Randall Riches

by Judy Christenberry

  Lavinia ignored her. “I’ll get a towel.” She dashed back inside and reappeared with a clean soft cloth. “I think you’re going to have some bruises on your arm, too.”

  “Didn’t you hear me, Lavinia? We need to—”

  “I heard you, child. But I’ve already called the sheriff.” She paused when they both heard a vehicle roaring down the long driveway. “That will be Rich. The sheriff couldn’t get here so quickly.”

  “You called Rich? But he’s injured. I don’t want anything else to happen to him on my behalf.”

  Lavinia grinned. “Don’t worry. Rich can’t attack Brad now ’cause you already did.”

  The truck came over the hill and the driver didn’t slam on his brakes until the last minute. The doors opened and Rich, Red and a young man Samantha had only seen once, Toby Randall, raced to the front porch. They all stopped when they saw Brad lying on the ground.

  “Is he alive?” Rich wanted to know.

  “I hope so. I didn’t mean to kill him,” Samantha said, taking a hesitant step toward the body.

  “I’ll check,” Toby said, kneeling beside him.

  Rich stared at her. “What happened to your arm?”

  “He had a knife,” Sam said, but she was beginning to weaken as she bled and the adrenaline faded.

  Toby picked up the knife that had fallen near the man. “Here it is.”

  “How’d he find you?” Rich asked. “You didn’t call the café, did you?”

  “Of course not!” Samantha snapped, irritated that Rich thought she’d do something so stupid.

  “Then how would he know?” Rich asked again.

  “One of your friends came into the restaurant and he asked your name. He checked the rodeo records. Once he got to town, gossip did the rest. He was determined to take me back.”

  “What? Grandma, are you okay?”

  “I’m fine, Rich. It’s Samantha who got hurt. Look at that cut on her arm. She’s going to need stitches.”

  Samantha tried to hide her right arm behind her back, but Rich stepped to her side and gently pulled it forward, unwrapping the towel.

  Red whistled. “That looks painful.”

  Samantha stared at the blood still seeping through the cut. “It’s almost stopped bleeding.” It was painful, but she said nothing else.

  The sound of a siren caught their attention. At the same time, Brad stirred.

  Samantha took a step back and she warned Toby to get away from him. “He’s crazy.”

  “We can tell that,” he assured her. “We don’t much cotton to men who threaten defenseless women.”

  “Defenseless? Take another look, Toby Randall,” Lavinia ordered. “Samantha weighs about a half of what that man does and she took care of him. And I’ve got my rifle in case he tries anything else. We’re not defenseless.”

  “You’re right, Mrs. Dawson. I’m sure this guy will agree with you, too,” Toby said, grinning.

  The sheriff’s car pulled up and two men got out. The older one called, “Mrs. Dawson? Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine. But he’s not.”

  The sheriff and his deputy stepped into the circle, able to see the man for the first time. “I can see he’s been taken out. Now, Toby, Rich, I hope you didn’t overdo it. We don’t want him bringing assault charges against you.”

  Rich grinned. “We wish we were the ones to take him down. Especially after he did this.” He gently pulled Samantha’s arm forward again. “But it was Sam herself who took care of the guy.”

  The deputy’s jaw dropped and the sheriff looked at Samantha in admiration. “I see. I can call an ambulance.”

  “No, thank you, Sheriff. I’m fine,” Sam replied.

  “We’ll drive her to Doc’s now. We can fill you in later, okay? I think she’d better get stitches right away,” Rich assured the sheriff.

  “Good idea. Bob,” the sheriff said. “Put some cuffs on this guy and put him in the back of the car. Then we’ll stop blocking their way out of here.”

  The deputy tried to pull Brad to his feet, but he was too heavy. Toby offered a hand. The deputy turned Brad around and started to cuff him. Brad yanked his arm away and tried to hit the deputy, roaring, “You have nothing on me. Don’t touch me.”

  The sheriff didn’t hesitate. He pulled a pistol and leveled it at Brad’s head. “You’re under arrest. If you resist, I’ll shoot you. Got that?”

