Page 37 of Roots of Redemption (Hicks Creek #4)

Chapter Thirty-One

Wade

“ I was in town getting feed earlier,” Benny says after lunch when he walks up behind me.

“I’m aware.”

“People were talking about Doc Sutton.”

“About what?”

“How she’s saving the town, but they’re worried you’re distracting her,” he barks out a laugh before putting his hands up in the air playfully.

“Distracting her?”

“People have taken notice that the most eligible rancher in town has fallen for the smart, single doctor. It’s all the talk.”

I roll my eyes. “Small towns.”

“Quite a few women wondering what Sutton has that they didn’t have,” he says with a cheeky grin.

“The ranch comes first. But with Sutton, I’ve never had to have that conversation.”

“World of difference now, isn’t it?”

“It is, it’s…easy.”

“Always was with my wife. Even on the days that the rest of the world was exploding in chaos around us, she still made everything seem so easy.”

“She was an incredible woman, Benny,” I reply as I pat him on the back.

Benny and his wife were married for over twenty years before she passed away from cancer. She fought hard and was the epitome of strength.

“She really was. You don’t find women like that often, especially not the ones who understand this life we love. Sutton is a woman who will hold you down in a storm but also cause you to grow in the process.”

I nod, knowing that he’s right.

She’s something special, that’s for sure.

The saddle creaks beneath me as I shift my weight, adjusting my grip on the reins.

Benny rides a few paces ahead, his horse’s hooves crunching softly against the dry grass.

The morning sun is climbing higher, warming the chill out of the air, but the quiet stillness of the open range keeps a certain edge of calm over everything.

We’ve been out here for hours, checking the fencing for breaks and bringing back a few strays we’ve found scattered across the pasture. It’s uneventful work, but my mind isn’t quiet. It keeps circling back to Sutton.

Her face, the way her brow furrows when she’s worried, the set of her jaw when she’s determined—it’s all there, taking up more space in my head than it should.

She’s been carrying so much on her shoulders lately, and I can’t help but feel like I should be doing more.

I pull my horse up beside Benny as he reins in to check a trail cam mounted on a post.

“Anything?” I ask, squinting at the small screen as Benny cycles through the footage.

“Not much,” he replies, his tone casual. “Couple of deer, some raccoons. No sign of the predator, though.”

I nod, relieved but still wary. Whatever it is, it’s bold enough to come close to the herd, and that’s not a risk we can afford.

Things have settled with the herd. The new symptoms don’t seem as severe, and we didn’t lose any cattle overnight.

That’s a big deal. Maybe we’re at the tail end of this and Sutton has figured it out.

We ride on, the silence between us comfortable. Benny hums a tune under his breath, and I let my mind wander again.

I wonder how the bank meeting is going. Hopefully, Sutton can dig her dad out of that mess. I’d heard more than a few people in town had similar problems.

By the time we make it back to the ranch, the sun’s high overhead, and the heat is starting to settle in. Jared is waiting by the barn, waving us down as we approach.

“Wade,” he calls, his tone urgent. “There’s a Dr. Reed here to see you. Brought a couple of people with him. They’re asking about the sick cattle.”

That’s the Ag doctor that Sutton had mentioned. What’s he doing here?

I suck in a breath, my stomach dropping.

I know he caused a lot of unnecessary chaos at Bob Nance’s place, and I’ve heard the havoc ag officers can reek in general.

If he wants to shut down my entire ranch, he has the capability to do so.

The appeal process doesn’t work in my favor, and they’d never repay the money lost.

This man can basically play God if he sees fit. If he wants to say I need to cull the entire herd, I would have to abide or risk jail time. Sutton was able to save Nance, but would she be able to do the same for me? Dr. Reed will have all his bases covered this time.

I swing down from my horse, patting its neck before handing the reins off to Benny. “Sutton around?” I ask, already scanning the yard.

Jared shakes his head. “Her truck’s here, but I haven’t seen her. Figured she’d be the one handling this, but they’re asking for you. Tommy knocked on her door, but she didn’t answer.”

I pull out my phone and fire off a quick text to Sutton.

“Dr. Reed is here. You around or with Doc Lucy?”

No reply.

“Where are they?” I ask, slipping my phone back into my pocket.

“In the driveway,” Jared says. “I’ll take care of the horses. You better get out there. They were trying to get into the quarantine pen, but Tommy is holding them off.”

I nod, heading around to the front of the barn. My stomach is clenched tight. I don’t like that Sutton hasn’t answered yet. I don’t know the laws and regulations quite as well as she does. I can hold him off for only so long.

As I approach, I spot who I’m assuming is Dr. Reed standing with a man and a woman, both dressed like they’ve never stepped foot on a ranch before.

Dr. Reed is wearing cowboy boots, jeans, and a windbreaker.

Whereas the other man is wearing polished boots that look more decorative than functional, and the woman’s blazer is too crisp for the dust hanging in the air.

She’s probably going to break her neck in those stiletto heels.

“Wade Callahan. My father and I run the place. What can I do ya for?”

“Mr. Callahan, Dr. Michael Reed, Regional Agricultural Health Officer for the southern district.” He shakes my hand and then hands me a card with his name on it. “These are my associates, Mr. Carter and Ms. Langley,” he says, gesturing to the man and woman.

“Pleasure,” I say tightly, though their expressions make it clear the feeling isn’t mutual.

At least that feeling is mutual.

