It's Just A Ranch

by Misty Malone

  * * *

  Helen’s dad was home from the hospital, and although he wasn’t able to do any work yet, he was perfectly capable of making suggestions and answering questions. His foreman was not able to return to full-time work yet, either, but was able to make his way to the barns and instruct their ranch hands what needed to be done. Ned and Eileen felt bad about missing their grandson’s wedding, but Ned really wasn’t able to travel yet. There was no way they were going to let Max and Helen miss Garrett’s wedding, though, so they sent them off, assuring them they could handle things for a few days.

  As it turned out, they arrived at the ranch on Thursday afternoon, about an hour before Harold and Linda Clayton arrived. The house quickly became a bundle of excitement. The Stevensons and Claytons had been friends for so long, they were happy to see each other, but also their son and daughter. They were all ecstatic about the upcoming wedding. They were all four concerned about Mindy and the ordeal she’d been through.

  Maria had supper ready shortly after Mindy’s parents arrived, and they all sat down to eat and catch up. Between Garrett, Mindy, Wyatt and Maria, they filled Max and Helen, as well as Harold and Linda in on the whole ordeal and what all had happened. They were a little overwhelmed when they heard the details, and had a number of questions.

  They had all retired to the living room to hear about the wedding plans, when Sheriff Drolan stopped by with some news. “Mindy, I’m glad you told us about taking those pictures. The lab was able to get them off your phone, and they turned out to be very helpful. Between the two pictures you took we were able to verify that this was indeed a meth lab. What surprised us, though, is we were able to identify two of the three people involved.”

  Garrett was instantly concerned, and sitting up straight. Mindy looked stunned. “How did you do that? They were facing away from me, I’m sure,” Mindy insisted.

  “They did indeed have their backs to the camera,” the sheriff confirmed. “You can relax, Garrett, they were not facing her when she took the picture. We were able to see their faces in the reflection in the windshield of the truck, though. The guys at the lab were able to blow it up and reduce the glare. It cleared it up enough that we were able to make out a clear image of two of them, and we matched them up with two young men who were previously arrested for drugs. They had a pretty large amount of meth on them when they were arrested initially, and the prosecutor wanted to prosecute them for dealing. They didn’t have enough evidence, though, and had to reduce it down to possession.”

  “I wonder how long they’ve been using our ranch to make this stuff,” Garrett said. “I hate thinking they’ve been selling it here and distributing it in the area.”

  “It’s hard to say how long they’ve been operating on your ranch, Garrett, but it’s certainly not your fault.”

  “Maybe not, but I still feel bad. I had no idea anyone had even been on it.”

  “I’ve never been aware of anything, either, Garrett, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t been there. That’s an area of the ranch we don’t go to often unless we’re using that pasture,” Max said. “These people may know that, and know their chance of getting caught are pretty small.”

  “You’re right about that, Dad,” Garrett agreed. “There aren’t any fields close; just the pasture and woods. So if we’re not using that pasture at the time, we have no reason to be in the area. I’m sure they weren’t counting on Mindy driving through there.”

  “I hardly ever go there, either,” Mindy offered. “I go to that big rock overlooking the meadow a lot. That’s where I was that day, but I usually stop at the rock, then go back to the house afterward. I was only there because I was trying to kill some time by taking a ride to keep my mind off the upcoming wedding so my nerves wouldn’t go crazy.”

  “Those three weren’t expecting you to go any further than the rock, I’m sure,” Helen said.

  “I’m sure they weren’t,” Garrett said. He turned to the sheriff. “Do you have any idea who the third one is, and have the two you’ve identified been arrested?”

  “The two we identified have, in fact, been arrested, but we don’t have any leads on the third one yet. We’re hoping eventually one of them will tell us who he is, hoping for a lighter sentence.”

  Garrett slid Mindy over closer to him, as he thought for a few moments. “What have they been charged with?”

