Comeback Trail

by Carolina Mac

  “You can’t do that,” Laney screamed.

  “You watch me, Laney. I hope you’re there when I shoot him dead and I hope your mean, nasty mother is there too. I can’t wait to hear her screaming.”

  Laney started crying.

  “Don’t be a baby,” said Kate. “Don’t listen to Jack. He’s trying to get to you. Stop blubbering.”

  “I don’t want to stay in jail anymore, Kate. I want to go home to the trailer.”

  Jack turned and walked up the run to the doorway with Clay and Bonnie Sue behind him. He locked the outer door and said, “Do you think it’s worth another trip to the trailer?”

  “How many times have we looked there?” asked Bonnie Sue. “I don’t think they’d go there.”

  “First place I’m looking in the morning,” said Jack. “Just to be sure.”

  Bonnie Sue nodded. “Yep, we’ll clear it with Wade and go first thing to double check.”

  “Let’s have a coffee with Ivan before we leave.” Jack grinned. “He can tell Clay about how the girls got the better of them and escaped from the run.”

  Clay grinned. “Can’t wait to hear it.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Tuesday, June 2nd.

  McKenna Ranch.

  AT breakfast Clay and Jacky wanted to know all the details of my date with Darla.

  “Not much to tell y’all. We had a great dinner at the Preston Steakhouse, and that was it. Nice long conversation and then I took her home. We didn’t do anything afterwards. It was only dinner, but it was a start.”

  “Did you kiss her when you took her home?” asked Jack.

  “Yep, and I mentioned the rodeo on the weekend. I said I’d call her today, and I’m going to. I like her a lot.”

  Clay gave me fist bump. “Good job, Logy. Sounds like you were the perfect date.”

  “I’m not perfect at anything, but I’m going to practice like the devil’s up my ass all this week and see if I can be closer to perfect on the weekend.”

  “Can’t wait for Lubbock,” said Clay. “Been a long time coming and I’m so ready for it, I’m gonna bust wide open when I see you in the arena.”

  “Write me a new rodeo song, Clay. One with words they’ll play on the radio.”

  He chuckled. “Okay, I’ll get on it after breakfast.”

  “Clint and I are going to his friend’s ranch to pick out a Quarter horse. Clint is going to train me a spare horse.”

  Jack nodded as he shoveled scrambled eggs into his mouth. “Damned good idea, Logy. If something terrible happened to Bowie you would be double barreled screwed.”

  “That’s what I thought.”

  Sheriff’s Office. Preston.

  JACK stuck his head in Sheriff Tucker’s office as soon as he got to work and asked about a trip up to Swain’s old trailer.

  “Yep, go check it out, boy. We can’t be leaving nothing to chance with that underhanded son of a snake still crawling around. Take a good look around up there while y’all are at it and check those other two motels he stayed at. Never know if he’s playing some kind of game with us. He’s hopping around like a rabbit in heat.”

  “Might be long gone, Sheriff. I’m thinking both him and Carson are in deep with charges flowing out both their asses. They’re wanted in Texas and they know we’re gonna get them sooner or later. They might have already split.”

  “True enough. Would be the logical thing to do. Got wants out on them country wide. Somebody is bound to see them if they ain’t crossed into Mexico by now.”

  “Hate to see them skip,” said Jack. “I’ve got a lot of personal reasons for wanting Swain caught—one of them being my barn.”

  The sheriff rubbed his neck. “I’ve got my personal reasons too, son. Pisses me off every minute of the day.”

  “I’ll get going,” said Jack. “Bonnie Sue is coming with me. That okay?”

  “Sure, leave Ivan on desk duty. He’s grounded at least for two more weeks. He can barely lift his arm to take a phone call and it’s his own damned fault.”

  Copeland Quarter Horses.

  CLINT, Clay and I drove through Preston and kept on going for another ten miles before we reached the Copeland ranch. As we drove in the long laneway I could see a lot of amazing quarter horses in the field in front of the house.

  “Boy, those are some beautiful horses,” said Clay. “Wonder what kind of dollars were talking?”

