Page 3 of Rancher’s Strength (Flying Diamond 5, #4)
Chapter Two
RYDER
T he day had been perfect. Griff and Elle had a beautiful ceremony, and I’d been so happy to be a part of their union.
Laughter filled the yard, and aside from the half-built barn and Griff’s arm still in a sling, everything looked normal.
If Elle hadn’t worked so quickly, we’d be having an entirely different kind of service.
Over the sound of the music, my phone rang, and I frowned as I looked at the number. I didn’t recognize it, but something nagged me to pick it up. Excusing myself from the group, I walked around to the side of the house.
“Hello?” My voice was stiff,
“Is this Ryder Saffort?’
“It is. Who’s calling?”
“This is Officer Timothy Unger I’m with the Reverence, Wyoming Sheriff’s Department. I regret to inform you that Hank and Anita Forrest have been killed in a car accident. You are on their list of contacts.” Slumping against the house, I was sure I heard him wrong.
“Um, I’m sorry, you said Hank and Anita?” The man on the other end of the line spoke as if he were reading a script he’d rehearsed for hours before calling me.
“I’ve already spoken with your wife, and she’s on her way to Reverence to pick up the children. They will be in your care now.”
“My wife?”
“Yes, Alexandra. She’s a ballbuster, isn’t she?” The man chuckled.
“A ballbuster?” I scoffed. The man on the other end of the line was an idiot, and I truly hoped Lexie had put him in his place. “You obviously didn’t get the full effect of Lexie.” I pulled the phone away from my ear and ended the call.
“Everything okay?” Griff asked as he rounded the corner of the house.
“No, it’s not. I need to go.” I looked up from my phone, and all my business partners were gathered around me.
“Can you have the plane ready for me at the airport?” I looked at Linc, and he nodded.
We didn’t use the plane often anymore.We didn’t need to, but it came in handy occasionally.
When we’d worked as a security team, we’d been fortunate to get high-paying clients, which had set us up for life.
We didn’t even need to ranch. We just did it to stay occupied, and it had worked its way into our hearts after all these years.
“Where do they need to file the flight plan for?” he asked as he pulled his cell out of his back pocket.
“Reverence, Wyoming.” None of them asked what was happening, they just stood beside me as I stared at my phone. Linc moved further down the porch and talked to our pilot.
“They’ll get you off the ground within the hour,” he said as he walked back to us.
“Perfect. That will give me just enough time to get to the airport,” I said as I wandered back to where the party was happening.
“You’re a beautiful bride, Elle, but I need to excuse myself and take care of some business.” I kissed Griff’s bride on the cheek and shook my best friend’s hand when he walked up beside her.
“Keep me posted,” he said quietly. I didn’t need to tell him who was in Reverence; he knew Lexie’s friends from college were there, and the only thing that would make me leave his wedding would be something horrific.
“Say hi to Lex.” Griff arched his brow, and I shook my head.
There was also the fact that I’d never been able to keep anything from him, and he knew Lexie and I were once named as possible guardians to the kids.
“I’ll let you know when I’m on my way back. I might be gone for a bit.” Turning, I headed for my truck.
Time seemed to stand still as I waited for the pilot to make his final checks before departure. I’d made it to the airport much quicker than anyone expected. “Mr. Saffort, the pilot is ready.” A young woman smiled and motioned to the door of the small airport.
“Thank you.”
“Can I be of any service to you on this flight?” She looked up and smiled coyly at me.
“Two of my friends have been killed in a horrific car accident, and their young children are now orphans, and you want to know if I want to get my rocks off?” Scoffing, I walked away from the woman.
I knew how some private flights worked, but that wasn’t something I was into.
“I won’t need your assistance for anything, so you might as well buckle up and stay seated,” I said as I glanced over my shoulder.
“Ryder, nice to see you again.” Our regular pilot, Jackson, extended his hand. As I shook it, I stepped aside to allow the flight attendant to walk up the stairs.
“Is she crying?” Jackson looked at her as she disappeared into the plane.
“I’m sure she’ll get over it,” I said flatly, and Jackson shook his head as if he understood precisely what had just occurred.
“We’ll get you into Reverence in a few hours.
No weather to contend with, so it should be a smooth flight.
” He nodded, and we both moved up the stairs.
I tossed my small bag onto a seat across the aisle from me and flopped down.
Closing my eyes, I tried to think back to the last time I’d seen Hank and Anita.
It had been too long. I always had an excuse not to make the trip, and while they’d made the effort to come to the ranch, things had gotten awkward for Anita and me after the divorce.
I couldn’t blame her, she was Lexie’s best friend, and I didn’t expect her to ever talk to me again. But Hank and I had always been good.
“We’ll be starting our descent into Reverence, Wyoming.” Jackson’s voice jolted me from sleep. I hadn’t realized I’d dozed off. I rubbed my face, trying to wake myself up, and shifted in the seat, attempting to regain feeling in the foot that I’d crossed over my knee at the beginning of the flight.
With a car waiting, I exited the plane and climbed right in. He already knew the address because I’d texted it to him when I booked the car. There was no small talk, just the way I liked it.
The driver made a slow turn onto Hank and Anita’s street, and I could see Lexie getting the kids out of the car.
I watched the three of them intently, and judging by the way they were hanging onto her as they walked to the house, she’d told them.
Damn it, I wish I’d been there to help her through that conversation.
“We’re here, sir,” the man said as he looked back at me in the rearview mirror.
I shifted in the seat, pulled some cash from my pocket, and handed it to him.
Quite honestly, I had no idea how much I had given him.
But judging from the way his eyebrows shot up, it had been a lot.
I was glad to make the guy's day. Still, all I could focus on was getting into that house.
With a quick thank you, I grabbed my bag and closed the door.
Before I could move, the man pulled away, and I headed for the open door.
Her soft, sweet voice filtered out of the house, and I stood motionless for a moment as I watched her with the kids.
Despite what she thought, she was amazing with children.
My heart ached for more than just Ruby and Sawyer.
It ached for the years Lexie and I had lost, the years we missed out on figuring out what our own family could have looked like.
A traditional family dynamic hadn’t been something I’d ever known, but it was the one thing she’d been fixated on.
My biological parents didn’t want me, so I bounced around in the foster care system from the time I was seven.
It hurt to have memories of the people who’d brought me into the world, only for them to abandon me after succumbing to their vices.
I was a little boy who didn’t understand why he was suddenly alone in the world.
When I’d gotten to a point where money was flowing freely, I lost my last excuse for not finding them and hired someone to look into where my parents ended up.
It felt like a stab to the chest to discover that they had gone their separate ways after ending up in prison.
My mother regained her freedom and moved away, seemingly to overcome the struggles she had faced with my father.
At some point, she had three more kids, and they appeared to be a happy family.
My father, on the other hand, had been in and out of jail and never seemed to get his life together.
With a deep inhale, I made a silent vow that no matter what happened after today, Ruby and Sawyer would never know a day without love. They might have had their family ripped apart, but I wouldn’t let it tear them apart like it had me and my siblings.