Chapter 4
"Pop, is everything working at the ranch?" Rick looked up to see his son standing in the doorway of Rudy's lab. "Yeah, the phones were turned on yesterday, both generators are running and the septic system was cleared this morning." Rob shook his head, "Then something's wrong, I just tried to reach Robin and nobody's picking up. The Chief wanted to bring those papers regarding the Lost Valley hospital site to Mom, but no one is answering."
Rick looked up at Rudy, who had been checking his shoulder. "Can you call Oscar, Rudy, I'm heading for the ranch, maybe the phone's acting up or something." "Sure, Rick, just drive careful, I'm sure everything's all right." Suddenly Rob's radio beeped, and unhooking it From his belt, he hit the receive button. "Robbie, we need help," Robin's voice came over the speaker. "Robin, what's wrong, are you and Mom ok?" "Yes, but some looters tried to come onto the property and Mom scared them off, but Lightning took off and Mom's afraid he's going to re-injure his leg." Rick raced for the door as the deputy told his sister "You and Mom get in the house and stay put, Pop and I are on our way. Give me A description of the thieves."
Rick jumped in his truck, finally running again after 2 weeks in the garage, and took off, only half noticing the Chief's jeep was gone. Barreling down the highway out of town, he saw a van pass him at 90, then realized that it was probably the looters. Pulling out his auxiliary radio, he put it on Robbie's frequency. "Robbie, it's Pop, I just saw the van with the looters, over." "Where is it headed, Pop?, over", his son replied.
"Back toward town, doing about 90, call for back up, son, they must be crazy to be going that fast on this road. over." he told Robbie. There was a pause, then his son answered, "I see them, Pop. Thanks. I've got Rob right behind me, call me when you get home, over." Rick signed off, then coming around the bend of Rocky Point, saw his home, with the Chief's jeep all ready in the driveway.
As he pulled up, his daughter came running up to him. "Pop, Mom went after
Lightning, please hurry and follow her, she's awfully upset." "Honey, what happened?" he asked, his stomach churning. The Chief came from behind his jeep, "Those thieves tried to hurt Robin, but Light shot above them and scared them off. Unfortunately, the rope tethering Lightening to the tree snapped, and he took off toward Lost Valley. Light wouldn't leave Robin alone, but I told her to go ahead and try to find her horse. She's riding Fire." As Rick started to shift into gear, he heard Robin say "Oh, no, where's Mom?" He looked up to see a riderless Fire, galloping into the yard then walking into his pen.
Quickly Rick took off, yelling for Robin to call her brother. He drove at high speed toward the secret valley, berating himself for allowing his wife and daughter to be out there by themselves. As he drove toward the fenced off area of the canyon, he saw Laurie sitting in the dust against a rock, her shotgun on her lap, with head lowered. "
"Laurie!", he called, then saw her turn and look toward him. Stopping only to put the brake on, he leaped out of the truck and ran to her. She raised her face to him, tears streaming down her cheeks, as he dropped to his knees and put his arms around her.
"Rick," she sobbed against him, "Lightning's dead. I, I had to shoot him. He broke both his legs and he was bleeding. Those thieves scared him and he ran. I couldn't leave Robin by herself, what if they had come back? By the time the Chief came, he was already down, he couldn't get back up. Oh, Rick, it's like a nightmare I can't wake up from!"
He rocked her in his arms, trying to soothe her. "Sweetheart, I'm sorry, my angel, I'm here, it's all right." "Oh, Rick, I can't do this anymore, I can't start over again," she wept. Rick looked at her, that was the answer. "Darlin', listen to me. You and I can start over again, with one horse or ten, whatever you want. Don't you know, I'll never let you face anything like this by yourself." Her sobs quieted, as she lay her head against him. "Rick, darling, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to forget you in all this. You have been my rock, I kept thinking about how much business you and A.J. have lost in all this. I know you wouldn't walk away from the ranch, but it's not fair to have so much on your plate."
He lifted her face to his, telling her gently, "Sweetheart, I love our place as much as you do. Remember you told me once wherever I was you wanted to be, well, I want to be in our valley, with our children." Sniffing, she leaned
against him, "I love you, Rick, you're always there when I need you. Please take me home, darling."
Kissing her, Rick scooped her up and carried her to his truck. Just as he settled her inside, Chief Joseph drove up, then got out and came over to them, an expression of relief on his face. "Light, thank God you are safe.", he said, then went and picked up their shotgun from the ground. "Here, take your gun. I know it hurt for you to spare Lightning pain. I will take care of him now." Tears ran down her cheeks again, "Thank you Chief, you're so good to us. I'll tell Rob and Robin that Lightning is gone." she whispered.
He touched her cheek, "Go home, Light, remember only that Lightening was a good horse and took good care of you for your family." She nodded, as Rick embraced the elder, then climbed in and drove off.
