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Special Thanks to hawaiianbelle and mjmm for your responses! I'm glad that you're still enjoying the story!
briana – a belated thanks for posting your thoughts. It's always great to see responses from new readers!
Chapter Thirty-five
Clay lightly stirred, turning his back to the rear of the couch, adjusting his head on it's decorative pillow, while detecting the chilliness of the room. The fire had gone out he mused with dread, hating the thought of getting up to rekindle the flames. He lay there a moment, his eyes closed, allowing the residuals of sleep to lift from his senses, when gradually it all came back to him. The mess at the Assemblyman's Dinner, his father sending him and the others home, and his reason for being on this couch. Clay's eyes snapped open, promptly going to the clock on the mantel; it's time provoking a feeling of shock within him. He'd slept half the night he thought with alarm, why hadn't pa and Sean awakened him when they'd arrived home. Clay then looked across the way, finding Alice and Lexy intertwined, quietly sleeping on the other couch in the room. Maybe they'd gone straight to bed, choosing not to venture into the rest of the house he attempted to reason, but found that he really couldn't believe that was the case. For his pa almost always checked on them before going to bed, and would've been alarmed when he didn't find them in their rooms. Clay then quietly got up from the couch, not wanting to wake his sisters, now thinking that it was worth a shot to at least check Sean and pa's rooms. After all, with everything that had happened earlier, maybe they had forgone their routine and went straight to bed. The boy treaded softly from the room; retrieving a lantern from the wall in the hallway, before swiftly ascending the stairs. He first headed to his pa's bedroom, and found nothing there. Then made his way to Sean's room and saw that it was also quiet and undisturbed. The boy's anxiety grew, causing him to think the worst had come; that something may have happened to his pa and Sean. He then headed to Jeremy's room, panicked and not knowing what to do next, barging in before he even thinking to knock…
"Jeremy!" He called anxiously as he entered the room, but only incited a slight stir and muffled groan from his adopted brother. Clay then called the boy's name again, this time a bit louder as he moved to stand at the foot of Jeremy's bed. The boy again groaned, and turned over on his back, instantly shielding his eyes from the light emitting from Clay's lantern.
"What are you doing?" Jeremy asked groggily, his face glaring with irritation. His heart instantly flooding with sadness, frustrated that he'd failed to execute his plan.
"Sean and pa aren't home yet…" Clay responded tensely.
"What!" Jeremy uttered with aggravation as he slowly sat up in the bed, rubbing his hand over his eye, still trying to recover from sleep.
"It's three in the morning." Clay replied, ignoring the boy's irritation. "And pa and Sean aren't home." He repeated "They should've been here by now!"
Jeremy closed his eyes, running his hand through his hair, sighing as he continued to fight the drowsiness within. "Are you sure…that they didn't come in?" he asked tiredly, annoyance still etched in his voice. "Cause maybe they did…but then went back out for some… I don't know, some morning business or something..."
"Didn't you hear me just say what time it is?" Clay countered with frustration.
Silence –
"I'm sorry." Jeremy sighed with a yarn, again running his hand through his hair, finally starting to fully rouse, and therefore understand Clay's alarm, and to become troubled himself. "Are you sure they're not here…maybe they're downstairs…did you check the whole house?"
"No…I haven't." Clay admitted, a trace of hope now in his voice as he recalled many times before, years ago, when his pa had worked in the study until the early hours of the morning, and had chosen not to wake he and Sean, who'd conked out while playing in the nearby parlor. Maybe that was the case tonight the boy thought eagerly, even though deep down he felt that this was highly unlikely.
"Where are you going?" Jeremy asserted as Clay made his way towards the door.
"To check the other rooms." The boy answered before disappearing out of the room.
After checking the rest of the house and finding like Sean and pa's bedrooms, that it was empty and in order, Clay returned to the parlor and awakened Lexy and Alice, letting them know what was going on.
"Have you checked the stables and the barns…" Alice asked drowsily, as she lightly worked the crook in her neck.
"Yeah sometimes pa works in the middle of the night out there…" Lexy added nervously, fully awake, alarmed by Clay's assertions.
"Lexy's right; he does. Sean too." Alice concurred. "Maybe after the Dinner they were both to worked up to sleep and decided to get some work done." The girl ended with forced strength, knowing that this still wouldn't explain why their pa had not awakened them when he'd come in.
"No sign of them?" Jeremy asked, surprising everyone as he walked into the room, looking a bit of a mess due to his disrupted sleep, but dressed and completely awake.
"No." Clay answered "We were just about to check the stables and the barns."
"Okay well I'll take a horse and check the barns." Jeremy volunteered, astounding Clay with his eagerness to help, almost making the boy suspicious, thinking that he wasn't genuine, that he may be up to something, but Clay wisely pushed his doubts aside, concluding that he needed Jeremy's help no matter what their differences were.
