Wagonload Of Trouble

by McDonough, Vickie;

  Bethany wanted to argue, but the fight seemed to have oozed out of her.

  The doctor looked at Evan. “You’re sure looking better than the last time I saw you. How are you doing? Everything healing all right?”

  Evan nodded. “Yes, that medicine you prescribed sure did the trick. I was better in a few days.”

  “Good. You’re fortunate. Chicken pox in adults can been severe and cause shingles.” He offered a tired smile. “Well, I’d better get back to my patient.”

  Bethany allowed Evan to guide her out of the empty waiting room, past the check-in desk where a nurse was busy working on charts, and outside. The sun made her squint after being inside for so long. The hum of cars greeted her as they passed on the street. She heard someone honk and yell. Scents from a nearby café made her stomach gurgle, and she glanced at her watch, surprised that they had missed lunch. She hadn’t even noticed. Evan’s arm slid off her shoulders.

  “So, what will it be?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t care. Anything is fine.”

  “Are you okay?”

  When she looked up, he ran his finger down her cheek. She was surprised that it had a rough feel to it and wasn’t as soft as she’d expected. Could a guy get calluses from typing so much? She smiled.

  “What?”

  “Nothing. That café across the street has pretty good food—unless you’d rather have pizza again.”

  “Whatever. You choose.” He tucked a strand of windblown hair behind her ear and rested his hand on her cheek.

  Her heart swelled with affection for him. He was a good, caring man. Why couldn’t their lives be more similar?

  His eyes darkened, and she wondered if he would kiss her. Instead, he pulled her into his arms and held her tight. She buried her face against his clean shirt and smelled his spicy aftershave. He was warm and solid. His hand crushed her head against him, and he kissed her hair. Bethany clung to him, wishing she could stay forever in the shelter of his arms without worry or concern.

  Evan’s phone chirped. He loosened his grip with one arm and reached into his pocket. “H’lo.”

  She could hear the hum of someone talking but couldn’t tell what they were saying. Evan stiffened.

  “I might be,” he said. He gripped her shoulder and pushed her back. “Tell me more.”

  He motioned for her to get a pen and paper.

  “Yeah, that is a much better deal. What did you say the name of your place was? Ogden Outfitters?” Bethany felt as if she were falling face-first off a cliff. He must be talking to the competing guest ranch. Why did that name sound familiar?

  “Can I think about it and call you back?”

  The voice on the phone buzzed.

  “I understand. I realize you can’t give everyone such a great deal. Let me talk to my friends and see if they’ll agree to make the change to your ranch. I’ll call back in a few hours. What’s your phone number?”

  He waved at the paper and quoted a number. She wrote it down along with the ranch name.

  Evan hung up and grinned. “We got ’em.”

  “How in the world did they get your number?”

  He shrugged. “Obviously, someone went through your file box again.”

  Bethany pursed her lips and forced her feet to move. “C’mon. Let’s get lunch. I want to be there when Dad wakes up.”

  Evan took her hand, and as if they’d decided together, they both walked toward the café that had a two-foot hamburger painted on the window in vivid colors. Something was nagging at her memory. Where had she heard that name before?

  Suddenly she halted and pulled Evan around to face her. The wind whipped at his nut brown hair, making it even more unruly than normal. She clutched his forearm. “Now I remember. Maggie, the desk clerk Dad laid off last month, stopped by this week to say hi. She said she was dating a guy whose father owned Ogden Outfitters, a neighboring guest ranch that’s only been in business a short while. That’s why the name sounded so familiar.”

  Evan scowled. “How well do you know this Maggie?”

  Bethany waved her hand in the air. “Oh, she’s a sweet girl from town who worked for us last summer. She wouldn’t do anything to hurt us.”

  Evan’s brows lifted. “Your dad laid her off, and she’s dating the son of your newest competitor. Talk about motive.”

  She opened her mouth, but her gut clenched with disbelief. Surely Maggie couldn’t be involved. Bethany gasped and lifted her hand to her mouth, a feeling of betrayal slicing through her. “I left Maggie alone at the counter the day she visited so I could—uh. . .never mind.” She looked up at Evan, shock fogging her brain. “I left her at the counter, Evan.”

