Twenty minutes later, the brothers galloped into a clearing with a small log cabin—Homestead Hollow. Nugget and Sunny were both saddled and tied to a hitching post.
“It’s them,” Hayden said, leaping off Red and dropping the reins to the ground. He didn’t want to waste another minute before making sure they were okay.
“Gran didn’t light a fire.” Rhett tied up his horse while taking stock of the cabin. “No smoke.”
Hayden reached the cabin and opened the door.
*
Eve tried to focus on chores, keeping herself busy after Rhett and Hayden left. If she stopped moving, the fear crept back in.
The twins tried their best to distract her.
“I rode out alone once,” Piper admitted, piling her scrambled eggs on a slice of white bread. “Got lost and couldn’t find my way home.”
Eve’s heart lurched. She hadn’t realized this was a common occurrence in a child’s ranch life.
“I thought Dad would tan your hide,” Sadie added, slathering her toast with strawberry jam. “But all he did was hug you.”
“You hugged me too,” Piper pointed out.
Sadie set her toast on her plate. She stared at her twin, frowning. “Piper, I was afraid you’d fallen off your horse, got bit by a rattler, and died. Of course, when you walked back in the door, I was going to hug you.”
“Ah,” Piper cooed. “You love me.”
“Right now,” Sadie muttered, picking up her toast. “Can’t promise tomorrow.”
Eve laughed. She couldn’t help it.
And then her cell phone rang. She nearly dropped it trying to answer.
It was Hayden. “We found them out at Homestead Hollow. They’re safe. Gran and Katie both. The horses are fine too.”
“They found them,” Eve told the twins.
“Can we hear, too?” Piper asked.
Sadie nodded.
Eve put her phone on speaker.
“Is that Mama?” Katie’s voice. So subdued. And then she must have come closer to the phone, because her voice became clearer, although at the same time small. “We got lost, Mama. And then it was dark and cold and there were spiders.”
The twins gasped and shivered.
“But everything’s fine now,” Hayden said in the background. “Tell your mother that you’re fine, honey. And that you’ll never ever ride out alone with Gran again.”
“Hey,” Irene said, also in the background. “I told you I knew where Homestead Hollow was. We had a roof over our heads. And I brought my picnic blanket. We’re tougher than we look.”
“You should have brought food, water, and a cell phone,” Hayden chastised, none too gently. “And then you should have told Evie where you were going.”
“Clyde knew where we were,” Irene said as if offended.
“Clyde?” Hayden’s voice hit the ceiling, if there was one where they were.
“Yes, Clyde.”
“I think Clyde is one of the spiders in the cabin,” Katie said staunchly.