Rick immediately put his foot on the accelerator, as Laurie used her transmitter to call for help. Chief Rob was the first one to respond.
"Light, do not go inside, wait in Rick's truck…Rick, I'll come in through the north side." Rob told them. Suddenly A.J. broke in, letting them know he had gotten Laurie's signal.
"I'm coming off the highway now, Sis..Rick, I'll come in through the side yard."
Just then Rick cut the engine, and pulling in down the side road to Towne and Temple's home, slid in behind their home.
"Laurie, stay here…". He began, then saw a police cruiser parked behind the barn.
"Rick, that's not Robbie's…it's Sam Horseman's …" Laurie interrupted him. Quietly Rick opened his door, and slid out, then lifted her out after him.
"All right, here…" Rick pulled a revolver out from under the seat and handed it to her, then closed the door.
"Wait behind the truck, sweetheart, please."
She nodded, then hugged Rick. "Be careful, darling….I think he was the other voice I heard in our house.. I was so frightened…I wasn't sure."
He hugged her back, then released her to dash along the side of their house, then stop to peer in through the kitchen window.
There he saw Robbie, handcuffed to a chair in the dining room. In front of him was Sam Horseman, hefting the same rifle of Rick's that he had "returned" the day of the dust storm.
Furious, Rick saw the kitchen door was ajar, and inching his way toward it, he dropped to his knees, then crawled inside.
At once he realized Jack wasn't around, then he felt Laurie's "call".
"Rob's coming in the front, Rick…and A.J. through the office window."
"Okay, darlin'." He replied, then heard Horseman's voice.
"Sorry, Robbie, but when your folks get here, there's going to be a terrible accident…and with you all gone, your sister will be happy to sell. Everyone will make money."
"Including you? Don't do it, Sam….no amount of money is worth killing us." Rick was proud of the defiance in his son's words, then inched his way on the floor until he was behind the would-be murderer.
"Oh, I don't know, I think it is…" Sam drawled. At that there was a knock on the front door, and Horseman tensed, gazing over Robbie to the front room.
In one motion Rick managed to get to his feet, then grabbed the arm holding the rifle and slammed it against his knee.
"Drop it, jerk, or I'll drop you!"
Taken by surprise, Horseman jerked fruitlessly against Rick's grip, then dropped the rifle.
Hearing the noise of the front door being flung open, the deputy sheriff slammed Rick back against the wall, then ran out the kitchen door.
"After him, Pop….he's going to escape!" Robbie cried out. Rick jerked his head at Chief Rob as he entered the kitchen from the front room.
"He went out the back, but he won't get far…."
"That's for sure.." Rob nodded as Rick managed to unlock the cuffs off his son's wrists, then helped him up.
"You okay, son?"
"I'm fine, Pop." Robbie managed a smile, then a familiar voice caused the three men to run out the back.
"On the ground, now! Threaten my son, will you!" Laurie's yell brought them around the side of the house, then Rick wanted to laugh as he saw the deputy face down on the ground. Laurie had her gun pointing at him, and A.J. was pulling the handcuffs from the man's belt and securing him.
"Okay, Light, go ahead and stand down." Rob told her, and Laurie backed up, then handed her weapon to Rick.
"Here you go, love…. Oh, Robbie, are you all right?" she added, embracing her son.
"I'm sore, Mama, but fine….how did you know I was in trouble?"
Rick put an arm around her shoulders as he said, "Your Mom saw you were in trouble…..so we called out the cavalry ….."
"And how!" A.J. grinned as he straightened up. At once Laurie realized she heard the sound of a dog barking.
"Jack? Where's Jacky?"
"He's in my cruiser, in back of the barn….when I saw Horseman's vehicle I knew there was a problem, just didn't think it was to kill us!" Robbie explained.
"Well, I'm glad you did put Jack in your car, let's get him then I want Rudy to look at you." Rick gave his son a firm look as Rob dragged the scowling criminal along in front of them.
"No Pop, I want you to stay with Mama…" Robbie's voice had an edge of panic in it.
Seeing Robbie's anxious expression, Laurie reached out and hugged him.
"It's all right, honey…it's almost our anniversary."