  Fifteen

  “I think we ought to call the sheriff rather than handle this ourselves.” Evan held on to the door frame as Bethany drove her Jeep like a maniac. The wind whipped his shirt like a flag, and grit coated his teeth.

  “We handle things ourselves out here.”

  “I don’t believe that for a minute. These people could be dangerous. Look at all the pranks they’ve pulled. Obviously, they don’t care if they hurt people.” The engine roared as she gunned it up a steep hill. A sign indicated a right turn onto Ogden land.

  She careened around the corner, barely slowing down. Evan flung out his foot as if to hit the brake and used his left hand to brace himself against the dash.

  Bethany peeked at him and smiled. “You’re such a city boy. Don’t you enjoy a drive in the country?”

  “Not when I feel like I’m riding in an ambulance minus the tires. All that’s missing is the siren.” He shook his head. “Remind me not to ride with you when you’re upset.”

  Ten minutes later, she pulled into a crowded parking lot. White buildings and cottages with green roofs dotted the hillside. A huge barn sat off to the side and down a hill with a creek running not far from it. A trio of rafts floated down the creek with several people in each one. The view of the mountains was spectacular but farther away than the view from Moose Valley.

  “Looks like business is good here,” he said.

  Bethany sniffed a laugh. “Yeah, it ought to be, the way they’ve been stealing customers.”

  Two long-legged cowboys walked out of the building in front of Evan and Bethany. She fired out of the Jeep like a cannonball, and he leaped out, hurrying to catch up. The crazy woman was going to get them shot.

  The taller of the two men glanced at them and said something to the other cowboy who nodded and walked toward the barn. The tall man started toward them, a wide smile on his face. Evan couldn’t help feeling a bit sorry for the guy, not knowing he was about to encounter a rabid she-bear. But then again, if he was guilty of the crimes committed at Moose Valley, he deserved Bethany’s ire.

  The man’s smile dimmed as Bethany stalked toward him. Evan jogged up beside her and grabbed her arm. “Calm down, okay?”

  She lanced him with a scathing glare and jerked away. With his hat on, the man stood more than a foot taller than Bethany, but somehow Evan felt the unsuspecting man had the disadvantage.

  “I’m John Ogden, owner of this place. Can I help you with something?”

  “Yeah, you can stop stealing our customers and pay for my dad’s doctor bills.” Bethany stomped right up to the man and halted, her chest heaving with rage.

  Mr. Ogden darted a confused glance at Evan then refocused on Bethany as if he was afraid to take his eyes off her too long for fear of what she might do. Wise man.

  “Excuse me?”

  Evan stepped in front of Bethany and nearly looked the man eyeball to eyeball. She snorted and tried to squeeze past him. He elbowed her back. “We’re from Moose Valley Ranch. Someone has been sabotaging the Schaffers’ operation and causing all kinds of problems, as well as calling their booked guests and offering them a better deal to change wagon tours.”

  “I can talk for myself, Evan Parker.”

  Mr. Ogden scowled. “I resent the implications you’re making. We run a clean operation here a
nd have enough business that we don’t have to steal from our neighbors.”

  “That’s a lie.”

  The man narrowed his eyes at Bethany. “Now see here, ma’am. You can’t come onto another man’s property and call him a thieving scoundrel with no evidence.”

  Evan pulled her back and got in her face. “Let me handle this. You’re too upset.”

  She pursed her lips like a woman sucking on a lemon and crossed her arms. “Fine.”

  Evan spun back around. “We have evidence.” He pulled out his cell phone and showed the man his phone with the caller ID showing Ogden Outfitters.

  The man lifted his brows and shook his head and crossed his arms, too. “So, you received a phone call from us. What does that prove?”

  “The man who called offered me a special deal if I’d cancel my reservation with Moose Valley and sign up for a wagon tour here. He gave me a number to call him back.” Evan pulled the paper from his pocket and handed it to Mr. Ogden.

