Little Miss Rodeo Queen

Chapter 24

Chapter 24

"What do you mean gone?" I asked.

"Like we can't even get a hold of him on his cellphone, that's what I mean!" Travis said. "And Jack was with him too! We don't know what could've set him off! They both took a horse and we have no idea where they could've gone!"

"Be there as soon as I can." I hung up the phone and shoved it in my pocket. Blake and Jack might be a pain in the butt, but they're only kids.

I grabbed my baseball cap and pulled my hair through the hole in the back so it was a fake pony tail. I pulled the brace on my ankle and rushed out of my room. I ran through the kitchen and grabbed the keys to the truck. Before I could run out the back door, Dad caught me by the arm.

"Hold on there," He said, "Where's the fire?"

"It's Blake," I said. "Travis just called and said he was missing."

"I thought you didn't like Blake," Wyatt said.

"Just because I think he's a pain in the butt doesn't mean I don't care 'bout him," I said. I ran out the back door and jumped into the truck. Brant and Wyatt ran out before I could drive off.

"You can't leave," Brant said. "Sydney will be here soon!"

"Tell her I'm sorry I couldn't be here for her arrival," I said. "But I can't just let Blake roam around all 'lone."

"We're comin' with you," Brant said.

"Sydney's your girlfriend," I said, "You two stay here." I backed up and peeled out of the drive way, leaving Brant and Wyatt in a cloud of dust.

I turned the truck off and jumped out to meet Travis by the barn.

By the time I got there, Travis had saddled up Ghost Rider and Eclipse, both with saddle bags filled and a lasso on each saddle horn.

"You okay?" I asked walking up to him.

"What do you think!?" He said.

"Okay, first, calm down," I said as Travis ran his fingers through his hair. He started pacing back and forth as I talked, "Second, where do you think they might've gone?"

"First thing that came to mind were the back trails," Travis said in a panicked voice.

"Then that's where we'll check first," I said. "Now lets get goin'." I untied Eclipse and got on her back as Travis got on Ghost Rider. I gave one good kick to my horse's side and we ran out of the barn fast as a bullet. We ran through the yard and cleared the small wooden fence dividing the house yard to the fields.

"What are your mom and dad doin' about this?" I called over to him.

"Called the police 'bout it," He answered. "What else would they do if their youngest went missin'?"

"Do Jack's parents know?"

"Yeah," He answered, "Called 'em right after we called the cops."

"Let's just hope the coyotes or Mountain lions didn't get to 'em first," I said. Travis didn't answer me on that. I kicked Eclipse sides harder and she went into a flat out gallop. Travis soon caught up to us as we sped through the woods.

I scanned the woods for anything. A flash, a horse, anything that could resemble Blake or Jack being through here.

Travis suddenly pulled his horse to a halt, making me speed on. I turned Eclipse around and trotted back to where Travis stopped.

"Why'd you stop?" I asked, getting off. Travis held a black cowboy hat in his hands.

"This was Blake's," He said, his voice breaking. I walked over to him and took the hat. Travis cupped his hands over his mouth and screamed Blake's name at the top of his lungs. When he dropped his arms, his expression was not a happy one. Travis looked like he was about to cry.

"We're gonna find him," I said. "Let's keep goin' and see what we come across, okay?" Travis reluctantly turned back to his horse and got back on. I got back on Eclipse and walked along Travis.

While walking, I flipped open my saddle bag. Three apples, four granola bars, a water bottle, and. . . A box of bullets?

"Question, Travis," I said, "Why do I have a pistol and a box of bullets in my saddle bag?"

"Ever tell you 'bout the mountain lion up here?" Travis said.

"I thought you were just jokin' about that," I said.

"Well," Travis said, "I wasn't. Coyotes and mountain lions. It's why we lock our animals up at night." Well my day just got a whole lot better knowing that I could meet my possible doom out here.

"Very rarely do we see 'em though," Travis said. "So I probably I brought those for nothing."

"Let's just drop the whole mountain lion idea," I said, "I think I'd rather break another rib than meet one face to face."

"Speakin' of which," Travis said, "How ya doin'?"

"Sore," I said. "Really sore." I couldn't lie about being sore. It hurts all over. Never run with a broken ankle and three broken ribs.

"When should we call it quits?" I asked, "Like, I'm not sayin' right now."

"Maybe before dusk," Travis said, "If we--"

"TRAVIS!" We both looked to our left and saw Jack galloping straight towards us on Ranger. We stopped our horses right as he came up to us. There was dirt smeared on Jack's face along with a small cut on his left eyebrow. His blond hair made him look like he just got out of bed and was now a dark blond.

"Where's Blake?" Travis asked.

"That's why I came." Jack was shaky and seemed worked up. "We were riding along the trails when something spooked Black-Jack and Ranger. We--"

"You took Black-Jack!?" Travis yelled. "No. Never mind that. Just take us to Blake."

"And that's the other thing," Jack said, "He's hurt. And bad."

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Dun dun dun!!!!! :D

Cliff hanger! Well, sorta. So, hope you enjoyed it and yet again, I'm not sure when I'll have the next chapter up.