  “Don’t know,” said Clint. “I’ll leave that up to Logan and Wayne to work out. He’s a fair guy. Has been long as I’ve known him.”

  “There’s no money in rodeo without a fantastic horse,” I said. “You have to take that into account.”

  “So true,” said Clint. “The horse is key in most events.”

  We walked into the barn and he introduced me to his friend, Wayne Copeland. We shook hands, chatted a bit, then took a walk into the field to check out the horses.

  “Admired your career, Logan,” said Wayne, “and was a bit surprised when you quit suddenly like you did a year ago.”

  “Bad decision on my part,” I said. “I was going through some personal issues, but I never should have quit. Made the comeback trail that much harder.”

  Wayne smiled. “But you’re almost back in form now. I heard you were in the top three your first rodeo last weekend.”

  “I’ve been pushing it hard to get back into shape. Lubbock is coming up on the weekend and I hope I make a better showing.”

  After taking our time considering several possibilities, Clay and I selected a beautiful blue roan gelding. Crockett was four years old, quiet temperament, compact and stocky. He’d be perfect as soon as I developed a rapport with him.

  Mr. Copeland and I negotiated a price and with his help I loaded up my new horse.

  “All of my horses are vet guaranteed for the first ninety days. I have healthy horses and I’m proud of them.”

  “Good to know, and they are an impressive lot.” I shook his hand and we were on our way home with Crockett.

  “Love him,” said Clay. “He’s a beauty.”

  Micky Swain’s Trailer.

  JACK drove north from the office with Bonnie Sue riding shotgun. Both of them figured another trip to the trailer would be a waste of time, but all possibilities had to be explored if they were ever going to catch Swain and put him away.

  When they arrived at the unit Swain owned in the back corner of the mobile home park, neither Swain’s blue Ram, nor Carson Wagoner’s old Golf was in the driveway.

  “Where’s his Harley?” asked Bonnie Sue. “It’s not here.”

  “He can’t be driving two things at once,” said Jack. “Think he’s towing his bike?”

  “Could be if he’s gone for good,” said Bonnie Sue. “He wouldn’t want to leave it behind.”

  Jack parked in the drive and they hopped out. There was no movement around the only neighbor’s trailer to the west. Nobody appeared to be up or moving around. Maybe sleeping late was a trailer park perk.

  “I’m going to check out the back, Bonnie Sue. You pretend like you’re knocking on the front door.”

  She grinned. “I don’t have to pretend, Jack. I’ll knock for real on the front door. People in this park must be used to seeing cops at Micky Swain’s door.”

  Jack raced around behind the trailer, pulled his newly acquired lock pick set out of his pocket and unlocked the back door. There was no safety chain on and he was inside in a couple of minutes. He walked through the trailer and opened the front door to let Bonnie Sue in.

  “Let’s check out the whole place in a hurry,” said Bonnie Sue. “I’ve never done an illegal entry before and it’s making me a little nervous.”

  “Hey, do what we have to do. This felon is dangerous and he and his wife have done a lot of damage to me and my brothers and to Sheriff Tucker.”

  “You’re right, but any evidence we find won’t hold up in court.”

  “But if we find Swain from a clue we get, that will hold up,” said Jack.

/>   “That’s true.”

  Jack started in the two small bedrooms at the back of the trailer and Bonnie Sue started in the kitchen. They opened doors and drawers and searched through the untidy messes on most of the tables and surfaces. Carson and the girls were terrible housekeepers. The trailer was a mess of clutter and smelled like weed, stale beer and rotting garbage.

  Bonnie Sue hollered from the kitchen. “Got an address in Lubbock.”

  Jack ran to the kitchen from the bathroom and Bonnie Sue showed him the ripped scrap of paper she’d found. “Could be something,” said Jack. “Nothing in the bedrooms and most of their clothes are gone. Dresser drawers are empty.”

  “I think they split,” said Bonnie Sue. “We better call the sheriff and see if he wants us to go to Lubbock or have the Lubbock PD check out this address.”