  “You can’t do that!” Brad insisted and took a step toward the sheriff.

  The sheriff pulled back the hammer on his gun. “Try me.”

  Samantha didn’t figure the sheriff got many takers on that offer. His voice sounded made of steel. Brad hesitated.

  “Now, put your hands behind your back and let my deputy cuff you.”

  “I want to file assault charges!” Brad roared, but he actually did as the sheriff ordered.

  “Against whom?” the sheriff asked calmly.

  “That woman, damn her! She tried to hurt me on purpose.”

  “You’ll get a chance to talk to a lawyer as soon as we get you to jail. But it’ll be hard to convince a jury that this little lady brought you down for no reason,” he added with a grin. Then he turned to Samantha and Lavinia. “Are you taking your car, Lavinia? I’ll help this lady to the car.”

  Rich shook his head. “I’m taking them in. That is, Grandma will have to drive, but I’m going with them. Come on, Sam.” He put an arm around her waist and urged her forward.

  She leaned toward him. “I can slap on a Band-Aid. I don’t need to see the doctor.”

  “You’re going to the doctor, Sam. That’s a deep cut. It’ll probably leave a scar but it’s got to be cleaned out and sewn up.”

  Samantha tried to resist, but her head was hurting, her arm throbbing, and she thought she’d done something to her collarbone. She didn’t have much strength left. By the time he got her to the car, slipping both of them into the back seat, Lavinia was behind the wheel.

  “We’ll see you in town,” the sheriff said and got in the police car. The driver turned the sedan around and sped down the driveway.

  Rich didn’t have to tell his grandmother to hurry. She was on their tail in no time.

  RICH CARRIED Sam into the doctor’s office even though she insisted she could walk. Rich didn’t believe her, which was probably a good thing.

  “Where’s Doc Jacoby?” he asked as he walked past the patients waiting in reception.

  The young lady behind a small desk looked up. “What’s wrong?”

  Rich pressed his lips tightly together, trying to control his anger. Then he repeated, “Where’s Doc Jacoby? We’ve got an emergency!”

  “What’s up, boy?” asked an elderly man who had just come through an open door near the reception desk.

  “Doc, this is Samantha Jeffers. Her arm has been cut and she’s lost a lot of blood. You need to take a look at her.” Rich turned so the doctor could see Sam’s right arm.

  Dr. Jacoby had been taking care of him and his family most of their lives. Rich trusted him completely.

  “Nasty cut. How did that happen?” Dr. Jacoby asked.

  “Some guy took a knife to her. Can you take care of her?”

  Doc turned to his other patients. “Sorry, folks, but I have to attend to this young lady right now.”

  He ushered them into an examination room and turned to Sam.

  “So, can you talk, young lady?”

  “Yes, of course. I really don’t think there’s anything you can do, but Rich insisted—”

  “You a friend of Rich?” Doc asked, looking first at her and then Rich.

  Lavinia, entering the room behind them, spoke up. “No, she’s my companion.”

  Doc sent a sharp look Lavinia’s way. “You okay, Lavinia? Didn’t know you had a companion.” He shouted for a nurse. When a woman appeared in starched white, he asked her to help the patient put on a gown.

  “Please, Doctor,” Sam began, “I don’t need—”

  Both Rich and Lavi
nia assured her Doc Jacoby was the best. She needed to follow his orders.

  The nurse indicated for Rich to set Sam down on the examining table and turned to pull a disposable gown out of a drawer.

  “Rich,” Lavinia caught his attention. “You need to leave so we can undress Sam. We don’t want any more blood on her clothes.”

  He turned bright red and stepped to the door. “Don’t let her fall,” he said before closing the door behind him.

  “Your grandson seems mighty intent on this little patient,” the nurse said, grinning at Lavinia.

  “He surely does,” Lavinia agreed with a big grin on her face.

  “He just feels responsible for me,” Samantha said.

  Lavinia patted Sam’s good arm, smiling gently at her, and the nurse began unbuttoning Samantha’s shirt.

  “Really, I don’t need to undress. It’s already stopped bleeding. Maybe just a bandage?”

