The Cowboys Heart: 3

The Cowboys Heart III

by

Helen Evans

Copyright © 2015 by Helen Evans

This is a work of fiction. Names,
characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s
imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any persons, living
or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

The Cowboys Heart III

All rights reserved.

This book is protected under the copyright
laws of the United States of America. No part of this work may be used,
reproduced, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
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This book may not be reproduced in any form
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the express written permission of the author.

“W
hat’s wrong, Heather?” Hudson asked as soon he
walked into the kitchen and saw me doubled over, tears in my eyes. He came over
to me and rubbed my back, his voice soothing but concerned.

“Jamie,” I gasped, unable to say what was going on. I still
couldn’t believe it myself. This had to be some sort of waking nightmare, a
hallucination brought on from all the recent stress and insomnia.

“What about Jamie? Is he hurt? Who was that on the phone?”
Hudson’s questions were fired at me so fast, I couldn’t possibly keep up.

“My dad,” I said, straightening and wiping my face. I took a
deep breath. “Jamie’s gone.”

Hudson’s hand fell away from my back, and his eyes widened.
“Gone? What do you mean he’s gone?”

I shrugged, unable to tell him anything more than what I
already had. “I don’t know. Dad called and said Jamie was gone. That all of his
stuff was gone and they couldn’t find him.”

“He ran away?” Hudson nearly shouted, causing the few people
in the house and the arriving guests to stop and look our way. I hushed him and
guided him out the side door so we could have a bit of privacy.

“Yes, it looks that way,” I said, crossing my arms over my
chest. “I have to go to my dad’s, see if I can find him. I doubt he’s gotten
very far. Mom is calling Jamie’s friends right now, and Dad is waiting on me to
call the police. I’d like to try and find him before I do that, though.”

I sighed and rubbed at my forehead. This is the very last
thing I needed today. It was the official grand opening of our dude ranch, and
I needed to be here, overseeing things, making sure this went off without a
hitch. Both mine and Hudson’s financial future depended on it. I just didn’t
understand why Jamie would run away. I knew he wasn’t thrilled with life here
or this dude ranch, but I’d thought things were getting better. I thought he’d
adjusted and accepted our new life here. Boy, was I wrong.

“Right, okay.” Hudson nodded. “Tell me what you need me to
do, and I’ll do it. I’ll help you find him.”

His words set off another round of tears that I was
powerless to stop. I wrapped my arms around him, buried my face against his
chest. He held me, kissing the top of my head, and comforting me. I held onto
him for a few moments, needing the reassurance his embrace always gave me.

“It might help if you stay here and oversee things. I’ll go
to my dad’s and find Jamie.”

“No.” Hudson shook his head adamantly. “I won’t let you do
this alone. I’m going with you. We can put Richard and the other ranch hands in
charge. They can handle it, especially once we tell them what’s going on.”

I sighed, wiped my tears and nodded. “Okay.” I gave Hudson a
grateful smile. “Thank you.”

He took my face into his hands, wiped my cheeks with his
thumbs, and then kissed me softly on the mouth. “I love you, Heather, and I
will do anything for you and Jamie.”

I fought to keep my tears at bay and smiled again. “Okay,
you go tell Richard and put him in charge of things outside and I’ll let Sam
know she’s in charge of things in here for a while.”

With another quick kiss, Hudson left to go find Richard, and
I went back inside to find Sam. Thankfully, there was a lull in check ins.
“Hey, Sam. Something urgent has come up with my son and I need to leave for a
while. Can you handle things around here? Richard will be around if you need
him, and I’ll have my cell phone with me.” I could feel myself starting to
ramble, and I couldn’t stop it. I didn’t want to divulge my personal family
problems to her, though, so I clamped my lips shut.

“Yeah, of course. According to our reservations, we’ve only
got two more people to check in today, then I can just hang around and help
wherever I’m needed,” Sam said.

 I blew out a breath. “Thank you so much. Hopefully I won’t
be too long, and like I said, if you need anything, you can go to Richard. Or
call me or Hudson.”

“Hudson’s going with you?” she asked casually, but I heard
the undertones in her voice. Jealousy, maybe. Or possibly hatred. Either way, I
didn’t have time to worry about how she felt about mine and Hudson’s
relationship.

