A Randall Thanksgiving (9 page)

“Dale may be teaching
us,
Steve. We’ll have to wait and see.” Then Harry left for the café.

Yeah, he was in trouble, all right, he thought as he dodged a truck barreling down the street. Dale Henry was every bit the looker he’d feared.

Was he Melissa’s type?

Then again, what woman wouldn’t go for a tall, muscular man in uniform?

Yeah, it was Harry’s luck. And now he’d gone ahead and offered the man his sofa for the night. But at least he’d be able to keep an eye on the guy.

Harry picked up the dinners at the café and headed back to the Sheriff’s Office. He’d just stepped in when he heard Steve on the phone. “I need to speak to Dr. Randall, please.”

Harry nodded toward him. “What’s up?”

Dale answered. “Steve wanted to call Sheriff Davis and tell him I’d arrived, but he can’t locate him. I tried to tell him to wait, but—”

“Hang up the phone, Steve!” Harry rapped out the order.

Too late. Steve greeted Caroline on the line. “Uh, hello, Dr. Randall. Yes, I wanted to know—”

Harry yanked the phone out Steve’s hand and put it to his ear. “Caro, just ignore this call. What? Of course we know where Mike is. I forgot to tell Steve. Yes, I’m sure. No, I won’t. Sorry to have bothered you.”

After hanging up he turned to his partner. “Steve, don’t ever do that again,” he declared.

“But I thought—”

“If you called Mike and got no answer, you should’ve stopped there. The sheriff is working late tonight. Now you’ve worried Caro for no reason.”

“Uh, excuse me,” Dale interjected from across the room. “He asked to speak to Dr. Randall? Would that be the famous Randall family? I thought he was calling Sheriff Davis’s wife.”

“He was. Dr. Caroline Randall Davis. She’d gotten her medical degree and begun practicing here in Rawhide before she and Mike got together.”

“Lucky guy,” Dale muttered, shaking his head.

Harry gave him a sharp look. “Yeah, he is, for all the right reasons, which has nothing to do with their money.”

Dale held up his hands. “Sorry, no offense meant.”

“None taken. Let’s eat.”

Harry showed Dale a desk he could sit at, and handed him a foil-wrapped plate with plastic utensils. “Coffee is in the break room. I’ll bring you a cup.”

As they ate, Harry relaxed a little, thinking he’d
probably come down on Steve a little hard. Until the phone rang. “Sheriff’s Office,” he answered.

“Harry, it’s Caro. I just wanted to be sure you know where Mike is. He didn’t tell me and—”

“Caro, he did tell me. He’s doing an all-night stakeout. He probably won’t see anything, but he felt he needed to do it. I’ll check in with him if you want me to.”

“No, I don’t want you to bother him. I just wanted to be sure he’s all right.”

“I’m sure. It’s all my fault. I figured I’d be in the office my entire shift, but the new guy got here tonight and I went to get dinner. Steve jumped the gun, trying to be efficient. That’s all that happened.”

“Okay. Shall I tell Mike the new man is here?”

“Sure, that will be fine. He’s sleeping on my couch tonight and we’ll try to round up some furniture for him tomorrow.”

“Oh, good. I’ll call the ranch and see what they have to spare.”

“Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“No, I’ll be glad to.”

“Thanks, Caro.”

“No. Thank you, Harry, for making me feel better.”

“Anytime.”

He hung up the phone. Desperate for some time to himself, he suggested Steve take Dale on a tour of Rawhide.

They hadn’t been gone ten minutes when the phone
rang again. Harry picked it up to hear the unmistakable voice of Melissa Randall.

“Hey there, deputy,” she crooned. “How’d you like some company tonight?”

Harry’s heart began to thud. Was he dreaming this? “Melissa?” he croaked out in a raspy voice. “Is everything all right?”

She giggled softly. “Yes, of course. Mom has dozed off already, and I thought maybe I could come visit you for a while.”

“That wouldn’t be a good idea, Melissa.” It pained him to admit it. “I’m on duty and—”

“When do you get off duty?”

“At nine, but I’ve got a guest tonight.” Damn. Now for sure he disliked Dale Henry.

