The Rancher’s Ride of Vengeance – Extended Epilogue

Mary waddled down the stairs, one hand on her belly and the other on the balustrade. She couldn’t believe that her stomach just kept getting bigger and bigger.

She was almost due and couldn’t wait to give birth. She was scared but also excited. On top of that, she was looking forward to being able to move around freely again.

With her expanding stomach came a lot of restriction. She couldn’t even tie her own shoelaces anymore.

Mary made her way to the kitchen and stopped in the doorway. Hank sat at the table, sipping coffee as he read the paper. She watched him for a minute, just taking him in.

He was one amazing man. The last year had been full of surprises and new adventures, and he had been her rock through all of them.

“How are the fences coming along?” she asked, pushing off the wall and walking over to him.

Hank stood up immediately and pulled her into his arms. Her belly made it almost impossible to hug.

“Almost done,” he replied, leaning forward and placing a soft kiss on her lips before pulling back and pressing his palm against her tummy. “How are our babies doing?”

Mary smiled and shook her head. “They’re very busy today,” she informed him. “Won’t stop kicking.”

Hank’s face lit up. “I think they’re ready to come into the world and meet their family.”

“I think you might be right.” Mary laughed. “And to be honest, I’m ready too. It feels like I’m going to burst at any moment.”

“Well, I think you look beautiful.”

Mary rolled her eyes. She looked like a mess. Whoever said women were radiant while with child lied.

“I’m serious.” Hank feigned offence. “You’ve never looked more stunning in your life.”

“Keep on telling me that,” Mary replied. “Maybe I’ll start believing you.”

She still couldn’t believe that she was expecting. It had come as a huge surprise after having tried and failed for so long. They had just started planning their move to San Francisco, and it had been a little overwhelming. Everything had turned out great, though, and Mary had never been so happy.

When Hank had first mentioned that he wanted to move, she had been shocked. Their lives were in Houston, and she’d never imagined him giving up his ranch, but he was dead set on leaving.

After all the dangerous encounters on the cattle drives and then the whole thing with Griff, he couldn’t stand the idea of staying there. It was too dangerous, and he wanted her and their son to live somewhere safe.

After the initial shock, Mary had become excited about the idea. She had never been to San Francisco, but Hank had told her how amazing it was. At first, they had considered selling their ranch, but then they had come up with a way that they could keep it and move.

Martha and Buck were running it, and they were doing an incredible job. The ranch was still doing well and making enough money to support them in San Francisco while Hank got their new ranch up and running. Their house was similar in size as the one they lived in before but the ranch was much smaller.
Hank was happy about that. It meant less work and more time with Mary and their kids.

The only sad thing about moving so far away was leaving Martha, Jeremy, Buck, and their other friends behind. They wrote to each other often though and Martha was doing well.

Mary had been worried about her after the whole thing with Griff, but she had bounced back and was flourishing. She had a new man in her life and appeared to be happier than ever.

Mary couldn’t wait to see them again. They were on their way up to San Francisco to visit. Martha wanted to be there when the babies were born and Mary was so happy to have her help, even if it was only for a couple of weeks.

Everything was perfect, except for one thing. Sebastian wasn’t happy. He and Jeremy had grown close, and he hadn’t wanted to leave him behind. He had been so upset when they’d told him they were moving.

He was a wonderful boy and very intelligent, but he didn’t want to leave his friend behind.

San Francisco was a huge change for all of them and they had to adapt. It had been hardest on Sebastian, but they had enrolled him in a school and that looked like it was helping. He had made some new friends and was smiling much more again.

“I’ll make lunch,” Hank told her. “Sebastian should be home soon.”

“I can still use the kitchen,” Mary replied, walking over to the counter. She reached for the bread and placed it on a cutting board in front of her. “See? My belly might be big, but my arms can still reach.”

Hank laughed. “I never said you weren’t able to make food. I was simply offering to help.”

“Well, in that case, why don’t you wash off the lettuce I plucked this morning?”

Hank did as asked and soon enough they were putting together delicious sandwiches and making fresh lemonade.

“Shouldn’t he be home by now?” Hank asked as they sat at the table, waiting for their son.

Mary had been trying not to worry but Hank was right. Sebastian was late. “Yes, he should have been here already.”

Hank stood up and ran a hand through his hair. “I think I’ll take a walk, meet him along the way and make sure he’s all right.”

