Family Sins(59)

“Just when I need not to be late,” he muttered, as he got out and popped the hood.

He leaned in to check the brake fluid and was shocked to find that there wasn’t enough there to measure. Now he was stuck waiting for Aidan. He tried to call his mother, but he didn’t have a good signal, so he dropped the hood and walked a short distance up the road until the signal was strong enough for him to make the call.

Leigh answered on the second ring.

“Hello? Bowie? Are you on the way?”

“Yes, ma’am, but I had to pull off the road. I was driving into a curve when the brakes went out. I had to drive the truck down a ditch and into some trees to get it stopped. I just checked, and there was no brake fluid.”

“Oh, no,” she muttered. “I’m sorry. Stanton never mentioned anything to me about the brakes being bad. Want me to come get you?”

“No, I just talked to Aidan. He’s coming up behind me. I’ll ride with him. I’m sure sorry. Don’t worry. We’ll find Jesse.”

“He’s not far from the house, because I heard a couple of gunshots after I called you. I keep hoping he’ll walk out of the woods any minute now.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll be there soon.” Then Bowie heard a vehicle coming up behind him and turned around. “Hey, Mama, Aidan just got here. We’re less than three miles from home.”

“Oh, thank goodness. I’ll see you soon.”

Aidan braked as Bowie came running toward him.

“What happened?” Aidan asked, as Bowie slid into the seat beside him.

“No brakes. The brake fluid leaked out. It was lucky this curve had trees. Most of the curves don’t have anything but that wire cable to keep someone from driving straight off the side of the mountain.”

“Yes, and the cable is barely four feet off the ground. I don’t know how the county thinks that’s protecting anyone. I know Dad has brake fluid in the shop because I’ve seen it. He probably knew the truck had a leak. We’ll get you fixed up after we find Jesse.”

“I just talked to Mama. She said she heard a couple of shots not too far away from the house.”

Aidan shook his head.

“Leslie and I talk about this all the time. I don’t know how Mama is going to cope with him on her own.”

“No, don’t worry about that,” Bowie said. “She told me the other day that taking care of Jesse was going to be what saves her.”

“Really?” Aidan said.

Bowie nodded. “She’s one strong woman, brother, and you know it. She’ll find a way, and for the times like this, there are three of you within driving distance.”

“You’re right. Dad would have said we’re just borrowing trouble, thinking like that,” Aidan said.

A couple of minutes later Aidan took the turn off the blacktop onto the long graveled driveway leading up to the house.

Leigh was waiting for them on the porch, and she frowned when she saw Bowie was alone.

“Where’s Talia?”

“She wanted to change clothes. She’s probably already on her way here.”

“You need to change out of your good clothes, too,” Leigh said.

“Yeah, all right. Give me a couple of minutes and I’ll be right back,” Bowie said, and hurried into the house.

“I’m sorry I was late,” Aidan said. “Johnny fell and cut his lip. I had to make sure he didn’t need stitches before I left.”

“Oh, no!” Leigh said. “Poor baby. I shouldn’t have called. You need to be home with your family.”

Aidan frowned.

“Mama, stop! This is what family does for each other. We worry as much about Jesse as you do. We would be hurt, even angry, if you didn’t include us in your lives.”

Leigh hugged him. “You’re all such good sons.”

“We had good parents to raise us,” Aidan said, as Bowie came running back out of the house.

He’d changed from the dark pants and white shirt to jeans and a blue denim work shirt. He had on his old boots and had pulled his hair back in a ponytail.

“I’m ready,” he said.

“Okay then,” Leigh said, and pointed into the woods behind the garden. “He went in back there. You can see his tracks until they disappear farther up into the woods. I heard shots down that way about a half hour ago. I’m going to lock up every gun in the house when I get him back home.”

Bowie grinned.

“We’ll find him, Mama. Just remember what you told me. He’s still a crack shot, and if he’s still good at tracking, too, he’s not going to get lost.”

Leigh sighed.

“I know that. I guess it’s just knowing I don’t have your daddy for backup that’s making me so anxious.”

Bowie gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

“We’ll see you soon, and if we need any help, we’ll call.”

She patted her pocket to feel for her cell phone, and then watched them jogging across the backyard and into the trees.

*

By the time Talia had changed clothes and pulled her hair up and away from her face, she was feeling grateful for the invitation to the Youngblood house. Staying here alone right after the service would have been difficult, and there was no longer a reason not to leave the house. She’d always loved Leigh and for years had assumed one day she would belong to her family. Getting this second chance with Bowie meant getting his family back, too—except for Stanton. She still couldn’t believe he was gone.