Page 51

“Nope. Looked everywhere. Not giving up.”

Sheriff’s Office. Coyote Creek.

I marched Josie into the building and unlocked the run. Ray seemed surprised to see her and I made sure her cell was as faraway from his as possible. “Got you some more company, Ray. Found her at your place watching TV and getting high. You say Josie could hang out at your place?”

Ray sat on his bunk and said nothing.

Molly entered the new drug charges against Josie Masters and Josie’s bail would be revoked. We’d be stuck with her until her trial or until Molly could arrange to ship her off to a lockup with a rehab facility. We had nothing here in Coyote Creek to offer her, but a program like that would be the best thing for Josie. She was a mess.

I grabbed a coffee while Harlan and Molly catalogued the drugs into evidence and secured them in the locker.

Coyote Creek Needs and Feeds.

We left the station tired when our day was done, but I still had something I wanted to attend to before we left for the ranch.

I headed for the feed store to put in an order for hay and straw and while I was there, I stopped by Savanna’s office to talk to her about Jack.

She gave Harlan and I a big smile when we walked into her office unannounced and pointed to the two chairs in front of her desk. “This is a nice surprise.”

“I had an order to place, and I could’ve done it by phone, but I wanted to talk to you about Jack.”

“What’s he been saying to you, Travis?”

“Jack isn’t happy with me and until he has an attitude adjustment, I won’t be going to the Run.”

“Aw, nuts. What did he do?”

“He gave me the snarly face and said he heard rumors that you’d been coming to the ranch. Just jealous crap like that. That’s all it was—him repeating gossip—but I’m not taking his bullshit.”

“He’s got no business saying anything to you. We’re finishedand it’s for good. I’m not having Jack Johnson questioning every person I talk to for the rest of my life, and that’s what he was doing. Asking me which ranchers had come into the store and what they said to me—like I’m doing twenty or thirty cowboys a day in my office? I’m not putting up with shit like that. We’re done.” Savanna teared up.

“Don’t cry, girl. I didn’t come here to make you cry. This ain’t important enough to cry over. I can drink at home or at Louie’s on Main Street.”

Savanna made a face. “Louie’s is a dive bar. Stay out of there.”

I chuckled. “You think I might get hurt or damage my rep?”

“You won’t fit in.”

Harlan chuckled.

Wild Stallion Ranch.

There was still enough daylight for a ride over to Hannah Hargrove’s ranch when we got home to our ranch. Harlan and I saddled up and started the long ride to the back of our thousand acres and then we turned east to Hannah’s property. Through the woods was an alternate way to get to her bunkhouse and barn.

We crossed the boundary line where there had once been a fence between the two ranches, but it had been removed or rotted away years ago.

Harlan pointed to the pounded down trail of hardened dirt. A lot of riders had been coming through here. Not just one or two.

“We’ll talk to her again tomorrow.”

Harlan nodded and we turned our horses around and headed back home. When we got to the barn, I told Harlan he was right.

“Tomorrow, we’ll go over there and talk to the hands again. Hannah needs to explain why a well-used trail like that leads right onto our ranch.”

When we went into the house, Savanna was sitting at the kitchen table drinking a beer and she’d been crying.

“What happened? You upset because I came to the store?”