Chapter 4
“Help you?” Duane Manchester asked as he stopped the truck that pulled into Erin’s Way.
He watched as the driver held up his hands, and reached for his wallet.
Duane took it, and nodded. “Welcome back, Kevin. Erin said you were coming. I know you don’t know where it is, but I’m to take you to what we’ve dubbed the meeting room. Follow me.”
They watched as Duane hopped onto a golf cart and since Kevin had been there before, he watched Ilsa and Jason’s expressions.
“What is this place?” Jason asked in awed shock.
“This is Erin’s Way, there are at least two other ranches, but as you saw, there’s tight security, and according to the last time I talked to Erin when we were in Denver, she said everyone would be here to meet us.”
After they parked, Kevin climbed out from behind the wheel, Jason exited the front passenger side and opened the back door for Ilsa to exit.
Before they went five steps, everyone froze at a scream.
Kevin reached for his side, and Jason immediately put Ilsa behind him.
Both he and Kevin stood before her. Duane looked at them and laughed as he pointed.
Ilsa looked out from behind Jason and gave the same scream in return, then she pushed him out of the way and ran toward the approaching golf cart.
“I take it they know each other?” Jason asked.
“It’s Ilsa’s daughter, Katherine,” Duane said with a grin as the three men watched the women embraced. “The guy driving is Caleb, my son.”
“What?” Kevin asked as he rushed forward and gather his son in a hug. When they broke apart, they grinned at one another.
“What are you doing here, Dad? Not that I don’t want to see you, but is it safe for you to be here? How long can you stay?”
Again, before Kevin could answer, several vehicles started to arrive, and after Caleb parked his golf cart next to Duane’s, the newcomers were there, and Jason stared in shock, when the guy with the eye patch went up and engulfed Kevin in a hug. He looked around wildly.
“I know you guys,” he blurted out, and then did a double take. “Lieutenant Riceman?”
“Black,” Clark said as he stepped forward and held out his hand. As each man came forward, he said their names, and they nodded. The last people to arrive were Erin and Reid.
“Garret,” Jason said as he shook his hand. “Damn, you guys look a hell of a lot better than the last time I saw you.” They agreed and it was Reid that introduced Erin to him.
“Black, this is Erin Riceman. Not only is she the owner of this spread, but she’s also my girlfriend.
We’ll go into the barn and talk.” His tone and actions brooked no arguments, and they all followed him and Erin into the barn they’d used as a reception area for Ryan and Pru’s wedding, then turned into a meeting area.
They settled and it was Scott and Manny that gathered the cups, sugar, and creamer for the coffee that Reid had come over and made an hour ago.
While she had been out and about finding tables and chairs for the room, Laurie had come across a restaurant having a close-out sale and was able to purchase several of the tables and chairs from them, she’d also gone out on a limb and purchased four coffee pots.
After talking it over with Erin, Laurie had given the restaurant owners Erin’s name and number and told them that if they didn’t sell the walk-in cooler, or freezer, then to call Erin.
It had been a great day, and she’d been able to call some people to come help her haul the stuff back to the ranch.
Now, they were using the coffee pots, seating, and she had also been able to purchase several cases of disposable coffee cups.
“Wow,” Jason said as he poured himself a cup of coffee, then turned to look at everyone.
“Yeah, Laurie, Duane’s girlfriend was able to purchase all this.
Since we seem to be growing by the day, I thought this barn would be good for any meetings, and since you and Ilsa are here to go over Katherine’s case, and whatever else you need to do, I thought this would be a good place for you to work,” Erin explained as she got her own cup, then drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“I’ll give you guys a tour after we talk, but this isn’t everyone.” She waved her stump at the men taking seats, and realized the only women there were Erin and Katherine, but before he could say anything, Clark spoke,
“Our women are hard at work over on the other ranches. We’ll give you the tour. Now, just a little background, you were there when Commander Day told me about my parents, correct?”
“Yes, we thought it was best to notify you after you returned, were debriefed to our satisfaction, and could go on leave.”
“Okay, well, as you had heard, our parents perished in the crash. Rin, excuse me, Erin, is my sister. While I finished out my military career, Erin was the one that built up the business that you will see. I’m telling you this because your mind will be blown and I want you to know that whatever papers you leave here, if you decide to use this place and an office, will be perfectly fine.