  “Nothing yet, but they will be charged with some very serious charges,” the sheriff confirmed. “The pictures pretty much prove their involvement in producing it, and if you’re going to produce it you’re going to distribute it. But they’re also going to be charged with attempted murder. That’s why I wanted to come out here to talk to you two tonight. They’re going to officially charge them tomorrow.”

  Garrett felt Mindy stiffen, and he rubbed her arm, trying to reassure her. “How much do these two know? Do they know you have pictures of them at the scene, and that Mindy survived their attack and is the one who provided the photos? Will they have her name, or know where she lives?”

  “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Eventually that information will have to come out, but we’re going to keep it hidden for as long as we can. Hopefully by the time we have to declare it, we’ll have identified and arrested the third person.”

  “Should we be concerned while he’s out there free?”

  “I don’t think so, but I can’t say for sure. So far the ones we have are covering for him. They’re claiming they were working alone, just the two of them.”

  Mindy sat up straighter. “But if they’re going to be charged with attempted murder, they know I’m still alive. Won’t they assume I live here? Why else would I be out there on a four wheeler?”

  “They could very well assume that,” the sheriff confirmed, “but we don’t know if they will, or when.”

  “I’m not liking this much,” Garrett said. “They’ll probably figure attempted murder means she’s still alive and can testify against them, and one of them is still out there loose. I’ll sure feel better when he’s behind bars, as well. You don’t have any clue who this third guy might be?”

  “Not really. The other time these two were arrested it was just the two of them. We haven’t told the other two that we know there was a third man. We asked if anyone else was involved, and they both said it was just the two of them. As long as they keep saying that, there’s no reason for them to think we know there was anyone else involved, so I wouldn’t think you need to worry about this third man. He isn’t going to want to do anything that will draw attention to himself.”

  “Unless he wants to make sure she can’t testify against his friends,” Garrett said.

  “But if they don’t know we have pictures or know there is a third man involved, they’ll think we don’t have much on them. They went back and got all the evidence. That means even if she testified, it would be her word against theirs. Without evidence to back up what she says, they’ll assume we’ll offer them a good plea deal. If the third guy does something to her, that will bring a whole bunch of unwanted attention back to this ranch. It wouldn’t take a genius to connect the two events and look into it more. I don’t think they’ll want that.”

  “That makes sense,” Garret said, “but I’ll still feel better when the third one’s in jail, too.”

  “I know,” Sheriff Drolan said. “I will, too. But in the meantime, we’re going to keep Mindy’s name out of it as long as possible, especially since you two are getting married this weekend. The media would have a field day with that, that these two are being charged with attempted murder, and the intended victim is getting married this weekend. If they’d get hold of that, you might have a reporter or two show up for the wedding.”

  “It’s going to be a small wedding, and the reception is going to be here at the ranch. Maybe we’ll keep an eye out for anyone we don’t know, just in case media somehow gets the information.”

  “We can all keep our eyes open for anyone we don’t know,” Harold
suggested.

  “That might be a good idea,” the sheriff said. “Thank you for inviting me, by the way. I think now maybe I’ll be sure to come, and maybe help you keep an eye open for reporters. I’m sure you’d rather keep your wedding private. If anyone shows up, I can tell them, as sheriff, that it’s a closed wedding.”

  “I would appreciate that,” Garrett said. They talked a little more about the three men, two of whom were in jail. Garrett was still concerned about the third man. They talked about the case, and what evidence they had to support the charges. Garrett knew that the day the incident took place the sheriff and several deputies combed the area, and returned again the next day looking for evidence. He was surprised to learn, however, that they had recovered several shell casings, and several bullets. They found a couple in trees in the area, and one embedded in the wall of the cliff. They took photos of all of them before digging them out and sending them to the lab.

