Page 45 of Roots of Redemption (Hicks Creek #4)

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Wade

W hen I pull back up to the house, Sutton’s truck is gone, and Caleb is nowhere to be found.

My first thought is that he’s out doing herd checks with her.

That’s fine. There’s plenty to keep me busy here.

The guys and I start unloading the feed and supplies we picked up in town.

The cattle look good—better than they have in days. The meds are working.

Tommy walks up, wiping sweat off his brow with a rag. “Hey, Wade. You hear what’s been going around town?”

I glance at him, tossing a bale of hay onto the pile. “What now?”

“Dr. Reed’s been running his mouth,” he says, lowering his voice like we’re sharing some big secret. “He’s telling people Sutton’s about to lose her vet license in Montana. Says that’s why she came back here.”

I pause, my jaw tightening. “I don’t believe that for a second.”

He shrugs. “Neither do I. But Bob Nance does, and he’s been spreading it around. Says she killed off his herd. A couple of others are starting to buy into it, too.”

I shake my head, irritation bubbling under my skin. “That’s just great. As if she doesn’t have enough to deal with.”

He leans against the fence. “You think there’s any truth to it?”

“No,” I say firmly. “Sutton’s a damn good vet. She knows what she’s doing. This is just Reed stirring the pot because she found the cure, which he didn’t think she could do. She made an ass out of him out at Nance’s and he’s just trying to regain credibility, I’m sure.”

He nods. “Figured you’d say that. But you know how people are around here. They love a good story, especially if it’s got drama.”

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

“You hear anything else about Dr. Reed?”

Before I can put my phone away, Benny comes running up, his face flushed and eyes wide. “Wade!”

“What is it?”

“There’s a bunch of cars pulling up over at the Bishop Ranch,” Benny says, practically bouncing on his toes. “Unmarked vehicles. I thought they still had at least a week before the foreclosure.”

“The debt has been paid; he can’t be getting evicted. The foreclosure is null and void.”

“Well, there’s something else going on, then.”

I try calling Sutton, but she doesn’t answer. I also try calling Sheriff Clark, but if there are unmarked vehicles over there, then that’s where he’s at.

“Did Sutton and Caleb head over there earlier?”

“Sutton did. I’m not sure where Caleb ran off to.”

I frown, glancing toward the horizon where the Bishop Ranch sits. “What the hell’s going on now?”

“Don’t know,” Benny says, “but I’ve heard rumblings. I think we should go over there.”

Benny isn’t a man who gets into other people’s business, so if he says we should go over, that’s what we’ll do. I nod. Benny lets out a wolf whistle. Jared and Tommy stop what they’re doing and look up.

“We’re going to the Bishop Ranch now. Might be trouble.”

Tommy and Jared both swing up onto their Mustangs. They’re off through the trails in no time while Benny and I climb into my truck.

“What aren’t you telling me?”

“Went and got breakfast at the diner this morning. I heard a couple of ranchers saying that Dr. Reed is claiming Frank is to blame for the outbreak. They were talking about heavy fines and possibly seizure of property.”

“What? Did you ask more questions?” My mouth drops open but Benny doesn’t look over, just stares ahead grimly as he continues.

“No, but Doc Sutton was asking questions about the livestock auction in Tamlin this morning. She asked to see some of our purchase paperwork. She told me that the vaccines they claimed to give the cattle aren’t real.”

“Aren’t real?”

“I didn’t get a chance to ask anymore. She said she was meeting some people over at her dad’s ranch.”

“Do you think that’s who is over there now?”

“No, that was hours ago. I don’t have a good feeling about this.”

I call Caleb’s phone, and it goes straight to voicemail. I shoot him a text telling him to check in and that we would all be over at the Bishop Ranch.

He doesn’t reply, but I don’t have time to think about that because as we pull down the two-mile driveway that leads to the Bishop Ranch, my stomach drops.

There are unmarked police cars and SUVs everywhere, but Sheriff Clark is nowhere to be found, which is odd.

There are also two semi-trucks with cattle trailers pulled up to the barn.

Dr. Reed and his colleagues are standing there with clipboards, and Sutton is yelling at people while her dad is in handcuffs in the back of a cop car.

“What in the hell is this?”

“Those cars don’t look right; neither do the officers’ uniforms. The only people that should be out here are our sheriff’s department,” Benny says as he pulls out his phone.

Jared and Tommy are off their horses, making their way over to where Sutton is arguing with an officer, Dr. Reed, and his colleagues.

“Hey, this is Benny. I’m out at the Bishop Ranch, and there are about twenty unmarked cars. Frank Bishop is in the back of a police car. You get any wind of this?” he says to the dispatcher.

