A Randall Thanksgiving

by Judy Christenberry

“Probably not too many if they all looked alike, but I could take a sampling and sell some, especially right before Christmas.”

  “Well, maybe one day. I’ll keep it in mind for the future.”

  “Does that mean you’re thinking of returning to Rawhide?” B.J. asked.

  “No, but I’m thinking about changing companies.”

  “I didn’t know that, dear,” Camille said. “You hadn’t mentioned it.”

  “I’ve been a little unhappy with Monsieur Jalbert for a few months. It’s a decision that is slowly evolving.”

  “Will you have to move your workshop?” Megan asked.

  “Perhaps. I’ll have to look into that when I return to France.”

  After chatting a few minutes more, the ladies left, just as a nurse brought in lunch.

  “Perfect timing,” Camille said, smiling at the woman.

  But when she saw the burger and fries that awaited her, she sighed. “I’m eager to get home for so many reasons. But a home-cooked meal probably tops the list.”

  HARRY HAD JUST SAT DOWN at his desk on Tuesday when Wayne came in. The man was downright ecstatic. “Harry, I wanted to thank you. Mike said you voted to do the switch so I could have a job right away. I can’t thank you enough.”

  “You deserve it, Wayne. You’ve worked well for us here. I’m sure the sheriff in Cody will realize what a great deputy he’s getting. When are you reporting?”

  “Monday morning. We won’t be moved by then, but my wife said she’d stay here until the movers can work us in. It shouldn’t be more than a couple of days after that. We’re both excited about me having a job right off.”

  “Monday? Is—is Dale reporting here on Monday?”

  “Yeah. That was the deal. But he’s not married, so he doesn’t have that much to bring with him.”

  Harry didn’t need that reminder of Dale’s bachelor status. “Where is he going to live?”

  “I think Mike said he talked to Russ, who’s got an opening in one of his apartments above the office.”

  “I see.”

  “Mike’s giving me the rest of the week off so I can help my wife pack. I just wanted to say thank-you. And anytime you come to Cody, just let me know. We’ll have a place for you.”

  “Thanks, Wayne. I’ll remember that.”

  With a beaming smile, Wayne left the office. Once he was gone, Harry buried his face in his hands. Dale Henry would be here on Monday. It was a wonder he wasn’t going to be here tomorrow!

  Harry hoped Camille would be going home tomorrow, or Thursday at the latest, to get Melissa out of town. He was afraid she’d fall for anyone in a uniform. Was it just his luck that he’d been the only single guy on the force?

  Suddenly he raised his head. Of course. He should’ve thought of this idea before. What was the name of that new nurse over at the hospital? His friends had given him her name awhile back, thinking he might be interested because he’d dated Susan, her predecessor, a few years ago. Was it Betsy? Yes, that was it. He could introduce Dale to her. The new deputy would probably be so grateful, he wouldn’t be looking for anyone else.

  That’s what Harry would do. He’d introduce him to Betsy.

  Of course, that might be hard, since he hadn’t met Betsy yet himself. Maybe Mike would want Dale to get his blood type on record, and Harry could escort him over to the clinic and request Betsy.

  “Hey, Harry,” Mike called, walking into the office. “Did Wayne tell you the good news?”

  “That he starts his job next Monday? Yeah, he was just in here.”

  “Good. Dale is supposed to be here then, too. I just wanted to make sure you knew, in case he comes in early, that I’ve rented Russ’s upstairs apartment, the one on the north side, for Dale. If you’re in the office when he gets here, can you take him over there and introduce him to Russ?”

  “Sure. But you don’t expect him before Monday, do you?”

  “I just know if I was him and didn’t have a lot of personal stuff, I’d want to get here early and settle in. After all, he doesn’t have a wife to do that stuff for him.”

  Why did everyone have to remind him of that? Harry wondered. “I don’t think Caro would like to hear you talking about wives like that,” he teased.

  Mike laughed. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Anyway, you’re okay with that?”

  “Sure, boss. I can handle it.”

  “Thanks, Harry. I’ll be watching the county road tonight, so I’m going home now to take a nap. If you haven’t seen me by dark, call the house and wake me up.”

