Page 56 of Lawless Ride

“We’d better make one right now. Annie-girl will want a Coors as soon as she gets here and she ain’t that keen on Miller. I don’t want to piss her off.”

Harlan laughed and pointed a finger at me. “You are scared of her.”

“Maybe a little. She’s usually heavily armed.”

He couldn’t stop laughing.

Sheriff’s Office. Coyote Creek.

Molly was well aware of the new customers in our jail. She’d had to make a second trip to the diner to get breakfast for Hannah Hargrove and her hired hand.

“I’ll get them booked now, Molly. Harlan and I will give you our statements from the arrest at her ranch.”

“Hannah Hargrove, Travis? I can barely believe you arrested her.”

I shrugged. “She knew her hands were capturing the mustangs running through the back of our ranches. How many of them she has in her corral—or has sold—I have no idea, but I intend to find out. The guy in the cell next to her, I shot on my property with his lasso in his hand. What can I say, Molly?”

“You’re right, Travis. She is guilty of a crime. Just hard to believe, that’s all. I’ve known her for years and always thought she was this quiet widow trying to run her ranch alone after Buck died.”

“She ain’t that fragile, Molly. Trust me.”

“I trust your judgement, Travis. You know what you’re doing.”

I waited. “You want to addsometimesto that statement?”

She laughed. “No, I don’t.”

“Want me to start the bookings?” asked Harlan.

“Yeah, you do that while I take Ray Dangerfield to the courthouse and hit the market on the way back. We’re pressed for time this morning with Annie landing at one o’clock. It will take us well over an hour to get to the airport in Great Falls.”

Harlan fetched the shot rustler out of his cell and started with him. His prints showed up already in the system. Rick Samuels had priors for robbery, assault and two weapons charges.

Made me wonder if Harlan was on the right track when he said we should bring in every one of Hannah’s men. They might all be ex-cons and some of them might even be wanted. They weren’t a bunch of guys who made good neighbors.

Booking Hannah and her hired man, Rick Samuels, into the system on a Friday meant they wouldn’t be arraigned until Monday or Tuesday. It would give them the weekend to sit in their cells and contemplate their misdeeds.

Harrison County Courthouse.

Cursing a blue streak, Ray Dangerfield went in the back door of the courthouse with the bailiff and when his case was called, he stood before the judge with his attorney, Chris Tomlinson.

Ray had a clean record and the judge granted him bail without hesitation. He had money for the bond and was released. I wanted to follow him to see what he did next, but I had to drive to the airport to pick up more of my family. Ray Dangerfield had to wait.

Great Falls Airport.

Harlan was standing right next to me when Annie came through the arrival doors, her long black hair flying. I felt him tense when he saw her. “Jesus, Travis,” he whispered, and made me smile.

Annie let go of her bag to hug me, then she hugged Harlan and kissed him on the neck. “I’m so happy to meet you, sugar pop.” She turned to the kids and said, “These are my boys, Davey and Jackson.”

“Hi,” said Harlan.

“Hey, Travis,” said Jackson. “You the law up here in the far north?”

“Yep, that’s me.”

Harlan and I loaded the luggage into the back of the truck, and everybody piled in. Harlan gave up the shotgun seat to Annie and jumped into the back with the boys.

As we headed home, Jackson did most of the talking. All about barrel racing and the rodeo, and things that Rowdy had taught him.

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