Settling into the crook of Rick's arm, Laurie quietly asked, "Did Rob catch up with those horrible looters?" "Yes, darlin', he must have taken them into custody by now. I hope they go to prison. Laurie, how did you scare them away, with the shotgun?" he wondered, stroking her hair.
"Yes, Rick, I heard Robin scream for them to get away from our land, and one of them grabbed her. I got the shotgun and fired above their heads, then they let her go and jumped into a van and screeched out. Lightning was so frightened he snapped his tether and took off. I almost went after them with Fury, only Robin called me not to go." She sighed as Rick wiped her tears away with his free hand. "Darling, I knew I couldn't leave her alone in case those animals came back. I was so relieved when the Chief came!"
"I'm proud of you, sweetheart, I know it hurts about Lightning, but you did the right thing." he assured her, as he held her tight against him. They rounded the bend of the road, and Rick saw Oscar's car, with the big man standing with Robin and Rob in the driveway.
Turning in, he stopped next to them, then Oscar came to the truck and opened the door for his niece. Without a word, he reached in and lifted Laurie out and hugged her. Fighting back more tears, she embraced him, and then saw the sad faces of their son and daughter, and went to gather them to her.
"I'm sorry," she told them, looking them both in the eye, "Lightening re- broke his leg, and I had to put him to sleep. I loved him," she choked up, then took a deep breath as Robin started to cry, "but I didn't want him to suffer. Chief Joseph is taking care of him."
Both of them clung to her, as Rob managed to say, "It'll be ok, Mom." She kissed her son, then consoled Robin, saying, "darling, we'll remember all the times we had with him, all the wonderful rides."
The younger Simons nodded, and then Robin wiped her eyes and suddenly remembered, "Pop, you need to call Uncle A.J., he called just a couple of minutes ago! I almost forgot " Rick went into the house, as Rob told his mom that the four looters were in jail, and over a thousand dollars in property was recovered. Oscar shook his head in disgust, "Those vultures, I want Rob to add what they did to you guys to the charges against them."
Abruptly Rick came bolting out the door, "Laurie, we've got to get to town, Linda's gone into labor! Rudy says she and A.J. just made it in time before her water broke." Instantly the five of them piled into both vehicles and raced to town. As they passed the outskirts, they saw the Chief coming back, so Laurie stuck her hand out and gestured for him to follow them to the hospital.
For the next two hours, Rick watched A.J. pace the visitors area, waiting to join his wife. His brother and Linda had agreed he was to be present when she gave birth, but that Laurie was a better birthing "coach". Now they could hear her voice, encouraging her sister-in-law, giving her ice chips, then gripping her hand as the contractions hit. In the midst of all the excitement and anticipation, Rick realized the sorrow of the earlier event had been swallowed up by something bigger. Suddenly he heard his mother's voice, then Cecilia ran in, followed by Chief Joseph. "Mom, how did you get here, did you get a shuttle?" Rick asked as he Put his arms around her.
"Joe picked me up, I called him when I got no answer at the ranch and he met my plane. She returned his embrace, then turned to her youngest son and hugged him, "A.J., how's Linda, is Laurie with her?"
"Yes, Mom, they're going to call me when she's ready." he said, then let his mother push him into a seat as she told him "You'll wear yourself out pacing, I'm going to get you some coffee." Just then Rudy opened the door, "A.J., Linda wants you."
Laurie came out and hugged her brother-in-law as he went past. "Mom!", she gasped, and went into Cecilia's arms. "Oh, honey, I'm sorry, are you ok? Joe told me what happened." Laurie lowered her head then looked up and smiled, saying, "It's all right, Mom, nothing can bring my Lightning back, but with Linda needing me, I had to focus on her right now."
Rick took her hand and pulled his wife into his lap, where she rested against him. They stayed that way for some time, until the sound of a baby's cry brought them out of their seats. Rudy came out the door, grinning from ear to ear.
"Congratulations, Cecilia, you're the grandmother of a baby boy, 8 pounds, 11 ounces, he's 21 inches long." he proudly announced, then took turns hugging everyone. As their mom wiped her eyes, A.J. came out of the delivery room, beaming. "How's Linda?", Rick asked, clearing his throat. "She's just fine, she's even hungry!", he answered, as Rob and Robin hugged him. "Does he have a name yet, Uncle A.J.?" Robin asked, longing to see the baby.
"Yes, he does,", A.J. answered, looking at his brother. "He's Richard Laurence Robert".
Stunned, Rick looked to see if his little brother was teasing him, then saw tears in his eyes.
"A.J., thank you," he choked up, then grabbed him up in a bear hug. Oscar and the Chief watched the brothers embrace, then Rick managed a laugh as he said, "I only hope the little guy has the sense of at least two of his namesakes and all the luck of the third!"
