Texas Ranch Justice

by Karen Whiddon

  As he moved closer to the road, right past a small thicket of pine trees, he found the firecracker wrappers and detonator shafts. They’d been placed carefully in a drainage culvert, out of sight of both the road and the arena. Had the person who’d set them taken off on foot or left by vehicle? Either one would have been possible, considering the chaos caused by the stampeding cattle.

  He picked up all the paper scraps he could find, looking for any other clues. Unfortunately, with the gravel road nearby, it seemed likely the culprit had simply gotten into a vehicle and had driven off.

  Somehow, he doubted this had been a teenager playing a prank. First up, this person had to come onto ranch land with the firecrackers, drive to find an area close to livestock and the arena and place the firecrackers in a hidden location.

  But if this had been intentional, all with the intention of causing bodily harm to him or to Scarlett, someone would have had to have pre-knowledge of both of their locations. As far as he could tell, the only people who knew were family. And none of them would have done anything as crazy-stupid as this.

  Just to be safe, he drove downtown with his evidence and stopped at the sheriff’s office. Even though he didn’t have an appointment, the receptionist showed him right in.

  One of the good things about living in a small town.

  The sheriff looked up when he entered. “Travis Warren.” He stood, offering his hand. “It’s been a long time. What’s up?”

  Travis handed over the bag of firecracker scraps and outlined what had happened. “She’s also had a truck try to run her off the road—nearly hit her, and took out a section of our fence. And before that, she got a weird note. All cut-out letters, telling her to leave.”

  “Cut-out letters?” The sheriff’s gaze sharpened. “That’s textbook and slightly concerning. Did you bring the letter with you?”

  “No. Scarlett still has it.”

  “See if she’ll let you make a copy and email it to me. Now tell me.” Sheriff James leaned forward. “Why would anyone want her out of town?”

  “I’ve thought about that myself. While I’ll admit, at first I was a bit suspicious of her, showing up just when the oil company was increasing their pressure on us to allow them to start drilling, I have no reason to doubt her now. Not only does her being here make Hal happy, but she fits right in and everyone seems to like her, including my mother and sister.”

  “That’s amazing.” Even the sheriff knew how difficult Vivian could be sometimes. “But why don’t I run a quick check on her, just to make sure.”

  Though Travis felt slightly guilty doing such a thing without her permission, he nodded. Might as well find out the truth.

  “Do you know her date of birth?”

  Travis shook his head. “No. I’m guessing she is in her late twenties, early thirties. She used to live in Georgia, somewhere near Atlanta, if that helps. Her last name is Kistler.”

  The sheriff jotted that down. “Let me get to work on this. I’ll call you if I find out anything.”

  “Thanks.” Travis shook the other man’s hand and left.

  As he got into his pickup truck, his sister called. “I heard about what happened,” she said.

  “Already?” Astounded, he glanced at his watch. It had only been a couple of hours.

  “Yeah, Delilah ran into Scarlett as she was running a bath.”

  He winced. “I hope they kept it from Hal.”

  “They did. But Delilah called Vivian, and you know how that goes. Though she did promise not to say anything to Hal.”

  “Good,” he said, meaning it.

  “It sounded scary as all get-out. Are you all right?”

  Touched, he assured her he was. “Scarlett got the worst of it. Bob bucked her right off.”

  “Bob did?” Everyone who’d ever ridden knew Bob to be the most placid horse they had. “It must have been frightening if it scared Bob.”

  Quickly, he outlined what had happened and what he’d found. “I just left the sheriff’s office. He’s going to look into this.”

  “Wow.” She sounded thoughtful. “Do you think it was deliberate?”

  “Why else would someone come onto the ranch and shoot firecrackers off near a herd of cattle?”

  “Do you think it was Kendra?” she asked.

  The thought hadn’t occurred to him. He swore. “That’s one possibility. I need to mention that to the sheriff.”

  “But Scarlett’s okay, right? From what Delilah said, she was pretty banged up.”

