by Rhonda Grice
“Stormy, I’m not who you think I am.” Jed started. He put a finger to her lips as she started to speak. “Let me finish and then you will understand,” he added. “Your Aunt Lucy brought me to the ranch about six months before she died. She was losing money and had a feeling that something strange was going on, but the sicker she got the less she could deal with investigating it. She was friends with my father and together they cooked up a plan for me to work here and secretly try and find out what is going on. The truth is your Aunt Lucy hired me but after she died I had a choice to make.
I was not having much luck to start with and was thinking of calling it quits when your Aunt died. I felt that I needed to stay on a bit longer just to make sure her holdings were safe. Then you came to live here and other strange things began to happen. It was then I knew something was wrong. I figured out you were suspicious as well and that scared me. Jake seems to be getting more agitated and may not be someone you want to cross. I have been so afraid for you.” He admitted. At least I’m pretty sure it’s Jake,” he added.
“You…you were afraid for me?” Stormy repeated. “I did know something was up and I could tell you were hiding something but I wasn’t sure who to trust. I know cattle are missing and too much money is being spent on supplies, but that is all I could find out.”
Jake began to soothe her then quickly he covered her mouth. ”Shhh,” he said quietly. They sat there for a moment and heard rustling in the bushes, but the rustling was moving away from them. Someone had been listening; but who?
Jed motioned for Stormy to get going without saying a word. If someone heard what was being said things could get dangerous for anyone who was against what was going on. The problem was he needed proof, not just suspicion. But now there may not be time to get it if they have been found out.
Maybe he should send Stormy and Katy Marie away for a while. He couldn’t stand it if anything happened to her. Now was no time to be thinking of her creamy skin, or how much he wanted to kiss her beautiful mouth and full lips. But that was the problem, she was constantly on his mind and that could get a man killed. He had to solve the problem at hand first; then he would deal with Miss Stormy Calder.
Chapter 13
Stormy saw old Benjamin, dressed in his work overalls, outside the barn unloading some supplies from the wagon. Now was as good a time as any to find out what he knows. Someone getting suspicious was not going to stop her from getting to the bottom of the losses on the Double LL.
“Good morning, Benjamin,” she smiled friendly like, as she placed her hand on the wagon.
“Morning Ma’am,” he answered, never lifted his eyes off the task at hand. “Is there something I can do fer ya, Ma’am,” he asked, still not looking up.
He was a strange old man she thought to herself. “Well yes, there is Benjamin. As I told you before I’m looking in to how inventory is kept on supplies and grains and was wondering what it is you are unloading.”
“Just plain ole supplies,” he responded and looked up this time. “You know, we got food for the chickens and some sugar and flour I’ll take up to Carmen in a bit.”
He didn’t offer anything extra so Stormy kept probing. “So nothing that seems to be in excess? Do you feel we have the right amount of supplies?” Stormy could tell Benjamin was uneasy and reluctant to speak. She had a feeling he knew more than he was letting on.
“Ah, Miss Stormy, I just unload. Why don’t ya ask Jake about the supplies and maybe you will find out what you need to know.” Benjamin seemed irritated as said his goodbye. He headed back into the barn, throwing a big sack over his shoulder as he turned.
Stormy got nowhere with Benjamin so he either didn’t know anything or was afraid to say. She decided to walk around and see if she noticed anything unusual going on. And tomorrow she was going out looking for the missing cattle. The men were branding in the North pasture before and she would start there.
Stormy rounded the corner of the stable and ran smack dab into Jake. He reached out and grabbed her to stop her fall.
“Gosh, Stormy, I almost ran you down. Are you okay?” he asked, full of concern.
“Yes, yes, I’m fine,” she replied as she got her balance.
“I’m sort of glad I ran into you Stormy,” Jake said. “I’ve been meaning to have a talk with you about some strange things going on here at the ranch.” He added.
