Page 28 of Stormy Ride

After an hour of chopping, I carried an armload inside and finally got the woodstove humming. The heat the stove gave off as well as the smell of the wood burning were both restorative and helped me get the day going.

I made coffee and looked in the fridge at what was available. I decided I couldn’t eat anything, and looking forward, I figured I might never eat again.

After two cups of coffee, I got off my ass and went upstairs to check out Billy’s room. I wanted to see if it was fit for him to come home to. While I was up there, I came to my senses and realized he wouldn’t be able to go upstairs.

“I’ll have to fix up Tammy’s room for him.”

Putting clean sheets on the bed in Tammy’s room made me think of Billy’s idea to get us a kid to help us out around the ranch. I didn’t know how he came up with his ideas. Getting a homeless juvie was something I never thought of. Never crossed my mind—not even once.

Sheriff’s Office. Coyote Creek.

Molly didn’t work on Sundays, but I had stuff to do, and it was best to keep busy in my present state of undoing. At any given second, something might come along, and I’d blow apart right on the spot and bust whatever was close to me or I’d kill the fuckin bank manager and hang his nuts over the door of the Inn like mistletoe. That was an event I was trying to avoid.

With a pot of coffee brewing in the lunchroom and the dogs lying next to Molly’s vacant desk, I worked on reports. The entire investigation into Randy Quade’s murder and robbery had to be documented—all of it. And I was way behind getting it all down in writing.

A knock came on the front door of the station, and I barely heard it. I left my office and jogged through the squad room and barely trusted what my eyes were seeing.

Olivia was standing there on the sidewalk waiting for me to let her in. I unlocked the door and opened it. “Olivia, what are you doing here?”

“I had to come, Travis. I can’t stand the way things are between us and I want to fix it.”

“Can’t be fixed, girl. You are in a relationship that you didn’t bother to tell me about, and I have to stand down.”

She stepped into the squad room and pushed the door closed. “Miller is cooking dinner for me at his place tonight and I plan to break it off. I wanted you to know that. You mean too much to me, Travis. I’d gladly give Miller up for you.”

I laughed when she said that. “Don’t do it, Olivia. I’m not worth it. You can’t count on me, but Ravary is a solid citizen, and you should stick with a sure thing. You must like him a lot or you wouldn’t have been seeing him this long.”

“I’m confused, Travis. I admit, I do have feelings for Miller, but they aren’t the same strong feelings I have for you. Not the same at all.”

“Like I said, Olivia, I have to stand down. I’m not stable enough to be in the middle of this. Also, I have a murder to solve, and I’ve got Billy coming home… and I’m adopting a boy.”

“What?”

“Never mind. You stick with Ravary. I’ll be drinking Coors from here on.”

Olivia looked puzzled. “Thanks for your time, Travis.” She turned and left the station, and I watched her get into a Beemer I didn’t know she had. She drove down Main Street and I clutched my chest to get rid of the tension I felt there.

I don’t know her at all. Why did I think I had it all figured out?

The landline rang and since I was right next to Molly’s desk, I answered it. “Sheriff Frost.”

“Sheriff, this is Larry Crossman calling.”

“Hey, Larry. How can I help you?”

“I happened to see your poster at the feed store yesterday and I was thinking about it on the drive home. I called to say I did see those two guys with the dark blue rig.”

“Did they come to your ranch?”

“Yes. It was about three weeks ago, they pulled in and had a look at some of my horses. They said they were seriously considering two of them and they’d be back after they decided.”

“Where’s your ranch, Larry? I’m making a little grid here in the office.”

“North of Ethridge about five miles.”

“You don’t have security cams, do you?”

“No, sorry.”

---