Skye Blue (Hell Yeah!) Read online

  Noah hung his head. “We can’t give up.”

  Vance leaned up closer to Noah, as if he didn’t want anyone else to hear. “That wedding ring we found. Didn’t that seem odd to you?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Have you ever considered the fact that Aron pulled that ring off? That he might have done this on purpose?”

  Noah shook his head, not understanding. “On purpose?”

  “What if Aron doesn’t want to come home? What if he doesn’t want to be found?”

  Standing up, Noah picked up the edge of the table where they’d been sitting and just tipped it over, slinging it across the room. “Don’t even say such a stupid thing!” He looked around to see who might have heard his outburst.

  Vance had the good grace to look chastised. “Look, I knew Aron McCoy, too. And it doesn’t make sense. He worked his self to death taking care of you boys. From the time your daddy and mother were killed, he was right there for the entire family. He fought for you, he stood by you and he took Tebow and made it almost twice as profitable as it had been when your dad was alive. I know he found love. Libby Fontaine…”

  “Libby McCoy.” Noah corrected.

  Vance nodded. “Libby McCoy was the love of his life. He had two babies on the way. But, sometimes…sometimes things happen that we don’t expect. We change.”

  “Not Aron. He was—is happy. He would never walk away from his family.” Anger boiled high in Noah. Having Aron’s actions questioned like this was a desecration.

  “You’re probably right. But it’s my job to think of things like this. We might need to change our approach and look for him in places a person might consider if they didn’t particularly want to be found.”

  Noah began to pace around the room. “I won’t, I can’t accept it. What if he’s been kidnapped? What if someone is holding him against his will?”

  Stooping over to pick up the table, Vance straightened it, then went over to pour himself another cup of coffee at the wet bar. “We’ve considered that, but there’s been no ransom note. There’s been no hint of a third party involved. It’s like Aron just disappeared off the face of the earth. Plus, we still have to consider that he might’ve drowned, that his body is just lost.”

  None of this sounded acceptable to Noah. Finally, he sighed. “What would we do different if we thought he might have chosen to disappear?”

  “Well...” Vance took a big sip of coffee. “I’m not saying there is anything we can do. I’ve sent Aron’s photo and description to the authorities in every town of any size in Mexico. A man of his intelligence, his resources...if he wanted to disappear, he could.”

  “But he hasn’t touched any of his resources, as you call them.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes,” Noah answered, but hesitantly.

  “Can you check?”

  “Yes.” He sighed. “I can do that and I’ll talk to my brothers. But not one word of this around Libby. Do you understand?”

  CHAPTER ONE

  “Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” The preacher stood by the gaping hole, watching as the casket holding Aron McCoy’s body was lowered into the grave. Each member of the family stepped forward to drop a single white rose onto the mahogany box. Jacob went first, “Goodbye, brother. We’ll miss you.”

  No one standing near could miss the sorrow etched on the face of the big cowboy. He just stood there, hesitating to move on. His boots were making a sinking impression in the funeral home’s too green carpet of turf which overlaid ground made soggy with rain. The grey skies were weeping today.

  Noah watched as Libby tried to come forward, but her legs wouldn’t hold her up. Sobs of desperation and heartbreak tore from her throat as Isaac caught her, offering his support. Tiny cries from her babies, children Aron would never see, echoed their mother’s sorrow. Avery and Cady stood to one side, holding the infants so Libby could say her last goodbye to their father.

  “What am I going to do, Aron?” she whispered brokenly. “How can I face life without you?”

  Joseph, hat in hand, came to comfort his sister-in-law. “He took care of us all, Libby. Life won’t be the same without him.”

  “What will we do?” Nathan asked. Noah turned to see his younger brother hanging back, looking more lost than any of them. Aron had been their brother, but he’d also been the closest thing to a father Nathan had known since losing their parents all those years ago. Jacob went to him, enclosing him in a hug. “You aren’t alone, Bud.”

  Strains of a sad hymn filled the air, words about precious memories and unseen angels. The poetic refrain brought little comfort to those who felt the loss of one so beloved.

  Rising, Noah placed one foot in front of the other. Time seemed to stand still. If he never made it to the grave, would he have to say goodbye?

  Everyone grew silent. There was no noise save for the rain falling and dripping off the side of the tent. He drew near the coffin, the final resting place of Aron McCoy. Noah’s lungs felt near to bursting and a raw burning knot closed up his throat. He held out his hand to drop the rose. What could he say? “Aron, I’m so…”

  “This is all your fault, Noah!” Libby wailed.

  “All your fault, Noah!” Nathan echoed.

  All his fault…

  All his fault...

  Amid the Darkness – Tebow Main House – 2:38 AM

  “All my fault! No! No! I didn’t mean…” With a hoarse cry, Noah sat straight up in bed. His breath was coming in short pants, his body covered in a fine sheen of sweat. With one mighty swipe, he pulled the sheet and blanket from his body and slung them off the bed. Dreaming about Aron’s funeral had left him completely shaken.

  “He’s not dead.”

  In the silence of his room, Noah’s lone voice did nothing to alleviate the hopelessness which swamped his heart. Even though he could say the words, the truth remained the same. No one knew for sure if Aron was living or dead. The nightmare was real and eating him alive.

