Splash! Ohh how the sound of whiskey hitting my shot glass makes me smile. Jack is the only thing that keeps me smiling in this town anymore. You can hardly trust anyone is this town. Every night I come home to a pile of cases stacked taller than the neck of  my bottle. Staring into the bottle I watched as the house came down tumbling in a fury of flames. Held down by five firefighters there was nothing I could do. I can still hear her scream pierce through my heart as she turned into ash. My world and my future just turning into dust. My head started pounding as I cried. My arm started tingling like it was going numb. I found myself on the floor next to my desk with tears streaming down and soaking my shirt. I miss my wife more than anything.The firefighters said it was caused by a leaking gas line, yet her grandmother blames me for it. Even 16 years later.
“You’ve got mail!” My computer is yelling at me again. I wonder who it is this time. The message read, “ Scarlet McGarth: wanted for stealing deputy’s horse.” The crazy thing is that McGarth is my last name. This is a small town, something isn’t right. My wife wanted to name her daughter Scarlet but we never had a child. Am I going crazy? I have to call my deputy, he has to be pulling a fast one on me.
“I knew you would be calling me shortly I have something to tell you.” The deputy’s voice was concerning.
“Well partner, what is it?”
“You have a daughter, sir. She is 16 and she stole my horse! Now, I will help you find her but by dear god if there is even a hair missing off my horse.”
“Now calm down, Deputy, we will get your horse. How do you know she’s mine?”
“While you were drafted in the military your wife was pregnant with your child. I noticed that she was going to the doctors a lot but she always told me it was to see her counselor so I didn’t question it, until now. You came back literally a day after Scarlet was born, the night that your wife passed away. I am sorry sir.”
“ Meet me back at the office by sundown.”
My heart dropped when I hung up. I have a daughter that is 16 and I didn’t even know she existed. There are so many questions  I have that my brain is boiling into rage. I can feel my hands tighten and burn. My wife didn’t even get the chance to tell me.  “AHHH!” My sadness turned into rage. With tears streaming down my face, I turned and punched a hole in my wall. I have to find her.
“Thank you deputy for being here.” He looked at me with concern.
“Have you tried calling your wife’s grandma?”
   I ran to the phone and spun my finger faster than the wheel of fortune.
She answered, “Ranger?”
“I know you hate me and blame me for my wife’s death but I loved her with all my heart. Now, is there something you want to tell me?”
I heard her pause and sigh. “I don’t want to tell you jack didles but your daughter has ran away from home in a god awful search for an alcoholic such as yourself. The only reason I am even telling you this is because I don’t want to see her get hurt, ya hear?”
“Why didn’t she tell me?”
“Your wife brought the baby to me the day she was born. She was waiting for you to get settled in the house before she brought Scarlet home to surprise you. Then before she got to.. you know.”
I can hear her crying in the phone. Even though I was furious that she kept my daughter from me I knew how she felt. I left her with I will find my daughter and hung up. “Well, deputy, we have a horse and a young girl to go find.”
I jumped on my stallion and rode through town. You can smell nothing but horse poop in this place mostly because your boots are covered in it. Everyone I go to talk to all reply with the same answer, “Haven’t seen the deputy’s horse, sir.” I sent the deputy home for the day and ended the search. The dust was caking my lungs and making it hard to breathe anyways. I laid back on my horse and looked up at the stars. If there is a god up there please help me find my daughter. The view from the canyon is amazing at night. You can see the town's porch lights and then blackness from then on. Except for tonight, there was a little light in the distance.
I came up to an old beat down barn. The doors are open, interesting. The hay melted under my feet and muffled my heels as I walked into the barn.  I stared intensely down the walkway. Is that the deputy’s horse? It looks just like the ole mare. There aren’t many buckskins in this town. I hear footsteps getting closer. My heart started pounding like a horse’s hooves running in a pasture. I ducked down behind the bales of hay as I heard the opposite opposing barn doors slide further open. She looked just like her mother, her beautiful blonde hair and emerald green eyes. Her mom was a fighter so I assume she will be too. I started scrambling to find something to tie her down with. Over to the left of my worn out boot there was an old lead rope I am sure she used to lunge the horse. I scuffled by and grabbed it. The rope was still warm in my hands. Without hesitation I took her hands and feet and wrapped her up like I was a lead in a breakaway roping competition. I took a step back and even waited to see if the rope held her down. She kicked and fussed. I couldn’t help but smile.
“Now, what in god’s name gave you the courage to steal my deputy’s horse?” She just gave me a cold stare. “Fine, if you ain’t gonna talk, I will do the talkin’.” I choked as I looked into her eyes. “You look just like your mother.” I started feeling the tears roll off my cheek.
“Dad?” She said puzzled. I untied her and wrapped her in my arms. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” We both couldn’t let go of eachother. I have a daughter. I finally felt like life had a purpose again. It felt as if a hole in my heart got filled and she was the glue that held it in place. 
We rode side by side into town talking about everything that had happened in 16 years. “Howdy partner, I found your horse.” I said as I approached my deputy. He look at me then looked at my daughter and back. “Keep her,” he said. I smiled and thanked him as I winked at my daughter. I know he was talking about the horse but I took it both ways as for my daughter too.