Lost and Found Chapter Two

Previously:

Taking his frown wrong, Amelia looked at him with sympathy in her eyes. "I'd say you'd best be grateful we have what you need here." She took the infant from him and then disappeared into a side room. He could hear the woman say such things as 'My, aren't you a lovely little girl' and 'You are going to make more than one head turn when you grow up.'

"A girl," Jarrod thought as he rested against the couch. He knew he'd have to talk to Fred, and that his family would help take care of her for awhile only he couldn't help but think- "What am I going to call you until I can find out what your story is." Even as he thought that, he wondered what he'd do if he couldn't get any answers.

Two o'clock in the morning found Jarrod pacing the room the Arnold's were being kind enough to let him use. Amelia Arnold had nursed the child only burping the child was proving rather difficult. Though, somehow, Jarrod didn't mind. As he continued striving to get the infant to burp, he found himself singing.

My Bonnie lies over the ocean

My Bonnie lies over the sea

My Bonnie lies over the ocean

Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me

Jarrod stopped dead in his tracks and looked down at the young infant, who had just burped, and smiled. "Bonnie..never heard that as a name before only why not?" He paused and then smiled even wider. "Bonnie Liberty...how do you like that?" He was amazed when the child moved her head away from his chest and smiled back at him. "Glad you like it," He walked over to the cradle Mr. Arnold had carried down from the attic. 'You are lucky my grandson is now in a crib. We'd have had to use a dresser drawer if he wasn't' had been the man's exact words when he put the cradle near the bed. He then gently lay Bonnie down. The child wasted no time in shutting her eyes and falling asleep. Jarrod climbed back into bed, hoping he would be able to sleep for a few hours at least.

Morning came early, too early if you asked Jarrod. He sat in the living room holding Bonnie while waiting for Amelia to fix the child a bottle. "I wasn't thinking when you arrived. In fact, I'm surprised I didn't remember it in the middle of the night. Only, we had a friend stay with us a few years back. When she moved, she left this glass bottle behind. I put it up in the attic and, obviously, had forgotten about it. You can have it; you 'll need it." He stopped thinking about the conversation when Amelia handed him the bottle.

"Thank you." Jarrod took the bottle and began feeding his 'daughter'. "I don't live in this area. I was traveling home-to Stockton, but I got turned around a bit when traveling through the woods. Am I still heading in the right direction? I mean, in order to get to Stockton?" He didn't know what to think about the shocked look that leapt onto her face.

"You traveled through the woods, at night, before you got here? The woods that are roughly fifteen to twenty minutes away?" Amelia's eyes widened and her mouth fell open; she couldn't hide the astonishment she felt.

"Yes, why?" Jarrod asked, curiosity could be heard in his voice. Even as he asked the question, he remembered the urgent feeling that impressed itself upon his mind, along with the words 'spoken' the night before.

Amelia shook her head. "You're not lying when you say you are not from here, not that I thought you were. No one around here travels through those woods anymore. Least, not at night they don't. I don't know exactly how many have passed through those woods in the dark and lived only I can tell you how many have died. If the wild animals don't get them, they seem to have accidental deaths." The tone in her voice, along with the look in her eyes added 'I don't believe all the accidental deaths are really accidents'.

"Why do you and your family live here if the woods are that dangerous?" Jarrod asked as Bonnie lifted her small hands and took a hold of his finger, even as she continued sucking on the bottle. The small action warmed his heart, though he kept his eyes on Amelia.

"No matter how badly my father-in-law may want to believe different, no matter how hard he denies it, this is my husband's house- not his. I want to move; my father-in-law isn't opposed to the idea only Franklin adamantly refuses. He says it will be…" she quit speaking as she heard a rider stop outside and her father speaking. She hurried out onto the porch, leaving the door wide open.

Jarrod continued sitting until he heard Amelia let out a painful scream and her father bark, "You are lying!" That had Jarrod putting the baby bottle down-since Bonnie was finished drinking anyway – and going onto the porch. Naturally, he kept his 'daughter' in his arms. He saw a blonde haired man wearing a gray hat and nice clothes, along with a bright gold badge on his chest. He appeared to be in his late thirties or early forties. Jarrod's heart broke for the Arnold family. Even though he didn't know the exact details, he knew what the sheriff must have said.

"Sorry to bring bad news while you had company." Sydney Reed, who was indeed the local sheriff, looked at Mr. Arnold and Amelia. "In fact, I'm sorry to have to bring it at all."

"It doesn't make any sense. He was supposed to be in Modesto. What was he doing in those woods? How long does it look like's been there?" Mr. Arnold was practically yelling the questions.

Sheriff Reed inwardly groaned. How he hated things like this. "I can't answer that, maybe the coroner will be able to tell us. All I know for sure is Franklin was mauled to death by a wild animal-my guess is a bear or cougar."

Jarrod sucked in his breath. Had the bear-or cougar- been the reason he'd been told to get out of the woods? And, he held Bonnie just a bit closer, had whoever hid the child been killed as well? Those question would have to remain unanswered for the moment. He had to get Bonnie back to the ranch. Once he had her safely with his family, he was going to have a talk with Fred. He might not have decided to go that route only he was getting a funny feeling off the sheriff as the man talked. No, he would wait until he got back to Stockton to talk to Sheriff Madden before he confided in this man.

*A/N While evaporated milk wasn't developed until 1883, it's still in this story. Writer's liberty?

A/N According to the internet, the song My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean is an old Scottish song whose origins are unknown.

*A/N According to the internet, the name Bonnie was first used in 1880. This story is set in 1880...so, I told my sister, 'Hey, Jarrod started it!' She just laughed.