"All right." Clay finally agreed. "Alice, Lexy, you two check the stables."
"All right, but what about you?" Alice queried as she and Lexy rose from the couch.
"I'm going to see Isaac." The boy replied
"At this hour?"
"Alice if pa and Sean aren't here…" He said, hesitating, stopping himself before he declared what he really thought, which was that they weren't going to find anything in the stables and barns. "We're going to need his help." he continued calmly, trying not to upset his sisters. "Now let's go!" he asserted as he turned and exited the parlor. Prompting Jeremy and his sisters to immediately follow behind.
Marita emerged from her room, hurrying down the hall, her hands trembling as she fastened the remaining buttons on her coat. Though it was the middle of the night, and everyone was surely asleep at the Logan home, she had to go there, to wake them, and make sure that Sean was okay. After she'd awaken in the sitting room, she'd continuously tried to ignore the feelings in her heart, thinking that if something had happened, the Logans would've come by, would've contacted them by now, but such thoughts did nothing to soothe her worries, because she knew in her soul that Sean was in trouble; so she'd finally left the couch, going to her room and changing clothes, putting on something more suitable for venturing out into the weather. And for a moment, considered waking her pa, telling him what she was feeling, what she thought was going on. But she ultimately decided against such a move, concluding that her father wasn't an option. For after their argument, earlier that evening, he would no doubt rebuke her fears, and try to convince her to go back to bed. Marita now walked up to the door, praying in vain that her trepidation was wrong, grabbing a lantern off the nearby wall, before then opening the door to exit the home…
"Clay!" Marita asserted with shock.
"Marita!" The boy responded with his own surprise.
"What's happened?" She instantly queried, her heart crushing with pain as it severely beat in her chest. "What's happened to Sean?"
Clay was again taken aback, immediately wondering how Marita would know that Sean may be in trouble. His mind then shifted to Alice's suspicions, now thinking that perhaps his sister was right, that Marita may indeed have feelings deeper than friendship for Sean. But that was impossible the boy thought, embracing the only reaction his mind could fathom, before his thoughts were disrupted by Marita calling his name, propelling him to quickly push his astonishment aside. "Something may have happened." He replied awkwardly, causing Marita to sigh with fret, as he continued to try and recover from the truth he refused to believe. "Is your pa here?" he asked foolishly, now thinking of Pete's accusations.
"Yes he's…" Marita began, but was interrupted by her father appearing in the hallway, still dressed for sleep, awakened by the door opening and the voices in the house.
"What's going on?" He asked, tiredness in his voice and bewilderment in his face at seeing Clay in his home in the middle of the night.
"Sir I'm sorry to barge in at such an hour." Clay expressed as Isaac proceeded down the hallway eventually joining he and Marita in the small foyer. "But I think that pa and Sean are missing." He explained worriedly.
"Missing?" Isaac questioned with a scowl. "What happened?" He asked steadily, skillfully masking his concern.
"Things… kind of went bad at the Assemblyman's Dinner tonight." Clay stated cautiously. "When Pete got up to present Sean with his award he…" The boy hesitated, glancing uneasily towards a troubled Marita…
"He what?" Isaac urged.
"He…accused Sean of …having a relationship with Marita…" Clay revealed; then briefly dropped his eyes in discomfort as Marita gasped. Her heart immediately barraged with questions and fear, sinking at the thought of the humiliation Sean and his family had no doubt endured, and at the trouble such a revelation would've brought upon him.
"He said some pretty horrible things." Clay continued quietly, now unable to look Marita or Isaac in the eyes, still thinking about Pete's claims that Sean and Marita were…physically involved comparing that charge with the emotion he'd just witnessed in Marita's gaze. " Sean was really angry…" The boy said " He went after Pete. Pa followed him, but sent us home; he told me that he and Sean would be right behind us, that they'd be home soon, but it's been hours and they haven't come home..." Clay began to ramble, the panic starting to show in his voice. "They should've been here by now, something must've happened, something…"
"Okay son calm down." Isaac interjected with control, still maintaining a cool exterior, even though he was completely alarmed by everything the boy had said, worried about Sean and Ned, worried how all this would affect his daughter. "Are you sure they're not home?" He asked, even though he already knew the answer to the question.
"Pretty sure." Clay answered, the edginess still in his tone, even though he was a bit more settled by Isaac's calm demeanor. "Lexy and Alice are checking the stables. And Jeremy is out near the west pasture checking the barns, but I don't think they're going to find anything." He said, again looking the man in the eyes.
