Chapter 4

Scares over cookies

Later that day Reba and Cheyenne were in the girls shoes department of the Wal'Mart. Cheyenne had narrowed the countless choices down to two. A pair of punk sketchers that lit up when she walked, and a pair of pink, purple, white, and light blue, sneakers that had flower designs on them. Cheyenne sat on the floor in the store as Reba sat on the bench. Cheyenne looking back and forth between the shoes trying to decide which to choose. After a minute Cheyenne huffed a sigh and looked up to her mother.

"Mommy can't I just get both?" she asked giving her best puppy dog face. Reba shook her head.

"I'm sorry but you know I only have enough money for one pair. If I had the money I swear I'd get you both." Reba said truly sorry that she hadn't the money for both pairs of shoes.

"Ok, I go with..." Cheyenne paused as she tried to make a final decision. "That pair!" she said the ones with the flowers on them.

"Great choice." Reba said as she put the rejected pair up and took Cheyenne's hand as the little girl carried the box with her soon to be new shoes in them. Reba just had one more thing to pick up before they could go.

"Mommy?" Cheyenne's voice spoke up.

"Yes?" Reba asked back.

"Can I get a new shirt to go with my shoes?" Cheyenne asked. Reba sighed and turned to the girls shirts section. Reba turns to one rack to start looking as Cheyenne goes to the one directly behind her mother. After a minute of shifting through the shirts in the rack Cheyenne looks up to see a free sample stand of chocolate chip cookies. Thinking nothing of it the blond girl happily skips across the lanes to the stand. She gets her free cookie and turns to head back. A cold fear sweeps over her as she didn't see her red headed mother. She was in the middle of the food section and her mother was still in the cloths isle. She held her cookie tight as she tried to find her way back to her mother. Tears slowly built up in her eyes as she couldn't find her.

Reba suddenly realized that the noise of hangers being moved around behind her had stopped. She had been musing over that darned dream again! Reba turned and held back a scream as she didn't see her daughter behind her. She looked to the center of the rack to see if she was only hiding but didn't find her. Panic rose in her, what kind of mother just lost her child? What happened to her baby? Did she just wander off or did someone snatch her up! Reba began to look around calling her baby's name but didn't find her. Tears welled in the red heads eyes also as she couldn't find her child.

Cheyenne now was seated on a wooden bench in the middle of an isle. Her blue eyes rimmed with red as tears slowly and silently slipping down her face, she was so scared yet everyone was too busy to take a notice to the distressed child. Just as Cheyenne was about to give up hope a man stepped next to her and noticed her tear streaked cheeks.

"Hey..." he said softly as he knelt down next her. Cheyenne had learned not to talk with strangers so she tried to ignore him. He sat down next to her and stared at her as she looked to him then her old worn out shoes. "So let me guess, you wandered away from your mother and now you can't find your way back?" the man suggested. Cheyenne looked to him in shock 'how did he know' "you know your mom is looking for you, I know, I've been in your shoes before..." Cheyenne looked to her worn out pink shoes in confusion. The man laughed his brown eyes sparkling with amusement and concern for the girl at the same time. "Not those shoes, I meant I've done that before when I was your age." he explained. "So what'd you wander off for?" he asked the blond girl.

"Cookies..." she whispered.

"Ah good one, mine was a skate board." the brown haired man replied. "Where did you last see your mom?" he asked.

"We were picking out a shirt to go with my new shoes that we're buying." Cheyenne explained, this man didn't seem so bad, and he looked kind.

"Ok you wanna head back there see if she's still there, it's as a good a place to start as any." he said. Cheyenne nodded her head and hopped down off the bench.

"What's your name sir?" she asked.

"Buzzard," the man replied. Cheyenne chuckled. "aw come on that's a great name." Buzzard said jokingly. Cheyenne smiled and slipped her hand into his.

"Mine's Cheyenne." she said proudly.

"Ah, Cheyenne that's a very nice name. So where are your parents?" he asked as they came up to the rack of shirts Reba had been looking through.

"My daddy died a hero when I was a baby and my mommy works down at the diner." Cheyenne said sad that she didn't see her mother in the place she left from. "Mommy!" Cheyenne called into the crowed isles. Suddenly a familiar red color appeared and started towards them.

Reba had been looking for what seemed like forever when she heard a girl cry 'mommy' she turned in hopes to see Cheyenne and there back where she left from was her baby girl. Reba ran up to her not noticing the tall dark haired man beside her. When she reached her Reba knelt down on both knees and held her baby tightly to her with no intention of letting go anytime soon.

"Cheyenne if you ever run off like that again I swear you'll be grounded for months, do you hear me?" Reba said pulling back and looking to the blonde's blue eyes as her hands framed the sides if the little girl's face. Cheyenne nodded her head knowing she was in trouble but just so happy that she's back with her mother. Reba held Cheyenne to her one more time before she noticed the man standing in front of her. She stood and held to Cheyenne's hand as she faced the man. He was handsome with brown hair, soft, kind brown eyes. And a slight smile.

"I'm Buzzard Brooker, found her sittin' on a bench." he explained.

"He helped me back here mommy!" Cheyenne piped up.

"Then I guess I owe you my thanks." Reba said.

"No thanks necessary, knowing you two are back together is good enough for me. Hope to see you two around, but I must be going." he dismissed himself, and walked away with a tilt of his head. Reba quickly made her way to the register and paid for the items before hurrying to the car. All she could think about was getting home. But once she was behind the wheel of her car with Cheyenne safely secured in the back seat. Reba hung her head and thanked the Lord that he sent a guardian angel to help the small family this time.

I'm so sorry for the time it took to post this. I find I have a lot less time to write I hope this makes up for the long wait.