In the last three weeks we’ve been able to install some heavy duty, state-of-the-art security equipment.
They don’t live here, but you might meet them if you’re here for long, but we work closely with a group of people out of Fool’s Gold. ”
“Who are they?”
“All former military like we are, I think in this room, the only non-military people are you three, Caleb, and Katherine, oh, and Rin. The women you’ll meet later are also former military, except for my girlfriend.”
“Don’t forget Ducky,” Erin laughed at his expression.
“Yes, we have a close friend that did two tours in Vietnam, but the men living with him do not have military experience.”
“Okay, so you’re saying that Katherine, and now Ilsa and myself, will be safe here?”
“Yes, and I’m sure with Kevin’s police experience he can hold his own. Anyway, I failed to mention that the people we work with are also former military, all branches.”
“Are you at liberty to disclose who they are? Or who they work for?”
“Officially, the big boss is Hank Patterson.”
“Brotherhood Protectors.”
“Correct. While Hank is in Montana, Jake Cogburn is in charge of the Fool’s Gold office. Erin started using him years ago to run background checks on new hires, or others in a business she has. There shouldn’t be any problem with that business.”
“May I ask what it is?”
“How versed are you in equine?” At his look Erin laughed and took over the conversation. “Horses.”
“Oh, not at all. I see one occasionally when the mounted police in DC ride by, but other than that, no clue.”
Erin gave them the ten minute run-down of what she did after getting out of the hospital, what they did, what they were still working on, and what was in the works for more. When she finished, she grinned at the three people that had their mouths hanging open.
Kevin was the first one to recover from his shock, “Do you need help with security?”
“What are you saying, Dad?” Caleb asked at the same time Erin nodded and replied.
“Yes.”
“Where?” Clark asked as he turned and frowned at his sister.
“New Double, until we can get some more people hired.”
“Shit, I forgot about that, sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it.” She tapped the side of her head with a grin.
“That’s why this is a steel trap. I remember everything.
Anyway,” she walked over to the side of the building and pointed to the wall and called the others around.
“I have this same map in my office. Let me explain it to you.” She had Reid lift the clear, but colored, film and explained what each ranch was, and what it did.
Then she took them to the opposite side of the room.
“These were here for years, I just had my guys, which you’ll learn are different from the men.
My guys have been with Erin’s Way before either Clark or I was born.
They’re in town now getting supplies, but they are older gentlemen, in their mid- to late-sixties.
There is Wendel, Floyd, and Virgil. They kept Erin’s Way running when I was in the hospital after the accident.
Over the years, I’ve relied on them heavily to take the next step in developing this land.
Anyway, they reminded me that there are file cabinets in this area, and they scrubbed them up and painted them.
If you don’t know they’re there, then you’ll miss them.
” She pointed to a room, and everyone went inside, but they turned around in confusion.
Erin laughed as she walked over to the wall and started pushing panels, and drawers popped open.
“Holy shit, Rin, when did you do this?”
“Wendel said Grandma had them installed years ago for when she did the books for Grandpa. The guys spruced them up.”
Jason and Ilsa walked over and looked at them, then at each other before they turned to Erin. “Are there any keys?”
“They’re in my office.” She withdrew her phone and sent a text, and in less than five minutes, a woman walked inside. She handed the keys to Erin, waved and left. “That was my assistant, Julie Monroe, you’ll meet her formally later.”
They made sure the keys worked, and when Jason went to hand them back, Erin shook her head.
“Keep them. If you agree, I’ll give you a tour of everything now, and you can have your choice of cabins to stay in.
We can go over to the cart barn, and you can have your choice of vehicles to use.
” She turned to Kevin. “I noticed Washington plates on the truck you arrived in. Is that your personal vehicle?”
“It is.”
“I don’t know how intense this investigation will be, but I think if you go into town, you should use one of the ranch vehicles.” She paused and pointed to a row of six trucks varying in size from a small, two-door truck, to a ten-wheeler. “The keys are in the ashtray so help yourself.”
“They still make ashtrays for vehicles?” Ilsa asked.