  When they picked the two men up, they each had a handgun on them, and they were able to match the guns to some of the bullets. There was still one set of bullets from the third man, and hopefully they would be able to identify him and find his gun when they arrested him. The sheriff felt sure that a positive match on his gun as being the one that fired the last set of bullets would seal the case against all three of them. Attempted murder charges, along with the drug charges, would put them in jail for a good amount of time.

  After the sheriff left, Garrett talked to Mindy, trying to get her calmed down. She was worried they would come looking for her, but he reminded her that the sheriff was right. Whoever the third man was, he would probably not do anything to bring attention to himself. Both sets of parents joined in the conversation, and they all agreed the sheriff was probably right. Garrett and Mindy both felt better after their discussion.

  Friday was such a busy day neither of them had much time to think about what the sheriff had said. They both decided to put all those thoughts aside until after their wedding. Then they would think the situation through. Until then, they had more important things to think about. The ladies had been able to do all of the decorating in the church except for the fresh flowers, and Sheila and the wedding planner were going to meet the florist at the church Saturday morning when the flowers were delivered, and would take care of them. Mindy was comfortable with that.

  Today they would get the ranch ready for the reception. The weather report couldn’t have been any better, no rain in the forecast at all. In fact, the next three days were expected to be fantastic. It was to be sunny and much warmer than normal, in the upper sixties. They decided to take advantage of the heat wave and set the tables up outside where they had more room and people could enjoy the unusually nice weather. With all their additional help they now had, they got a lot accomplished. Garrett and one of the ranch hands put the tables up in the side yard where there was plenty of room. They had large tables to hold the food, and smaller round tables for the guests. Once the tables and chairs were all in place, the men left, after Garrett reminded Mindy yet again to stay off her ankle.

  By evening the ladies had the ranch looking wonderful. They had put the tablecloths on and set the tables up, making sure they were happy with it and knew exactly how they wanted them. Then they took everything off, putting them in piles in the house. It wouldn’t take long the next day to get the tables all ready, and add the fresh flowers.

  They all visited in the living room after supper that evening. When the older couples retired to their rooms, Garrett and Mindy spent a little time cuddling on the couch, going over a last minute checklist. Garrett held her tight while talking softly. “I want you to know how proud I am of you, Mindy. Everything looks wonderful, even with what all you’ve been through. Not only that, but you’ve been staying off your ankle, and letting other people help. I know that was hard, but I want you to know I appreciate it. You’ve made the wives of the hands happy, too. They’ve all grown to love you, and it made them all feel good, like they’re part of this, and were able to help you.”

  “They are part of this. I couldn’t have done all this without their help. They’ve all become very special to me, too. I told them that today before they all left, when I thanked them all for all they’ve done to help, but I don’t know if they know just how much it means to me. I hope they do.”

  “I think they probably do,” Garrett said. “But I know it meant a lot to all of them, too, to be asked to help.”

  “Good,” she said as she tried to stifle a yawn.

  “I saw that,” he said, “and I feel the same. We’re both tired. I don’t want to have to nudge you awake to say I do tomorrow, so it’s time to get you into bed.” He carried her upstairs to her bedroom door, where he made sure she had her crutches. “I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to tomorrow, honey. I hope you can start walking without the crutches some tomorrow, but even if you can’t, as long as you can get down the aisle and say yes, I’ll be happy. I want to go to sleep with you in my arms every night and wake up with you every morning. I love you, Mindy.” He gently held her face while he kissed her softly, but passionately. It spoke volumes.

  “I love you, too, Garrett,” she said, leaning against him. “I’m looking forward to tomorrow, too.” He had to have one more kiss before leaving her to go alone to his own room—for the last time, he reminded himself.

  Mindy was ecstatic the next day. Maria and Garrett had made plans the day before, to be sure the bride and groom wouldn’t see each other before the ceremony. After morning chores, he went to Wyatt’s, where Maria had breakfast waiting for them. His clothes were already at Wyatt’s, as well. Helen and Linda handled breakfast at the main house.