“Let’s get straight to it,” Ms. Langley says, her tone clipped. “These animals are a liability. They should be culled immediately.”

“What animals are you speaking of?” I ask.

The stiletto heels this woman is wearing screams that she doesn’t work for the ag office. There’s something very off about her and the other man with Dr. Reed.

She rolls her eyes. “The cows.”

“Why are we culling them?” I question slowly.

Maybe if I draw this out enough, Sutton will come out and intervene.

“Are you really this slow?” she snaps.

Dr. Reed grabs Ms. Langley’s arm. “Apologies, Mr. Callahan. We’re aware that your ranch has been hit the hardest by this outbreak. If we can stop the spread from here, then maybe we can save the other ranches.”

“And where did you get this information from?”

“Dr. Sutton Bishop is staying here, isn’t she?” Dr. Carter asks.

“She is, but only because we offer an Airbnb on the premises. You didn’t answer my question.”

“We know that you have sick cattle, Mr. Callahan,” Dr. Carter interjects. “They need to be culled so that we can stop the spread throughout town. It all comes back to your ranch.”

“Where’s your proof of that? Just a few days ago, you were accusing Bob Nance of the same thing.”

“We don’t have to show you—” Ms. Langley starts to hiss. Again, Dr. Reed grabs her arm.

“I’m not some dumb hick who is going to start culling cattle because someone is a suit tells me I have to. I know my rights. I know the protocols put in place.”

“You don’t have any rights when we have proof that your ranch is responsible for the outbreak,” Dr. Carter states firmly.

I narrow my eyes. Frank Bishop was the first to report symptoms, so if anything, he’s the ranch responsible, but I’m not about to say that. They’re bluffing with their information, but why? What do they gain from me killing off my herd? What do they gain from Bob Nance killing off his herd?

My jaw tightens, but I keep my voice steady. “We’ve got them quarantined. They’re not posing a risk to the rest of the herd.”

“Quarantine isn’t enough,” Mr. Carter says with a shake of his head. “The longer they’re alive, the greater the chance of this illness spreading. This isn’t about sentimentality; it’s about responsibility.”

“Responsibility is exactly why we’re not culling them,” I snap, my patience thinning. “We’re not going to make a decision like that without exhausting every other option.”

Dr. Reed raises a hand, his tone measured. “I understand your position, Wade, but the board has guidelines. If these animals don’t show improvement soon, we may not have a choice.”

“They’re already showing signs of improvement,” Benny cuts in, stepping up beside me. “Doc Sutton’s been working with them day and night. She’s got a plan, and it’s working.”

Ms. Langley snorts. “I’m sure she does. But this isn’t some backyard experiment. We’re talking about the health of an entire industry.”

“With all due respect,” Jared says, his voice firm, “Doc Sutton knows what she’s doing. She’s got more experience—”

“Experience doesn’t equal expertise,” Mr. Carter says, his tone dripping with condescension. “We’ve reviewed her records. Her methods are… unconventional, to say the least.”

“Unconventional doesn’t mean ineffective,” Tommy pipes up, crossing his arms. “You’ve got no right to come here and talk down about her like that.”

The tension is thick enough to cut with a knife. I step forward, my voice low but firm. “Look, we’re not killing these cattle unless there’s absolutely no other option. Doc’s been making progress, and we’re going to give her the time she needs to see this through.”

“This doesn’t just affect you, Callahan.

The entire town is having the same issues, and once I find where the problem started, we’ll probably learn that by not killing the infected animals, it caused it to spread to the entire town; we could be talking the entire county and state within a month,” Dr. Reed says.

Didn’t they just say that they had proof that I was responsible? I inhale slowly, taking in their words. If I keep them talking enough, I can probably get them to trip up some more.

“The ranch that’s responsible for this mess will be facing so many fines that they won’t be able to recover financially,” Ms. Langley says.

“We’d like to take a look at your quarantine area,” Dr. Reed interjects.

“These two aren’t dressed to go five feet from this driveway. Do y’all have a change of clothes?” I ask.

“No, we don’t need—” Ms. Langley starts.

“One, you’re not going anywhere near the quarantine pen without respecting Doc Sutton’s protocols of hazmat gear. Your shoes…” I point at Ms. Langley. “Will put holes in the gear and would make the suit ineffective. You’ll have to stay here unless you have a change of shoes at least.”

“I’m not—” she starts.

“I’m running a ranch here; this is my livelihood, and I won’t allow anyone to come near my animals without following the proper guidelines that we have in place.”

“You can’t—” Mr. Carter starts as he takes a step forward.

Dr. Reed puts his hand up in the air and takes a step in front of Mr. Carter. “We’ll give it a few more days,” he says finally. “But if there’s no significant improvement, we’ll have to revisit this conversation.”

“Fair enough,” I reply.

Ms. Langley mutters something under her breath, but I don’t catch it. Probably just as well. As they turn to leave, Benny claps me on the shoulder.

“You handled that better than I would have,” he says, his voice low.

“Barely,” I mutter, my eyes drifting toward the guest house. Sutton’s still nowhere to be seen, and her silence is starting to weigh on me. I pull out my phone again, staring at the unanswered text before shoving it back into my pocket.

Something isn’t right with those three and this visit.

If they go next door to Frank’s, will he be able to get them to leave like I did?

Some of these new ranchers won’t think to call Sutton or Doc Lucy either.

They’re up to something, and I need to figure out what it is, but first I need to check on Sutton.