The Lost and Found (16 page)

He took a deep breath and growled softly. He was waiting for Crimson to text him when she was in bed. She’d told him she planned to shower again, too. Josiah had nearly run out of patience when his phone buzzed. Lifting it, he smiled at her message, “I’m in bed. Thanks for tonight. I miss you.”

“I’m in bed, too. And I miss you. I can smell you.”

“Is that a good thing?”

“It’s a good thing. You’re just driving me crazy is all.”

“Lol. Sorry, Josiah.”

“No worries. I just wish you were here. Right here. Right next to me. Right now.”

“I’m blushing.”

“I’d like to see that.”

“Lol. Oh my…”

“You know I’m not kidding, right? I want you.”

“I know…”

“Good night, Crimson. Sleep well.”

“Good night.”

Long after Josiah and Crimson ended their late night texting he lay awake thinking about her. About what had happened earlier that evening. About Maggie — hoping she was all right. Hoping her attacker would be caught and brought to justice before anyone else was hurt.

It made him sick to think of anything like that happening to Crimson. She’d asked him about getting pepper spray. He thought that was a good idea. He liked the idea that she’d at least have the option of defending herself. He’d talk to Red in the morning, determined to keep her safe.

Crimson Sage

FIVE DAYS LATER JOSIAH
and I were working in the tack room, sorting out old stuff, determining what needed to be repaired or replaced, when he said, “I’ve got that can of pepper spray for you.”

“Oh, good. Thank you.”

“When we stop for the afternoon, I’ll run up and grab it for you.”

We worked for another two hours and then called it a day — I needed to get cleaned up before the boys got home, so I’d be ready to begin their tutoring. I was very pleased with their progress. Two of them, Ryan and Kelly, had brought their grades up so much that they were now caught up with the rest of the class; and the other two weren’t far behind. I was proud of them, very proud.

After my shower, I grabbed a water bottle and went to sit out on the front porch and wait for the boys to get home. Daisy ambled over and sat beside me, her amber and blue eyes focused intently down the driveway, watching for Ethan. Five minutes later Josiah joined me and leaned against the railing beside me.

He handed me the can of pepper spray. I began to read the information written on it, wanting to learn how to use it. Beside me, Daisy whined loudly and I figured the bus must have dropped the boys off. I was still reading the instructions when Josiah cursed mildly under his breath and said, “Crimson.”

His tone of voice brought my eyes jerking up to his. Josiah was looking down the driveway. I followed his gaze and it took me a moment to see the problem.

Ethan was bleeding, holding his sweatshirt to his nose. Kelly walked beside him, his hand on Ethan’s back. My heart stopped for a moment, then I leapt up and ran to him. Daisy beat me there; she was alternating between whining and growling, her worry for Ethan evident.

“What happened?” I gasped when I reached him, my hands going to his shoulders to stop him so I could look closer at him.

“Nothing, I’m fine,” he grumbled, shrugging out of my grip, trying to walk past me.

I was stunned by his brushoff and tried again. “Ethan, you’re bleeding.
What
happened?”

“I said nothing. I’m fine.” Ethan shoved past me, patted Daisy on the head, and continued into the house.

I stood there, not sure just what to do. I walked back toward the house, my steps heavy. Josiah stood at the bottom step; he reached for my shoulder. “Let me try, Crimson. I’m a guy. He might talk to me.”

I nodded and sat down, before my legs could give out.
What happened? Why is Ethan treating me like this? Doesn’t he know I’m worried about him?

I was still sitting there, my mind still tied in knots over what had happened, when Josiah returned. Without a word he took my hand and led me away from the house, in the direction of the barn. I was in such a fog it didn’t occur to me to protest. We were just passing the Chevy when I pulled back, bringing him to a stop.

“What happened? What did he tell you?”

Josiah ignored my question and asked one of his own. “Has Rob bothered you at all since that night? Besides the looks?” His voice was hard, not accusatory, just hard. Angry. Worried. I stared up at him.

“
What
? Josiah, what happened to Ethan? Are you saying Rob did that?”

He studied my face for a moment then he pulled out his cell phone and clicked it on. He held it up for me to look at. At first I wasn’t sure what I was looking at, but then as I took a closer look, really focused, I realized it was Josiah and me at the pool. Kissing. Passionately. Shocked, I looked at him.

“Where did you get this?” I whispered.

“Some boys at the school were talking about you. Saying… things… about you. And me. They teased Ethan, called you names, ran you down. Ethan defended you, called them liars. They then sent him the pictures, as evidence. He attacked the boy who sent it to him. Ethan’s been suspended for the rest of the week for fighting. Billy’s going to the school to talk with them. We’ll need to tell him about us.”

“Oh my word,” I breathed. “What did you say to him? What did Ethan say to you?”

Josiah pulled me into his arms, rested his chin on my head, rubbed my back soothingly. “I told him the truth. That I was in love with you, that I loved him. That I’d never do anything, or let anything or anyone hurt you.”

I pulled my head back to look at him. He’d just said he loved me.
Josiah said he loved me
.

He kissed my forehead. “I do. I’m in love with you. And I will protect you. I’ll make sure you’re safe. Ethan, too.” Josiah pulled me close again, just held me for a bit.