***

Hank didn’t want to panic but memories of that day when he arrived home, and Mary wasn’t there flashed through his mind. Sebastian had probably just gotten distracted. Maybe he was playing with that boy who lived down the road from them.

They weren’t in Texas anymore, he told himself. They were safe here. Nothing bad had happened to Sebastian.

When Hank passed the boy’s house where he thought Sebastian might be, he peered into the yard, hoping to see him. The boy was there, playing with his dog, but there was no sign of Sebastian.

Hank’s stomach twisted and he pushed the anxiety away. Surely he would find Sebastian somewhere along the way to his school.

Hank walked a little faster and then broke into a run. By the time he arrived at the school, he was breathing heavily. He marched inside and looked around, but all the kids had gone home.

The teachers were still there though, preparing their lessons, so he made his way to Sebastian’s classroom.

“Is Sebastian still here?” he asked as he pushed open the door, ignoring all pleasantries.

Miss Martin looked up from her desk. “No,” she replied. “Is something wrong?”

“He hasn’t come home. I thought maybe he was still here.”

She shook her head as she stood up. “He wasn’t at school today.”

Hank’s heart sank in his chest. Where could he be? Hank had dropped him off outside the schoolyard that morning, just like he always did.

Without another word, Hank turned on his heels and ran out of the building. One of Sebastian’s friends lived close by, in town. Maybe he was there.

He ran full speed all the way and pounded on the door as he tried to catch his breath. Sebastian’s friend’s mother opened the door, her expression changing when she saw him bent over and heaving.

“Is Sebastian here,” he asked between breaths.

She shook her head. “No.”

“And Kyle?”

“Of course,” she replied. “He arrived home an hour ago. What’s going on?”

“I dropped Sebastian off at school,” Hank replied, straightening up. “But the teacher said he wasn’t there today. I don’t know where he is.”

“Oh dear. Let me call Kyle and see if he knows something.”

Hank waited at the door as the woman disappeared into the house. He really hoped that Kyle knew something. Maybe Sebastian had said something to him.

When she came back, Kyle was with her.

“Tell Mr. Ross what you told me,” she instructed.

The boy looked scared, and he fidgeted with the hem of his shirt. “Kyle said he was going back home.”

“He isn’t home,” Hank stated, confused.

Kyle shook his head. “No, not your house. Back to Houston.”

Hank stood silent as the boy’s words sunk in. It took him a moment to regain his composure. “Are you sure that’s what he said?”

“Yes,” Kyle confirmed. “He told me this morning, and then he left.”

Hank took a deep breath, trying to steady his mind and his heart. “I have to go,” he said and then took off down the road again.

He had to get home. He had to tell Mary what was going on, and then he had to find their son.

***

Mary paced up and down the porch as she waited for Hank to return with Sebastian. It was taking too long. Sebastian had never done something like this before. He’d been late a couple of minutes but never more than an hour.

The sight of Hank down the road alerted her that something was wrong before he even reached her. Mary’s heart sped up and she wobbled down the porch steps to meet her husband.

“Where is he?” she asked. She needed to know that their son was all right.

“I don’t know,” Hank replied, trying to catch his breath. “I dropped him off as school this morning, but Miss Martin said he wasn’t there at all and Kyle said that Sebastian told him that he’s going back to Houston.”

“What?” Mary asked, not believing what she was hearing. “Why would he do that?”

Hank shrugged. “I don’t know,” he repeated. “But I’m going to go look for him. I’ll find him.”

“I’m coming,” Mary stated, grabbing Hank’s hand. There was no way she was sitting at home waiting while her son was somewhere out there.

Hank didn’t argue. Instead, he got the wagon ready and helped her up.

“Which route do you think he would have taken?” Mary asked.

“Probably the main road,” Hank suggested. “I don’t think he knows any of the roads, unless he found a map somewhere.”

“All right, then we follow the main road,” Mary agreed, not sure what else they could do.

Her mind was spiraling as they rode. What if something had happened to him? He could have gotten hurt or lost. She knew all about being lost. It was horrible and dangerous, and he was still so small.

If he wandered into a forest, he might not ever find his way out, and there was no way for them to know where he had gone. Following the main road out of San Francisco was their best option, but there were so many places he could have gone.