  “She had some cuts and bruises, but nothing broken. She was damn lucky.” He sighed. “I don’t know that she’ll ever be willing to get back up on a horse, though.”

  “Of course she will.” The certainty in Amber’s voice surprised him. “I know you’re busy, so I’ll make a point of inviting her to go riding with me.”

  Touched—and slightly concerned, since he still didn’t know if someone was targeting Scarlett—he swallowed. “That’s kind of you.”

  “I really like her,” Amber continued. “I think we can be friends. I’ve never realized how lonely this ranch could be for someone my age. Scarlett’s only a few years older, and I’m going to invite her to go into town and eat, maybe see a movie or have a few drinks.”

  “I’m sure she’d appreciate that.” More than ever, he hoped the sheriff didn’t turn up anything on Scarlett. Not only Hal would be affected, but Amber too. Even Vivian acted as if she liked Hal’s daughter. As for Travis...well, he liked her a little too much.

  “Earth to Travis,” Amber said. “Are you still there?”

  He must have gotten lost in thought. “Yeah. I’m sorry. I’ve got a lot going on. What did you say?”

  “I asked you if you two were dating?”

  His heart actually skipped a beat, which annoyed him. “No. Why do you ask?”

  “I don’t know,” she drawled. “Maybe because you seem really into her.”

  Not sure how to respond to that, especially since she was right, he changed the subject. “Any more discussion over the costumes for the ball? It’ll be here before we know it and I don’t want to wait until the last minute.” Though personally, he had no problem with wearing his costume from last year, he knew the ball organizers would frown on that. Especially since they made the costumes the highlight of the entire night, with large prizes for the ones they deemed the best.

  Amber laughed. “Deflecting much?”

  “Not really,” he lied. “I actually do want to know about the costumes.”

  Her loud sigh told him he wasn’t fooling her. “I think Mom is planning to talk to Scarlett about that. Whatever they decide is fine with me, as long as it’s not too froufrou.”

  After years of choosing his own costume, Travis wasn’t sure he felt the same way. Though he still felt sort of bad about nixing the whole Camelot thing. As long as he didn’t end up having to wear tights, he supposed he’d be okay.

  Chapter 11

  Glad Delilah had rounded up some bubble bath, even if it belonged to Will and was in a bottle shaped like a holiday snowman, Scarlett sank into the bubbles up to her neck and willed her aches away.

  After removing her torn jeans and shirt, which had been more painful than she’d expected, she’d grabbed a short robe to cover herself and bolted down the hallway toward the guest bathroom.

  Her luck hadn’t held. Scarlett had nearly collided with the other woman. Delilah had taken one look at her cuts and bruises and scratches and had taken over. Missing her own mother, Scarlett had let her clean the wounds. Delilah had brought a glass of water and two ibuprofen, which Scarlett swallowed.

  “Now tell me what happened to you,” Delilah ordered.

  Scarlett did.

  After hearing the explanation, a tight-lipped Delilah had agreed it would be best if Hal didn’t find out. She’d extracted a promise that Sca
rlett would put antibiotic ointment and self-adhesive bandages on after her bath and left her alone to run her bath. She’d returned with the bottle of bath bubbles a moment later, laughing as she handed it over. “Better than nothing,” she said. “Though I imagine I can round up some Epsom salts if you’d rather have those.”

  “Just the bubbles for now, thanks.” Grateful, Scarlett had made the water as hot as she could stand. Locking the door, she’d winced and bit her lip as the hot water hit her wounds.

  It could have been worse. If Travis hadn’t been there, she might have been trampled by those spooked cows. Never mind the freaked-out horse.

  For the first time, she wondered about Travis’s ex-fiancée. Was it possible she might be behind all this? The letter, the truck almost running her down and now the fireworks causing a stampede? Somehow, Scarlett couldn’t imagine what the other woman might have hoped to accomplish by scaring her off. It wasn’t as if making Scarlett leave would send Travis back into Kendra’s arms.