"What, what has Jack being in Robbie's cruiser got to do with …oh, ho." Rick grinned as Laurie blushed and his son grinned.
"Mama and the four of us got you something ….only it kind of needs to be fixed first."
"Well, let's handle this scum bucket first…" Rick told the others.
After Deputy Andy came and escorted Horseman away, Laurie took Rick by the arm and led him around the side of the barn, just as Jack came racing around the corner, barking.
"Jacky, how did you get out….oh, you stinker…" Laurie burst out laughing as they saw he had pawed the window handle down enough to squeeze out of Robbie's cruiser.
Rick was looking past the little dog, though. He spotted the reason his wife had been doing a lot of whispering with his brother and daughter-in-law the last month.
A pock-marked, but sleek boat stood next to the weather-beaten barn. Big enough to seat twelve, it had "Simon & Simon" painted on its bow.
"Oh….sweetheart." Rick gazed at the vessel, then turned and embraced Laurie.
"Happy anniversary, darling….I so wanted to give you something you'd have fun with."
"I have fun with you …but this is wonderful…" now Rick was sniffing. Behind him Robbie and A.J. were wiping their eyes, and Rob cleared his throat.
"I know a place that can fix those dents, Rick….leave it to me."
"Thanks, Pal…." Rick kept his arm around Laurie as he hugged A.J. and Robbie.
"By the way, Mama, how did you know I was in trouble…did you have a…" Robbie started, then Rick looked at his wife.
"That's right….was it a premonition?"
"No, it was a voice….I think it was Grandmother.." Laurie explained. "She told me that "a man" was threatening my son, and that he was in danger."
"We need to call Robin, see if she had a premonition… but something tells me it was Grandmother Kasey who also scared the Redwings and Travis and Horseman out of the place." Rick mused thoughtfully.
As Robbie, A.J. and Rob went ahead, Rick suddenly plopped himself on one of the patio benches, then pulled Laurie into his arms and kissed her deeply.
"I love you, thank you for being the most giving, loving wife…and for caring so much for my feelings about ….Robbie and Robin." He told her, once their lips parted.
He saw Laurie's eyes mist over, then she whispered, "You know? What that horrible Redwing said about Robbie being…."
"Being "Gamez's" son…yes, sweetheart. When you told me about the "awful" things they said…I talked to Ron…and he said Travis admitted that Floyd Redwing talked about Robbie that way." For a moment he was silent, and she stroked his cheek, saying, "I care because you've been their father in every way…disciplining and loving and looking out for them…."
"I know, darlin', and as long as I live they'll always be my children, as much as they are Rob's and …yours." Rick kissed her fingers, then took them in his and slid a shining object on her middle finger.
"Rick…oh…my.." Laurie gasped at the inset crown of diamonds and opals on a gold band, then met his intense gaze.
"Will you stay with me, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, until …"
At that, she met his lips again, whispering into them, "I Will…thank you, my love."
A pair of hands clapping made them laugh as Rick looked up and saw their son and daughter-in-law standing in the kitchen doorway. At that he helped Laurie up off the bench.
"Oh, no you don't, cookie boy!"
Rick started to chuckle, as like a shot Jack tore out of the house, an oatmeal cookie in his mouth. Seeing Rick, Jack hightailed it for him, and jumped into his arms, still chewing on his stolen treat.
"Now I know we're home!" Rick grinned.
Suddenly Laurie stared at a spot outside the barn, then called out, "Grandmother?"
Slowly the form of Kasey Adams appeared, and on her face was a smile.
"You made the right choice, my children. Thank you, Richard, for not letting fear rule or being too stubborn to listen to each other." She quietly said, then focused her gaze on Robbie and Ramona.
"And thank you for having so much love for each other and for your parents to see this through …..I will always be there….."
At that, Laurie replied, "Thank you, Grandmother, for saving not only us, but our home."
Kasey smiled, then raised her hand in farewell. She slowly disappeared, then Laurie took Rick's arm.
"Come on , love, I'm sure there's at least one cookie with your name on it!"
As they went into the house, Robbie gazed at where his great-grandmother had been.
"Somehow, she always knows when we need her." He quietly murmured., then took Ramona's hand as she added, "and I hope she always will…."
Fin