  “You’re being ridiculous, child,” Lavinia protested. “Who knows where that knife has been. The cut has to be cleaned and you’ll get a tetanus shot. You’ll need stitches, too.”

  The nurse held the injured arm, staring at it. “Why is this skin all red?”

  “It’ll be black and blue real soon, I expect,” Lavinia said. “The guy who attacked her was pulling her and she was resisting. I bet he bruised it.”

  “You can leave on your bra and jeans, dear. Just slip this gown over them and we’ll be ready.”

  Samantha didn’t feel she had any choice. After she’d put on the gown, the nurse opened the door for the doctor.

  When Doctor Jacoby came back in, it was clear he’d been talking to Rich. “I hear you’re new to Rawhide.”

  “Yes,” she said, glaring at Rich, who followed Doc into the room.

  “Now, don’t blame the boy for that. I know everyone in town. Haven’t seen you before.”

  She ducked her head.

  “This man that hurt you. He got a beef with you?”

  “He wanted me to be his fifth wife,” Sam said in disgust.

  “His fifth? What happened to the others?”

  “The police are looking into that.”

  “Mercy, I hope they keep him locked up. Doesn’t sound like someone we want here in Rawhide.” He picked up her arm and looked at the cut again. “I’m going to have to clean this up. It may sting a little, so Nurse Banning is going to give you a local to ease the pain. Once it’s clean, we’ll stitch it up and give you a tetanus shot as well. Probably eight stitches. Okay?”

  Samantha lay still, staring at the ceiling as the nurse gave her a shot just above the cut. She couldn’t believe she would need that many stitches, but she was feeling a little dizzy. It was easier to let him get on with it.

  A few minutes later, the doctor assured her they were all done with the stitching. “Now then, your arm is all red. Looks like a pretty bad bruise.”

  Samantha only nodded.

  “Do you hurt anywhere else?”

  She tried to move her cut arm, but the nurse stopped her and asked, “Can you use your other arm, dear?”

  Samantha used her other arm and touched her shoulder on the injured side. She thought she’d pulled a muscle.

  “Ah,” the doctor said. “I think we’d better do an X ray. We don’t want to miss anything.”

  “Something else is wrong?” Rich demanded, stepping into Sam’s line of vision.

  “Won’t know until we look. You and Lavinia are going to have to wait outside.”

  “Why can’t we stay?” Rich demanded, a frown on his face.

  “Because we’re going to do an X ray. Go sit down and we’ll let you know when we’re done.”

  Samantha watched Rich and Lavinia leave with a sense of loss. For a young woman who had always been alone, she’d quickly come to appreciate their company.

  The nurse told Sam to remain on the table. Then she left the room only to return right away with a big machine she could just barely get through the door. Then she handed the doctor a lead apron and put one on herself.

  “How’s the pain?” the doctor asked as the nurse slid an X-ray plate under her right side.

  “Bearable,” Sam told him as she gritted her teeth.

  “You’re braver than some of these cowboys around here,” he assured her with a chuckle. “By the way, I noticed Rich has a cast on his foot. How come?”

  “He fell wrong from the back of a bull.”

  “Where?”

  “Flagstaff,” she replied, grimacing at the nurse’s movement.

  “Okay, we’re almost ready,” the doctor said. “When I tell you, hold your breath.”

  Chapter Eight

  Rich immediately began to pace in the waiting room. Lavinia took a seat and chatted with her neighbors, explaining what had happened.

  Suddenly the door flew open and Janie, closely followed by Red, entered the room.

  “Rich? Where is she? Is she all right?”

  He hugged his mother. “Doc sewed up the cut, but he’s doing an X ray now.”

  “Why? What else is wrong? And who is this man? Why would he attack Samantha?”

  Lavinia moved down the sofa and patted the seat she’d abandoned. “Sit down, Janie. We’ll tell you what we know.” She waited until Janie had done so. “The man said his name was Brad. Apparently Sam used to work for him. And he wanted her to go back to Arizona.”

  “And she agreed?” Janie asked, her voice rising.