After a few minutes he took a deep breath and said, “Ethan said he understood. Said as long as I watch myself and treat you right, he’d let us be.” Josiah chuckled at that. “He wants to see you. He’s sorry for how he acted, wants to apologize.”

Ethan was sitting at the table when we came in the back door. He stood up when he saw me and we embraced.

“I’m sorry, Ethan.”

“No,
I’m
sorry, Sage.”

“I love you.”

“I got suspended. Billy said he was going to the school to talk with them tomorrow. He’s taking me with him.”

“I’m going, too. I want to know who took the pictures, who is spreading them around.”

“We’re both going,” Josiah said. “I’m getting to the bottom of this one way or another. Then there’ll be hell to pay.”

Our meeting didn’t go as well as expected. The principal, Mrs. Kenzy, was appropriately dismayed to find out about the pictures. We ended up finding out that four different boys were involved in distributing the pictures, but they all claimed they weren’t the ones who took them, that they’d been sent to the boys by someone else. They were, of course due to privacy issues, unable to say who that someone else was. All four of the boys were suspended for a week. Unfortunately, due to school policy, Ethan’s suspension was not lifted — fighting was not tolerated, for any reason.

Ethan thought that was cool; he enjoyed his time at home. Daisy enjoyed it as well. He and I talked about my relationship with Josiah; I explained my reasoning for not telling him sooner. Ethan understood, just wished I didn’t feel the need to protect him so much.

“You’re all I have left, Kid. I love you.”

“I love you, too, Sage,” he said. “You have Billy, too if you’d let him in.”

“I know. I guess maybe I just don’t know how.”

“Maybe just go talk with him. You need to tell him what’s going on with you and Josiah, anyway. He’s in his office. FYI.”

“All right, Kid. I’ll go talk with him.”

Ethan smiled at me, gave me a fist bump, and then put up with me pulling him close, kissing the top of his head. Like Ethan said, Billy was in his office; I found him behind his desk, going over some paperwork. I knocked gently, leaned on the doorjamb.

“Sage, come in,” he said. Billy gathered the papers together, stacking them neatly and then placing them in a manila folder.

“I don’t want to interrupt you.”

“You’re not. What can I do for you?”

“I… uh… wanted to talk to you about something.” I wasn’t sure exactly how to broach the subject of me and Josiah.

“Sure, whatever you need.”

I came inside and sat in one of the chairs in front of his desk.

I smiled nervously. “Josiah…”

“Sage, stop,” Billy stated. “Look, regardless of what I think about him or you, you are an adult and so is he.”

“What
do
you think of him?” I couldn’t help my curiosity. Rob had said he had a rap sheet, that he was dangerous
,
that he’d go to jail. If that was true, how could Billy have him here?

“I think the world of him. He’s a fine man. He’s like a son.”

“And his rap sheet?” I whispered.

“Rap sheet?” he chuckled. “He told you he had a rap sheet?”

“No,” I shook my head. “Someone… someone else did.”

“They were just messing with you then. Josiah hasn’t had any problems since high school. He’s been a model citizen, and an able, reliable employee. I haven’t told him yet, but I intend to name him as a partner on the ranch.”

I sat there, stunned. Rob had been lying. Of course he’d been lying. He was a snake. I should’ve known that, should never have believed that about Josiah.

“I’ve been aware of your attraction to each other for a while. So long as he treats you right, and your relationship doesn’t interfere with the ranch, I have no qualms about the two of you. I trust him. I trust you.”

“Okay. Well, thanks.”

I stood up to leave, but he stopped me. “You got a minute?”

“Sure.”

“Come with me.” Billy led me out of the house and around to the garage. I’d never been in the garage before. It was always locked up and the windows were papered over. Billy’s keys jingled as he found the right one to unlock the door. He pushed the door open and flipped a switch to the right of the door. Lights flickered on and off for a couple moments before catching and staying on. In the center of the room was a car of some kind, covered in a brown cloth tarp.

Billy turned to me. “I’ve been thinking about this for a while. I’m not sure just why I held on to it, but I guess if you don’t want it…”

He pulled the tarp off, and once the dust settled I was able to see more clearly. The car was older, white, a convertible.

“It’s a ’67 Pontiac Firebird. It was your mom’s.”

It took a moment for the shock of his words to penetrate my mind, and then the tears began to fill my eyes. It had been my mom’s car. Billy was giving it to me. Turning, I threw my arms around him. Billy was briefly startled, and then his arms came around me; he held me, let me cry, and awkwardly patted my back. When I’d pulled myself together some, he opened the driver’s door for me then left me alone, said he’d let Josiah know where I was.

Josiah

JOSIAH STOOD IN THE
barn doorway; his dark gaze focused on the boys playing hoops in the backyard. On one boy in particular. He still didn’t have any idea how Rob had done it, but he’d have bet money the little blond punk was the one who’d taken and disbursed those pictures of Crimson and himself. He ground his jaw in agitation. He was restless. Angry. He wanted to crush something. Preferably that piece of crap, Rob. They’d be tangling soon — he could feel it.