“A guest? Is it a female?”

“No!” he barked into the phone. Then he tempered his tone. “No, the new deputy sheriff is here with no furniture, so he can’t move into the apartment Mike rented for him because he’d have to sleep on the floor. I offered him my sofa tonight.”

“Oh.”

“Why did you think it might be a female? Do you
think I go around kissing a lot of women at once?” he ventured.

“It seems to be a major talent you have.” He could hear the smile in her voice.

“Only when I’m kissing you. You have the greatest lips in the world.”

“Ooh, I like that,” she crooned.

Harry could feel himself getting hard, and desperately tried to think of anything but Melissa. When he heard the office door open, and realized the guys had returned, he said, “I have to go now. The other deputies are back.”

“Okay,” Melissa said, but Harry could hear her pout.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he whispered, and hung up the phone.

He stood as the other two men sat down at their respective desks. “So how did the tour go?”

“It was fine,” Dale said. “For a small town, you’ve got just about everything a guy could need.”

“That’s true. Is the town shutting up, Steve?”

“Yeah. We only have another hour on duty.”

The phone rang once more and Harry answered it, wondering if it was Melissa again.

He was disappointed.

“It’s Mike,” the sheriff said in a low voice. “I need you and anyone else you can round up. We’ve got the rustlers pulling another raid.”

“Give me your location,” Harry stated. “And do we come in hard or soft?”

“Soft, unless you hear from me. You’ll have your cell phone, won’t you?”

“Yeah. We’re on our way.”

As soon as he got off the phone, he ordered Steve to call the closest deputy on night shift and get him in to answer the phones. Then Harry looked at Dale. “Do you want some action tonight? We’ve got cattle rustlers pulling a raid.”

“Yeah, I want in, but I only have my hand pistol with me.”

“No problem.” Harry crossed the room and opened a locked gun case. He pulled out two shotguns and two 30-30 carbines.

Steve hung up the phone. “Fred will be here in five minutes.”

“Let’s roll,” Harry called as he headed for the front door where the other SUV was parked. He handed Dale one of the shotguns and Steve one of the carbines, along with bullets. He kept the other two guns.

As they started off, Harry said, “The boss said to come in soft unless he notified us. When we get out of town, I’m turning off the lights and I’ll need you to help me watch. I don’t want to hit anything.”

Within minutes, they came upon Mike’s SUV, standing empty on the side of the road. Harry eased his vehicle to a stop behind it and quietly got out, urging the others to do the same.

They crept along the edge of the road until they
rounded a corner and saw a big 18-wheeler parked on the shoulder. They almost stepped on Mike.

Harry sank to the ground beside him. “There’s three of us. Will that be enough, or do you want me to roust anyone out of bed?”

“That should be enough,” Mike whispered. “We’ll split up. I’ll keep Steve with me. You and Wayne—” He stopped. “Who’s here instead of Wayne?”

“Mike, meet Dale.”

“Ah, welcome aboard, Dale. I hope Harry didn’t force you to come with him.”

“Nope, I volunteered,” Dale whispered.

“Okay, Harry, you and Dale go to the other side of the 18-wheeler. Get an angle on the fence opening so you’re not firing at us. Then, when they come into sight with the cattle, open fire.”

“There’s no one in the 18-wheeler?” Harry asked.

“I saw the driver get out and take one of the horses, and I haven’t seen any movement since. But cross to the other side of the road and stay low.”

“How about closing the fence?” Harry asked.

“You’d need some barbed wire and pliers. Do you have those?”

“Yeah, they’re in the SUV. I’ll go back and get them.”

Harry left for a couple of minutes, and when he got back, motioned to Dale to follow him. They did as Mike had instructed, and after going past the 18-wheeler, Harry slipped to the fence and began repairing the gap. He felt his heart rate increasing, and hoped that trusting
Dale to warn him wouldn’t be a mistake. After all, he didn’t know him.

Harry didn’t want to be caught off guard or get into trouble. His breathing became shallow at the thought of being shot tonight. He hadn’t planned on not seeing Melissa again.

