m going to get whatever this fire consists of under control.

“Come on, Ace,” I mutter to my boy. We’re going as fast as we possibly can and still, it’s not near enough. My phone buzzes in my pocket. The vibrating is non-stop, meaning the family group chat is going off, but I can’t stop to check what they have to say. I will after I assess the situation. Wouldn’t be surprised if the whole family shows up shortly after I arrive. We take the trail leading us through the trees deep in the thick of our land. There’s nothing out here. The cabin has the bare necessities, like power and water, but nothing creature comfort wise. Dad and Lawson just now set up the place to have cell service. Lane and Birdie will come out here every once in a while. She’ll work on her design business, something that’s hard to do without Wi-Fi.

The smoke is steady; it’s not building, and it’s not thick. I’m beginning to think maybe one of my family members came out here last night and forgot to put out a fire from the chimney or in the small outdoor fire pit. The knot sitting low in my gut tightens when I see the flashing lights of red and blue. How the fuck did the sheriff beat me to my own goddamn place? Someone else must have called it in. Either that or he was close to the area and saw the same thing I did.

“Whoa, Ace, whoa.” I bring us to a standstill, patting him on the neck. Sucks I’m not going to have time to cool him down. Usually, I’d do exactly that regardless of the time, but since something is burning, I won’t be able to. I pull my phone out, and sure enough, I’ve got more texts.

Mom: Oh no, be safe. Keep us posted.

Dad: Goddamn it, who was there last?

Lawson: Sheriff is already on his way.

JW: We weren’t.

Trey: Not us. Been too damn busy with all the animals. Maybe we’ll use it here soon as long as everything is okay.

Dean: Can’t get Tully away from work long enough. Wasn’t us, but I like Trey’s idea.

Lane: Birdie and I were out there.

My stomach drops, and I keep reading through.

Dad: Son of a bitch.

Mom: A building can be replaced, Russell Johnson. Don’t get your panties in a wad.

Lane: Two weeks ago. We were out there two weeks ago. Stupid phone didn’t let me hit the send button.

Lawson: Jesus, this is freaking wild. I’m on my way.

Mom: We are too, aren’t we, Russell?

Lane: Already on the side-by-side with Dean.

JW: In the truck with Trey.

Me: Heading to the sheriff now. I’d keep you posted, but you’ll be here soon enough to see for yourself.

I close the app, click the side of the phone to lock it, and put it back in my pocket. I’m sure it’ll go off another hundred times. Sheriff Liam is walking my way, and I need to give him my full attention. I tie Ace’s reins to the post near the trees, which gives our horses a shady spot.

“Ryland.” Liam tips his hat at me as he walks toward me.

“Sheriff, not sure what’s going on. Saw the smoke and headed out here,” I say, meeting him halfway. My eyes zero in on the house. Everything looks to be good, and when I move my gaze downward, that’s when I see the smoke. It’s slowly dying down, and all I want to say is thank fuck for small favors.

“Yeah, I got a call. Another farmer saw a few kids cut a line in your fence, so I hauled tail up here. I’ve got them down by the fire pit putting the fire out and cleaning up their mess. It’s going to be on you and your family to decide how we proceed.” Liam no sooner gets the words out of his mouth than here arrives said family.

“I guess it’s going to depend on how much of a mess they’ve caused. The fence is probably the worst of it?” I ask.

“That and the scorched ground.” I get to thinking about what we’ll have to do in order to have everything back to normal.

“Not too bad. The only problem I can see is if they do it again and get ballsy enough to break into the cabin. Shit, it’s not like we’re up here every day. They could have been here a week before we were aware.” Liam hums at my statement. He’s more than likely thought this through, too.

“I think some community service on the farm might make them learn a valuable lesson.” He probably knows the kids, another reason why I called Wild instead of him to get the information about Sutton for me. The last thing I need is for others to find out I’ve been nosing around. “The cavalry has arrived.” I turn to look in the same direction Liam is and find every last one of them. Mom, Dad, Lawson, JW, Trey, Dean, and Lane. The only people missing are their significant others, Case, and the other grandkids.

I back away, letting Liam give them the lay of the land. It’s Lawson’s voice that gets my attention. “Shit, we’ve done worse. We’re not pressing charges. These kids clean up the mess, fix the fencing, and work at the ranch for a weekend. We can call it good.”

“Sounds good to me,” Dad replies.

“Yep, hard work will make them think twice before doing something like this on private property.” Mom nods. Everyone else joins in, and the only interruption that causes my family to quiet down is Liam’s radio.

“Sheriff Dane, this is dispatch requesting backup.” The other end cuts off with a screech-like noise.

“Go for Sheriff Dane.”

“Requesting backup, Sheriff Dane, at five-four-one Fawn Lane.” My goddamn world spins on its axis. I cut my gaze from Liam’s to my mom’s. She’s got her hand over her mouth. None of us thought the law would have to get involved.

“On my way.” He holds the button down, relaying the message.

“Request for an ambulance to five-four-one Fawn Lane,” is broadcasted next. Everyone is quiet, waiting to hear if there’s any information else left to be said. What I wouldn’t give for Fletch Wild to be living here in Arrowleaf. Sure, Liam is a good sheriff, but he’s nothing like knowing Wild as well as we do.

“Gotta go, guys. We’ll figure everything out. Pretty sure you know these kids’ parents. I’ll supervise whatever needs to be done.”

“Go on, I’ll handle Ace. Then drive your mother to town,” Dad offers. That leaves me with telling Liam my ass will be with him.

“Someone will get Case for me?”

“Without a doubt,” Trey pipes in. I nod, turn on my heel, and catch up with Liam.

“Ridin’ with you. Don’t give a fuck what you have to say. No way am I hanging back. Not when that’s Sutton’s address and Shane is who he is.” Liam doesn’t say anything for a beat.

“You gonna keep your cool and not go off half-cocked, you can ride with me. You do something stupid, like beat a person…” We’re at the doors to his SUV.

“Understood.” At this point, I’ll do whatever the fuck it takes in order to make sure Sutton is okay.

“I’d hate for it to be your ass behind bars.” Liam puts the vehicle in Drive , hits the sirens, the lights are on already, and he’s pushing the SUV to its limits the entire way to Sutton’s place. Never in my life did I ever hate living this far out of town until today. The need to be the one driving and taking over consumes me as much as the rage and worry swirling through my system. I swear to god, Shane Sullivan is a dead man walking.