So�This Is Montana� Ch. 17
�Man�the view out here is great,� Lance said to Troy Gardner. Lance, Troy, Mitch, and Pete Cowan, another ranch hand, had ridden their horses out to the far edge of the southern pasture and were now surveying the beauty of the changing leaves on the trees standing in a valley below them.
�Yeah�another couple of weeks and all of this will be nothing but white,� Troy said. He glanced over at Lance and saw that he was rubbing his left hand over the brace encircling his right wrist as he continued to look at the scenery about him.
�Problem, Mr. Bass?� he asked. He nudged his horse around so that he could look directly at Lance.
�Nah�� Lance said quietly as he gave his arm a bit of a shake then winced as the dull ache that he had been feeling became sharper. Lance looked over at Troy who was sporting a look that said, �don�t lie to me boy.�
Lance sighed and rolled his eyes as he carefully laid his arm on his thigh. �She pulls pretty hard,� he commented as he ran his left hand up and down his horse�s neck.
�Yeah�I don�t understand why they put you on Skitty,� Troy commented.
�Skitty? You named a horse Skitty?� Lance incredulously, smiling at the other three men. �There has to be a story behind this.�
�Um�Skitty is short for skittish,� Pete said in answer to Lance�s question.
�Oh�� was all that Lance said as he gained a better grip on the reins with his left hand.
The three hands laughed at Lance�s obvious move and Lance couldn�t help but join in the laughter himself as the group continued with their ride.
In the meantime, Chris took Justin and Joey back to the clinic. Justin didn�t really need to go, but didn�t want to stay at the ranch either. JC was sleeping soundly and with Joey and Chris gone and Lance out riding around, Justin would be essentially on his own and he didn�t want to do that, so he decided that going with Chris and Joey was the best choice. Besides, he wanted to know when he might be able to get on a horse so that Lance could show him around and maybe the doctor could let him know something.
�I�m going to go let JC know that we�re getting ready to leave,� Chris said to Joey and Justin, who were seated on a porch swing at one end of the long front porch.
�Okay�don�t forget to ask him if he needs anything from town,� Joey reminded Chris.
�Thanks for reminding me Joey,� Chris replied. �I�ll be right back.�
With that said, Chris entered the house and made his way to the bedroom that he and JC were sharing. He quietly walked into the bedroom and walked over to JC�s bed.
JC was lying on his side on top of his covers, still dressed in the jeans and t-shirt that he had put on when they had all eaten in the kitchen at lunch. Chris knew that JC had not slept very well the previous evening due to the fact that every two hours, Chris had been instructed to awaken him to ask several questions�do you know your name�do you know what year it is�do you know who I am�
Chris had to stifle a small laugh as he remembered JC�s reply to the last question at about 5 in the morning.
�Hey�JC�wake up,� Chris said, gently giving JC�s shoulder a shake as he covered his mouth to prevent a large yawn from escaping.
JC mumbled and tried to pull away from Chris�s grasp, but was unable to. The shakes that Chris was giving him were becoming more insistent, as were his words.
�Come on Jace�wake up�Wake. Up. Now,� Chris said, shaking JC as he emphasized each word he spoke.
JC opened his eyes and stared up at the man who was standing over him.
�What?� JC growled.
�Good�you�re awake,� Chris said, ignoring the hateful look that JC was giving him as he continued with the questions that he had been told to ask. �Do you know your name?� Chris asked.
�Yes,� JC answered in a voice that was bordering anger.
�And�what might it be?� Chris asked as he raised an eyebrow in response to JC�s hateful tone.
�Joshua Scott Chasez,� JC answered�or, rather, growled.
�Do you know who I am?� Chris asked.
�Yes�a dead man if you wake me up one more time before 12:00 noon.�
Chris stood up and with a grin wisely held up his hands in surrender. �You�re fine�I�ll leave you alone,� he said with a laugh as he watched JC turn away from him to face the wall all the while hearing the younger man mumbling something about being left alone to sleep and that any judge in his right mind would rule Chris�s murder as justifiable homicide. .
Chris leaned over JC and gently shook his shoulder. �JC�Jace,� he whispered.
JC stirred under his touch and slowly opened his eyes to stare up at Chris. �Hmm?� was his quiet reply.
�I�m taking Joey to the clinic to get his bandages cleaned and J is tagging along,� Chris said as he watched JC roll from his left side to his back.
�What about Lance?� JC asked. He rubbed his hands over his eyes as Chris answered his question.
�Lance is still out on his ride, but should be back in another couple of hours I guess.�
�Okay,� JC said as he turned from his back to his right side.