He worked quickly, hoping the repair job would hold. Dale called to him just as he was finishing up the last piece of fencing. Harry hurried back to his side.

“Did you see them?” he whispered, feeling the adrenaline rush again.

“No, but I heard cattle.”

“Okay, we’ll wait for Mike to open fire. When you shoot, aim high. We don’t want any cattle or horses injured.”

“Right.”

The snow would make it easier to see, but it was still going to be difficult to hit their targets. But with the fence closed, the rustlers wouldn’t have any place to go.

Suddenly, Mike fired. The deputies all joined in as the herd came into view. Harry worked to keep a steady aim. The rustlers were firing back, and a loud gun battle raged for a few minutes. Several of the horsemen galloped off across the ranch land. That left four. Two were down and the other two injured.

Mike asked him to undo the fence long enough to get the four horses and men through the opening. Harry approached each of the downed men carefully, holding his gun at the ready. No need. They were dead. He managed
to get the two wounded men on their feet with Dale’s help. Then they gathered the reins of the horses.

When they returned to the road the sheriff said, “You’ll have to take the two wounded rustlers and Steve to the hospital.”

Harry nodded. “You can keep Steve here if you need him,” Harry said.

“No, I can’t. He’s wounded. I’ll keep Dale.”

“Is Steve hurt bad?” Harry asked, sympathy and concern immediately pouring through him. He’d been afraid that would happen to him.

“No. He’s scared as much as anything. But we don’t want to let him lose too much blood.”

Harry handcuffed the two rustlers and got them into the back seat of the SUV. Then he put Steve, wounded in the arm, in the front with him. As he got started back to town, he called the hospital on his cell phone. “This is the Sheriff’s Office. We’re bringing in three wounded men. Two are cattle rustlers and the other is one of our deputies. Our ETA is five minutes.”

He was pressing hard on the gas pedal. He didn’t like the look of Steve, who was pale and sweaty. Steve might not be the best deputy, but he wanted to be; he worked hard and Harry had partnered with him for a long time.

Mentally he went over the encounter with the rustlers. Dale had certainly acquitted himself well. He’d followed orders without question and was willing to stay to help Mike with the details.

When Harry got to the hospital, both Jon and Caro
were there to meet them. To his surprise, Melissa came out after them.

“Melissa, what—”

She threw herself at him, cutting off any further words. Her arms went around his neck. “You weren’t the one wounded? You’re not hurt?” she demanded.

“No, Melissa,” he said softly, taking a moment to hold her tightly against him. Then he had to put her aside. “I’m fine, honey, but I have to get these guys inside.”

“Oh. Oh, yes. It was Steve who got wounded?”

“Yeah.” He saw Caroline leading his partner into the clinic.

Jon was waiting to help him with the rustlers. Once they got them inside, Harry stayed in the room, his gun at the ready while they were evaluated and treated. Then he cuffed them to their beds in a standard precautionary procedure.

As he turned around, he almost ran over Melissa.

“Uh, honey, I’ve got to check on Steve.”

Melissa, devouring him with her eyes, asked, “Will he be all right?”

“I don’t know,” Harry said, moving rapidly down the hall. Melissa followed him to the room where a nurse was working on the deputy.

Caroline entered right behind them. “Tell me what you found, Betsy.”

“The bullet is still in his arm. He’s lost a fair amount of blood and he’s—” she lowered her voice “—scared out of his mind.”

“All right.” Caro stepped toward the wounded deputy. “Good evening, Steve. We’re going to have to get that bullet out of you, but it won’t be a problem. Do you want us to call your wife?”

“Yes, please. I want to see her before I go under.”

Caroline glanced at Harry and he understood her unspoken request. He moved out into the hallway, accompanied by Melissa, and pulled out his cell phone. “Mrs. Lawson? This is Harry Gowan. I work with Steve. He’s been injured— No, no, he’s going to be fine. But they have to do a small operation to get a bullet out. He’d like for you to come down here before they operate.”

Even Melissa could hear the hysterical woman crying into the phone.

“No, I can’t come get you because I have to guard our prisoners,” Harry said, and realized Melissa was tugging on his arm.

“I’ll go get her. I’ll borrow Caro’s truck and go pick her up,” she whispered.