  “No. He was trying to force her.” Lavinia pressed her hands together. “That’s when I ran to get my rifle. When I got back, he was knocked on the ground. That’s when I saw Sam was bleeding. I got a towel to stop the bleeding. Then Rich arrived and we brought Sam in. The sheriff took that Brad fellow into custody.”

  “What I don’t get is how he knew where she was,” Rich said, anger in his voice.

  “She said she didn’t tell him,” Lavinia replied. “Said she knew he was dangerous.”

  “The important thing is she’s going to be all right, isn’t she?” Janie asked. “I told Toby to tell your dad.”

  As if on cue, the phone on the receptionist’s desk rang. She answered it, then looked at Janie. “Ma’am, your husband wants to talk to you.”

  By the time Janie finished her conversation with Pete, the nurse was waiting to take them to the doctor’s office.

  All three of them asked questions nonstop. The nurse opened the doctor’s office door and asked them to be seated. “The doctor will be here in a minute to fill you all in.” Then she disappeared.

  Fortunately, Dr. Jacoby entered just then, his hand raised. “My nurse warned me you were all demanding answers. Samantha lost quite a bit of blood, and she’s turning black and blue on her arm and shoulder. The man wrenched her shoulder. It will be okay but it’s painful. She’s being taken to a room and we’re keeping her overnight at least. Maybe two nights.” After a pause, he said, “And that’s all I know, except she is a strong woman. Suffered a lot of pain without complaining.”

  “Can we see her?” Janie asked.

  “In about two hours. After they settle her in, they’re going to give her some pain medication that will knock her out. When she wakes up, she’ll feel a lot better.”

  “Okay, thanks, Doc,” Janie said, and led her son and mother out to the waiting room where Red was waiting.

  ONCE THEY LEFT the clinic, Rich glowered. “I think I’m paying the sheriff a visit.”

  “Is he going to charge the man with anything?” Janie asked.

  “He’d better,” Rich returned.

  “I think we should go get Samantha her own things,” Lavinia said. “I remember that made me feel lots better when I was in the hospital.”

  “After we stop at the sheriff’s office,” Rich replied.

  “All right, dear.”

  “While y’all do that, Red and I are going home to reassure Mildred and pick up Pete. He’ll want to see Sam, too.”

  Rich got in his grandmother’s car on the passenger side, irritated that
he had to rely on anyone to drive him wherever he needed to go.

  Lavinia pulled up beside the sheriff’s office but stayed in the car. “I’m beginning to feel a little sore and tired,” she admitted. “I’ll just wait here until you’re ready to go home.”

  “You sure you’re all right, Grandma?”

  “I’m sure. Maybe I’m just hungry. It’s past lunch-time.”

  “I won’t be long.”

  When Rich walked in, he discovered the sheriff talking to one of his deputies. “Sheriff Metzger?” he called.

  The sheriff spun on his heels. “Rich. How’s your friend?”

  “Doc’s keeping her overnight.”

  “I’m sorry. Her attacker is going back to Flagstaff first thing in the morning. He wasn’t supposed to leave town. They’ve got new evidence on his last wife’s death. Looks like they’re going to charge him with her murder and look into his other wives’ deaths, so your little lady won’t have to worry about him.”

  “That’s good news, but she’s just a friend, not my lady.”

  “Uh, right.”

  “So does Sam need to file charges just in case he beats that rap?”

  “That would be best.”

  “If you’ll give me the forms she needs to sign, I’ll bring them by later.”

  The sheriff gathered up several sheets of paper and handed them to Rich. After saying goodbye, Rich hurried back to his grandmother’s car.

  “You want to get some lunch before we go back to the ranch?” he asked her.

  “No, we’ll grab something to eat when we get home. I want to get Samantha’s nightgown and grooming things to her as quick as possible. I was right glad to get out of that thing they called a nightgown when I was in the hospital.”

  Rich nodded, but he wondered what Sam would have in the way of a nightgown. Then he shook his head. That wasn’t a good thing for him to worry about.

  When they returned to his grandmother’s house, she ordered him to get the ham out of the refrigerator. They’d have sandwiches. He did as she asked, taking out mustard and bread as well.