“Well, the truth is….some cattle are missing and a few more go missing about every week. Also the bunkhouse cook is missing some bacon, flour, and sugar. We haven’t seen any strangers around so I’m not sure what’s going on. And on top of that, Jed has been acting strange lately. He comes and goes at all hours and never explains himself to anyone. How do you want me to handle this, Stormy”? He said as he looked her straight in the face, as if he were telling the truth.
“Let me think about this tonight and we will discuss it in the morning when Jed is not around. Is that okay with you? Oh, and Jake, thanks for bringing this to me. I’m sure you can handle things but I want to be kept in the loop.”
“Well,” Jake said. “I realize we kind of got off on the wrong foot but we can fix that right here and now by working together.” He added.
“Ok Jake, come up to the house after breakfast in the morning and we will go over it together.” Stormy excused herself and headed back to the house. She sat down in the big rocking chair on the porch that overlooked the front yard, while soft breezes blew light kisses of fragrances across her nostrils. The smell of fall was in the air and it was her favorite season. She thought back to the conversation with Jake. He actually seemed sincere, so where did that leave her investigation? Hmmm, better think on this some more, she mused, and just kept rocking.
Breakfast the next morning didn’t go down easy for Stormy, knowing Jake would be here soon. She didn’t trust him, but would hear him out. What if Jed was just trying to throw suspicion off himself and on to Jake? Could Jed be making her fall for him to cover things up? She had told herself back in Cedar Falls that no man would ever pull the wool over her eyes like they had Jenny Carson, her best friend in school. Turned out Jenny’s love interest only married her in order to merge two neighboring ranches. Her mind whirled with possibilities that were soon interrupted as Jake appeared at the house.
“Morning, let’s go sit at the table if that’s okay with you.” Jake pointed the way with hat in hand. Stormy obliged, sat down, and decided to take control of the conversation right from the beginning.
“Tell me what you know or what you suspect,” she began.
“I’ve been keeping a headcount on the cattle since Lucy died and every month we come up short. And I’m not talking just a few head; I’m talking about 50 head a month. There is no way we could lose that many unless someone was taking them.” Jake told her then continued before Stormy could speak.
“I don’t really have any proof but as I said last night, Jed is acting very strange. He leaves the ranch at all hours of the day and sometimes at night without telling anyone where he is going. When I ask him he just says he was out riding.”
“That’s really not enough evidence to accuse him of cattle rustling Jake. However, I too have noticed some irregularities around here. For example, the bills for food and grain for horses and other animals have been continually rising. With cattle missing, plus the ones we have been selling, the bills should be getting lower.” Stormy sighed.
“To be honest, Jake, I was starting to suspect you because you never give me a straight answer when I want to go over the books, and in many cases ignore me all together.” Stormy said as she bravely looked him right in the eyes.
Jake took the hat from his hands and laid it on the table. “I know, I know, but the truth is I was hoping to solve this problem before you found out about it. I didn’t want to lose my job over this and so I just brushed you off when I could, to give me more time to investigate”. He too sighed. “If you want to fire me Stormy I’ll understand. But I’m hoping that you will help me find out
who is taking the cattle and the supplies that are also missing. I’m not as concerned about the supplies, but a thief is a thief and we need to catch whoever it is.” He added.
“Keep investigating for now and don’t say anything to Jed. If he is the one we don’t want to tip him off.” Stormy stood, indicating she was through talking for now. Jake put his hat back on his head and headed out the door.
Stormy was more confused than ever. Whom could she believe? Both men had stories that sounded good but one of them had to be lying. She had to play along with them both and hope the guilty party slipped up. One thing she was sure about is that she had to find the answer quickly before the ranch lost all of its cattle.
Stormy could hardly hold her eyes open the next morning. No one in the house knew it but after dark she was sneaking outside, hiding a small distance from the bunk house. She constantly starred at the bunkhouse door to see if anyone left. In fact, she had done this for two nights in a row now with nothing to show for it. But she wasn’t going to stop until she found out who was behind all of this.
So again tonight she would go out. But she certainly was going to have to have a nap first, she thought to herself.