  “Okay. But what about the kids?”

  “B.J. came in to see Camille this morning, and picked the kids up to take them out to the ranch for the night.”

  “I bet you’re sorry you’re going to be working tonight.”

  “Yeah, but that’s my job.”

  Mike strolled out of the office, and Harry couldn’t help smiling. Mike and Caro still acted like they were on their honeymoon, even though they’d been married almost five years now. He hoped, if he ever married, his life would be just like Mike’s.

  It would be if he married Melissa.

  He immediately dismissed that thought. She was going back to France. And that would be the end of anything, no matter how many times he kissed her. And it was a good thing, because the more he kissed her the more he lost control. Griff hadn’t been far off the mark this morning.

  Harry sighed. He needed to get his mind on something else. Such as the schedule. He plugged Dale into work Wayne’s shift, then organized the duties for the remaining five deputies and Mike.

  By national standards theirs wasn’t a big force, but it was large for a town the size of Rawhide. The ranchers in the area were willing to support the office with Mike in charge. Harry thought that was a smart decision.

  The afternoon passed with its normal duties and almost no incident that needed a deputy’s attention. Except for an argument that started at the general store. Sarah Randall called the office to ask for help, and Steve volunteered immediately.

  Because he had messed up once when on duty at the general store, an incident that resulted in Harry being shot, Steve volunteered for anything that came up there. Fortunately, he was better trained now, so Harry let him take care of the call.

  Steve was back in the office when the outer door opened and a stranger walked in.

  It only took one look for Harry to realize his wish had not been granted. The new man had arrived early.

  With a sigh, Harry stood up and stuck out his hand. “You must be Dale Henry.”

  “Yeah. How did you know?”

  “There’s just something about a lawman,” Harry said with a crooked smile. “I’m Deputy Sheriff Harry Gowan. This is Steve Lawson. Steve, this is Dale Henry. He’s replacing Wayne.”

  Steve shook his hand. “We didn’t think you’d be here much before the weekend.”

  “Well, I didn’t have a lot I had to move. I was renting furnished in Cody.”

  “You don’t have any furniture?” Harry asked, surprised.

  “No. Is that a problem?”

  “Well, just for tonight. The place Mike rented for you doesn’t have any, either.”

  He stepped over to the front door and pointed across the street to the apartment over Russ Randall’s accounting office. “We can probably round some things up tomorrow if you’re not particular about style. But you’re stuck tonight.”

  “Is there a hotel here?”

  “No. Rawhide is too small. But I’ve got a sofa you can sleep on. It shouldn’t be too uncomfortable, if you don’t mind.”

  “No, that’d be great. Thanks.”

  “I’m about to go to the café and bring back dinner. What would you like to eat?”

  “What do they have?”

  “Tonight’s special is meat loaf and veggies. They usually have pot roast, and there’s always hamburgers.”

  “I’ll take the special. How much do I owe you?”

  “Sheriff says the city picks up our m
eals while we’re on duty,” Steve interjected.

  “I’m not exactly on duty yet, am I?”

  “Not technically,” Harry said with a wry smile, “but you’ll be working the twelve-to-nine shift with me and Steve. You get the first meal free.”

  “Thanks, Harry. Shall I wait here?”

  “Yeah. My apartment is just upstairs. After dinner you can go up whenever you want.”

  “Thanks again. You’re being a great host.”

  “Harry is always great. And he can teach you a lot,” Steve stated.

  “Dale may be teaching us, Steve. We’ll have to wait and see.” Then Harry left for the café.

  Yeah, he was in trouble, all right, he thought as he dodged a truck barreling down the street. Dale Henry was every bit the looker he’d feared.

  Was he Melissa’s type?

  Then again, what woman wouldn’t go for a tall, muscular man in uniform?

  Yeah, it was Harry’s luck. And now he’d gone ahead and offered the man his sofa for the night. But at least he’d be able to keep an eye on the guy.

  Harry picked up the dinners at the café and headed back to the Sheriff’s Office. He’d just stepped in when he heard Steve on the phone. “I need to speak to Dr. Randall, please.”

