“He’s a couple of miles off,” Magnus noted.
“Yeah.” Brantley pointed to the vast area on the opposite side of the dirt road they’d been on. “This belongs to Dead Heat Ranch. I talked to Mercy Lambert this mornin’. She agreed to call the sheriff and fill him in on what’s goin’ on.”
“We should head out there,” Magnus stated, his tone ripe with urgency.
Reese could see the fear he was trying to mask.
“I’m ready,” Reese told him when Magnus shot a look his way.
“What’re we waitin’ for then?” he demanded, his gaze darting to Brantley.
Brantley didn’t appear bothered by Magnus’s impatience, instead taking a minute to outline how things would work.
“Evan, Deck, and Slade, I want you to start door-to-door in this area. Show them the photo of Ava, ask if they’ve seen her. If not, ask if they’ve seen anything suspicious in the area,” he instructed, pointing to a section on the map. “There’s a lot of land out in these parts, so you’ll have fewer houses to visit. Cover as many as you can.
“Charlie, Jay, and Darius, I want you to focus in town. It’s early, and it’s Tuesday, so you might not find many people out, but talk to anyone you can,” he said, pointing to a section on the map. “And Charlie, some of my cousins are gonna meet you in town. Divvy it up however you think it’ll work best and let them help. Baz, take JJ and head over to DHR. Mercy’s expecting you.” Brantley looked at Holly. “I want you and Elana to stay here, man things from HQ.”
Both women nodded.
Brantley turned to Magnus. “The ball’s in your court. I’ve got a dozen more who’re willin’ to help in the search. They’ll meet us where we found the senator last night. Reese and I’ll take Tesha; you just tell us where you need us.”
Reese ignored the look JJ shot him, but he knew she was trying to determine whether that was an undying admission on Brantley’s part. While she glared holes through him, Reese watched Magnus shift from worried friend to experienced tracker. Being that he led the S and R team for the county, he already had a plan.
It took him only a few minutes to hash it out, give orders, then everyone was on their way. Reese followed Brantley, opened the door for Tesha, then climbed in the front seat.
“You wanna drive?” Brantley offered.
Reese cut his eyes over. “Seriously?”
“Of course not.” He laughed, started the truck, then whipped around and followed Magnus and Trey down the driveway.
Admittedly, he was glad some things hadn’t changed. Even if it meant he had to ride shotgun with a man whose only setting was ASAP.
*
JJMANAGED TO REFRAIN FROM MAKING ANoutburst until she was in the truck with Baz, and he was pulling down Brantley’s long dirt drive.
“They’re back together,” she told him with a wide grin. “They made up.”
Baz’s teal-blue eyes slid to her, shifted back to the road. “You sound convinced.”
“Iam.”
She knew those two couldn’t stay apart for long. For the past six months, she’d been watching Brantley unravel. He was a bear to deal with on a good day, but he’d been more of a terror since Reese got shot. It was nice to see a smile on his face again.
“Do you know anything about this Dead Heat Ranch we’re goin’ to?” Baz asked.
JJ rolled her eyes. She should’ve known he wasn’t going to indulge her need to gossip. When it came to Brantley and Reese, Baz tended to keep his nose out of their business. Not always easy since JJ had been working herself up these past months, desperate to find a way to get the two of them back together.
“I do not,” she admitted. “But give me a minute or two, and I’ll get you all you need to know.”
While Baz drove, JJ pulled out her laptop, did a search for Dead Heat Ranch.
“Wow. It’s an actual dude ranch,” she said aloud. “People come from far and wide to spend time on the ranch and…”
She narrowed her eyes on one of the pictures. It showed a happy couple shoveling what appeared to be cow manure.
She barked a laugh. “Why would anyone in their right mind want to shovel cow shit on vacation?”