�Do you want us to get you anything for you while we�re in town?�
�Um�can�t think of anything right now,� JC answered quietly before blinking heavily up at Chris.
Chris gave his younger friend a small smile as he patted his shoulder. �Go back to sleep. We�ll let you know when we�re back.�
�Okay,� JC answered before closing his eyes. Chris grabbed the thin blanket that was at the foot of his bed and draped it over JC who immediately snuggled underneath it.
�Thanks man,� he whispered.
�No problem�see you later C,� Chris said as he walked out of the bedroom and into the hallway.
Minutes later, Chris, Joey and Justin were driving away from the ranch in a borrowed pick-up not realizing that they had an audience.
�Humph,� a gruff voice said in the barn as he and several others watched the truck pull out of the yard. �Let�s get ready to go play us a game, boys.�
�I think it�s about time we headed on in Mr. Bass,� Troy said as he glanced at his watch.
�Yeah�some of us have to work this week,� Mitch said in a voice full of sarcastic humor, which Lance picked up on immediately.
�Humph�well I guess I should really appreciate the fact that you boys took time out of your busy schedules to entertain me this afternoon,� Lance replied with a smile on his face.
�Yes, sir�you should,� Mitch answered with laugh.
�Well�if you�re in such a hurry�let�s go,� Lance called out over his shoulder as he gave his horse a few nudges with his knees. The horse took off at a gallop with the others spurring their own horses to keep up with Lance.
Minutes later, as the group entered a clearing, Lance�s horse lived up to her name when a standing, hollow stump spooked her. She baulked then unexpectedly changed course. Lance tightened his hold on the horse�s reins with his right hand and gripped the saddle horn with his left as he felt the horse�s steps begin to slip out from under her.
The last thing that Lance heard were the others shouting their warnings as they watched him go down with his horse.
�This is going to be so easy,� the older woman thought to herself. �Mr. Bass will begin to regret ever buying this ranch and, more than that, he�ll regret having brought his friends out here.� The woman stood in the open doorway of JC and Chris�s bedroom. She recalled how her son had called her about 30 minutes earlier and explained his plan to her.
�How would you like to be a part of a little fun, Mama?� John Williams asked. He had watched Chris drive away in the suburban taking Justin and Joey to the county clinic not five minutes earlier. He was sure that the group would be gone at least 2 hours since the clinic was 30 miles from the ranch and that they might have to wait to have Joey�s bandages changed.
�What do you have in mind?� Selma asked as she wiped her hand on a dishtowel. She was busily getting ready to prepare the evening meal for the ranch hands along with the members of Nsync.
�What would you say if I told you that I think Mr. Bass had a mishap out on the south pasture and needs Mr. Chasez�s help?� he answered as he chuckled.
�I�d say that I would want to make sure that Mr. Chasez tries to get out there to him, but�� she said, allowing her son to fill in the blank.
�But�he just doesn�t quite find what he expected. Instead, he finds out that�� he began.
�That there�s someone else waiting for him,� the older woman said.
�What do you think Mama?�
�Sounds like a plan,� Selma replied. �Sounds like a great plan.�
�So you�ll help Mama?� John asked.
�You couldn�t stop me from helping my boy. What do I need to do?�
John spent the next few minutes filling his mother in on the plan that he and a few of the other hands had come up with.
�Mr. Chasez�Mr. Chasez.�
JC was pulled out of his sleep by the female voice and soft hand on his shoulder.
�Mr. Chasez,� the voice said in an insistent tone. �Wake up�there�s been an accident out on the range.�
At the word �accident,� JC�s eyes shot open and he found himself staring up into Selma�s eyes.
�What�what happened?� JC asked as he struggled to awaken his sleep-muddled mind.
�It�s Mr. Bass�he fell off his horse�it doesn�t look real bad, but he�s hurting,� the older woman said as she watched JC sit up. �How did you find out?� JC asked. He reached under the bed to pull out his shoes and fought to maintain his balance as a wave of dizziness swept over him.
�They took cell phones with them and they called,� Selma answered as she watched his struggle with a small smirk on her face that she quickly erased when she saw JC sit up and grasp the bed covers to look at her. �Are you okay?�
JC waved his hand at her and slightly nodded his head. �Yeah�just
�This is going to be so easy,� the older woman thought to herself. �Mr. Bass will never forget this trip and Mr. Benson will regret his decision to sell the ranch to an outsider.� Her thoughts were interrupted when JC once again spoke. �I�m a little dizzy�that�s all.�
�What happened?� JC tugged his shoes on then briefly closed his eyes until another wave of dizziness came and went.