  “We’ll call him from the truck,” said Jack. “We still have the two motels to check.”

  McKenna Ranch.

  Even though it was hot, I saddled Bowie and had a great practice session after we came back from the Copeland ranch with Crockett. I loved him already and planned to spend some time riding him later just so he’d get to know me.

  Clint seemed to be enthused with the prospect of training Crockett and he was the type of guy who would take on the task seriously and do the best job he could. Both our newly hired hands were turning out to be hard workers and good people. A relief to me after those lying, underhanded girls.

  Still can’t believe I trusted them like I did. Daddy would have warned us off them. I’m sure of it.

  After my practice was over and Bowie was cooled out, I was working in the barn when my cell rang. Since my recent female fiascos, I’d been checking the screen carefully before answering. Linda.

  I don’t want to talk to her again.

  “Hi, Logan. Have you cooled down a little? I was hoping we could talk later at the Spur.”

  “No, I’m sorry, Linda. I’m not doing anymore talking. I’ve already said everything I wanted to say yesterday. We’re over and let’s leave it that way. I think it’s best for both of us.”

  “No, Logan.” Linda began crying into the phone. “It’s not best for me. I still love you.”

  “I’m going to be honest with you, Linda, and I want you to listen. I’m seeing someone else. She’ll be with me at the rodeo on the weekend and I wanted you to know that ahead of time.”

  She let out a little squeal then pelted me with questions. “Who is she? Do I know her? What does she look like? Is she pretty?”

  “No, you don’t know her. I barely know her myself. I just met her by chance and she’s a nice girl. Please don’t cause me any more trouble, Linda. I can’t take it. Forget about me and get on with your own life.”

  “You sound like a soap opera, Logan. I can’t get on with my own life when I still love you.” She cried again and I could barely stand hearing her so sad.

  “I have to go, Linda. I’m sorry if I hurt you.” I ended the call and let out a breath. Breaking up with Linda was harder than I thought it would be. Maybe Clay could write a song about it. Breaking up is hard to do—new version by Clay McKenna.

  I headed into the house, cracked open a cold one and called Darla’s cell. “Hi, are you busy?”

  “Work is always busy, but I’m happy to hear from you. I like my job and I like working for Mr. Tomlinson. It’s a great place to work.”

  “Are you planning on coming to the rodeo with me on the weekend?”

  “Yes, I am. I would have gone anyway to see you compete, but I’m thrilled to be going with you and I wouldn’t miss it for anything. I can’t wait to see you in action again. Are your brothers coming to support you?”

  “Yes, they are. Both Clay and Jack will be there. My brothers are my biggest fans.”

  “Not as big a fan as me.” Darla giggled. “I think I’m your number one fan.”

  I laughed. “I’ll call you later in the week and maybe we’ll go to the Spur on Friday night. Are you open to that?”

  “That would be fun, Logan. I could meet your brothers before we go to the rodeo.”

  “Uh huh. I want you to meet them. I bought a new horse today and I’m training him as a spare. Wait until you see him. He’s a beauty.”

  “Are you replacing Bowie?”

  “No, not at all. But it makes sense to have an alternate if I’m in competition.”

  “It does. A lot of competitors have two or three horses they can count on,” said Darla. “I can’t wait to see the new one. Is he a quarter horse?”

  She knows so much about the rodeo.

  “Yes. A blue roan and he’s gorgeous.”

  “Send me a picture of him on your phone.”

  I chuckled. “I will. I’ll go out to the corral now and send you one. His name is Crockett.”

  “Ooh, I love that name.”

  “You can text me if you want to. I’ll try to remember to check for messages.”

  “Thanks for calling, Logan. I’ll be waiting for Crockett’s picture.”

  I ran out to the corral, took a quick picture of Crockett and sent it to Darla. She was sweet and fun and I was getting attached to her already. Maybe I should kick it down a notch.

  Micky Swain’s Trailer.

  JACK called Sheriff Tucker as they left the trailer park and asked if they should take the chase all the way to Lubbock.