"Okay." Isaac stated. "I'm going to get dressed and then we're going to find your pa and Sean." The man ended, for a moment holding Clay's gaze to reassure him, then swiftly turning and heading back to his room. Leaving Marita and Clay to wait - quietly, both pondering all that was happening, becoming more troubled as time went by, while also struggling with the awkwardness now between them.
Ten minutes later Isaac, Clay, and Marita walked across the lawn, making their way towards the Logan house when they heard voices, Alice and Lexy, calling for their attention. They immediately turned towards the girls, rushing in their direction, anxious to meet them halfway, to learn if they'd discovered anything new.
"Marita!" Lexy exclaimed when both groups met up. Instantly going to the young woman and giving her a hug, genuinely happy to see her and needing a reassuring embrace. Marita returned the girl's affection while greeting Alice who was tentative in her response, which Marita hoped was due to the girl's worry, and not because of Pete's accusations.
"You didn't find them did you?" Clay asked worriedly, interrupting the lady's brief reunion.
"No." Lexy answered, the anxiety in her voice as Marita's arm remained around her shoulder. "Sean's horse isn't in its stall…"
"And it looks like a horse hasn't been there all night." Alice added uneasily.
"What about Jeremy?" Isaac asked "Any sign of him?"
"No…" Alice began, but before she could finish Jeremy appeared across the way, quickly approaching them on horseback …
"I found nothing in the barns." He asserted when barely upon them, answering the question that was on all of their faces. Causing everyone's anticipation to collapse into tremendous concern.
"We've got to go looking for them." Clay declared restlessly, prompting Marita and his siblings to concur as they all moved to follow him to the stables to retrieve a horse. "Hold up!" Isaac commanded, causing everyone to halt and bring their attention to him. "Everyone can't go." He said, eyeing his daughter, then the Logan girls.
"You mean us women can't go?" Marita questioned, hurt and worry in her voice, while an offended Alice agreed with Marita's assessment.
"No matter what's happened your father would never want you girls out risking yourselves to find him and Sean, especially at this hour." Isaac countered firmly, gazing at Alice. "And he would never forgive me if anything happened to you. I would never forgive myself." The man stated, again turning his eyes to his daughter. "So, you'll all remain here, while I go search for your father and Sean…" The group instantly cried with objections, but Isaac continued to speak, raising his voice over their protests, giving them no choice but to quiet down. "Clay you come with me." He said, knowing it would be unwise to leave the impulsive young man at the ranch. "And Jeremy you remain here with Alice, Lexy and Marita." The man finished turning his eyes to the boy who was still on the horse.
"Sir I don't think you and Clay should go out there alone…" Jeremy cautiously stated.
"Clay and I won't be going alone." Isaac answered before the boy could finish. "First light is in a couple of hours. So I'm sure some of the workers are already up. They can help with the search." He explained. "Now you all head on to the house." The man directed to his daughter and the Logan girls. "Clay you take Jeremy's horse and follow me." He continued as Clay obeyed his command, taking the reigns of Jeremy's horse as the boy reluctantly dismounted the steed. "You all stay in the house. Don't go outside or open the door for anyone until Clay and I return." Isaac instructed, garnering a reluctant, but harmonious affirmation from Jeremy and the girls, but not from Marita who still wanted to join the search for Sean. "We'll be back soon." He ended, briefly locking his eyes with everyone that was staying behind. Hoping that that would reassure them.
"Please be careful." Marita stressed as she swiftly walked up to her father and gave him a hug, deeply troubled by what he and Clay may be riding into.
"I will." Her father whispered.
"And please…" She began.
"We'll find him." Isaac expressed quietly, but loud enough for everyone in the group to hear, to know what Marita was asking, which caused Clay to again be shaken by what he now knew was the truth, that there was indeed something between Marita and Sean, while Jeremy remained indifferent and unmoved, Lexy's curiosity regarding Marita's feelings for her brother excitedly grew, and Alice's heart wrenched with reproach towards Marita, feeling that she'd betrayed their friendship.
"Let's go." Isaac said, now letting go of his daughter and turning his eyes to Clay. The man and the boy then immediately went on their way, while for a moment the others watched them head off into the darkness, worried about what Isaac and Clay would find, before they obeyed the man's instructions to go to the Logan home, and wait for their return.
Miles from the Logan Ranch….
Ned laid in the middle of the road, tired and groggy, his mind floating to consciousness. He then rolled on his side, now feeling a piercing pain down his arm, paralyzing it where it lay, causing him to groan in agony, to remember what had happened to put him there. I have to get to Sean he thought faintly, his head is pounding from the wound that he knew was there, but he couldn't find the strength to move; for his limbs were like lead, binding him to the ground; then gradually his thoughts drifted away, repelled by the weight of his mind again letting go, falling away from the world, falling back into unconsciousness.