The day went on as a normal day with nothing exciting happening, and frankly she was glad for it. She was bone tired and just wanted this mess to be over. Strange thing was it was almost comical. Jay was watching her, she was watching everyone else and Jake was watching Jed. Come on! Could it get any funnier than that? Or least it would be funny if it wasn’t so awful. Anyway she was going to lay down a few hours before supper and then try to act normal when Jed and Jake came for the evening meal.
Stormy slept until she felt Carmen shaking her and call her by name. “Miss Stormy, Miss Stormy, you sick or something? Suppers ready. You come down now.”
Stormy nodded, yawned and pulled herself to the basin to wash her face. Here we go again she thought, but for now she would put a smile on her face and go down to dinner. Katy Marie deserved a normal household.
Supper went along quite smoothly. Jake and Jed actually got along for once and no one seemed to notice the sideways glances that were being exchanged when the other wasn’t looking. “Well guys, I hate to leave you but I’ve got to turn in early tonight. I’m a little bit tired,” she yawned and kissed Katy Marie goodnight.
“Goodnight Stormy,” Jed said.
“Yes, goodnight Stormy,” Jake chimed in. “We will see ourselves out. Don’t worry about a thing,” he added.
It was dark and a little chilly, but Stormy had taken a blanket with her. Last night she nearly froze to death. She could set on one end and throw the other end over her shoulders. She would stay out of sight, but where she could see if anyone entered or exited the bunkhouse. As the hours went by she must have fallen asleep because about 12 o’clock midnight something woke her. At first she didn’t realize where she was and then she heard the creaking of the bunkhouse door. She couldn’t see who it was and needed to get closer; but if she did they might see her too. A shadowing form was moving toward the barn where the horses were kept. Someone was about to saddle up and ride on out and she was going to be right behind them.
Before stormy could even think about following close behind the shadowy figure someone threw a sack over her head and tied a rope around her. Then she was hoisted up onto a horse in front of someone. She tried to scream but they quickly bound her mouth as well by tying a bandana around the sack that was over her head.
They rode for quite a while before stopping. Men roughly pulled her from the horse and took her into some kind of shelter. She couldn’t see it yet but could tell she was inside a building of some kind. Then she heard Rowdy, one of her younger ranch hands tell the other man he would go get the boss.
Within minutes Stormy, still squirming to release herself from the chair she was tied too, heard voices. The voice she heard sounded familiar. But it couldn’t be him! In fact, she heard two familiar voices and the shock of it sent her mind in a tailspin! Stormy inwardly moaned as her heart felt betrayed. She was angry at herself for being so naive. Her trust in men certainly wasn’t very good!
The boss spoke first. “Well let’s see about taking this sack off her head for a start. She’s not going anywhere,” the man said, taking off the bandana as he did so. He then pulled off the sack and Stormy confronted her captor face to face.
“It’s…..it’s you! How could you be involved in this?” she sputtered. “Mr. Biggs, you’ve been Aunt Lucy’s attorney, and friend, for years.”
Mr. Biggs waved his hand in the air. “No matter,” he replied. “Do you know young lady how many years I’ve handled all the money and other riches of people, yet never having enough for myself? You see, they don’t mind spending money on horses or cattle, but when it comes to attorneys we are just a necessary evil. After all the things I did for people not one of them really appreciated it.” He snorted and walked off.
Stormy could not believe the other voice she had recognized was old Benjamin, her stable hand. “Benjamin, how did you get mixed up in this?” Stormy turned toward Benjamin, who was building a fire in the cabin. It looked like she was going to be here for a while.
Benjamin slowly walked over to Stormy, a menacing look in his eyes. “Shoot, Ma’am, you have no gall darn idea what it’s like for me, so shut your mouth,” he almost spat the words. The contempt in his eyes scared her, and she said no more.
Biggs entered the cabin again and Benjamin spoke. “What we gonna do with her, boss? If you plan on killin her, get one of the young bucks to do it. I don’t have the stomach for it,” he added.
