Almost three days had passed since Sonny mysteriously disappeared; It had been over a full day since Clint had been gone searching for Sonny. Now Jeweldean had started to worry about both of their safety, not just Sonny's. Jeweldean prayed harder and harder every day, but today something was different. After she put the children down for a nap, Jeweldean decided to take a short walk, but she didn't dare to walk where she couldn't clearly see the house, in case Sonny or Clint did return. As she walked, Jeweldean prayed again. This time though, she felt a calming peace come over her that she hadn't felt since Sonny hadn't returned home from rounding up the cows. Something in her told her that Sonny was okay, and that more importantly, he was alive, but there was still a hole inside of her. Jeweldean knew that the calming presence she felt was God, and she trusted that God would bring her dear husband home to her safely.

       Feeling the calmest and most reassured she had for days, Jeweldean walked back to the house with a smile on her face. Once she returned to the house, she walked inside, and began to make the noon-day meal. A loud growl from Jeweldean's stomach reminded her that she hadn't eaten at all since this time yesterday. Putting a hand on her stomach, she talked to her unborn baby, "I know, little one. I'm sorry. I'm gonna make us some food now, okay? I'm sorry I haven't eaten for a while."

      "Are you talkin' to yer belly agin, mama?" Jeweldean jumped; she hadn't heard little Cody come down the hall from his nap. Jeweldean's smile widened as she told her son to come over to her. She bent down and grabbed Cody's little hand, placing it on her stomach.

       "Do you feel that?" Jeweldean asked Cody when the baby kicked. Cody nodded. "That's who I was talkin' to. Yer little brother or sister is very anxious to git out and meet ya, huh?"

      "Yeah, mama." Cody said, awed in amazement.

         Jeweldean stood up. "Now do you want to help me make some food?" A huge grin conquered Cody's tiny face, and his eyes glimmered like the stars.

       "Oh yes, ma. I would love to help. What can I do?" Cody loved to help his ma cook, and Jeweldean willingly let him do almost anything as long as it couldn't bring harm to her son.

     "Well, you could start by stirrin' this." Jeweldean handed Cody a bowl of flour and yeast that she had prepared to make biscuits with. Cody willingly stirred the batter, and talked his mama's ear off about his visit down to the creek yesterday with Carver and how he caught a frog but then had to let it go because, "I knew you don't like slimy thangs like that in the house, and I didn't want it to scare Suzanne." Jeweldean couldn't help but smile at her son.

      Cody and Jeweldean made a great team, working side by side to make lunch. By the time they were done cooking, they had quite a feast which consisted of biscuits, gravy, mashed potatoes, peas, turkey, and for dessert, they made cornbread.

        The cooks were still laughing when they sat down to eat with four of the five ranch hands. Jeweldean just happened to glance to her left, out the screen door, and saw a horse loping towards her house. She gasped, dropping the bowl of peas that she was carrying to the table, and ran outside.

     "Sonny, Sonny!" Jeweldean screamed, exuberant, and smiling, hopeful that her husband had returned home. 

      As the rider came closer, though, Jeweldean's mood took a complete turn. The mysterious rider was not Sonny and on the horse's saddle, a body wrapped in burlap was tied. Tears swelled up in Jeweldean's eyes, as the rider dismounted. Coming closer to her, Jeweldean saw that it was Clint, Sonny's best friend. Even though Jeweldean had known Clint for several years, right now he seemed more like a stranger than anything else.

     Once Clint made eye contact with Jeweldean he removed his hat, and looked at the ground as he continued to walk towards her.

     Jeweldean's hands flew up to her mouth and the tears that had swelled up in her eyes broke loose, as if a floodgate had just been opened.

      "Lord God, please don't let it be Sonny. God please. Please." Jeweldean screamed ferociously in her mind.

        Clint walked closer and closer to Jeweldean, but Jeweldean couldn't bring herself to walk any closer to him. Even though the walk from Clay's horse to where Jeweldean was standing was only a few feet, it seemed like the longest walk of Clay's life.

         "Ma'am..." Clint started out, "I'm real sorry to tell you this, but..." Clint turned slightly and nodded his head toward the burlap on his saddle. "I found 'im 'bout three miles back." Jeweldean sobbed harder with every word Clay spoke. "Now ma'am, I tried to save 'im, I really did. But by the time I found him...well, I reckon it was too late."

     Jeweldean felt sick to her stomach but it wasn't from the baby. Still, she couldn't bring herself to say anything to Clint. She looked at Clint with desperate eyes, waiting for him to continue. But Clint said nothing. Instead he began walking towards his horse.

      Scenes from Jeweldean's horrible dreams she had been having for the past three nights flooded her mind, and she realized the horrors she saw in her nightmares were about to come true as she slowly followed Clint to his horse.

      Once they reached Clint's horse, Clint placed his hat back on his head in order to have two free hands to untie one of the strings that were tied on the burlap. Jeweldean braced herself to see her beloved husband laying across Clay's saddle...dead. Every moment seemed to move in slow motion. Slowly, Clint drew back the fabric to reveal the face of a man. A strong, pungent odor flooded Jeweldean's nostrils.

      Jeweldean looked at the man's face, but couldn't clearly make out who it was because her tears had fogged her vision. She sniffed, and wiped her eyes, and looked once more into the man's face. Another round of tears bounded on the brink of Jeweldean's eyelids. This time though, they were happy tears. The man that Clint had brought on his saddle was not Sonny.

      Taking a step back, Jeweldean wiped her eyes yet again. Fixing her gaze upward, Jeweldean breathed out a "Thank you, Father;" she was oh so relieved that the man that Clay had revealed to Jeweldean was not Sonny.

      Clint sniffed. "I was ridin' back here from town and, y'see ma'am, when I found 'im, he was holdin' a whiskey bottle. That's what that smell is. He had a real bad shiner on his left eye. He was coming from the direction of the saloon. And I found tiny slivers of glass all about his body and clothes. I reckon he was in a bar fight, and died of alcohol poisonin'."

       "Gosh Clint that's awful. Now don't you go scaring me like that again. I thought you brought Sonny." Jeweldean replied to Clint. She slapped his arm for emphasis.

       "No ma'am. That was my other bad news, though, I found this." Clint held out a small dirty and bloody plaid fabric. "This is from the shirt that Sonny was wearin' the other day when he went to wrangle that lost steer. I found it on y'all's property, but it was far out-where we usually don't go. I don't know what it means ma'am." Clint handed the fabric to Jeweldean. "I prayed the whole way to the Stephen's ranch and back. Stephen said he hadn't seen no one out, and none of his steers were missin'. I'm sorry Jeweldean."

       "He...he has to be out there, Clint. We both know that Sonny can find his way home better'n anyone else in Callieburg. He's gotta come home, Clint. He's gotta." Jeweldean said, the tears returning to the brims of her eyes.