Jack Halverson continued

   "Tanney you are going to drive us all insane with your constant worrying," Riley Cauls said exasperated at his only daughters fretting "And you shouldn't be carrying those feed bags"
   "I can't help it. I can't help thinking that the new owner might consider me more of a liability to this place and refuse to keep me on" She said stubbornly picking up another bag of feed and carrying it into the barn.
   "Then he'll loose his foreman because I won't stay if he won't let you"
   "Then we are both out of a job. And that's not the only reason, it would kill me to have to leave this place. I've been here my entire life"
   "Carrying those feed bags isn't going to prove anything right now it's only going to put a strain on your legs"
   Tanney didn't like it when anyone, including her father, tried to go easy on her but she would also have to admit her fragile legs would only handle so much in one day. Four short years ago she'd been riding in the passenger seat of a truck driven by her older brother Matthew when a tire blew and the truck flipped several times. In retrospect he had probably been going a little too fast and they had been driving down a dirt road as well.
   Matthew had been killed instantly and her legs had been broken in several places but her stubborn nature had refused to let that day take everything from her. Once her legs had healed she tenaciously worked her way through months of physical therapy and was back working at the ranch within a year. Roy Halverson who owned the ranch at the time had taken care of all her medical expenses and refused repayment for it but that's just the kind of man he was. His employees were like family to him and he took care of all of them.
   Roy's lawyer Warren had been trying to contact his nephew Jack for months now and had even hired a private investigator but so far nothing had turned up leaving them all in limbo until something was settled. The estate had set aside provisions to keep the Red Star running until Jack could be found but the main house had sat unused since Roy's death and it just didn't feel right not to have someone there.
   "Well speak of the devil" Her father Riley said as she came out of the barn to grab another feed bag.
   They both watched as Warren Jones drove up in a big top of the line diesel truck. Most lawyers would probably be driving around in Cadillac, Buick, or Chrysler but Warren was a man unto himself and said the truck got him around on the back roads much better than any fancy vehicle.
   Both Riley and Tanney stopped what they were doing and walked over to Warrens truck as he shut if off and climbed out.
   "Normally I would just call you with any information and leave a message but I thought you might want to hear this right away"
   "Hear what?" Riley asked
   "We found Jack"
   "That's a relief," Riley said glad at the news "did he give you any sense about what he intends to do?"
   "Things are still up in the air right now as expected. He's got himself a well paying job at his mother's marketing firm and he'd be walking away from quite a lot to come out here"
   "That is a lot to walk away from" Riley said worried


More next time as the events on the Red Star unfold.....