�They said that the horse stepped into a hole and threw him,� she answered. �I don�t know what his condition is or anything like that.�
�Um�where are the others�Chris, Justin and Joey?�
�They haven�t come back from town yet,� she answered as she helped to steady the young man after seeing him slightly stumble after standing up. �How are you doing?�
�I�m okay�it�s Lance I�m worried about,� JC said as he slowly followed her out of the bedroom, through the house and out the front door.
There, in front of the porch were two ranch hands on horses waiting for them with a horse at the ready.
�We have to take horses out to where he is,� Coltin Thomas explained to JC as he gave the young man a hand up.
�Sorry about that,� JC murmured as he accepted the help. �I�m still a little shaky from yesterday.�
�Not a problem,� Jared Collins, said as he rode ahead of the rest of the group with a small smile on his face. �Nope�that won�t be a problem at all.�
�How is he?� Mitch asked as he watched Troy check over Lance�s still form. Just minutes earlier, the three men watched as Lance�s horse lost its footing causing it to crash into the ground. �There�s a good lump on the side of his head here,� Troy said as he pushed Lance�s hair to the side to show Mitch the growing bruise.
�He doesn�t have any broken bones it looks like unless�� Troy said as he carefully pulled at the Velcro straps to loosen the brace on Lance�s right arm. As he pulled the brace away from Lance�s arm, both men could tell that Lance had damaged his wrist.
�Looks like it�s broken,� Troy said quietly as he place the brace back on the young man�s arm.
At the same time, Pete came walking up. �Speaking of broken,� he said in a grim tone of voice as he gestured toward the horse lying on the ground behind them.
�No�not that,� Mitch said as he stood up from his stooped position to look at the animal.
�Yep,� Pete said. �I need your gun Troy.�
Minutes later, the gun�s loud report caused Lance to slightly jerk. With a small moan, he brought his left hand up to his head as he struggled to open his eyes.
�Mr. Bass�Lance�� Troy said quietly as he gently cupped Lance�s chin in his hand turning Lance�s face so that he could see who was talking to him.
�Mmm�wha�mmm�� Lance moaned quietly as he opened his eyes and slowly blinked in an effort to bring the face above him into focus.
�You fell off your horse Lance,� Troy said. He decided that using Lance�s first name would help in easing any fears that the young man might have while returning to consciousness.
�Do you remember that?�
Lance slowly nodded his head in answer to the question and struggled to sit up. �How is�� he began as he spied the horse lying on the ground behind Troy. A shake of Troy�s head was his answer. Lance groaned in response as feelings of guilt took over. He pulled his right arm up to his chest and continued to keep his left hand on head.
�Take it easy,� Mitch said as he knelt beside Lance and gave Troy a hand in helping Lance to sit up. �Don�t worry about the horse�things happen�okay. It wasn�t your fault Mr. Bass. No one could have kept her from doing what she did.�
Lance nodded his head and whispered, �Okay�thanks,� as another wave of dizziness washed over him.
�We�re going to take you back to the house and then to the clinic,� Troy said, as he looked first at Lance and then the others who nodded their heads in agreement.
Lance did not voice an opinion one way or another as he quietly sat with his back leaning into Mitch�s chest.
Pete quickly went back over to Lance�s horse, which had been put out of its misery and worked to pull off its saddle and gear while Mitch and Troy continued to treat Lance for his injuries.
A short time later, Troy was seated on his horse reaching down for a still very dazed Lance as Pete and Mitch lifted him up into his arms. Lance settled onto the saddle with Troy sitting behind him and he leaned heavily against the older man.
�Just relax Mr. Bass,� Troy reassured him. �We�ll get you back to the ranch house soon. Why don�t you just close your eyes and rest.� The ranch hand placed his hand on Lance�s forehead and gently guided his head back until it rested against his right shoulder. Once Lance had settled against him, Troy wrapped his right arm around the young man�s chest, holding him against his body, and nudged his horse forward toward the ranch house, which as at least a 20 to 30 minute ride away at the pace they were forced to take.
�Thanks,� Lance murmured before closing his eyes allowing the swaying motion of the horse to lull him into a light sleep.
JC and the two ranch hands dismounted their horses and made their way to the two ranch hands that were hovering over a third body lying still on the ground. JC walked over as quickly as he could and knelt beside the figure only to realize that the person on the ground was not Lance.