  Then why? Were all these things, with the exception of the vaguely threatening note, mere accidents? Had the driver of the white pickup been drunk or an unskilled teenager out for a joyride? Because there hadn’t been any way anyone could have known Scarlett would be walking down that road. Ditto for the horseback riding lesson. Only a few people had been aware Scarlett and Travis were meeting at the barn so she could learn to ride.

  Circumstance and happenstance, maybe. If so, then she might possibly be the unluckiest person on the planet. Since she hated feeling paranoid, she decided to keep her eyes open and try not to worry.

  By the time she finally climbed out of the tub, the water had cooled. But she felt better, almost normal, though a bit shaky. After carefully drying herself off, she applied the antibiotic ointment and used the adhesive bandages. Then, robe back on, she hurried to her room.

  She felt like she needed a nap.

  Instead, barely five minutes after crawling beneath the covers, a soft tap sounded on her door. “Are you hungry?” Delilah asked softly. “I made tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. I can bring you a tray if you’d like.”

  One of her favorites. If anything could entice her from bed, that combination would do it. “I’d love that,” Scarlett answered. She propped her back up with a pillow, glad she’d put on an old T-shirt, and turned on the light.

  A few minutes later, Delilah brought her a tray with a steaming bowl of tomato soup and a perfectly cooked grilled cheese sandwich. She’d also added a tall glass of cold milk and one of her signature chocolate chip cookies.

  “This looks wonderful,” Scarlett said. “Thank you so much. I don’t know what any of us would do without you.”

  “You’d manage,” Delilah responded, her tone dry. “Neither Vivian nor Amber work full-time. They’d just have to pitch in and help out more than they do.”

  About to spoon up the first mouthful of soup, Scarlett paused. “You sound like you’ve given that some thought. Should I be worried?”

  “Oh honey, no. My son lives in Phoenix and I’m long overdue for a visit, but there’s no way I’m leaving—even for a few days—with Mr. Hal doing as poorly as he is.”

  “Thank you.” Digging in to the meal, Scarlett noticed how hungry she’d been. Delilah sat with her while she ate, telling her about the pie-making competition at the Halloween Harvest Fair.

  “I always enter,” Delilah said. “And I always come in second or third place. I’ve never won. Sarah Sepkie—she owns the bakery on Third—takes home the top prize every single year. This time, I’m bound and determined to best her. I’ve been perfecting a recipe for a decadent butterscotch pie.” She leaned in close. “I’ve decided to put meringue on top of mine.”

  “That was my mama’s favorite.” Scarlett sighed. “If you need anyone to taste test between now and the contest, let me know.”

  Delilah laughed. “Oh, Travis has already claimed that job. He’s brutally honest too, which is what I need.”

  “I can imagine.” Scarlett looked down at the empty tray. Though she wasn’t fond of milk, she’d managed to drink almost all of it. Again, milk made her think of her mother. “Delilah, why do you think someone is out to get me?”

  “Are you certain that someone is?” Delilah’s practical tone felt reassuring. “I mean, yes, you got a weird note. But the other two incidents were most likely not targeted at you.”

  “Travis said something similar.” Scarlett sighed. “And you’re both probably right. I just can’t shake this feeling...” She swallowed back the rest, not wanting to appear foolish.

  “It’s all right.” Delilah pushed to her feet and took up the tray. “You go ahead and have your nap. I’m sure you’ll feel better after you rest.” She left, closing the door quietly behind her.

  Full and warm, Scarlett clicked off the lamp and snuggled down under the covers. Her body still ached, though the anti-inflammatory had helped dull some of the pain.

  She must have slipped into sleep immediately, because when she came awake and opened her eyes, the nightstand clock showed she’d been asleep two hours. Still groggy, she stretched and turned on the light. Stumbling from her bed, she eyed herself in the mirror and grimaced. At least none of her cuts and bruises were on her face.

  After pulling on a clean T-shirt—she could get used to wearing these all the time—and a comfy pair of yoga pants, she padded to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. While she was there, she put on some light makeup and brushed her hair.