  The man’s irritation immediately turned to shock, if his changing facial expressions were any indication. Evan knew he recognized the number.

  Mr. Ogden sighed and stared toward the mountains. He ducked his head then finally looked back at them. “That’s my son’s cell phone.”

  Bethany stepped forward. “Is his name Ryan?”

  “How did you know that?”

  “He’s dating a girl named Maggie, right?” Bethany’s stance seemed to relax now that they were getting some favorable responses.

  “Yes, that’s correct.” John Ogden nodded.

  “Well, Maggie used to work for us.” Evan noticed she left off the part about Maggie being laid off.

  “So. That doesn’t prove anything.” Mr. Ogden crumpled the paper in his fist.

  “We think Maggie stole the names from our reservation file. Your son must have been the one to make the phone calls.”

  The man shook his head. “But why? We have plenty of business.”

  “Maybe you have plenty of business because of the people who came here instead of our ranch. Do you have any idea how much money in lost fees we’re talking about? Tens of thousands of dollars, not to mention that whoever tampered with our equipment and supplies put people’s lives in danger. My own dad is in the clinic right now with a concussion and broken wrist because of it. And if someone stole our guests, who’s to say they didn’t steal some from other ranches?”

  Mr. Ogden blanched. “I can’t believe Ryan is involved, but there’s only one way to find out.” He spun around and marched toward the barn. Instead of going inside, he bypassed the structure and strode out to a grove of pine trees where someone was waxing a shiny red convertible.

  “Ryan Ogden, I presume.” Evan hurried to keep up and held on to Bethany’s arm to prevent her from running ahead.

  “Let go of me,” she hissed. “I want to be there when that man confronts his son.”

  “We’re there.” Evan hoped he never got on Bethany’s bad side. It was a fierce thing to behold.

  “This is your phone number, right, Ryan?” Mr. Ogden said as he handed the piece of paper to a handsome young man who looked about seventeen.

  “Yeah, so what?” Ryan glanced at Evan and Bethany as they approached, then back at his father. He shifted from foot to foot, looking as if he was ready to bolt.

  Evan moved closer, determined not to let the youth get away. He recognized the boy’s voice from the phone. Bethany needed all this to be over so she could get on with her life.

  “These folks say someone called and tried to get them to change their reservation from Moose Valley Ranch to ours. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”

  Ryan’s face paled, and he backed up against the car. “No, Dad. For real.”

  “Then why do they have your cell number? And how is Maggie involved?”

  Ryan straightened, and a look of panic engulfed his face. “Maggie told? Why that. . .”

  “So you were part of this?”

  The tall teen shrugged. “I heard you talking on the phone. You said we might have to leave here if business didn’t pick up. I was only trying to help.”

  John Ogden hung his head. “Did you also pull pranks on the wagon tours at the Moose Valley Ranch?”

  “What pranks?”

  Mr. Ogden looked at Evan, as if he hoped his son wasn’t involved in that part of the situation.

  “Tampering with the food, turning horses loose, letting air out of tires, and cutting harnesses on the wagons.”

  Mr. Ogden’s eyes widened more with each item Evan rattled off.

  “I didn’t do those things, Dad. Really.”

  “Whoever did rides a horse with an egg bar shoe,” Bethany said. “We found tracks.”

  Mr. Ogden ran his hand through his hair. “My son’s horse is the only one here that wears them. We recently bought the animal, and it already had those shoes.”

  “So,” Ryan said, “lots of other horses around these parts wear them.”

  Bethany shook her head. “I’ve lived here my whole life and don’t know another rancher who uses bar shoes. Face it, kid, you’re busted.”

  “You don’t have any proof that I did anything.” He crossed his arms.

  Evan pulled out his phone and showed Ryan his number. “I recognize your voice from when you called me earlier today.”

  “C’mon, Evan.” Bethany grabbed his arm and tugged. Confused by her sudden desire to leave when they were making headway, he dug in his feet.

  “You were right about coming here without the sheriff,” she said. “Let’s go to town and talk to him.”

