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She tried calling Nanabelle, but disconnected the call before it even rang. Nanabelle wouldn’t be able to answer the phone. Instead, she called Tanner, but it went straight to voicemail.
Of course it did. Why did he tell her to keep hers handy when he wasn’t going to answer his?
Then she remembered they’d turned their ringers off last night, wanting the world to disappear for a while. She’d turned hers back on that morning, so she could time the donuts frying. But Tanner must have forgotten.
She glanced out the window, desperate and hoping to see him riding back across the pasture, but it stretched empty except for the trees and the distant mountains.
But his truck sat right there in front of the cabin.
She wasn’t supposed to leave. She’d probably get in so much trouble. But Nanabelle needed her. Right now. She could call for the ambulance from town, but she was so much closer. Nanabelle’s life might be hanging in the balance.
Running into the bedroom, Junie pulled on some jeans, scribbled a note for Tanner, then grabbed the keys from the dresser and ran for the door before she could talk herself out of it.
She almost tripped down the porch steps when she saw him. Dodger sat at the edge of the porch like a silent guardian. Those bright blue eyes watched her intently. He didn’t move, but the way he stared made the hair on her arms stand straight up. She swallowed hard.
“Be a sweet dog and don’t eat me, okay?” she whispered, voice trembling as she edged past him toward the truck.
Dodger gave a soft snort, almost like he understood and was insulted. If she did not know better, she would have sworn he did.
Her heart sank when she approached the front gate and found it closed. Of course it was. She slowed the truck, her mind racing as she tried to figure out how she could get through the gate.
What could she possibly say to the ranch hand on duty that would get him to open it fast without too many questions? She didn’thave time to explain that her grandmother was hurt and bleeding, and she was probably about to get in the worst trouble of her life for leaving the cabin.
She was still scrambling for ideas when the gate suddenly began to slide open on its own. A moment later, Will Doherty stepped out of the small guard house, waving her through with a friendly smile
Junie waved back as she drove forward, a quick rush of relief washing over her. But when he got a good look at her, his face changed.
His eyes widened in shock, then horror. He started running after the truck, waving his arms wildly and shouting something she could not quite make out over the engine. At least that’s what she told herself.
“Miss Junie! Wait! Stop!”
She shrugged it off and pressed the gas pedal harder. She didn’t have time to stop. She didn’t have time to explain. Nanabelle needed her right now, and every second counted. She left Will shouting behind her in the dust.
Surely her Daddy would understand when he found out.
Rainbow’s Edge was so close to the ranch, and right now she was thankful for every mile she’d shaved off that distance. A flash of movement to her left caught her eye.
She gasped when she saw Dodger running along the tree line, easily keeping pace with the truck. What in the world? Before she could yell at the wolf to go home, he veered into the trees and disappeared from sight.
Tanner had said Dodger did things like that. She wondered what it meant for half a second before turning her focus back to the road and pressing the accelerator even harder.
She made it to the house in minutes. Her hands wouldn’t stop shaking as she ran up the back porch steps of Rainbow’s Edge. The text from Nanabelle had been so frantic, so unlike herde factograndmother’s usual cheerful messages. She could barely think straight. All that mattered was getting to her.
Bursting through the back door, she entered the kitchen, chest heaving. The house was quiet. That might be a bad sign. She braced herself to find Nanabelle on the floor, bleeding.
“Nanabelle! I’m here! Where are you?”
At the sound of her voice, barking erupted, though it sounded odd. She cocked her head but couldn’t concentrate on its location as she took a few more steps into the kitchen, circling the island, and froze.
Nanabelle wasn’t there. Had she managed to crawl somewhere else? But then there would be blood on the floor, right? Unease crept slowly into her chest. Maybe her grandmother’s injuries weren’t as bad as the text made them sound. If that were the case, she wished Nanabelle had called her.
Maybe she had cleaned up and gone to lie down. That would be just like her, trying not to worry anyone. She probably just forgot to send a follow-up text. That had to be it.
Junie checked Nanabelle’s bedroom next. That room was also empty. Her unease twisted tighter into real panic. Something was off. It felt all wrong. The barking had grown louder, but there was still no sign of Pup. An urgent need to get back to the cabin hit her hard.
A low grunt came from the front room. Junie headed that way, heart pounding. Why would Nanabelle have gone there? They always used the kitchen door. Sure enough, she could see the top of her grandmother’s curly silver head just visible over the back of her favorite armchair.
“Nanabelle, thank god I found you.” Junie ran around to the front of the chair.