  BAM! CRASH!

  Rumbling thunder seemed to shake the house. The storm in his dreams was a raging reality. “God, I have got to get out of here.” With shaking hands, Noah pulled on a pair of jeans. Not bothering with a shirt, he just grabbed his hat, a pair of socks and boots. Running from something wasn’t his style, but right now he needed to escape. The walls were closing in on him.

  As he moved through the house and down the stairs, Noah didn’t even bother turning on a light. Bolts of lightning lit up the house in psychedelic flashes, making the familiar surroundings seem strange and alien.

  Without Aron, Tebow didn’t feel like home.

  Putting his Stetson on his head, Noah let himself out the front door, leaving behind the claustrophobic confines of the house which had always been his refuge. From the moment he stepped off the porch, sheets of rain soaked him in seconds. He didn’t care. Bowing his head, Noah ran toward the barn. When he opened the door, several of the horses nickered, but only Shawnee whinnied in greeting. He belonged to Noah.

  Grief made him reckless. He slid a rope around the black stallion’s neck and led him out into the storm. Taking hold of the horse’s mane, he mounted him bareback and rode off into the darkness.

  A cold wind blew straight down from the panhandle. Sharp, cold water droplets hit him in the face, stinging his skin. If there were tears mixed with the rain, no one would’ve been able to tell. Heading north, Noah rode directly into the melee. Powerful explosions of lightning were literally illuminating the whole sky.

  Pow! Pow! Pow!

  Shawnee bucked and danced, causing Noah to tighten his knees in order to stay on the horse’s back. In all of his memory, he could never recall a storm such as this. From one horizon to the next, the lightening danced as if it were a chore
ographed fireworks display. If he were a believer in fantasy, he could have imagined an alien invasion or an apocalyptic ending to the world.

  Hell! Maybe, it was the end of the world as he knew it.

  Aron had disappeared on his honeymoon while snorkeling in the waters off the Cayman Islands. What had happened to him, no one knew. No body had been found, only his wedding ring had been recovered. An extensive search had been held, divers had combined every inch of the ocean floor a great distance on either side of the spot where he’d last been seen. Hundreds of people, both volunteers and officials, had combed the beach, the town and the island. Television crews chronicled every move and coverage of the incident had been broadcast far and wide. The family hired professional investigators and trackers to follow every lead and every possibility. So far, they’d come up empty handed.

  Without answers, it was impossible for the family to come to terms with the loss of Aron. No one wanted to accept the possibility he was dead. Libby refused to even entertain the idea. She said she would know. She said she would be able to feel if he were no longer in this world.

  Isaac, Joseph, Jacob and Noah had closed ranks. They managed to keep everything going at the ranch as well as the search for Aron alive and focused. Hope kept everyone from losing it.

  Only Noah had committed the unforgiveable sin.

  Only Noah dared question if Aron ever intended to come home. When he voiced the PI’s suspicions to Jacob, his older brother had come unglued.

  It’s not possible. Don’t even think it. Put that thought out of your mind. And if you dare say something like that to Libby, you’ll answer to me.

  Jacob didn’t understand. Noah didn’t want to believe Aron would leave them, any more than Jacob or any of the rest of the family would. But if he wasn’t dead, what other explanation could there be?

  Noah squeezed his eyes shut, the knives of sorrow piercing his heart.

  They all wanted Aron to come home.

  He rode on.

  A blue norther was blowing in, bringing a fall nip to the air. As the vestiges of the bad dream wore off, he began to feel the chill in the air. Shivering, Noah considered returning to the house, but he needed to breathe. He needed to forget. Just for a little while.

  Taking a deep breath of air, he pushed thoughts of Aron from his mind. He pushed thoughts of his family’s disappointment in him out of his mind. He pushed thoughts of Harper out of his mind.

  BAM! BLAST! CRACK!

  Shawnee reared and let out a piercing, whistling blast from his nostrils as a great bolt of lightning crashed into a tree, breaking a huge branch from its trunk only a few dozen yards away. Noah had to fight to maintain control.

  Amid the Darkness – Tebow Hunting Cabin – 2:38 AM

  “No Injun squaw is going to railroad me.”

  Skye stood her ground. Charles Langley was a big bull of a man. His face was red with anger. She was in trouble; there was no two ways about it.

  “You killed my father. He found out about your slant drilling, how you were stealing oil from beneath tribal land. When he confronted you, you denied it, but we both know you’re guilty as sin.”

  Skye didn’t know what she was expecting, but it wasn’t this.

  Langley grabbed her around the throat, picking her straight up and slamming her against the wall. Her toes weren’t even touching the ground. “You listen to me, you red-skin bitch. That no-count drunk you called a father was an idiot. If he’d been a better welder, he wouldn’t be dead. It wasn’t my fault. The weld failed and he was shot with a cloud of hydrogen-sulfide.”

  “You…you planned it. You had someone tamper with the valve.” As soon as she made the accusation, he tightened his grip on her throat, cutting off her air. Taking two steps forward, he placed a hard knee in her stomach, further anchoring her to the wall. Skye clawed at the hand choking the life from her body.

