A Gambling Man // Ryan x OC

30

"I'll make some calls, where can we meet you?"

"On the reservation, I'll send you the exact location, can you meet us in about two hours?"

"Yeah, see you then, and Chief?"

"Yes?"

"Tell the family to let me know if they need anything."

"You're a good person, Miss Dutton, my people will forever be grateful for everything you have done for this community," Chief Rainwater meant every word. She's held fundraisers, helped out at the school, saved their animals for free and even made anonymous donations but they all knew it was her. She was the shining star of the Dutton family.

Mae hung up the phone and made a couple of calls before she gathered Charlie, Liam, Cowboy and Avery. They were all willing to close the clinic early and went to help.

xxx

Mae, Charlie, Liam, Cowboy and Avery walked in front of about another thirty to thirty-five volunteers as they joined Monica, her volunteers, Kayce and the livestock agents, the Reservation police and Chief Rainwater.

"These are all the people I could get on short notice," Mae gestured towards the group.

"It all helps," the Chief smiled.

"Alright folks, listen up! Everybody stays ten feet apart, you scan the area around you. Don't just look for Silla! You look for clothes, footprints, a phone, a set of keys. If you find something, do not touch it! You stand over it and you shout 'Hey!' and you wave your arm, an officer will come to you. Alright, lets go," Mae walked with Monica while Kayce and Ryan trotted on their horses with them.

"I didn't know he called you too," Kayce called to his sister as he and Monica watched how every native they passed waved and smiled at the blonde.

"Yeah, well, he asked if I could get some people here to help," Mae shrugged.

"I didn't know so many of my people knew you," Monica stated as the greetings continued.

"When you two started raising Tate here, I wanted to contribute to my nephews life, even if I never got the chance to meet him. So I started holding fundraisers for the school, sent care packages to families in need and made a couple of donations to the Reservation funds.

"How didn't either of you know? Hell, the whole bunkhouse knows," Ryan asked the married couple.

"I was still pissed at Kayce so I when they asked me what they owed me, I just told them not to tell Kayce and they must have included Monica in that statement," Mae shrugged.

"Why am I not surprised?," Monica asked laughing softly and Kayce nodded along, Mae just shrugged.

The group eventually separated as Kayce went forward and Monica went to talk to some of her students while Ryan and Mae stayed close to one another. She told him about the guy in the clinic and they laughed at how she told him to fuck off.

Everyone was stopped when Kayce and Chief Rainwater's second noticed a coyote not far from them.

"Tell them not come any closer!"

"Everybody stop!"

Mae could see from Kayce and Chief Rainwater's faces that they found the girls' body. Tears gathered in Mae's eyes, Ryan jumped down from his horse and pulled her into a hug.

"C'mon, lets get back to the ranch, try and cheer you up," Ryan kissed her forehead and helped her onto the horse while he walked beside it.

xxx