“Yes, but he’ll have his phone, too, should you need it,” I
said in a clipped tone as I gathered my purse from behind the counter.

“Oh, okay. Well, good luck with your son. Hope everything
will be all right.”

“Thanks,” I said absently, doubting the sincerity of her
words. I was suddenly regretting hiring her. Maybe once we found Jamie and got
settled, I’d have to rethink Sam’s position here at the dude ranch.

I dashed outside to find Hudson waiting for me by his truck.
The mere sight of him calmed me, and I knew I’d make it through this as long as
I had him by my side. We drove to my dad’s in silence. Moments before we pulled
into the driveway, I turned to Hudson. “I should call Jamie’s father.” I didn’t
know why that thought hadn’t occurred to me before now.

“Let’s wait,” Hudson said, reaching across the seat and
taking my hand in his. “No reason to worry him unless we have to.”

I took a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah, you’re probably
right.” The thought of calling Phillip turned my stomach. He’d blame me, and I
didn’t want to hear it because I knew he’d be right. This was my fault. I’d
been so wrapped up in the ranch and Hudson and the controversy with the oil
drilling that I’d pushed Jamie to the side. I hadn’t been the mother to him
that he needed. God, if anything happened to him...

Hudson pulled into my parents’ driveway and cut the engine.
He squeezed my hand before releasing it and getting out of the truck. My heart was
in my throat. I still couldn’t believe this was happening. Finding out your
child was missing is a parent’s worst nightmare. Knowing my son had done it
intentionally made it even worse. I knew how smart and resourceful Jamie could
be, and if he didn’t want to be found, then he wouldn’t be found.

“Heather!” My mother rushed out of the house and hugged me.
The act took me by surprise. My mother isn’t an affectionate person, so her
reaction to seeing me only made me worry more. This was really, really bad.

“Mom,” I said, hugging her back. “What happened?”

“Hudson,” she said, smiling at him. “Come on in. I’ll
explain everything.”

We followed my mom inside, and I found my father sitting at
the kitchen table, head in his hands. The only other time I’d seen my father so
worried and upset was when my mom was in the hospital. “Dad,” I said slowly and
sat down beside him. “What happened? Where’s Jamie?”

“I don’t know,” he said, rubbing at his head and looking up
at me. He’d been crying. I closed my eyes, willing myself to stay strong. Jamie
needed me and now was not the time to turn into a blubbering basket case,
although that’s what I really wanted to do right now.

“What do you mean, you don’t know?” I snapped. I’d trusted
my parents with my son, and they’d lost him. How could this happen?

“I’ve called his friends; none of them have seen him. So
then I called my friends, you know, the chatty town gossips, and they don’t
know anything either.”

The more they talked, the worse I felt. It was rare that the
town gossips didn’t know anything, or at the least knew of rumors circulating.
I clutched my stomach, fighting the wave of nausea gripping me.

“He obviously left sometime last night, after we were in
bed,” Mom continued. “I don’t know how we didn’t hear him. I’m usually such a
light sleeper. I hear everything.”

I knew she was trying to justify the fact that she didn’t
know he’d run away until this morning, but it didn’t help. I was about to say
something, too, when Hudson put his hand on my shoulder, calming me.

“And he didn’t say anything to either of you last night? He
wasn’t acting weird?” Hudson asked.

Dad sighed heavily. “No, but he did leave this.” He pulled
out a crumpled sheet of paper that he’d been clutching in his hand and held it
out to me.

I snatched it and opened it. “It’s a note from Jamie,” I
said in disbelief. Then I began to read it, silently, unsure what it would say.
But I knew Hudson was reading over my shoulder.

I heard Hudson talking to grandma and grandpa. He asked
if he could marry you, Mom! I don’t know if he has yet or not and I don’t care.
I hope the surprise is ruined.

I cupped my hand over my mouth and stifled a gasp. Hudson
was going to propose to me? I should be thrilled with that news, but all I
could focus on was the fact that Jamie was missing and he was angry. I could
hear the vehemence coming off his words. I forced myself to keep reading.

