Chapter 11

Sunday afternoon...

Most everyone moved outside to see George, Matt, and Tammy off. The only exceptions to this were Don and Kiesha. Kiesha hadn't moved from the spot where she had learned her father's fate. "Kiesha, honey are you alright?" Don knew that perhaps the biggest problem that she was facing right now were the dozens of conflicting emotions. Kiesha was, first and foremost, a good person and good people don't wish for people to die, not even bad people. And they don't celebrate when those people are dead either. Would she have shot her father had he got that close? Perhaps, probably, but in Don's mind that would have just compounded the rape she had endured all those years ago. It was better this way. His blood was on someone else's hands. It was something that Kiesha wouldn't have to deal with. She had enough to deal with just coping with the pain her father had left her for an inheritance. Don had been just holding Kiesha's hand when he felt her tense. He turned and pulled her into his arms, "I love you Kiesha, I'm here for you baby." Kiesha pulled deeper into Don's arms, she didn't know what she should feel, but with his arms wrapped around her she didn't have to worry about whether, or not she was loved. She started crying, she wasn't even sure what the tears were for, she just needed to cry out the hurt she felt inside. Her father was dead, but he had been dead to her for a long time.

With Don's arms around her, Kiesha surrendered her pain. As Don whispered his love for her in her ear, Kiesha realised that her father no longer mattered, his place was now, and would forever be, in her history. Don was her future, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

Kiesha lifted her face to Don's, and pulled him into a kiss. Don may have thought it was going to be a healing kiss, but Kiesha knew better. Kiesha didn't need healing right now, she needed her man. Within ten seconds Don knew what kind of kiss it was and promptly rose to the occasion.

When the others came in from seeing Matt, and company off they found two people still passionately kissing, and instead of comments of 'get a room' those not a part of younger Phillips family passed through the room leaving the lovers undisturbed. The six of them might have stood there in the living room holding each other all day, but for the steadily increasing growls coming from Don's stomach. Rose giggled, "I think we better go feed the poor boy, after all we really need him to keep his strength up."

Kiesha laughed at Rose's comment, "Okay just one more kiss, and I'll be good till bed time." Kiesha wrapped herself around Don, and gave him a smoking hot kiss. Her kiss was followed by one from each of the girls, and then with Kiesha on one arm, and Amber on the other they walked into the dining room. There they found that the others had started without them.

"I see you waited on us," Don laughed.

Scott laughed, "Yep, like one hog waits on another. I was pretty sure you weren't thinking about food when I last saw you."

"It's impossible to be in a romantic mood when his tummy is growling," Rose's exaggerated look of disappointment only added to the laughter from the others at the table. Don and the girls dug in to the meal that Magda had prepared. After Don had managed to quiet his growling tummy, "Scott, It's pretty late, are we going to wait till tomorrow to start sorting and working?"

"Yeah, I guess all those stolen animals are going to cause us problems because we don't have the room in the pens to work them and I really expected to be finished today," Scott replied.

Amber finished chewing the bite of steak she had, "Scott, I think you're forgetting something."

Scott shook his head, "No, I don't think so."

The patented Amber smile appeared, "Steve Meeks?"

"Oh Shit!" Scott jumped up, and ran to the phone. He returned few minutes later, "Thank you Amber. I had completely forgotten that he was supposed to come tomorrow."

"Is it going to cause a problem postponing him?" Amber asked.

"No, it's actually going to work out better. He said that there was a problem with the controller. He had ordered another, but it wouldn't be in till Friday. So he will be coming down then which is going to cause a small problem." Scott turned to Don, "Can you take all those sheep and goats to San Angelo to the sale? With Steve coming Friday I'll just have to hold the cattle here for another week."

Don looked at each of the girls and got excited nods from all, "Looks like it will be all right. We'll have to leave here tomorrow though, won't we?"

"Yeah, the sale is on Tuesdays. I'll call them in a minute and see how late they take livestock." Scott thought for a minute, "Sometimes they stretch the sale out till Wednesday, if they're doing that this week, you could wait and leave Tuesday. And if push comes to shove we can wait and take them next week."