  Harry nodded toward him. “What’s up?”

  Dale answered. “Steve wanted to call Sheriff Davis and tell him I’d arrived, but he can’t locate him. I tried to tell him to wait, but—”

  “Hang up the phone, Steve!” Harry rapped out the order.

  Too late. Steve greeted Caroline on the line. “Uh, hello, Dr. Randall. Yes, I wanted to know—”

  Harry yanked the phone out Steve’s hand and put it to his ear. “Caro, just ignore this call. What? Of course we know where Mike is. I forgot to tell Steve. Yes, I’m sure. No, I won’t. Sorry to have bothered you.”

  After hanging up he turned to his partner. “Steve, don’t ever do that again,” he declared.

  “But I thought—”

  “If you called Mike and got no answer, you should’ve stopped there. The sheriff is working late tonight. Now you’ve worried Caro for no reason.”

  “Uh, excuse me,” Dale interjected from across the room. “He asked to speak to Dr. Randall? Would that be the famous Randall family? I thought he was calling Sheriff Davis’s wife.”

  “He was. Dr. Caroline Randall Davis. She’d gotten her medical degree and begun practicing here in Rawhide before she and Mike got together.”

  “Lucky guy,” Dale muttered, shaking his head.

  Harry gave him a sharp look. “Yeah, he is, for all the right reasons, which has nothing to do with their money.”

  Dale held up his hands. “Sorry, no offense meant.”

  “None taken. Let’s eat.”

  Harry showed Dale a desk he could sit at, and handed him a foil-wrapped plate with plastic utensils. “Coffee is in the break room. I’ll bring you a cup.”

  As they ate, Harry relaxed a little, thinking he’d probably come down on Steve a little hard. Until the phone rang. “Sheriff’s Office,” he answered.

  “Harry, it’s Caro. I just wanted to be sure you know where Mike is. He didn’t tell me and—”

  “Caro, he did tell me. He’s doing an all-night stakeout. He probably won’t see anything, but he felt he needed to do it. I’ll check in with him if you want me to.”

  “No, I don’t want you to bother him. I just wanted to be sure he’s all right.”

  “I’m sure. It’s all my fault. I figured I’d be in the office my entire shift, but the new guy got here tonight and I went to get dinner. Steve jumped the gun, trying to be efficient. That’s all that happened.”

  “Okay. Shall I tell Mike the new man is here?”

  “Sure, that will be fine. He’s sleeping on my couch tonight and we’ll try to round up some furniture for him tomorrow.”

  “Oh, good. I’ll call the ranch and see what they have to spare.”

  “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

  “No, I’ll be glad to.”

  “Thanks, Caro.”

  “No. Thank you, Harry, for making me feel better.”

  “Anytime.”

  He hung up the phone. Desperate for some time to himself, he suggested Steve take Dale on a tour of Rawhide.

  They hadn’t been gone ten minutes when the phone rang again. Harry picked it up to hear the unmistakable voice of Melissa Randall.

  “Hey there, deputy,” she crooned. “How’d you like some company tonight?”

  Chapter Nine

  Harry’s heart began to thud. Was he dreaming this? “Melissa?” he croaked out in a raspy voice. “Is everything all right?”

  She giggled softly. “Yes, of course. Mom has dozed off already, and I thought maybe I could come visit you for a while.”

  “That wouldn’t be a good idea, Melissa.” It pained him to admit it. “I’m on duty and—”

  “When do you get off duty?”

  “At nine, but I’ve got a guest tonight.” Damn. Now for sure he disliked Dale Henry.

  “A guest? Is it a female?”

  “No!” he barked into the phone. Then he tempered his tone. “No, the new deputy sheriff is here with no furniture, so he can’t move into the apartment Mike rented for him because he’d have to sleep on the floor. I offered him my sofa tonight.”

  “Oh.”

  “Why did you think it might be a female? Do you think I go around kissing a lot of women at once?” he ventured.

  “It seems to be a major talent you have.” He could hear the smile in her voice.

  “Only when I’m kissing you. You have the greatest lips in the world.”

  “Ooh, I like that,” she crooned.

