A heavy beat crossed between them, and I felt the weight of all our unspoken family bullshit. No surprise there. The Bransons collected drama same as Frank collected enemies.
I cleared my throat. "Any idea where he went?"
"Nope," Kayden said, demolishing his second pie.
"Him and Razor just vanished," Cassidy said.
"And Razor hasn't been seen either?" I liked that stallion. I hoped he wasn't suffering.
Cassidy shook her head. "Nope."
"Did Dad take anything with him?"
"Don't know for sure, but his rifle is gone, so he must have that."
That would be right. That rifle meant more to him than Mom ever did. I pushed that rotten thought away. "But it's dry as hell out there, and nobody found a trail?"
"Not even a single hoofprint." Declan's jaw tensed.
Kayden reached for a sausage roll and dunked it in tomato sauce. "Either Dad didn't want us following him, or somebody made damn sure we couldn't."
The second option made more sense. Koolaroo was the only thing Dad ever truly loved. The stubborn bastard would've sawn off his own arm before missing a muster.
Nothing about this felt right. Not at all.
"Have you called Bob Ackerman?" I asked. "Maybe Winton police know what's going on." Not that a cop shop two hundred kilometers away would do much.
"Hell no." Kayden jabbed a finger at me. "Nobody knows Dad's missing but us. And it's gotta stay that way."
"Calm down," Declan said.
"No, I won’t calm down.” Kayden tightened his jaw. “The second anyone catches wind Dad might be dead, those development vultures will swoop in and wrestle for chunks of our land."
"Wow. Dramatic," Cassidy muttered, giving an exaggerated eye roll.
"Not fucking dramatic. It's real. Dad's disappearance must stay between us until we find him. Clear?" Kayden stared each of us down until we nodded.
"Right. We're wasting time." Kayden grabbed his cowboy hat off the table.
"Hold up." Cassidy threw up a hand. "Bella's packing food for the ride. Just wait a damn second." She strode into the hallway, heading for the ranch kitchen.
Kayden turned to me with a smirk. "You remember how to ride?"
"Funny." I shot him a look. "You still starting fights in the cattle yard?"
"You betcha." He winked. "Best way to burn off steam."
"And get your nose broken," Declan muttered.
Kayden tapped the bridge of his crooked nose. "Yeah, but you should've seen the other guy."
Cassidy marched back in with four loaded packs. "Food's sorted. This'll last you four days. After that, you're on your own. I've got all the horses ready and packed with water, binoculars, and a rifle." She paused, then aimed a look at Kayden. "Try not to shoot yourself."
“Ha-ha." Kayden huffed, grabbing a food pack.
"We only have two satellite phones." Cassidy slid the bulky phones onto the table. "I'm taking one," she said. "Who wants the other?"
My brothers both looked at me.