  She felt like a new person. Satisfied that she’d done the best she could, she pulled on a long-sleeved denim shirt to cover her arm bandages. Leaving this unbuttoned, she headed into the living room. Hal still sat where he’d been earlier, his wheelchair parked in front of the TV.

  But this time, he wasn’t asleep. As soon as he caught sight of her, he used the remote to turn the television off. “Hey there,” he said, his voice rusty from either sleep or lack of use.

  “Hey there, yourself.” She perched on the edge of the couch, eyeing him. “You spend an awful lot of time in front of that thing.”

  He frowned. “What else can I do? It’s not like I can climb up on a horse and go riding.”

  “How about we go for a walk? I can push you down to the end of the driveway.”

  Though she could have sworn interest flickered in his eyes, he shook his head. “Not now. Maybe later. I’ve got a headache. How’d the riding lesson with Travis go?”

  She debated for a second. “I fell off the horse.”

  “Seriously?” His mouth twitched, and she could tell he was trying not to laugh. “What horse did he put you on?”

  “Bob.” Bracing herself, she waited for his reaction.

  He didn’t disappoint. “You fell off Bob?”

  Now she couldn’t tell him the whole truth, that Bob had actually bucked her off, without filling him in on what had happened, so she simply nodded. “And yes, I’m embarrassed. And no, I don’t want to talk about it anymore if that’s all right with you.”

  He burst out laughing. Hearing the sound of pure joy coming from him made her happy. She smiled happily, soaking in the feeling. Delilah even poked her head out of the kitchen, no doubt drawn by the commotion. When she caught sight of Scarlett, she gave her a thumbs-up sign before returning to whatever she’d been doing.

  Finally, Hal wound down. Wiping tears from his eyes, he shook his head. “Only you,” he commented. “I’m so glad you came. You make long days much more interesting.”

  “Happy to be of service.” Her light response hid her concern. If anything, Hal looked as if he’d taken a turn for the worse over the past twenty-four hours. Her heart ached. So sad. So frustrating. She failed to understand how not a single doctor or hospital could figure out what kind of illness was making Hal waste away.

  The front door banged open and Vivian swept in. “There you are,” she said, h
eading straight for Scarlett.

  “How are you?” Vivian trilled, enveloping Scarlett in a perfume-scented hug. “I heard about what happened,” she murmured her Scarlett’s ear. “But you look perfectly fine to me.”

  “I’m actually great,” Scarlett said, raising her voice slightly for Hal’s sake. He grunted and immediately turned the TV back on, barely glancing up to acknowledge his visitors. “I’m worried about him, though.” She inclined her head toward Hal. “Maybe we should try to get him back to see another doctor.”

  “I won’t go,” Hal harrumphed, proving he had been listening. “There’s no point. Bunch of damn fools that keep telling me there’s nothing wrong. They don’t know and they don’t care.”

  Vivian shrugged. “He’s kind of right, you know.”

  “I am right.” Deliberately, he turned up the volume, making conversation impossible. “If you gals want to talk, do it in the kitchen,” he shouted.

  Left with no choice, Scarlett got to her feet and led the way. In the midst of making dinner preparations, Delilah looked up and, when she caught sight of Vivian, looked back down.

  “I’m glad you’re okay,” Vivian continued, looking Scarlett up and down. “You seem like a strong-willed girl, so please don’t wait too long to get back up on that horse.”

  It had been a long time since anyone had referred to her as a girl, but Scarlett knew Vivian didn’t mean anything derogatory by that, so she let it slide. “I’ve heard that too,” she admitted. “And I’m sure I’ll try riding again, once everything heals.” Maybe, though she kept her doubts to herself.

  “I wanted to talk to you about the costume ball,” Vivian said. “It’s getting closer and we’ve got to decide on costumes. Since Travis has ruled out Camelot, we need to consider another option.” She dropped a fresh stack of pages onto the table.