Page 50 of Meant for Her

CHAPTERFIFTEEN

Waiting for the sheriff to finish with one of the auction organizers was hard. Malia finally turned to Seth. “Why don’t you go back to the auction? I know you came here to buy cows.”

Her brother nodded. “Thanks. Let me know what happens.”

“Will do.”

As much as Malia wanted to walk over to the pen where Luke, the sheriff, a member from the auction, and Chip were conferring, she didn’t want to distract them.

It seemed to take forever before Luke returned. “So?” she asked.

“They’re mine all right.” He grinned. “But there’s still the matter of the other six cows.”

She wanted to hug him, but that might cast more suspicion on Luke if the sheriff spotted them. “Six is better than none, but I have a feeling you’ll find the other ones.”

“Let’s hope. The good news is that these cattle won’t be sold since someone has authenticated that the brand was altered. They also have to see if Chip’s papers were forged. If all of that pans out, I’ll get part of my stock back.”

“That’s great news. Even though you have to wait, eventually they will be returned to you.”

“So it seems.”

The sheriff and Chip came over to them. “Chip is going to show me the location of the ranch where he bought the cattle. I’m hoping I can speak with Mr. Minter. He’ll have a lot of explaining to do.”

She hoped that this mysterious Phil Minter wasn’t there. If Minter was an alias for the real rustler, the sheriff might not return to town—ever. Or Chip for that matter.

“Mind if we tag along?” Luke asked. “I might recognize the guy as one of the rustlers.”

“I thought you said they wore bandanas over their faces,” the sheriff said.

“They did, but they were large men. It’s possible one or more had some identifying mark that will jog my memory.”

The sheriff hesitated. “Okay, but give me your impressionafterI speak with him. I don’t want you to confront him.”

Luke help up both hands. “I’ll be seen but not heard. It’s not like I’m in any shape to fight the man, if you know what I mean.” Luke’s chuckle was slick. Malia had no idea he could play the game so well.

“I do. Thank you.”

It would probably take all of Luke’s willpower not to attack the man, assuming this Minter character was alone—which she doubted he would be. It’s also possible this Minter fellow purchased them from the real rustlers, which would put more distance between the thieves and the eventual owners.

The four of them headed outside. “Where are you parked, Sheriff?”

“Given Mr. Lattimore’s condition, how about I walk you to your car? You can then follow me to my cruiser.”

She wasn’t going to argue. “Great.”

Since the auction was still going on, there weren’t a lot of people leaving, so it was easy to follow Sheriff Hanson and Chip to the sheriff’s vehicle. Once he took off, she followed.

“Ten bucks says there won’t be any ranch,” Luke said.

“You think?”

“If I’d stolen cattle, I sure as hell wouldn’t be staying around for someone to find me.”

“That makes sense.”

“It’s also possible that the rustlers are using Chip as a front man. Having a human might throw off those they steal from.”

She tried to figure out what he was getting at. “Do you think rustlers are only stealing from other shifters?”

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