Page 22 of The Cowboy's Ultimatum

“Several times, and he threatened me.”

“Got proof?”

“Sure do,” Andy replied, lifting his phone from his pocket. “It’s all on here.”

“Give me his wallet,” the sheriff demanded as his deputy finished cuffing the tough biker. “Brian West,” he muttered, opening it and seeing the driver’s license. “Okay, Brian West, you’re under arrest for trespassin’, and there’ll be more charges when we get to the station. You can tell me all your excuses when we get there, but you can count on spendin’ the night as my guest. Deputy, read him his rights.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

While the deputies settled Brian West in their car and called for a tow truck to remove the motorcycle, the sheriff asked Andy to step inside the house to talk. As they entered the kitchen, Andy placed his rifle behind the door, and with a heavy sigh sat down at the table.

“So, tell me, Andy, who was that guy?” the sheriff asked as he joined him.

“No idea, but he must be a friend of the trainer who came here to give Helen a lesson. Her name’s Erin. I don’t know her last name but I can get it. I can’t believe she’d know a guy like that, let alone send him over here.”

“What happened?”

“She was hittin’ Daisy—that’s Helen’s horse. I managed to get her to stop and climb off, then I grabbed her crop, whacked her on the butt, and told her she should know what it feels like.”

“Good for you, but probably not the best idea,” the sheriff remarked with a frown.

“I’d do it again.”

“Yep, I’m sure you would, and you think that biker showed up to get even for this trainer named Erin?”

“That’s what he said, so, yeah!”

“Send me a copy of the recordin’. I’ll know what to do once I hear it, and Andy, I’m glad you didn’t have to tangle with that thug,” he added solemnly. “When Helen has a minute I’ll want to talk to her.”

“Sure will, sheriff. She may need to speak with you as well after her meetin’ with this Kenny guy. We still don’t know what that’s all about, but I’ve gotta bad feelin’.”

“Just let me know, and I think I hear the tow truck,” the sheriff declared, rising to his feet.

As they stepped outside, they found the motorcycle already being loaded up, and a few minutes later the sheriff climbed into his car and followed it out.

Shaking his head as he started back up to the barn, Andy’s mind began to race between Helen’s upcoming lunch with the questionable guy called Kenny, and the burly biker’s uninvited visit. He had a strange feeling the two were connected.

But the sound of approaching vehicles caught his attention, and turning around he saw his clients rolling into the driveway. Relieved the dramatic confrontation hadn’t played out while they were there, he hurried down to welcome them and led them across to the paddocks. They were reuniting with their horses and he began answering their questions when he was interrupted by a call from the sheriff. Excusing himself, he hurried into the barn.

“I’ve got some potentially bad news,” the sheriff began solemnly. “When we booked that biker he was allowed one phone call, and it was to a fella named Ken Lockhart. I checked, and there’s a man by that name known to the Dallas PD. He’s a member of a biker gang, a known drug dealer, and he’s considered a danger to the public.”

“I can’t believe it. Why is he out on the streets?”

“Unfortunately guys like him have high powered lawyers and they’re real careful about not bein’ in the wrong place at the wrong time. When one of their crew get caught they’re too scared to spill their guts.”

“And this is who Helen is meeting at three o’clock?”

“We can’t know for sure, but yeah, I believe it is.”

“Dammit. What should I do?”

“You? Nothin’, not yet. It’s almost three o’clock. Helen will probably be at the Moonshine restaurant by now, and I have a deputy on the road by the turnoff.”

“Sheriff, you should know my brother-in-law will be there watchin’ them.”

“Brody King? How did he get involved?”

“You know Brody and I have been friends for a long time.”

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