  All the plans they’d made worked perfectly, and the first time the bride and groom saw each other that day was when she entered the church, holding onto her father’s arm.

  Garrett’s eyes lit up, as did hers when she met his. She was the most beautiful bride he’d ever seen as she walked down the aisle with no crutches. As they said their vows and were pronounced man and wife, it was quite clear to everyone in attendance how much love there was between them. As they walked down the aisle as Mr. and Mrs. Garrett Stevenson, people cheered.

  Everyone moved to the ranch for the reception. They both wanted it to be pretty informal so everyone could relax and visit and have a good time, and that’s exactly what happened. It was truly a happy celebration.

  Garrett kept a close watch on Mindy, not letting her stand or walk on her ankle much. He easily swished her up into his arms on several occasions to carry her if she planned to go very far. Their definition of going very far differed greatly, but Mindy didn’t say a word. Truth be told, she rather enjoyed the feeling she got every time he gathered her up in his arms. And she was sure that somehow his kisses were even better now that he was her husband.

  The wedding had been at 11:30 a.m., followed by the reception at the ranch. Food was out on the tables and everyone was invited to have lunch when they were ready. It worked really well. There were no place cards at the table, so people were free to eat right away, or visit first and eat when they were hungry, and sit with whomever they wanted to visit with.

  It was obviously a success, with everyone visiting and laughing. It was late afternoon, nearing time the hands and other ranchers in attendance would need to do evening chores, before people began leaving. Mindy summoned Garrett, who was quickly at her side. “What do you need, Mrs. Stevenson?”

  “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing that. Thank you, Mr. Stevenson.” After yet another quick kiss, she leaned in closer to his ear to speak softly. “I need to go to the restroom, Garrett. I’m assuming you don’t want me walking that far without my crutches, but I don’t know where they got to.”

  “Let me help you into the house,” he said as he picked her up. His lips met hers as her arms seemed to naturally find their way around his neck. They talked on the way in about how happy they were with how everything had gone.

  �
�The whole day was perfect,” she said in a dreamy voice. “I’ll remember it always.”

  “I will, too. Do you have a favorite part to the day?”

  “Two, actually, but they’re closely related. The time you said I do, and when the preacher pronounced me Mrs. Garrett Stevenson. That felt so good.”

  They had arrived in the house, at the bathroom close to the back door, where he’d sneaked in to ensure they had a little privacy. Most people had been going in the front door and using the bathroom in the hall close by. He stood her on her feet, making sure she had her balance. “I’m going to run upstairs to our bedroom and use our bathroom quick. I’ll be right back down to take you back out. Don’t go back out without me.”

  “Okay, I won’t,” she promised.

  She finished up and was ready to open the bathroom door to wait for Garrett, when she heard a series of bangs. Garrett, who was coming down the steps, heard them, as well. He hurried to the bathroom and pushed her back inside. “That sounded like gunshots,” she said, her eyes wide.

  “I know,” he confessed. “I have no idea what it was, but I’m going to go find out. Sheriff Drolan is out there, so if something’s wrong, I’m sure he’s already on it. As soon as I know what it was and that it’s okay, I’ll come back to get you. Wait here until then so I know you’re safe, okay?”

  “Okay, but be careful.”

  “I will,” he said as he ran down the hall and out the front door, which was much closer to the reception than the back door.

  She closed the bathroom door and tried to lock it, but the lock didn’t work. She couldn’t remember it not working before, but she couldn’t remember ever actually trying to lock it, either. She’d mention it to Garrett when he got back. He might not be aware of it.

  She was standing at the mirror, touching her hair up just a bit, when the bathroom door flung open and a man grabbed her. He covered her mouth with his hand and pulled her quickly out of the bathroom. He hurried out the back door, dragging her along with him. She fought off her initial shock and tried to scream and kick him. He avoided her feet, and told her if she didn’t cooperate, or made any noise, his men outside would see to it she became a widow the same day she became a bride. She immediately stopped kicking.