Page 105 of Sheriff's City Girl

“Oh, I wouldn’t go that far,” Mason chuckled. “There’s almost always some element of money involved with cattle rustling. It’s too much work.”

“But,” I took a seat on the edge of the bed beside him. “What if it’s just some kind of plus? Like maybe the focus is hurting Lucas—or the community—and then the money is just an additional bonus?”

Mason nodded, appearing to be in deep thought. “Maybe you should’ve been involved with law enforcement.”

I laughed, poking him in the shoulder. “Maybe.”

Chapter Forty-Six

Mason

“You really think that a bunch of people are gonna show up?” Lucas asked, looking over to me as we stood just outside of the barn.

“I think so,” I told him, adjusting my hat. “And we’ll see for sure in about, uh…” I checked my watch. “Ten minutes.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Lucas glanced around at the setup, letting out a sigh. “Emma did a phenomenal job with it… But you really think the donation box is enough?”

I shrugged. “You might be surprised. She’s feeding everyone, putting on a dance, live music—all the good stuff. I think you should just have a little faith that it might all work out.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Lucas’s eyes drifted to Cody, who was helping Jess set up one of the tables.

“How’s he doing?”

Lucas shook his head. “It’s been hard on him—and this is hard on him. He thinks his whole future is banking on me saving the ranch, and I don’t know what to tell him. There’s nothing that I can do to change the situation.”

“You’re doing the best you can, and I think that’s all you can do. Even if this all goes south—and I don’t think it will—I think you can help Cody find his place in the world. He doesn’t have anyone, but he sure seems to care about this ranch and you.”

“Yeah… I suppose so,” Lucas said with a nod as a couple of vehicles pulled up. “But I guess we’re gonna see how this fundraiser goes first. Then, I’ll figure it out.”

Lucas wandered off to greet the attendees as they got out of their vehicles, and one of them—a man about my age—was someone that I didn’t recognize. And I probably wouldn’t have thought anything at all about it, except for the fact that he was storming right toward me…

And he did not look happy.

“Can I help you?” I barely got the words out before he threw a fist. I ducked out and away, shocked by the advancement.

“You knocked up my girlfriend!”

“What the hell?” I exclaimed, blocking another fist before it connected with my jaw. “Who are you?!”

“Just ask her,” he seethed, gesturing behind me. I shoved the guy backward and turned to see an absolutely mortified Emma. She was nearly running toward us.

“Derek, stop!” Her voice cracked as she panted. “What’re you doing here?”

“You fucked around on me!”

“No, I didn’t,” she exasperated. “We’ve been broken up for almost a year. It’s not yours. Go away!”

About the time that she yelled the words, Jackson showed up, catching Derek off guard. He slammed him into the barn door, and Derek let out a pained groaned.

“Let me go,” he grunted at Jackson, who kept him pinned to the wall.

“You just assaulted an officer, bud,” Jackson growled. “I’m not letting you go anywhere. I think it’s time for you to go.” He whipped out a pair of handcuffs and placed them on his wrists. “Dumbass.”

I was still in shock as I turned to Emma. “What the hell was this about? Who is he? He said that you’re his girlfriend?”

Emma already had tears running down her face. “We’ve been broken up almost a year, like I said. He’s just never been able to let it go… I never thought that he would show up like this.”

“Has he ever hurt you?” I demanded, my concerns shifting as I thought of his aggressive behavior. “You need to tell me if he’s ever done anything to you.”

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