"Pop, is everything working at the ranch?" Rick looked up to see his son standing in the doorway of Rudy's lab. "Yeah, the phones were turned on yesterday, both generators are running and the septic system was cleared this morning." Rob shook his head, "Then something's wrong, I just tried to reach Robin and nobody's picking up. The Chief wanted to bring those papers regarding the Lost Valley hospital site to Mom, but no one is answering."
Rick looked up at Rudy, who had been checking his shoulder. "Can you call Oscar, Rudy, I'm heading for the ranch, maybe the phone's acting up or something." "Sure, Rick, just drive careful, I'm sure everything's all right." Suddenly Rob's radio beeped, and unhooking it From his belt, he hit the receive button. "Robbie, we need help," Robin's voice came over the speaker. "Robin, what's wrong, are you and Mom ok?" "Yes, but some looters tried to come onto the property and Mom scared them off, but Lightning took off and Mom's afraid he's going to re-injure his leg." Rick raced for the door as the deputy told his sister "You and Mom get in the house and stay put, Pop and I are on our way. Give me A description of the thieves."
Rick jumped in his truck, finally running again after 2 weeks in the garage, and took off, only half noticing the Chief's jeep was gone. Barreling down the highway out of town, he saw a van pass him at 90, then realized that it was probably the looters. Pulling out his auxiliary radio, he put it on Robbie's frequency. "Robbie, it's Pop, I just saw the van with the looters, over." "Where is it headed, Pop?, over", his son replied.
"Back toward town, doing about 90, call for back up, son, they must be crazy to be going that fast on this road. over." he told Robbie. There was a pause, then his son answered, "I see them, Pop. Thanks. I've got Rob right behind me, call me when you get home, over." Rick signed off, then coming around the bend of Rocky Point, saw his home, with the Chief's jeep all ready in the driveway.
As he pulled up, his daughter came running up to him. "Pop, Mom went after
Lightning, please hurry and follow her, she's awfully upset." "Honey, what happened?" he asked, his stomach churning. The Chief came from behind his jeep, "Those thieves tried to hurt Robin, but Light shot above them and scared them off. Unfortunately, the rope tethering Lightening to the tree snapped, and he took off toward Lost Valley. Light wouldn't leave Robin alone, but I told her to go ahead and try to find her horse. She's riding Fire." As Rick started to shift into gear, he heard Robin say "Oh, no, where's Mom?" He looked up to see a riderless Fire, galloping into the yard then walking into his pen.
Quickly Rick took off, yelling for Robin to call her brother. He drove at high speed toward the secret valley, berating himself for allowing his wife and daughter to be out there by themselves. As he drove toward the fenced off area of the canyon, he saw Laurie sitting in the dust against a rock, her shotgun on her lap, with head lowered. "
"Laurie!", he called, then saw her turn and look toward him. Stopping only to put the brake on, he leaped out of the truck and ran to her. She raised her face to him, tears streaming down her cheeks, as he dropped to his knees and put his arms around her.
"Rick," she sobbed against him, "Lightning's dead. I, I had to shoot him. He broke both his legs and he was bleeding. Those thieves scared him and he ran. I couldn't leave Robin by herself, what if they had come back? By the time the Chief came, he was already down, he couldn't get back up. Oh, Rick, it's like a nightmare I can't wake up from!"
He rocked her in his arms, trying to soothe her. "Sweetheart, I'm sorry, my angel, I'm here, it's all right." "Oh, Rick, I can't do this anymore, I can't start over again," she wept. Rick looked at her, that was the answer. "Darlin', listen to me. You and I can start over again, with one horse or ten, whatever you want. Don't you know, I'll never let you face anything like this by yourself." Her sobs quieted, as she lay her head against him. "Rick, darling, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to forget you in all this. You have been my rock, I kept thinking about how much business you and A.J. have lost in all this. I know you wouldn't walk away from the ranch, but it's not fair to have so much on your plate."
He lifted her face to his, telling her gently, "Sweetheart, I love our place as much as you do. Remember you told me once wherever I was you wanted to be, well, I want to be in our valley, with our children." Sniffing, she leaned
against him, "I love you, Rick, you're always there when I need you. Please take me home, darling."
Kissing her, Rick scooped her up and carried her to his truck. Just as he settled her inside, Chief Joseph drove up, then got out and came over to them, an expression of relief on his face. "Light, thank God you are safe.", he said, then went and picked up their shotgun from the ground. "Here, take your gun. I know it hurt for you to spare Lightning pain. I will take care of him now." Tears ran down her cheeks again, "Thank you Chief, you're so good to us. I'll tell Rob and Robin that Lightning is gone." she whispered.
He touched her cheek, "Go home, Light, remember only that Lightening was a good horse and took good care of you for your family." She nodded, as Rick embraced the elder, then climbed in and drove off.
