The Ranch (Book 1): Troubled Times Read Online Free Page A

for a moment, not sure what to think.

Chapter Four
    E veryone stood around James , startled by Debbie’s scream, hearts racing. It was a moment that created a lot of tension, and Andrew had spent much of his time trying to keep tension out of his daughter’s life. He stepped forward, torn between wanting to cheer James he was home and wanting to ring the young man’s neck.
    “Where the heck have you been? You have been gone for over a week!” Andrew asked, obviously conflicted.
    “I am freezing, man. Can we go inside and talk?” James said, hoping they would welcome him inside.
    “It is cold out here,” Andrew started. “We should all get inside, especially you, Debbie and Connie.”
    Debbie saw the look on his face and knew he was angry and had questions. She was definitely not looking forward to the conversation they were about to have, so she walked slowly, not caring how cold she was getting. Amy and Beth hurried inside, prepared to let their older sisters do all the talking. They hoped their father wouldn’t even consider the thought that they had been involved in whatever went on outside.
    Once inside, the girls were told to sit by the fireplace, and Andrew went to make some coffee and hot cocoa. When he returned, he sat down and glared at James. He struggled to find the words to say, praying that what he was about to hear wasn’t some lame excuse for why James was gone over a week for a two-day fishing trip.
    “Well, what happened?” Andrew asked.
    “I planned on coming back in a couple of days, but it was so peaceful out there, and the fish just weren’t biting. So, I stayed until I caught some fish.”
    “You weren’t down there, dude.” Andrew said, calling him on his lie. “We checked the area, and there was no sign of you. We saw no smoke from a fire, and it was obvious that nobody had camped in our area.”
    “The first day I caught no fish, so I moved up the way a bit, to where the water was bigger.”
    “You should have come back after two days.” Andrew was frustrated. He wanted to believe his ranch hand, but James’ story just didn’t sound believable.
    “I know, and I’m sorry if I worried you. Look, in the morning I will show you the fish I caught. I put them in the shed. I even can show you the spot where I finally found good fishing.”
    “I am really having a hard time believing you. I feel like you left, found something better and now you are back…Why?”
    Feeling the pressure to answer the questions correctly, James said, “I came back because this is home.”
    “Well, you don’t leave home, and leave the people at home, stay gone and make them worry. And you definitely don’t come back in the middle of the night and expect a warm and fuzzy welcome. What really happened while you were out there?”
    “I told you. I went fishing. They weren’t biting so I moved upstream. They were really biting up there, so I stayed until I couldn’t catch any more. Then I came home.”
    “Why so late at night?”
    “By the time I caught the last fish and packed up it was already late. I had taken the tent down and didn’t want to spend the time to put it back up, so I just headed back.”
    Andrew realized James had an answer for everything, so he dropped it. He had plenty of time to worry about what really happened later. “How much did you catch?”
    “Three totes. I tell you, it was heavy! Thank goodness the sled could hold it and still slide over the ground with no snow! I had to take all my camp gear out of the one tote to fill it with fish.”
    Impressed, Andrew said, “Well, thank goodness you are okay. Did you see anyone while you were out there?”
    “Not a soul.” There was a look on his face that Andrew wasn’t too sure about, and he decided he would need to keep an eye on James for a while to make sure he wasn’t up to something. Then he turned his attention to the girls. “What in the name of God were you doing out there?”
    It was the moment Debbie had been