�What kind of sick joke is this?� he yelled in anger. He could feel a fierce headache beginning to develop behind his eyes due to the intensity of his rage and the quick ride out to the deserted pasture. He rubbed his temples and watched first in anger, then confusion as the five men approached him�all wearing smiles on their faces.
�Do you like to play games?� one of the men asked as they circled about JC.
�What are you talking about?� JC angrily yelled. �Why did you lie to me about Lance having an accident?� he demanded as he continued to watch the men circle around him like sharks swimming about their prey.
�We like to play games,� another said as he glanced at the others with a knowing smile. �Our favorite is blind man�s bluff.�
A third hand pulled a bandana from his back pocket and whipped it open then twisted its length. He tied a knot in the middle of it and slightly nodded his head at the others.
Immediately, JC tried to run away but he found he couldn�t when four sets of hands quickly forced him to the ground.
JC began yelling for them to let him go when the knotted bandana was forced into his mouth and the ends were tied tightly behind his head, effectively muffling his angry yells. His breathing became harsh and ragged as he struggled against the hands holding him down. JC struggled a few minutes more but found that it was a waste of what little energy he still had. He decided to give in so that he could save his dwindling reserves. He relaxed somewhat under the rough hands and his arms were forced behind him and a coarse rope was quickly and roughly wrapped tightly around his wrists. Another rope was wrapped about his upper arms while a third rope was wrapped around his arms and about his waist. All three of the ropes effectively kept his upper body immobile. Now JC no longer felt only anger. He was feeling fear�pure, unadulterated fear.
�What happened?� Chris asked as he ran up to see Lance leaning against Troy with a dazed expression on his face.
�His horse threw him about 45 minutes ago,� Mitch answered as he swung down from his horse. Joey and Justin, who were staring at the scene before them in disbelief, quickly joined him and the rest of the group.
�Pete�go get the suburban,� Troy said as he lowered Lance down into Chris and Mitch�s waiting arms. The other hand nodded his head and nudged his horse toward the side of the house where the vehicles were kept.
�Did he hit his head?� Joey asked as he watched Lance blinking slowly at everyone. He knelt down beside his friend and was alarmed when Lance did not seem to acknowledge anyone�s presence. Instead, he simply sat on the ground, his eyes wandering aimlessly.
�Yeah�he took a pretty good lick, but I�m sure he�ll be okay one Doc Parrish has had a chance to check him out,� Mitch answered from Lance�s side.
As the hands were filling Justin, Joey and Chris in on what happened, Selma came out of the house. She did not have to feign her look of surprise when she saw Lance seated on the ground outside with the others by his side. She inwardly chuckled at the forlorn sight before here. It appeared that the young blond could hardly see straight. From where she stood, she could see the bruise forming on the left side of his face and she was also able to see that he was very gingerly holding his right arm securely to his chest.
Chris finally acknowledged her presence as she stood there on the porch.
�Selma�there was an accident,� he said as he stood up.
�I can see that, but where is Mr. Chasez�and the rest of the hands?� Selma asked as she made an act of stepping further out on the front porch and gazing all about for the missing individuals.
Joey and Justin stood up. �What do you mean�where is JC?� Justin asked as his stomach dropped.
�He�s not asleep in his room?� Joey asked as he stepped toward the older woman.
�No�we got a phone call that Mr. Bass had fallen when his horse stepped in a hole in the south pasture. I told Mr. Chasez and he and two hands took off.�
�We were in the north pasture,� Troy commented as he watched Pete drive the suburban up to the small group.
For the time being, Selma was ignored as the others helped Lance into the vehicle. She needed the time to get her story straight.
�Okay�Joey�you go with Lance,� Chris said as he handed Joey his cell phone before Joey got into the vehicle.
�Got your cell Justin?� Joey called out as Troy helped Lance lay down in the seat that Joey was sitting on.
Justin nodded his head and ran past Selma into the house for it. Chris closed the suburban�s door behind Joey. I�ll let you know what�s going on with JC and I better hear from you about Lansten�� Chris said. Joey nodded his head and ran his hand over Lance�s head, which was now lying in his lap. He placed a protective arm over Lance�s shoulders when Pete drove away from the ranch.
As Chris and Justin stood there, watching the vehicle pull away, Mitch and Troy were quizzing Selma.
�Who took him?� Troy asked. He already had a good idea of the persons involved, but wanted to have confirmation of his suspicions first.
�Jared and Coltin,� she softly answered as she began to wring her hands into her apron. �Do you think�� she began but couldn�t finish.
�They�re playing games and I�m pretty sure of who else might be involved,� Mitch said as he patted her on the arm in reassurance. �I�m sure Mr. Chasez will be okay.