  Harry could feel himself getting hard, and desperately tried to think of anything but Melissa. When he heard the office door open, and realized the guys had returned, he said, “I have to go now. The other deputies are back.”

  “Okay,” Melissa said, but Harry could hear her pout.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he whispered, and hung up the phone.

  He stood as the other two men sat down at their respective desks. “So how did the tour go?”

  “It was fine,” Dale said. “For a small town, you’ve got just about everything a guy could need.”

  “That’s true. Is the town shutting up, Steve?”

  “Yeah. We only have another hour on duty.”

  The phone rang once more and Harry answered it, wondering if it was Melissa again.

  He was disappointed.

  “It’s Mike,” the sheriff said in a low voice. “I need you and anyone else you can round up. We’ve got the rustlers pulling another raid.”

  “Give me your location,” Harry stated. “And do we come in hard or soft?”

  “Soft, unless you hear from me. You’ll have your cell phone, won’t you?”

  “Yeah. We’re on our way.”

  As soon as he got off the phone, he ordered Steve to call the closest deputy on night shift and get him in to answer the phones. Then Harry looked at Dale. “Do you want some action tonight? We’ve got cattle rustlers pulling a raid.”

  “Yeah, I want in, but I only have my hand pistol with me.”

  “No problem.” Harry crossed the room and opened a locked gun case. He pulled out two shotguns and two 30-30 carbines.

  Steve hung up the phone. “Fred will be here in five minutes.”

  “Let’s roll,” Harry called as he headed for the front door where the other SUV was parked. He handed Dale one of the shotguns and Steve one of the carbines, along with bullets. He kept the other two guns.

  As they started off, Harry said, “The boss said to come in soft unless he notified us. When we get out of town, I’m turning off the lights and I’ll need you to help me watch. I don’t want to hit anything.”

  Within minutes, they came upon Mike’s SUV, standing empty on the side of the road. Harry eased his vehicle to a stop behind it and quietly got out, urging the others to do the s
ame.

  They crept along the edge of the road until they rounded a corner and saw a big 18-wheeler parked on the shoulder. They almost stepped on Mike.

  Harry sank to the ground beside him. “There’s three of us. Will that be enough, or do you want me to roust anyone out of bed?”

  “That should be enough,” Mike whispered. “We’ll split up. I’ll keep Steve with me. You and Wayne—” He stopped. “Who’s here instead of Wayne?”

  “Mike, meet Dale.”

  “Ah, welcome aboard, Dale. I hope Harry didn’t force you to come with him.”

  “Nope, I volunteered,” Dale whispered.

  “Okay, Harry, you and Dale go to the other side of the 18-wheeler. Get an angle on the fence opening so you’re not firing at us. Then, when they come into sight with the cattle, open fire.”

  “There’s no one in the 18-wheeler?” Harry asked.

  “I saw the driver get out and take one of the horses, and I haven’t seen any movement since. But cross to the other side of the road and stay low.”

  “How about closing the fence?” Harry asked.

  “You’d need some barbed wire and pliers. Do you have those?”

  “Yeah, they’re in the SUV. I’ll go back and get them.”

  Harry left for a couple of minutes, and when he got back, motioned to Dale to follow him. They did as Mike had instructed, and after going past the 18-wheeler, Harry slipped to the fence and began repairing the gap. He felt his heart rate increasing, and hoped that trusting Dale to warn him wouldn’t be a mistake. After all, he didn’t know him.

  Harry didn’t want to be caught off guard or get into trouble. His breathing became shallow at the thought of being shot tonight. He hadn’t planned on not seeing Melissa again.

  He worked quickly, hoping the repair job would hold. Dale called to him just as he was finishing up the last piece of fencing. Harry hurried back to his side.

  “Did you see them?” he whispered, feeling the adrenaline rush again.

  “No, but I heard cattle.”

  “Okay, we’ll wait for Mike to open fire. When you shoot, aim high. We don’t want any cattle or horses injured.”

  “Right.”

  The snow would make it easier to see, but it was still going to be difficult to hit their targets. But with the fence closed, the rustlers wouldn’t have any place to go.