Harry smiled at her in gratitude. “Yes, Melissa Randall is going to come get you. Just stay where you are and she’ll be right there.”

After hanging up the phone, he hugged Melissa and kissed her forehead. “Thanks, honey, I owe you one. The lady is hysterical. I should’ve expected it. I think Steve is, too.”

“I’ll hurry,” Melissa promised. He gave her directions, and she went in the room to get the car keys from Caroline, who handed them over without question.

Harry thanked her for her cooperation, but the doctor just nodded. He could see she was putting all her efforts into soothing her patient. Steve was already hooked up to an IV drip, and he seemed calmer.

“I need to talk to Jon. Can you stay with Steve?” she asked.

“I’ll go get him. The perps are cuffed and sedated.”

“Thanks, Harry.”

Fifteen minutes later Melissa was back. Harry knew it because he heard a hysterical woman enter the hospital. Steve’s wife.

He had a feeling his partner wouldn’t be on the force much longer. His wife had already wanted him to quit, and this injury would only make her more persistent. Besides, Steve would be more willing to consider leaving now.

Harry figured in a couple of weeks old Trev would be coming to Rawhide, just like he wanted.

At least it didn’t appear Dale needed much training.

Melissa slipped into the room.

“Thanks, honey, for going to get her. She would’ve had a wreck for sure if she’d driven herself.”

“Yes, she almost made me have a wreck. She kept grabbing my arm, asking for reassurance. But no matter how often I tried to calm her, it didn’t seem to help.”

“Yeah. I don’t think Steve will be long on the job.”

“You think she’ll make him resign?”

“I don’t think it will take much pleading on her part.
Steve’s not reacting much better than his wife. It’s only a flesh wound!”

“Well, it’s easy for us to say. We haven’t been shot,” Melissa muttered.

Harry gave a wry smile. “I have worse than Steve’s. Ironically, it happened because he didn’t do his job. He was a lot younger and greener then.”

Melissa’s eyes widened. “Where were you shot?”

“In the gut. But Caro said I got lucky. It missed my vital organs. I spent about a week in the hospital.”

“Do you have a scar?” Melissa asked, her hands going to his chest, then sliding down his torso, as if feeling for the scar.

He stopped her before she let them slide too low. “Yeah, right about here, but you can’t feel it through my clothes.”

He’d dreamed of having her hands on him, albeit for different reasons. Now there was nothing sexual in her touch. Concern, not passion, was etched in her face.

Putting himself in the line of fire was part of his job, something he’d accepted long ago. He could tell from her expression Melissa wasn’t used to it.

She looked at him, her big blue eyes serious. “I hadn’t thought—”

She broke off then, but he knew what she was going to say. She hadn’t thought about what could happen to him. For a moment there in the shootout, he had to admit he’d thought about dying and not seeing Melissa again.

He reached out and took her hand. “I know. But I’m
fine. Mike’s fine, too. I assured Caroline of that as soon as I could. By the way, the new guy arrived this evening and went with us. I think he’s going to be okay. He follows directions well.”

Harry’s phone rang, and with an apologetic look at Melissa, he answered it. It was the sheriff, giving him his orders for the night.

“No problem, Mike,” he replied. “I’ll take care of them.” Then Mike went on to fill him in about Dale Henry.

“I guess he’s multitalented,” Harry said a bit later. “Yeah, tell him to stop by here, and I’ll give him the key to my apartment. Okay. Good night.”

“Who’s multitalented?” Melissa asked.

“The new deputy. He knows how to drive a big rig. He’s bringing the truck into town tonight.”

“But where will he park it?”

“In front of Mike’s house for tonight.”

Melissa frowned. “You know, they’re my own family, but I don’t even know where Mike and Caro live. Isn’t that strange?”

“They have a cozy house on a back street close to the Sheriff’s Office. But they’re having another one built a little nearer the hospital.”

“What are they going to do with their house when they move?”

“I guess sell it. I never asked Mike. Why?”

“I don’t know. I just wondered.”

“Well, you’d better get back to your mother. I’ll be staying the night here with the prisoners.”