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“No, not that one.” He decided not to mention it was the one inspired by Dad. “I was going to go get it, but…” He gestured back toward the radar on the screen.
“Good call,” his mother said.
“Maybe it’ll clear soon. The storm cell looks small.”
She nodded. “It’ll be fast. One of those March things that are portents of bigger ones to come. Sorry about your drone. That makes two this month.”
He grimaced. “Yeah.” Can’t blame this one on Roth, either. This was fully designer/operator error.
He decided to spend the time he was trapped here going over the settings, analyzing the tweaks he’d made to see what had gone wrong. He’d have to check and see if the stabilization system had sent any odd readings, or if the obstacle-avoidance system had malfunctioned.
A half an hour later, two things happened almost simultaneously. The pouring rain he’d seen at the ridge started at the house—no thunder and lightning yet, but a healthy downpour—and his mother yelled his name.
Yelled. Not called, but yelled, with a touch of urgency.
He immediately got up and quickly headed down the long hall to the main house. When he got there, he saw Keller was already putting on a slicker and his black cowboy hat. Lucas was beside him, pulling on his own rain slicker. Before Cody could even speak Ry was belting in the door, already wearing his own black hat, and carrying a waterproof jacket.
Crap. This was something bad.
His mother put the phone she was holding into the pocket of her own jacket. “Chance will take Tri out, in case he can help.”
She turned then and gave Cody the look that he knew brooked no dispute, no protest. “Angie just called. Ghost came home five minutes ago, without Britt.”
Chapter Eighteen
Cody’s gut was churning. The gut that had leapt to a conclusion he wanted to deny.
That damned spooky horse had come home empty five minutes ago.
It was a half-hour ride from the limestone ridge, both to here and the Roth place, just different directions.
Probably a few minutes longer for a horse finding his way on his own.
His drone had crashed exactly thirty-six minutes ago.
“Do they know where she was going to be?” Ry asked.
“No,” Mom said. “So there’s a lot of ground to cover. The Roths and some hands are dividing up the south section. I told her we’ll take the north.”
“What about one of Cody’s drones?” Lucas asked.
“I believe the fleet is down by two,” she said. “And unless I’m mistaken, the one that’s left isn’t designed for this.”
“I could adapt it,” he managed to say, “but it would take time.”
“Then we’re back to old-school,” Keller said, and it was in the tone of the man who ran this place with cool efficiency. The storm didn’t matter now, they’d do what they had to do. That’s what Raffertys did. “I’ll take the far boundary.” He looked at his soon-to-be son. “Lucas, everything between their house and the road.” The boy nodded, eyes wide, but with a touch of pride in Keller’s trust.
“Chance said he and Ariel and Tri will cover the flats,” Mom said.
Ry chimed in, “I’ll take the west hills.”
“I’d go with you,” Kaitlyn said, “but I’m afraid I’d do more harm than good since I’m so new at riding, so I’ll stay here by the phone.” Ry hugged her. Mom nodded her approval and smiled at the woman she’d taken to immediately.
“Quinta and I will take the stream, east to west,” she said. “Cody, get that flyer adapted as fast as you can.”
“No.”
His mother blinked. They all went quiet, staring at him. And he couldn’t find the words that would explain what he was feeling without it sounding crazy. When he didn’t speak, that “No” to their mother hung in the air.
