Ty had found the horse and was trying to figure out which way he had to go. Ty began to walk off through the woods, unsure if he was even going the right way. Suddenly there was a faint sound to his right.
"Whoa," he told the horse. Standing still, he tried to hear the sound more clearly. There it was again—it sounded like a voice. Ty walked toward it, and the voice grew louder. He was relieved to be headed the right way.
Finally he was able to make out what the voice was saying. "Help!"
Amy! Ty urged the horse into a trot. "I'm coming, Amy!"
Lou paced the kitchen floor as Jack scowled at the phone. They'd left hours ago. Surely they would have been back by now. "Where are they?"
"Try calling them again." As Jack punched Amy's number in again, Lou sighed. "I knew this was a bad idea. We should never have let them go."
Casey sat at a table by herself. She looked around Maggie's—looked at the door and then back at her watch. Tim was supposed to meet her there. It was just like him to arrange something and then not show up. Casey sighed in frustration.
Leaning on a rock for support, Amy looked over at Tim. He let out a groan but continued to lie there with his eyes closed.
Amy winced and moaned through gritted teeth as another contraction hit. The contractions were getting worse. What would happen if no one found them? She couldn't deliver the baby by herself.
"Help! Please!" Amy screamed once more. Her throat felt hoarse; she was losing her voice from trying to call for help.
"Amy!" Ty came bursting through the trees, leading the horse behind him.
"Ty!" Amy fell into his arms and burst into tears.
"Hey. It's okay. I'm here now." Ty stroked her hair. "What happened?"
Amy scrunched her face in pain but managed to say, "There was a rockslide. Dad needs medical attention now."
"What about you?"
"I, ah, I think I'm in labor." She clenched his arm and hissed through another contraction.
Ty's eyes widened. "You sure?"
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure," Amy gritted out before crying out in pain.
"Okay. Okay. I'll be right back." Ty led the horse to a tree and was about to tie him when the horse reared. Ty tried to calm him down, but the horse dragged the lead rope away and took off at a gallop through the trees.
"Not again!" Ty cried out. He couldn't go back after him now. He made his way to Tim and started to move rocks, talking to Tim the whole time.
At the sound of a new voice, Tim's eyes flickered open. He grabbed Ty's arm with what strength he had left. "Take care of my daughter and that baby," he croaked. "Don't ever let them get away." Then he fell unconscious.
"I'll go out to the ranch and see what's going on," Jack offered.
Mitch spoke up. "I'll come with you."
Peter stood quickly from the kitchen bench. "I'll go with them, in case they need extra help."
There was a moment of awkward silence as Jack, Mitch, and Peter all looked at each other. No one wanted to argue when there were family members missing.
Lou gave Jack a hug. "Ring as soon as you know anything."
"We'll call the police and the hospital," Lisa suggested.
"Maybe the horse injured someone. Maybe Amy went into labor!" Georgie said.
"Hello?" a voice called into the house.
"Come in," Lou called back.
Casey walked in, her face tight with frustration. "Is Tim here? He was supposed to meet me at Maggie's, but he never showed up."
Lou and Lisa gave each other worried looks before Lou spoke up. "Amy, Ty, and Tim left this morning to rescue a horse. They haven't come back yet. Jack, Peter, and Mitch went looking for them."
Casey pressed a hand to her face and sank down into a chair. "Oh, no. Where could they be?"
The phone rang, and Lou went over to pick it up. "Hello, this is Lou."
"It's me," Jack said. "We're at the ranch. Nobody's here. But Ty's truck is still here, so I don't think they've left the ranch."
She heard some talking in the background, and then Jack said, "Peter just noticed some hoof and boot marks. They look like they're headed away from the ranch. We're gonna have a look around and see what we can find. I'll call you as soon as we have an update."
"Thanks, Grandpa." Lou hung up the phone.
Jack on Spartan, Peter on Phoenix, and Mitch on Maverick, they all rode toward the woods.
Ty hurried back and forth between Amy and Tim. Tim was still lying in the rocks. Ty had managed to move a lot of them, but there were still some that were too big for him to move by himself.
Amy was half lying against a rock. "Ty, what if something goes wrong? What if the baby's born here?" Amy started to sob again.
"Amy, you need to stay calm. It's okay; I'm here."
Amy gripped Ty's hand, turning it white. Ty stroked her forehead. He frowned slightly; her contractions were getting stronger and closer together. Her forehead was covered in sweat.
Jack, Peter, and Mitch stopped their horses near the woods. "There's Tim's truck and the horse trailer," Peter pointed out.
Jack pulled out his phone. He only had a weak signal, but it was enough to make a call. "Lou. We've found Tim's truck and the horse trailer. We're gonna go ride in the woods. I'll call you back if I can."
They began riding into the woods. Dusk was approaching, and it was hard to see. There was a noise slightly ahead of them, and they halted the horses. A dark figure walked forward. Jack tensed in the saddle but relaxed when he realized it was a horse. The horse had a broken lead rope dangling from his face.
"That must be the horse they were going to rescue," Mitch said.
The horse spun on his heels and began to canter away. Spartan tried to take after the horse. "Hey, whoa, boy," Jack said, reining him in.
"Jack, what if we see where he's trying to take us?" Peter suggested.
"It's worth a try."
He gave Spartan his head and let him go after the other horse. Mitch and Peter followed close behind. Spartan led them on for about ten minutes before they reached a clearing. Just beyond the trees were Amy, Ty, and Tim. The horse stood in front of them.
"Peter, can you try to call Lou?" Jack asked. Peter nodded and rode back the way they'd come.
Jack swung off his saddle and headed for the clearing. Mitch followed close behind.
Sorry for not updating sonner. I work on a farm and it has been crazy there lately. We have newborn animals, sick animals. So haven't had a lot of time to write.
