Two Worlds Collide

Begin the Search

Victoria's heart dropped.

Missing?? Why would she be missing?!

She couldn't get the thought out of her mind. Sure, she hadn't met Reba's family yet but that didn't mean that she didn't have her worries for them.

"Where was she last seen?" Reba asked Alice, trying to stay calm.

"She was out riding on the ranch. She was visiting and wanted to ride the property. Reba...she never came back. We searched and searched...but-..." Alice took a shuddering breath in. "...but we can't find her."

"Don't worry. I'll pack a bag and bring Victoria with me. We'll help find her." Reba reassured her.

"Thank you." Alice breathed out, a bit of relief on her tone. "And Reba...?"

"Yeah?"

"Stay safe." Alice told her.

"I will. I love you."

"Love you too."

Reba hung up the phone and placed her hand over her mouth. How on earth could Susie have disappeared? They all know the property like the back of their hand.

"Where does everyone live?" Victoria asked, interrupting Reba's thoughts.

"Well, we all were born and raised in Oklahoma. My mama, your grandmother, still lives there. We all go visit from time to time and ride along the property on horseback." Reba told her before confusion and worry filled her features.

"What is it?"

"I just don't understand how she could be gone." Reba said, voicing her thoughts aloud.

"If y'all know the property then she wouldn't have gotten lost." Victoria worked out. "She might have been taken."

Reba slammed her fist on the counter, dishes clanging a bit from the force. She then closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and pointer finger.

"We may have to do our own little investigation." Victoria told her, an idea popping in her head.

"How's that?" Reba asked, confusion written on her face.

"I can use my computer to look into her phone and see where she's been, who she's talked to, and if someone's been looking for her." Victoria explained, hope filling her features.

"Alright. Show me what we need to do."

Victoria rushed up the stairs and grabbed her laptop and phone before running back down.

"Okay..." she began, sitting her laptop down on the coffee table in the living room. "Let me get these programs open and we'll get started."

Reba moved to sit on the couch behind her, watching her intently. "So we'll be able to see everything?"

"Pretty much." Victoria smiled at her. "The only thing I need from you is her phone number."

Reba nodded and opened up Susie's contact on her phone, showing the screen to Victoria.

"Great." she nodded and gave a small smile before she began punching in the information. "You both kinda look alike."

"Well we are related."

"No, no." Victoria giggled. "I mean, you look really similar. I know you're family, but it's just crazy how much you look like one another."

"You and Shelby kinda look alike."

At her words, Victoria's heart sank. She hadn't seen him since the day he helped her move in. He didn't know then that he had a sister. She had just found out they were siblings.

"Um...I'm not too sure."

"Of course you do. I think y'all are a good mix of each other." Reba said matter-of-factly.

Victoria sighed and shook her head. "But you see him when you look at me. Don't you?"

Reba froze at her statement, looking her over. Of course she had some prominent features from Narvel. Brown hair, brown eyes, that crooked little smile when she was up to something. She'd never thought long and hard on it before, but that's because that's not what she saw.

"Sweetheart, I don't see him when I look at you." Reba began, placing a hand on her cheek. "You know what I see...?"

Victoria shook her head, curiosity filling her features.

Reba smiled and began rubbing her thumb along her cheek. "I see a strong, independent, kind, and quick-witted young woman. You'd give somebody the shirt off your back if ya could to help them. You do have a bit of a temper...but you get that from your mama."

Victoria laughed, her nose crinkling as her smile grew. That look and that laugh, all Reba. "Thanks mama."

Reba's heart swelled and her breath caught in her throat. This is one of the first times she remembers Victoria calling her mama.

"You're more than welcome babygirl."

Victoria's smile grew and she reached out, pulling Reba into a hug and holding her tight.

Reba wrapped her arms around her, holding her close. She placed a kiss to the top of her head and smiled. This is why she fought. This is why she searched for so long. Her baby was home. She wasn't going to let this go.

Soon Victoria's laptop began to beep. She turned her head, not quite letting go of Reba, so that she could see what appeared.

"It looks like she's spoken to a lot of people." Victoria told Reba as she read through the information. "Let's see...Alice, Jacqueline, Mark..."

"That's all people I know. My sister, our mama, her husband..." Reba told her.

"It looks like there was someone who called from and unknown number."

"Can we find out who it is?"

"Maybe...if she picked it up that is." Victoria explained before moving to her laptop and typing in a bit more code in. "Looks like she did pick it up. Why she did, we won't know."

Reba sighed and closed her eyes before opening them again. She'd told Susie over and over again about how important it was to screen her calls and not to answer if she didn't know the caller. She also knew her sister all too well. She was too kind to turn anyone down or think the worst of people.

"Okay. Just a second and it should-..." Victoria stopped mid-sentence, seeing the person who called her. "This is how they got her. This is how they found out where she was and how to look for her."

"Why would someone want to do that? Who on earth would take her...?" Reba asked, a bit of exasperation filling her features.

"I'm not sure, but I do know who called her." she told her, moving the computer to where she could see the screen.

"It was Shelby."