Page 33 of The Cowboy's Ultimatum

“Okay, tell him I’ll be there in a little while. Bye, mom.”

“Goodbye, dear.”

“What’s going on?” Andy asked as she ended the call.

“The sheriff is there with the detective from Dallas.”

“Ah, I see.”

“What do I say about knowing Kenny?”

“The truth, that it was through Erin. Just make it clear you didn’t know Kenny was a drug dealin’ thug,” Andy declared as he pulled into a parking space.

“But, uh, I actually ran into Kenny before I met Erin. He was at a bar and I was there with some friends. Erin came into the conversation because I said I had a horse.”

“Oh, I see. Well, regardless, stick to the facts. Any lies will come back to bite you in the butt,” he remarked as he turned into the animal shelter.

“I feel so guilty about all this. The last thing I expected was to have the police at the house wiring it up to record me doing a drug deal. Good grief!”

“Just do as they say. They know what they’re doin’. We’ll talk about how to handle your guilt later.”

“The way you handled it last time?” she exclaimed, turning to face him.

“Maybe. We’ll see.”

“But I’m wounded. My cheek is still red and sore.”

“Not as red and sore as your other cheeks will be, but there’ll be more to it than that. Now let’s save a dog or two.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

Walking into the animal shelter, Andy and Helen were greeted warmly by the woman behind the counter who introduced herself as Ingrid, then led them through a locked door into the animal area. The kennels were surprisingly spacious with open doors to outdoor runs. As they made their way slowly down the aisle, Andy suddenly stopped and stared.

“Ranger? What the heck are you doin’ here?”

“You know him?” Ingrid asked as the large dog immediately barked and began jumping up and down.

“I sure do, and I’m takin’ him home with me. How long as he been here?”

“About two months. I’ll get him out and you can take him into the yard to get reacquainted. He can be pretty boisterous.”

“Oh, yeah, I’ve seen all that firsthand, and I’m guessin’ that’s why he ended up with you.”

“Andy, how do you know him?” Helen interjected.

“Believe it or not he belonged to old man Thompson.”

“Old man Thompson?” she repeated. “The man who died? The man who used to own the ranch my parents bought?”

“That’s right,” he replied. “But how did Ranger end up here, Ingrid?”

“When he passed away his eldest daughter took him,” Ingrid explained as she opened the cage door, “but she lives in a townhome with a small yard. It was impossible.”

“I bet it was. I’m on a ranch and he’ll have all the room he needs. He used to visit and play with my dog,” Andy said as Ranger almost knocked him down, jumping up at him as Ingrid tried to lead him out. “I know fella, don’t worry, you’ll becomin’ home with me. Helen, I guess I’ll see you in a bit,” he added, looking back at her as he continued laughing at Ranger’s excitement on their way out the back door.

* * *

As the door closed behind them, Helen moved slowly down the aisle wanting every dog she saw. She didn’t know how she was going to make a choice—until she spied a cream-colored fur ball curled up on its bed. While most of the other dogs were barking, the little cream puff simply raised its head and stared at her. She thought her heart would break.

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