“Why would he do this?” Mary asked, her voice cracking as she spoke. “Why would he want to go back?”

Hank shook his head. “I don’t know. Sometimes children do strange things.”

“I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to him,” Mary stated, leaning forward. She rested her head in her hands and wiped her eyes.

Hank placed a hand on her back, rubbing gently. “He’s going to be fine. We’ll find him and then we’ll all go home together.”

Mary glanced at Hank. “You can’t know that.”

“But I do,” Hank assured her. “He couldn’t have gotten too far on foot and he’s clever. He wouldn’t have wandered away from the road.”

Mary hoped that Hank was right. She wasn’t even angry at Sebastian for running away. She just wanted her little boy back.

“Did I ever tell you about the time when I ran away from home?” Hank asked.

“You did what?” Mary asked.

“I was angry at my mother. My father had gone hunting and I wanted to go with him, but she refused.”

“I thought you always went hunting with him?”

“I did, but only after I turned ten. My father had taught me to shoot from a young age, but I was about six at the time and my mother thought I was still too young.”

Hank removed his hand from Mary’s shoulder and took her hand in his.

“I wanted to prove that she was wrong, so I snuck out after dark and went to join him. The only problem was that I couldn’t see where I was going and got lost. Luckily, my mother came to check on me and noticed that I was missing. They spent hours looking for me.”

“I can’t believe you did that,” Mary remarked. “And here I thought you were a well-behaved child.”

“I was,” Hank assured her with a smile. “That was a one-off thing. I never snuck out again. It was dumb, but I was young. I’m sure Sebastian has a reason for running off. We just need to figure out what it is and then make sure he doesn’t do it again.”

Mary sighed. “First we need to find him.”

“That’s true,” Hank agreed. “But until we do, we should talk, keep our minds from conjuring up the worst possible thoughts.”

He was trying to distract her. It was sweet, and although talking wasn’t going to stop her from worrying, it was worth a try.

“All right. What do you want to talk about?” she asked.

Hank pursed his lips. “Did you ever try to run away from home?”

“No!” Mary exclaimed. “I was a well-behaved child.”

Hank laughed. “Yeah, I figured as much.”

Something in the distance caught Mary’s eye. “Look,” she said, pointing ahead. “There’s another wagon approaching.”

Hank steered the horses more to the right so that the other wagon would be able to pass.

“Is that Martha?” Hank asked as the wagon came closer.

“It sure looks like it,” Mary replied. “And that must be her fiancé.” They hadn’t met him yet, but Martha had told them all about him in letters.

On the seat behind them sat Jeremy, and next to him was Sebastian. Mary’s heart nearly leaped right out of her chest.

“Sebastian is with them!” she exclaimed. “He’s safe.”

A minute later, they brought the wagons to a stop next to each other and Hank jumped down. He quickly ran around and helped Mary down.

“Mary,” Martha greeted, pulling her into a sideways hug since her belly was in the way. “We found him walking next to the road.”

“Thank you,” Mary said and then walked over to where Sebastian was standing. She kneeled down in front of him and pulled him into her arms, hugging him tightly. When she let go, he was crying.

“What is it?” she asked, wiping away his tears. “Why did you run away?”

“I just…” he trailed off, looking down at his shoes.

“You what?” Mary encouraged. “You can tell me.”

“You and Pa are having two babies,” he replied, placing his hand on her belly. “You’re gonna love them and forget about me.”

“Oh no,” Mary breathed. “That not true at all. We love you, sweetheart, and no matter how many other babies we have, we will always love you.”

Sebastian smiled through his tears. “Really?”

“Of course. You’re our son and you these babies are your brothers or sisters. They’re going to love you too.”

“You promise?”

Mary leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss on his forehead. “I promise. Now how about we go home so that you can show Jeremy around?”
“All right,” Sebastian agreed.

Hank helped Mary to her feet and then playfully messed up Sebastian’s hair. “Now I need you to promise us something too,” he said.

Sebastian looked up at Hank. “What is it, Pa?”

“That you’ll never try to run away again.”

“I won’t,” Sebastian agreed. “It was scary.”

Mary laughed at that, her nerves finally giving way. Sebastian was safe, Martha had come to visit, and she was soon going to give birth to two babies. On top of that, she had the most amazing husband in the world.

Life was good and she couldn’t wait to go home and spend some quality time with the people she loved.

THE END