Jack Phillips pulled out his wallet, and removed a business card from it, "Let me call my buddy, I want him to get started on the girl's saddles."

"Those cows aren't the best I've ever seen by a long shot. Are you going to sell all of them as well?" Don asked.

Scott nodded his head, "This place is so over grazed. I think the best thing will be to sell everything off, and let the land recover for a year or two."

After supper was cleaned up and dishes done Don and the girls joined Scott and Angie in the hot tub. The hot water was slowly leaching the pain from the girl's sore muscles. It was about time to get out of the steamy water when the phone started ringing, lazily Scott called out from the hot tub, "Jack can you, or Jack, get that."

The occupants of the hot tub broke into a fit of giggles. A few minutes later Jack and Beth Phillips followed by Jack Rimes and Zara walked into the screened in area where the hot tub sat.

"Scott something has come up. Beth's nephew is in danger and he needs a place where he and his new wife can be safe. The best place is going to be at Don and the girl's place," Jack waited while Scott thought about what needed to be done, and when.

Scott climbed out of the hot tub, and then helped Angie out, "Beth, where is your nephew right now?"

"They're in a hanger at DFW waiting word on where to go," Beth replied. "We need to make their escape as hard to trace as we can," Jack Rimes added. Scott turned to Jack Rimes, "What if they were flown to say Del Rio and picked up there?"

Don got out of the hot tub and picked up a towel, "If they are going to fly somewhere why not fly them to San Angelo? We can haul the sheep down and then pick them up and bring them back."

Amber stepped up to Don's side, "Some of us will need to stay here then. There won't be enough room for them if all six of us go."

Rose was shaking her head, "I don't think it's a good idea for us to split up. What if we were to find Ann?"

Jack Phillips bull frog voice opened up, "Scott, you need to haul some of those cows to the sale don't you? Why can't we load up the sheep and goats in the big trailer and load up some of the cows. I'll pay you what ever they charge you for feed and care till the sale Thursday."

Scott raised his hand to his head and ran his fingers through his hair, "If we use the trailer you brought your horses down in and my big cattle trailer we should be able to take all of the cattle that I want to get rid of. And as far as feeding them it doesn't matter, really, I can pay them to feed them or keep them here penned up and have to feed them, it still comes out of my pocket. The only thing I'm not sure of is the goats, if we use your horse trailer for cattle. I don't think your double decked trailer will hold all of the sheep and goats."

Angie touched Scott's arm, "Let's just keep the goats, we can turn them loose in one of the two section pastures."

Scott nodded his head, "All right that settles it, tomorrow we'll get up and start loading sheep, and then the cattle. With a little luck we should be able to be on the road by nine thirty, or ten in the morning."

Jack Rimes looked to Beth, "Call your nephew back tell him to be in San Angelo tomorrow afternoon. It might even be safer if they flew out tonight. I know someone who can meet and keep an eye on them. I'll give her a call."

"Don, I found a brand new set of bolt cutters, and a couple of fire extinguishers in the garage. Before you go to bed lets get them on your Topkick." Scott patted Don on the back, "Don't worry about her, the Goddess will take care of you both." Don nodded his head and then he and the girls went and slipped on some clothes so they could get the stuff Scott had told them about. It took over an hour and in the end Don, Scott and the girls had bolted two brand new, right out of the box, twenty pound dry powder type fire extinguishers on to the flat bed of the Topkick. They also found a small pair of bolt cutters and Scott insisted that Don put them in the tool box of the Topkick along with the big bolt cutters. Don silently prayed that he would be ready when the time came.

Jim and Sara sat in the hanger at DFW waiting for Jim's Aunt Beth to call back. It had only been a few minutes but the waiting was making the gravity of their situation sink in. It had been less than twenty minutes but it seemed like hours had passed when the phone in the hanger office started ringing.

The young girl sitting behind the desk answered it and handed the phone to Jim. "Hello ... yeah, that sounds like a good idea ... and someone will meet us there? ... Okay we'll see you tomorrow." Jim handed the phone back to the secretary and walked back to Sara, "Come on baby, we have another plane ride before we can rest our weary heads."