You’ll probably say yes, but I don’t know why. That guy
is a jerk. But whatever. I won’t be around to see it, so it doesn’t matter. I’m
going to live with Dad. Don’t come after me. I don’t want to see you ever
again.

I had to re-read that last part several times, unable to
fully process the words. My son hated me. Hudson wanted to marry me. And my ex
was probably in on this entire scheme. So many conflicting emotions warred
inside of me. Shock. Excitement. Fear. Anger. Guilt. How could I have been so
blind to how Jamie felt? What kind of mother was I?

“Heather…?” Hudson said from behind me.

I stood abruptly and held up my hand to silence him. “No,
don’t. I can’t… I need a few minutes.” I rushed outside and gulped several deep
breaths. It didn’t’ help. Nothing would help until I knew Jamie was home safe.
I gripped the porch railing and hung my head. What was I going to do now?

I didn’t know how long I stood out there, but eventually
Hudson came out. He wrapped his arms around me from behind, and I didn’t stop
him. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“For what?” I was surprised by how steady my voice was.

“Everything. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to bond with Jamie like
I wanted to. I’m sorry he’s run away. I’m sorry my proposal is what caused all
of this.” His voice gave out, and I cringed.

I turned around in his arms and faced him. “This isn’t your
fault, Hudson. I’m his mother. I should’ve known he was having a hard time with
things. I should’ve been there for him.”

Hudson kissed me, and while it was as soft and loving as
ever, it felt wrong. I couldn’t stand here, kissing him, loving him when my son
was missing. I pulled away and gave him a sad smile.

“We need to find Jamie,” I said, hoping Hudson found the
true meaning behinds my words – that I couldn’t do this with him until I knew
Jamie was okay. “And I obviously need to call Phillip, too.”

Hudson rested his forehead to mine and sighed. “I’ll do
whatever I can to help find him. You know that, right?”

“Yes.” And I did know that. Deep down in the darkest parts
of my mind and soul, I knew Hudson wouldn’t give up on finding Jamie. I also
had a sinking feeling it wouldn’t take much to find him now that I knew where
he was headed. In fact, one call to Philip and I’d bet anything we’d know
exactly where Jamie was. I was livid that my ex would be in on this; that he’d
go behind my back instead of simply telling me he wanted Jamie to come live
with him. What kind of father did that?

“Heather!” My father stormed out of the house, his face red.
“All of my camping supplies are missing, too, and there’s enough food missing
to last someone a couple of weeks.”

I jerked away from Hudson, and my fear kicked into hyper
drive. That’s when I knew – Phillip didn’t have any idea that Jamie was
planning to go live with him. Jamie was just going to show up on his dad’s
doorstep. This was so much worse than I’d originally thought.

“Jamie’s never been camping a day in his life,” I said,
panic seizing me. “He can’t survive out there on his own.” It wasn’t the
ability for him to cook food or make it through the weather; it was the mass of
wild animals that he could encounter.

“We’ll form a search party,” Dad said. “I’ll call everyone I
know. We’ll find him before dark tonight.”

“I’ll call the police,” Mom said, joining us on the porch.

Hudson nodded. “I’ll call the ranch; let Richard know he’ll
be running things until further notice. And I’ll call my guys and get them out
here to help.”

Their support and willingness to spring into action warmed
my heart. I wasn’t alone in this, unlike the time back in the city when Jamie
had taken off for a few days. I didn’t have any family around to help me then,
and his father was “away on business,” which I’d later learned he was actually
on a getaway with his mistress.

“I suppose it’s time I call Phillip. He needs to know what’s
going on, and I need to tell him Jamie will more than likely be showing up on
his doorstep.” I dug my cell phone from my pocket, my hands trembling. I hated
having to talk to Phillip. He always acted like he was a superior parent, that
I was nothing but a screw up, which was ironic considering he was the one who
rarely saw our son.

“Don’t let him give you a hard time,” Dad warned, “or I’ll
tell him how it is.”

I rolled my eyes. Yeah, having my dad and Phillip in a fight
would not help this situation. “Thanks, Dad, but I can handle this.”

Hudson kissed my forehead then left me alone to make the
call.