CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE
“Look at that sky.”Standing just beyond the cabin door, Maisie fell back into Drew’s waiting arms. Somehow, she trusted implicitly that Drew would be there to catch her, no matter what, and she wasn’t disappointed. “If it weren’t for the snow on the ground, you would never know there was a storm. It’s completely gone.”
“Unfortunately, so is most of the daylight. We’ll have to make really good time heading back to the ranch if we don’t want to be riding in complete darkness.” Drew gave Maisie a squeeze before letting go, but instead of moving to untie the horses from the lean-to, she remained rooted in place, staring out at the neighboring ranch house that was barely visible in the distance. “That’s weird.”
“What is?” Maisie squinted where Drew was looking but couldn’t figure out what the problem was. “The fact you can see a neighbor? I’ll have to admit, that’s a first since I arrived.”
“That’s Bob Davis’s place, Whetstone Ranch.”
“Is he on vacation?” Maisie asked, noticing that even though dusk was settling in, no lights were on at the house. “It looks deserted.”
“Not a chance.” Drew shook her head. “If he went somewhere, which he never does, I’d know about it. You can’t up and leave hundreds of cows without putting someone else in charge, and I know for certain he works the place by himself. He would’ve asked for Cord’s help, or mine, if he had an emergency that called him out of town.”
“I don’t know, Drew.” Maisie studied the house again, this time being struck by the lack of smoke coming from the chimney. A nervous tingle traveled between her shoulder blades. “It’s cold out here. If he were home, he’d have heat on or a fire going, wouldn’t he?”
“I don’t like it,” Drew said, voicing what Maisie was feeling in her gut. “Let’s go over there and check on him. He’s all alone.”
“He’s a bachelor?” For some reason Maisie had never pictured a rancher who didn’t have a big family, but obviously, there had to be people like that.
“He’s divorced,” Drew explained. “No kids.”
With a little help from Drew, Maisie mounted her horse, and they rode to Whetstone in silence. This was mostly because anything Maisie could think of to say wasn’t particularly uplifting, and she didn’t want to trouble Drew more than she already was.
They dismounted and tied the horses up at the barn, then made their way to the front door. Maisie didn’t see any sign of footprints, meaning no one had been out or about since after the storm passed.
Drew reached for the doorknob, turning it easily.
“Was it unlocked?” Maisie asked, her anxiety increasing.
“Yeah, but that’s not all that unusual.” Drew stuck her head inside and yelled, “Hey, Bob? It’s Drew. Are you here?”
There was no answer, and they took a few steps into the entryway so Drew could close the door. Maisie wrapped her arms tightly across her chest. She couldn’t see much from where she stood, but at first glance, this house was even bleaker and emptier than Drew’s.
“Does it feel cold in here to you?”
Drew nodded, her brow furrowed. “I’m going to turn on some lights.”
“Bob?” Maisie’s heart was pounding. The lights flicked on, but it didn’t help, as there was still no sign of anyone in the house. “Where do you think he would be?”
“Let’s start with the living room,” Drew said, leading the way. “Bob? Anyone here?”
“Maybe the bedroom?” Maisie suggested when the living room came up empty. Drew nodded, and they set off down the hallway. They came to a partially open door, and Maisie stuck her head inside, spotting a lump on the floor next to the bed. “Oh, God. What’s that?”
“Bob!” Drew raced into the bedroom, kneeling beside him. “He’s breathing.”
“Oh, thank goodness. Should I call 911?” A terrible thought struck her. “Please tell me you have that out here.”
“We do, but it might take longer than you’re used to.” Drew swiveled her head, still remaining by her neighbor’s side. “Is that a landline phone on the nightstand?”
“Yes.” Maisie grabbed the phone and dialed, breaths coming quickly.
“911,” the operator said. “What’s your emergency?”
“We need an ambulance at, um…”
“Whetstone Ranch,” Drew called out, rattling off the address as Maisie held out the phone.
“Did you get that?”