Page 27 of The Earl's Wrangler
“The guy couldn’t have walked over here,” the sheriff said.
“Sheriff,” Sawyer said and led him to the stable area, pointing out a set of keys against the wall of the second stable.“You’re probably looking for these.”The sheriff pulled on gloves and pressed the red panic button, and a horn began to sound.“Just over here.”He led the way to a depression in the road where a black SUV had been parked, its lights now flashing.The sheriff silenced the vehicle and Sawyer stayed behind him as they approached the vehicle.
He waited while the sheriff went through the inside and pulled out a can of gasoline from the very back.“Do you think he intended to use that?”He turned toward the ranch buildings.
“Don’t know.He’ll say it was just extra fuel, but I doubt that.The gas tank is nearly full.My guess would be that he’d set a fire to send a message that he meant business.”
Sawyer figured he was right.“What can you do?”
“When I get back to the office in town, I’ll talk to him, but I doubt I’ll get anything out of him.He’ll lawyer up pretty fast once he calls his boss.But I’ll watch his calls, and maybe we can find out who he works for.Not that it’s going to do him a lot of good.He isn’t going to be let loose.Judge Walker doesn’t look kindly on troublemakers like him.”
“That’s good to know.But you can never tell.They’ll probably send him some high-powered lawyer who is going to try to run circles around everyone.”
“Maybe and maybe not.”He backed out of the truck.“Other than the gas, there is nothing in here that tells us anything.”He closed the door.“I’ll have it towed in tomorrow.I’m going to need you and your English friend to come in and give statements.And we’ll come out to see if we can get any physical evidence off the fencing that he cut.If we can put him there, then we have direct evidence of vandalism and property destruction.”
“If there’s anything we can do….”Sawyer wanted to put this behind him if possible.“Should Randall and I follow you into town to give our statements?”
“That would be good.”They walked back toward the ranch buildings as another deputy pulled into the drive.He picked up the sheriff, who went to do his job while Sawyer got Randall so they could get their statements taken.
“IS THATall there is to it?”Randall asked two hours later as they left the sheriff’s office.
“For us, I guess,” Sawyer said.“The sheriff doesn’t think he’ll be granted bail, but you never know.At least what we gave them should help.”He hoped so.The last thing he wanted was for this guy to get loose and threaten him again.Not that he had any illusions that this little episode was the last he was going to hear about it.But he had also sent a message that going after him was not going to be a walk in the park.He supposed that was the best he could do.
“We’ll see.”Sawyer got in the truck and Randall did the same as one of the deputies hurried down the steps and out to where they were about to leave.
He lowered the window.“Is there a problem?”
“The suspect we brought in says he wants to bring charges against Randall.”
“Can he do that?”Sawyer grew nervous.That was all he needed.
The deputy shrugged.“I suppose he can try, but he swung first, and that makes it self-defense.It isn’t going to go anywhere, but the sheriff asked me to make sure you knew.He said he’ll take care of it.”
“Good.”
“But please don’t go anywhere until this is cleared up,” the deputy said.
“I’m supposed to catch a flight home on Saturday, so tell the sheriff he has until then to clear up whatever he needs to.After that I have to get back.”
The deputy leaned closer.“The sheriff is the law around here—”
Randall shook his head.“That isn’t how it works here or back home.The law is the law, and he’s bound by it.I was defending myself and Sawyer… along with everyone else on the ranch.I have witnesses, and nothing is going to change that.So like I said, please inform the sheriff that he has until Saturday.Otherwise I will be leaving, and he can discuss it with Mrs.Justice.”
Sawyer bit back a chuckle.Dealing with Mrs.J was the last thing the sheriff wanted—she had his number.“Thank you, Deputy.I’m sure everything will be straightened out by then.”He raised the windows and pulled out of the lot.
“The sheriff has a lot of authority here.There are courts and judges, but a lot of them live in other towns.So being in jail can mean days before seeing a judge at all.In the meantime, it’s the sheriff who calls the shots.”
Randall snickered.“Except with Mrs.J.”
“Yeah.Except with her.Everyone knows that she has a lot of sway with folks in town, and neither the sheriff nor any other elected official wants to be on her bad side.”They pulled out of town, the lights receding behind them.Sawyer hated to think about the fact that Randall was leaving in a matter of days.Everything had changed for him in such a short period of time.Sawyer had always thought he was one of those people who was better off alone.But Randall had changed all that.Yeah, he could go back to the way things had been, but the idea didn’t appeal.It had been nice to have someone to do things with.Alan and George always went riding together.They often camped out or took road trips together, just the two of them.Sawyer hadn’t really thought about it, but now he wanted what they had.Somone to talk with, take trips with, ride with, sleep with, and know was there for him.Still, he couldn’t ask Randall to stay.There was nothing for him here, and he had duties to the folks back home.If he convinced Randall to stay, he’d be no better than his father, and Sawyer knew Randall was a much better person than the man who sired him.There was no way around it—Randall had to go home.Sawyer was going to need to get used to being alone and doing things on his own once more.
Chapter 11
“HE WANTSto talk to you,” the sheriff said the following morning after wandering into the barn to find Randall working with Sawyer.
“Who does?”Sawyer snapped as he set the shovel aside.
Randall leaned his tools with Sawyer’s and left the stall to join the sheriff.