Sara sighed, "Where to now?"

Jim put his finger to his lips, "I'll tell you in the plane," When they walked out of the hanger Jim saw the pilot look at him questioningly. Jim nodded his head and put his free hand in the air, his other was holding Sara close to him. With his index finger he made a circling motion telling the pilot to wind her up. The engines on the Cessna Citation X started to whine as they came online. A few minutes later the Cessna was on the taxi way moving to get in line to take off. Within thirty minutes they were streaking their way to San Angelo, Texas.

In San Angelo, Ann Gallardo's phone rang, on the other end was Jack Rimes. After a short conversation she grabbed the keys to her patrol car and drove to the La Quinta motel and reserved a room using her credit card. At her next stop Ann picked up Trooper Dan Spikes and his girlfriend. They were both wearing cargo pants and long sleeved khaki shirts, but Tina, Dan's girlfriend, stood out to Ann since her normally blonde hair was now covered by an auburn wig. Both were topped off with dark sunshades and ball caps.

She had been very excited when Jack Rimes had called her and asked for her to do this. Ann had been trying to get into the Rangers for the past three years. Jack's call meant that at least one Ranger knew who she was and trusted her to do a job. So what if it was her days off, she didn't mind, if he'd have asked she would have taken a week off with no pay. Baby sitting the couple for Jack was a good way for her to get her foot in the door and she knew it. From the La Quinta motel it was a short drive to the airport and she hadn't been there ten minutes when she saw the Cessna Citation X land and begin to taxi back towards the main terminal. Ann reached over and flipped the switch that activated the flashing lights on the top of her patrol car. The pilot saw the flashing lights and notified the tower of his intentions.

As soon as the Cessna had rolled to a stop, the door opened. Ann watched as the man took the hand of the woman and they walked towards her. As they got closer Ann could tell that the man was in his mid twenties, about five years younger than her, and he had a military air about him. The young lady was just that young, sixteen, seventeen at the very most, but that the two of them were in love or in lust, of that she was certain. When they met she offered her hand, "Ann Gallardo, DPS, Jack Rimes told me to get you anything you need."

Jim shook hands with the lady cop, "Jim O'Daniel and this is my wife Sara." Ann wasn't able to contain her look of surprise at hearing that the young girl was married. Jim smiled when he saw the look on the woman's face, "Just wait here honey and I'll go get our stuff." Jim kissed Sara and left her with Ann curious if she would quiz Sara about their wedding.

Jim returned from the plane with two large backpacks which he sat on the ground at the back of the Ford Explorer that Ann used as a patrol car. Jim started back to the plane for the rest of their gear. Ann walked over to the Explorer unlocked and opened the back.

When Sara bent over to pick up her backpack Ann saw the pistol in the back of her pants. "You are expecting trouble!" Ann exclaimed. She knew that a lot of effort had gone into confusing anyone that might be watching, but the pistol hinted at another level of danger.

"Pardon?" Sara wasn't sure what Ann was referring to, "What are you talking about? The plane crash, or the wedding?"

"I was referring to the pistol stuck in your belt." Ann replied Sara placed her backpack in the explorer and then turned to Ann, "Well it started off as protection for four legged wolves, and now I guess it's for protection against the two legged variety. There's a chance that the plane crash wasn't an accident. And as soon as a certain lawyer finds out that I'm not only alive, but married to the man who has my father's voting proxy there's no telling what could happen."

"And when exactly do you think he is going to find this out?" Ann asked. Sara smiled, "At five o'clock local Jim and I are going to be giving a live interview." Sara watched as Ann's look turned suspicious. "Yes, live from Anahim Lake, British Columbia." Sara said with a grin, "We're being rescued as we speak, I should think." Sara's laugh was infectious enough that Ann finally succumbed to it as well, so that when Jim returned with the rest of their gear, namely the carry cases containing the rifles and assault rifles that they had brought from the crashed plane, the two of them were near breathless laughing.