I try calling Sheriff Clark again, and this time, he picks up.

“You need to get out to the Bishop Ranch ASAP,” I say.

“I’m about ten minutes out,” he says. “Dr. Reed out there?”

“Yup, as well as a police presence.”

“That’s impossible.”

“I’m here, right now, looking at it.”

There’s radio chatter in the background, and Benny is beside me, relaying the information to the 9-1-1 dispatcher. He hangs up the phone, and Sheriff Clark lets out a groan.

“I’ll be there shortly. No department would step into my territory without acknowledging me prior and asking for assistance. I talked to the ag office Dr. Reed supposedly works for, and he doesn’t exist in their database.”

“I’ll stall until you get here.”

We hang up the phone. Benny and I get out of the truck, and some of the officers put their hands out to stop us.

“Do y’all have a warrant to be taking those cattle?” I ask the closest officer, a tall, burly blond man.

“That’s none of your business,” he says.

“What are you guys, agriculture police?” Benny chuckles as he points at their badge.

“Sheriff Clark should be out here for this. Y’all are trespassing,” I say.

“I’ll handcuff you and put you in the back of that cop car like I did the old man.”

“If you feel froggy, kid, let’s go,” Benny goads him. “You feel like it’s an accomplishment to handcuff a seventy-year-old man?”

He nods toward where Frank is in the back of the car. The officer puffs out a breath and takes a step toward Benny. I move off to the side and beeline for Sutton.

“You can’t do this! You have no right!” she’s saying in a very calm and controlled voice.

“We have all the right in the world,” Ms. Langley laughs. “Your father broke the law.”

“My father didn’t break any laws. You have no right to come in here without a warrant, trying to seize his property. The bank said we had two weeks before…”

“This isn’t a foreclosure,” I interject. “Sheriff Clark would have been out here if it was, but it’s been taken care of anyway.”

“Your father knowingly caused the outbreak in town. That comes with steep fines and…” Dr. Reed states.

“Knowingly? My ass! You think he put his ranch in jeopardy willingly? Do you really think that man tried to take the entire town down on purpose? You’ve got to be kidding me!”

“We have reason to believe that he did this as an attempt to save the ranch from foreclosure,” Ms. Langley interjects.

Why would the ag office know anything about financial issues?

“That’s preposterous. Besides, you should be giving written notification of said fines as well as time to make those violations right by remedying the issues. There’s a protocol for this. You don’t start stealing people’s property,” Sutton hisses. “If I hadn’t been here…”

“Where is the list of violations or a warrant or whatever gives you access to trespass on the property and start loading up this man’s cattle?” I ask.

“Mr. Callahan, this doesn’t pertain to you,” Ms. Langley says as she rolls her eyes.

“The hell it doesn’t.”

More trucks pull into the driveway, and a few different ranch owners get out. All asking the same questions.

Where in the hell is the sheriff’s department?

“I will have each of you arrested,” Ms. Langley hisses.

“This property and its contents are being seized for violations,” Dr. Reed starts.

“The owner is being evicted for nonpayment of a loan,” Ms. Langley says quickly.

“You all are trespassing on bank-owned property,” Mr. Carter adds.

“Why would the ag office be here for nonpayment of a loan?” I ask quickly. “You just said that you were here for violations.”

Ms. Langley and Mr. Carter both stop abruptly.

“You said you were both from the ag office,” Sutton interjects. “Which is it?”

Dr. Reed’s face hardens as he makes a gesture for everyone to shut up. “We’re here for the violations. It just so happens that when we were speaking to the sheriff’s department about coming out here, they mentioned they were headed out here to foreclose and evict,” he says quickly.

“These aren’t the right deputies. Besides, the loan has been paid in full. Would you like to see the receipt?” I snap as I take a step forward.

“What?” Sutton gasps.

“That doesn’t matter. We’re still here because the property is being seized for violations. Mr. Bishop knowingly caused the outbreak in Hicks Creek. He sabotaged the other ranches for financial gain. He’s been working with a development company…” Dr. Reed lies.

“That’s bullshit!” Sutton yells. “He was given false paperwork by a livestock auction company. It seems mighty interesting that you show up just hours after I call in a complaint on the company and on you, Reed.”

“You will refer to me as Dr. Reed,” he snaps back.

“No, I won’t because you’re not a doctor.”

“You have a lot of nerve, little girl,” he hisses as he gets up in Sutton’s face. “Your license has been pulled and…”

I don’t think, and I just react as I grab the man by the collar and yank him away from Sutton, tossing him onto the ground easily.

“You will not talk to her like that.”

He stands up and charges at me.

Here we go.