  “No!” John and Ryan Ogden yelled at the same time.

  The father removed his hat and scratched the top of his balding head. “What if we agree to pay for everything that was damaged and for your father’s medical bills?”

  Bethany crossed her arms. “That doesn’t help us with the loss of income.”

  Mr. Ogden sighed. “I’d like to keep the law out of this, if possible. Ryan can sell his car and give you the money to make up for what you lost, if that’s agreeable to you.”

  “Da–ad! You can’t be serious. I paid for this car myself.”

  John Ogden lifted his chin. “You paid for it working for me at a ridiculous salary. You will sell it to make restitution to these people, and if that doesn’t cover what they’ve lost, we’ll sell your horse. Now get in the house before I do something I’ll regret.”

  Evan watched the young man skulk toward the house. Calling the sheriff may have been the legal thing to do, but putting the young man in jail with truly hardened criminals wouldn’t help him any.

  “If you’ll be so kind as to make a list of all the damages, medical bills, and lost income, I’ll have my accountant cut you a check, and I’ll deliver it myself.” Mr. Ogden paused and took a deep breath. “I hope you will seriously consider not prosecuting my son. His mother died in a car accident when Ryan was learning to drive. He blames himself for her death. Coming here was a way for us to start over.”

  Bethany studied the ground, and Evan wondered if she’d cut the poor man some slack now that she knew he wasn’t involved. Would she give Ryan some measure of grace since she herself knew what it was like to lose a mother?

  She looked up. “I apologize for blaming you for our troubles, Mr. Ogden. My father was just hurt today, and I’m worried about him, but that’s no excuse for the way I spoke to you.”

  “Don’t worry about it. You had just cause. I’m sorry that we had to meet under these circumstances.”

  “Me, too. I’ll have to discuss this with my father and see whether he wants to press charges against Ryan or Maggie.”

  Mr. Ogden nodded, shook Bethany’s then Evan’s hand, and they parted.

  Evan guided Bethany back toward the Jeep.

  “What a relief to have that over.” She rolled her head and glanced up at Evan. “Thank you for being here with me and helping me keep a lid on my anger.”

  Evan hugged her. �
�Anytime.”

  He opened her door then walked around the front of the Jeep. Bethany’s mouth moved, and he thought she mumbled something about him staying forever. He shook his head. Probably just wishful thinking on his part.

  Sixteen

  Bethany fluffed the pillow and placed it under her dad’s injured arm. “Anything else I can get for you before I go?”

  “No. I’ll just sit here in my recliner and rest for a while. Maybe watch some television later.”

  She patted his shoulder. “Okay. I left the bottle of pain pills there by your glass of water in case you need them.”

  “Thanks. I’m glad to have that mystery cleared up and for things to get back to normal. I’ll call our lawyer tomorrow and see what he recommends.”

  Bethany nodded, wishing they could forget the whole ordeal but knowing they couldn’t.

  Her dad lifted his arm and winced. “This confounded cast is going to make things mighty hard for me.”

  She leaned down and kissed his leathery cheek. “You deserve a good rest, Dad. You work too hard as it is.”

  “I work hard because there’s so much to do.” He ran his good hand through his hair. He didn’t show emotion often, and the look on his face now made Bethany realize how much her father had aged since she’d first gone off to college.

  “You just rest and get better. I’ll take care of your chores, and what I can’t do, I’m sure Shep will be happy to help with.”

  “But you’re going back to Denver soon. How will I manage without you?”

  She scooted around the recliner and sat on the edge of the sofa, hating that her normally tough father sounded like a lost little boy. “I called my boss yesterday and told him that I couldn’t take the job because I’m needed here.”

  Hope glistened in her dad’s eyes. “You’re staying? For how long?”

  “Indefinitely. My boss needed someone for the position and said he was sorry but he couldn’t hold it open any longer. He’s hiring somebody else.”

  A muscle ticked in his jaw, and he looked away. “I’m sorry. I know how much you wanted to leave here and live in Denver.”