  “Sluts like you should learn to keep your mouth shut,” he ground out as he used his free hand to rip at her clothes. “Let’s see if I can give you something else to think about before you die.” With two or three violent tugs, he had her shirt undone and her pants unzipped. Loosening his grip on her windpipe, Langley began to bite at her face and neck, pinching her breasts and jamming his hand in the front of her underwear.

  “No! No!” she screamed, realizing she was about to be raped.

  “Shut-up, whore!” He fumbled with his zipper, pulling out his cock. “I’m going to fuck you, and then I’m going to kill you. No one will miss a half-breed twit like you.”

  Skye believed him. She didn’t want to die. And she didn’t have to. Her father might not have been perfect, but he’d taught her to defend herself. Fumbling in her pocket, she found it. A knife. It wasn’t a large blade, but it was big enough. “Let me go!”

  “Not in this lifetime,” he spat at her, gripping her throat again. Against her stomach, she could feel him, the bulbous head of his cock poking against her flesh. He jerked her jeans down. “Spread your legs, squaw!”

  “Turn me loose, asshole.” She brought the blade up level with his side, jabbing him once, trying to break his hold.

  “Bitch!” he yelled. “You aren’t going to cut me!”

  “I already have!”

  Grabbing her arm, he began to twist it, attempting to make her drop her blade, but he was still trying to hold her immobile. It was hard to do both. “Who do you think you are? Fucking with me? I own half this damn state. You’re less than the shit on my boot!” With hate in his florid face, he began to choke her in earnest while still trying to wrest the knife from her grasp.

  Skye began to kick and struggle, realizing he didn’t intend to let her go. She would die today if she didn’t act fast. Bringing up her leg hard, she kneed him in the balls, but instead of going down, he reached into his coat, taking out a gun. “I’ll show you, you stinkin’…” He pointed the pistol at her and she reacted, knowing she had only seconds. Freeing her hand, she plunged the knife into his neck and a fountain of blood erupted, covering them both in a crimson flood…

  “No! No!” Skye bolted upright in the bed, her whole body trembling in fear. She buried her head in her hands, wishing the nightmare was just that—a bad dream. But it happened. She had killed a man. Unable to take a deep breath, she tried to shake the panic attack. But couldn’t. God, she needed air!

  Throwing back the comforter, she fled her room clad only in a thin cotton gown. She had to get over these night terrors, or she’d never rebuild her life. Pushing her hair off her forehead, Skye looked out the window. Torrents of rain were flooding the land and shards of lightning were slicing through the sky. It was beautiful. She’d always loved storms.

  Hugging herself, Skye opened the door and walked to the edge of the porch. She stood there a moment, taking deep breaths, calming herself. She was safe. She was free. Holding her arms up, she reached toward the sky. “Sa yoshoba.” I am lost. “Ak Akostinincho.” I don’t understand.

  Humming a tune her father taught her, Skye prayed for mercy. More than anything, she wished she could turn back time and be who she used to be. How could she find herself once more?

  BAM! BLAST! CRACK!

  A deafening roar of thunder and an earth-shaking crash of lightning struck a nearby tree and she heard a horse react with fright and a man’s voice trying to calm the animal. Skye peered into the night, straining to see or hear who was out in the angry elements. With the next blazing firebolt, she saw him. Noah.

  ***

  “Whoa, Shawnee. Easy. Easy.” Damn, maybe this hadn’t been the smartest move. The night was too dark for Noah to tell exactly where he was. With the rain falling in thick sheets, he could barely see his hand in front of his face.

  BAM! BOOM! BOOM!

  Another gargantuan crash of lightning seemed to illuminate the whole world. For that
split second, Noah tried to see around him. What the hell? What was that? If he didn’t know better, he’d say he just saw a ghost. A white figure running through the trees. Damn. He’d been so upset when he rode off. He hadn’t noticed how far Shawnee brought him. “Hello?”

  “Noah!” A voice carried over the sound of the rain. A feminine voice. “Noah!”

  “Skye?” Shawnee struggled to be still. Noah fought for dominance. Looking down, he could barely see her. But when the storm flashed again, he drank in the sight of her—small, beautiful, standing out in this hell with nothing more on than a thin gown which was plastered to her body. “What are you doing out in this mess? Here, give me your hand.” Noah leaned over and reached for her.

  “I saw you riding across the pasture. I was afraid for you,” she answered, but she just stood, anchored to the spot.

  “Skye, give me your hand. It’s no more safe for you to be out here than me.”

  With seeming reluctance, she accepted his offer. With one mighty move, he lifted her up and she sat behind him, not touching. “Hold on to me,” he directed. After a few more moments of hesitation, she settled her arms around his waist. To Noah, the closeness of her body felt as welcoming as the morning sun.

  “Come with me to the cabin, this bad weather isn’t over!” Skye spoke near his ear to be heard over the wind. During the intermittent flashes, Noah spotted the front porch light of the hunting lodge and headed toward it. Skye’s hands on the bare skin of his waist shifted his focus from worry to awareness in about two seconds flat.