Settling into the crook of Rick's arm, Laurie quietly asked, "Did Rob catch up with those horrible looters?" "Yes, darlin', he must have taken them into custody by now. I hope they go to prison. Laurie, how did you scare them away, with the shotgun?" he wondered, stroking her hair.
"Yes, Rick, I heard Robin scream for them to get away from our land, and one of them grabbed her. I got the shotgun and fired above their heads, then they let her go and jumped into a van and screeched out. Lightning was so frightened he snapped his tether and took off. I almost went after them with Fury, only Robin called me not to go." She sighed as Rick wiped her tears away with his free hand. "Darling, I knew I couldn't leave her alone in case those animals came back. I was so relieved when the Chief came!"
"I'm proud of you, sweetheart, I know it hurts about Lightning, but you did the right thing." he assured her, as he held her tight against him. They rounded the bend of the road, and Rick saw Oscar's car, with the big man standing with Robin and Rob in the driveway.
Turning in, he stopped next to them, then Oscar came to the truck and opened the door for his niece. Without a word, he reached in and lifted Laurie out and hugged her. Fighting back more tears, she embraced him, and then saw the sad faces of their son and daughter, and went to gather them to her.
"I'm sorry," she told them, looking them both in the eye, "Lightening re- broke his leg, and I had to put him to sleep. I loved him," she choked up, then took a deep breath as Robin started to cry, "but I didn't want him to suffer. Chief Joseph is taking care of him."
Both of them clung to her, as Rob managed to say, "It'll be ok, Mom." She kissed her son, then consoled Robin, saying, "darling, we'll remember all the times we had with him, all the wonderful rides."
The younger Simons nodded, and then Robin wiped her eyes and suddenly remembered, "Pop, you need to call Uncle A.J., he called just a couple of minutes ago! I almost forgot " Rick went into the house, as Rob told his mom that the four looters were in jail, and over a thousand dollars in property was recovered. Oscar shook his head in disgust, "Those vultures, I want Rob to add what they did to you guys to the charges against them."
Abruptly Rick came bolting out the door, "Laurie, we've got to get to town, Linda's gone into labor! Rudy says she and A.J. just made it in time before her water broke." Instantly the five of them piled into both vehicles and raced to town. As they passed the outskirts, they saw the Chief coming back, so Laurie stuck her hand out and gestured for him to follow them to the hospital.
For the next two hours, Rick watched A.J. pace the visitors area, waiting to join his wife. His brother and Linda had agreed he was to be present when she gave birth, but that Laurie was a better birthing "coach". Now they could hear her voice, encouraging her sister-in-law, giving her ice chips, then gripping her hand as the contractions hit. In the midst of all the excitement and anticipation, Rick realized the sorrow of the earlier event had been swallowed up by something bigger. Suddenly he heard his mother's voice, then Cecilia ran in, followed by Chief Joseph. "Mom, how did you get here, did you get a shuttle?" Rick asked as he Put his arms around her.
"Joe picked me up, I called him when I got no answer at the ranch and he met my plane. She returned his embrace, then turned to her youngest son and hugged him, "A.J., how's Linda, is Laurie with her?"
"Yes, Mom, they're going to call me when she's ready." he said, then let his mother push him into a seat as she told him "You'll wear yourself out pacing, I'm going to get you some coffee." Just then Rudy opened the door, "A.J., Linda wants you."
Laurie came out and hugged her brother-in-law as he went past. "Mom!", she gasped, and went into Cecilia's arms. "Oh, honey, I'm sorry, are you ok? Joe told me what happened." Laurie lowered her head then looked up and smiled, saying, "It's all right, Mom, nothing can bring my Lightning back, but with Linda needing me, I had to focus on her right now."
Rick took her hand and pulled his wife into his lap, where she rested against him. They stayed that way for some time, until the sound of a baby's cry brought them out of their seats. Rudy came out the door, grinning from ear to ear.
"Congratulations, Cecilia, you're the grandmother of a baby boy, 8 pounds, 11 ounces, he's 21 inches long." he proudly announced, then took turns hugging everyone. As their mom wiped her eyes, A.J. came out of the delivery room, beaming. "How's Linda?", Rick asked, clearing his throat. "She's just fine, she's even hungry!", he answered, as Rob and Robin hugged him. "Does he have a name yet, Uncle A.J.?" Robin asked, longing to see the baby.
"Yes, he does,", A.J. answered, looking at his brother. "He's Richard Laurence Robert".
Stunned, Rick looked to see if his little brother was teasing him, then saw tears in his eyes.
"A.J., thank you," he choked up, then grabbed him up in a bear hug. Oscar and the Chief watched the brothers embrace, then Rick managed a laugh as he said, "I only hope the little guy has the sense of at least two of his namesakes and all the luck of the third!"