“How’s Drake?” he asked straightaway.
“Good—better than good so far. Oh, I didn’t see you there,” said Sarah, looking past Mac. “Please come in.”
“Can I see him?” she asked.
“Sure, let me just check first… Of course, you can come back,” she said a moment later.
“Whitney!” said an upbeat Drake. “You came to see me.”
“Of course, silly. You had me sick with worry all day.”
“Guess I’m not as good of a tree climber as I thought, huh?”
“The way I see it,” Whitney replied, “is you got shot twice before you fell. That’s pretty hard to beat.”
“At least I broke my fall,” Drake said, putting his good arm over his head.
“That just means you have a thick skull, like all men,” said Mac, coming in behind Dr. Melton.
“What’s that smell?” asked Drake.
“That’s the question of the hour,” said Whitney. “The chefs whipped it up for Mac and Dr. Melton. And he’s been guessing the whole ride down here.”
“We’ll leave you two alone for a few,” Mac told the kids.
* * * *
“What’s for dinner?” Sarah asked Mac. “I’m starved!”
“A bunch of different things, I think. I’m supposed to read you a note from Rico and Patty first—who say ‘Congratulations,’ by the way.”
Mac and Sarah,
Congratulations on your growing family. We appreciate your friendship more than you can know.
All our best, Rico and Patty
“There’s more,” said Mac, turning the note over.
Please enjoy a sampling of our collective work, just in case you are having cravings already.
Dishes include Patty’s famous Smothered Burritos, the best cut of Mac’s last trout…
“Check and check,” said Mac, working his way down his list.
South Korean Barbecue…
“Wait, it says that?” asked Sarah.
“Okay, it just says ‘Korean,’” he joked. “Anyway…and that’s another check, by the way. Three so far.”
“Continuing,” Sarah interjected, acting playfully annoyed.
Curried Beef… “Okay, I was close. Got the curry right, though.”
“Will you just finish already?” she said, trying to grab the note.
“Too slow!” he said, holding it in the air. “But seriously, the last ones are:
Pasta with White Truffle Sauce, Vinegar Vegetable Medley, and Strawberry Ice Cream.
“Why do they always make us so much food?” she asked. “Not that I’m complaining!”
“They’re chefs. It’s what they do.”
“Drake and Whitney, I hope you’re hungry,” she called out.
They pulled up chairs around Drake’s bed and set up TV dinner trays.
“Will I be home tomorrow, Dr. Melton? My dogs are okay tonight, but they’ll be out of food by this time tomorrow.”
“I think so,” she replied. “If not, I’ll have Mac check on them. All right?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’d be happy to,” replied Mac.
“Don’t forget these,” she said, pulling out two airplane-sized bottles off Dewar’s Scotch with “Mac” written on them in black Sharpie. “Look, they even put a glass with ice in there.”
“Oh no, that wouldn’t be fair to you. Thanks, though.”
“I don’t even like Scotch,” she said, smiling.
“You know what I mean,” he told her.
“What I do know,” she responded, “is if you were the one pregnant,” she whispered, while the kids talked amongst themselves, “I would totally be having a glass of Chardonnay.”
She made his drink, not giving him a choice in the matter.
“What did I ever do to deserve you?” he asked.
“Everything,” she replied.
* * * *
Mac dropped Whitney off at her grandparents’ temporary apartment before 9 p.m. and headed home. He made a quick stop at the kitchen, finding Rico’s young chefs cleaning up the last of dinner.
“Are they here, Rico and Patty?”
“No, he’s gone for the night,” said one young man, adding in a lower voice, “he’s spending the night down the road.”
“Oh, I see. Better keep that to yourself, though,” replied Mac.
“Just tell him I stopped by to thank them when you see them.”
* * * *
Mac walked out of the Pavilion at nearly full dark when he heard it—a rumbling coming from the south end of the Valley, heading north.
“What in the world is that?” asked one of the cooks, stepping outside behind Mac.
“I don’t know,” he replied, “but you may want to stay inside for a bit.”
Mac was at a full run across the Ranch, not having to knock on Cory’s door.
“Is that what I think it is?” asked Cory, still not seeing anything in the dark sky.
They walked out onto the lawn, straining their eyes to see something matching the sound. Whoosh! came the first helicopter over the reservoir, followed closely by another, and one more after that, with lights illuminating the Valley walls.
They flew low, fanning the Valley from east to west.
“Those are Blackhawks, right?” asked Cory.
“Yep,” replied Mac. “I haven’t seen one since it went dark, but they were kind of a regular thing before that, chasing around the silver discs.”
“Do you mean UFOs?”
“All I know is I don’t know what they are, but they’re fast and quiet as a Prius. So, unidentified and flying? Absolutely.”
The three passed overhead in succession, hovering less than a minute later over the West’s property.
“The only problem with the helicopters is I’ve never seen one land,” said Mac.
Two helicopters hovered over the West’s property, with one lowering to the ground, as best they could guess.
“What are they doing here?” asked Mac aloud, running now with Cory towards his truck.
“Easy now, Mac. We don’t know if they’re friend or foe yet; and either way, we need to be careful. One wrong move, and that’s a wrap.”
“Yeah, I know. But Sarah is there, and I need to get a message to Samuel.”
“Unless he’s dead asleep, I think he already knows,” Cory replied.
Ranch citizens popped out of their homes, one after another, talking amongst themselves.
* * * * * * *
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Saddle Ranch
Loveland, Colorado
Mac drove the truck on the back canal road, with lights off. He could have done it in his sleep, but the moon and clear skies helped visibility to at least 20 feet ahead to the west end of the property. His night-vision goggles gave him a basic idea of the situation.
“Stay here, Cory, and radio