“We don’t have to kill her. The rest of the cattle will be ours by tomorrow morning and we will head out with them by tomorrow afternoon. I left a couple of our men at the ranch to keep Jed and Jake busy and out of our way. We will just keep her here and if she gets the ropes loose it’s still a long walk home, if not…well, we can’t worry about everything,” Biggs threw back his head and laughed.
Biggs turned to Stormy and ripped her dress from her body. Only a few remnants remained as she sat there half dressed. “Don’t worry my dear, I just need these clothes to leave elsewhere and throw anyone off the track that might be looking for you. Like the sheriff and his dogs.”
Soon everyone had left the cabin and stormy was alone. With most of her clothes gone she was happy that old Benjamin had at least built a fire. She forced herself to breath normally so she wouldn’t pass out from panic. As more time went by, Stormy ached from being tied to the chair. She had almost given up when a tiny sound caught her attention. Within seconds her eyes lit with recognition. She saw Jed at the window pane peeking through. His fingers were to his lips motioning for her to remain quiet. Moments later, his movement deliberate and fast, he entered the cabin and untied the ropes.
“Honestly Stormy! Down to your underpants again?” Then he realized maybe someone had touched her. It was a frightened man that asked the next question. “I’m sorry, did they hurt you?”
“No, they didn’t hurt me. They just wanted my clothes to keep the sheriff’s dogs busy should someone report me missing.”
From outside she heard another voice. It was Jake! “Come on Jed, before someone sees us,” he whispered.
They had both come for her. How could she have been so wrong about these two? They must have gotten together and figured it out. She never suspected Mr. Biggs and Benjamin. There would be a few ranch hands that had hell to pay as well.
Guess maybe she wasn’t as grown up and smart as she thought she was, but now was not the time to be thinking about it. Stormy stifled a moan as she walked to the door where Jake led her to the back of the cabin. There she saw the men’s horses, waiting to help them with their escape.
They walked on foot and quietly led the horses a good ways from the shack before mounting them. Jed spoke first. “Jake, take Stormy to the Turner ranch where she will be safe and then go and get the sheriff from Possum Junction. Make sure he brings a big posse with him. We will mee
t at the place we agreed on”. Jed gave the orders, but Jake didn’t seem to mind.
“But what about Katy Marie and Carmen,” Stormy began.
“I’ll ride back to the ranch and sneak them out while it’s still dark and get Carmen to meet you with Katy Marie at the Turners. We don’t have much time, it will be light soon,” he looked at the night sky as he spoke, then added. “And if you ever do anything as fool hearty as this again, Stormy Calder, I’ll take you over my knee and whoop the tar out of you! No wife of mine is going to run around like a crazy woman getting herself into trouble.” His expression showed the fear he must have felt at her capture, yet his eyes showed the love he felt for her as well.
“Who do you think you are, Jed Rivers?” She spat back.
Jed pulled his horse up next to hers and put his lips to her ears. “Honey, I’m the man whose going to take care of you from now on so git,” he slapped the hind end of her horse and sent her on her way.
Jake saw the exchange, smiled, and then spurred his horse to catch up with Stormy. He nodded, knowing an understanding had come to the two men.
Jed got Carmen and Katy Marie up and out of house without a hitch and right before dawn. Next he went to the old creek bed about a mile from where Biggs and the men were holding the cattle and waited for the sheriff and his posse.
Chapter 14
The Turner family was great and couldn’t have been more welcoming, especially since they were woken in wee hours of the morning. Stormy paced the floor praying that Jed and Jake would be alright. The two men she had distrusted the most were out there risking their lives to save her ranch!
It had already been four hours. What was going on? Was Jed alright? All these thoughts were driving Stormy crazy. Katy Marie was busy playing with the Turners little girl Sarah, and Carmen was helping Mrs. Turner cook a big meal for when the men returned. Mr. Turner had insisted on riding back with Jake to help, so the women were all alone.