  “No, Jacky. Not this morning. Come on back here. I’ve got other cases for you and Bonnie Sue to work on. Give me the address and I’ll send it to Lubbock PD. They can pick him up if he’s at this address. It might be another wild goose chase just like every other one.

  Not all of them. You blew it Tucker.

  “Thanks, Sheriff.” Jack kept his cool and read off the address. “And you’re right, Sheriff, it might be nothing but it’s all we found.”

  “You have legal entry into the trailer to find this scrap of evidence, Jacky boy?”

  “Sure did, Sheriff. Back door was ajar and I was worried somebody was hurt inside the trailer.”

  “Good thing you checked, son.”

  McKenna Ranch.

  I was deep in thought about what I’d make the boys for supper when Mr. Tomlinson called and told me he’d applied for the restraining order against Fiona.

  “We should hear something in a couple of days.”

  “Thank you so much, sir. I can’t wait until we have that in place. I’m not afraid of her, but I definitely want her to realize the seriousness of what she’s doing and stay out of my life.”

  “I’ll call as soon as I hear from the court.”

  “Thank you.”

  Clay was standing with the fridge door open and frowning. “When was the last time you bought groceries, Logy?”

  “Can’t remember. Guess it slipped my mind with all that’s been going on.”

  “I don’t think we’ve got anything fit to eat.”

  “What do you suggest, Clay?” As if I didn’t know. He loved eating at the Spur.

  Broken Spur Roadhouse.

  JACK met me and Clay at the roadhouse after work and we drank a pitcher with Miss Jane while she asked dozens of questions about Darla.

  She seemed surprised that I had moved on so quickly to someone new, but happy for me all the same. “When do I get to meet her?”

  “Friday night,” I said. “We’re coming here for a little pre-rodeo celebration before we go to Lubbock for the weekend.”

  “Can’t wait to meet her, Logan. You deserve the best.”

  Miss Jane went about her roadhouse duties while we turned our attention to eating hot wings and drinking beer. We were having a good time and minding our own and none of us noticed Fiona come in.

  I looked up when a large guy stopped at our table and was shocked to see Ace standing there. “You surprised me, Ace. Is there a problem?”

  “She’s here, Logan, but I have eyes on her. I won’t let her get to you.”

  “Okay thanks. My lawyer is working on the restraining order and he says it
might take a couple more days.”

  “Where is she?” whispered Jack glancing around the roadhouse in the dim light. “I can’t see her.”

  “Ace is watching her. He’ll warn me.”

  We rounded off the barbeque special with pie and coffee feeling almost too full to move. I paid the bill and left Ricki a tip. Miss Fiona made no effort to follow us as we left for home and I was grateful.

  Maybe she was finished with me.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Wednesday, June 3rd.

  McKenna Ranch.

  JACKY boy was a little slow getting up for breakfast. He never made it to the barn for chores at all, but it didn’t matter. We had lots of help. He was still in a funk over Dakota kissing Rowdy Butler at the rodeo and who could blame him. The same thing had happened to me.

  He’d be cheered up on the weekend when we all went to the rodeo and he met new girls. Jack would bounce back if there was a new love in his life. He was resilient.

  “How you feeling today, Clay?” I asked. “Are you going to be in good shape for the weekend? I’m making the hotel reservations today.”

  “Yep, just wondering if I should be asking Bonnie Sue and worrying about sleeping with her and all that stuff, or if I should just tell her we’re going and leave it up to her if she wants to come on her own.”

  “Your choice, Clay. You know how you feel about her and if sharing a room with her isn’t what you want then don’t invite her to come with us.”

  “Yeah, I don’t think I should because I like her, but I ain’t ready to follow through with her. Know what I mean?”

  “Exactly. Same way I felt about Linda when she came back. Not the same as it used to be and never will be again. I learned that lesson already.”

  “What are you guys talking so serious about?” Jacky came down the stairs into the kitchen and plopped down at the table. “Any coffee?”

  “I’ll get you a cup, one time, then you have to get your own,” I said.

  “I’ll make it up to you on the weekend, Logy. I swear I will.”