Chapter 22
CHAPTER 22
Pru came in from checking on her chickens and smiled when she saw Mr. Ducky at the stove. “What’s for supper?” she laughingly asked. She had been gone since six that morning, and it was now after six at night. “Thank you for taking care of the chickens, you didn’t have to.”
“I know, but it gave me something to do.” He set a platter of meat and vegetables on the table, and Pru quickly washed up. It’s been a little over two weeks since Mr. Ducky had moved in with her, and she didn’t want to think about him ever leaving. They settled down at the table and she smiled when he fixed her plate for her.
“You know, I’m capable of filling my own plate.”
“I know.” He smiled at her. “I can’t tell you what being here has meant to me. I know I have a family, but they’re never here. I don’t mean to whine, but I enjoy being here.” He filled his own plate, then picked up his fork. “You say you have a boyfriend?”
“I do, he’s over at your place with the people that are trying to hurt Erin.” She took her first bite and closed her eyes in ecstasy, the meat melted in her mouth. They ate in relative silence, and after they’d finished at least half of the meal, Pru looked over at the older man and bit her bottom lip.
“You know, you can always stay here when everything is done over there. If you don’t want to stay with me, and I’m sure Ryan wouldn’t have a problem with you being here, but there’s the big cabins you could stay in.”
Mr. Ducky was silent for several minutes, at least until they’d finished their meal, and he pushed his plate away and picked up his glass of iced tea. Pru hadn’t thought she’d like it, because she hadn’t in the past, but she really enjoyed how Mr. Ducky had made it. It turned out that he brewed it using the sun.
“It’s something I can think about,” he hedged. “I’d have to talk to your young man first.”
“Okay,” Pru said as she shrugged and continued her own meal. She took seconds of the vegetables, and a small amount of meat. As she ate, she studied the elderly man across from her. “You know,” she sighed as she speared a carrot with her fork, then used her free hand to tap her temple. “Sometimes I’m not all here.” She told him briefly about her injury, and shook her head. “I go off on tangents in my own mind. I’ve been having one lately and wanted to throw it by you.”
“What’s that?” Mr. Ducky asked, not realizing that she’d been through what she had, he thought it had been a car accident, and not a helicopter crash. He had to shake his head to tune into what she was saying. “I’m sorry, could you please repeat that?”
Pru took a drink of her tea, then settled back in her seat. “Sure, you know why you’re here, right? Because Rudolph Royal thinks he’s king shit and can get what he wants. That’s why the men are camped out near your property and why my boyfriend is there at your house, he’s like the inside man. We want to take them out once and for all, and get all the past charges to stick, and not have them out on bail with felonies on their records.”
“Okay, I can understand that.”
“Okay, and though I haven’t been at your property, I think I’ve gotten to know you these past couple of weeks. I’m not telling you what to do, but I think I have a solution to you being alone at your ranch.”
“Pru.” Mr. Ducky smiled at the woman across from him. “Spit it out.”
“Oh, sorry, I’m probably getting ahead of myself here, but Naomi is almost going through the same thing Erin is. People, men in particular, trying to take her down because she’s a woman. Luckily, no one’s found her, because that would be bad.” She shook her head, and proceeded to tell her roommate what had happened to Naomi, and he asked all the questions he could.
“So, what are you trying to say?”
“I guess I’m looking out for my friend. I don’t want to sound harsh, or heartless, but I know Erin and Clark own your ranch. They won’t take possession until you’re gone. And no offense, but from what I’ve seen of you these last couple of weeks, you’re not going anywhere soon. I even think it’s safe to say that you’ve been flourishing since being here. Anyway, once this bull crap with Royal, Miller, and the Firths is done, I think we should go to Naomi and have her sell her ranch over in Wyoming out from under her father, and invite her friends, or I guess you could call him her manager, to your place and start another ranch. I know you had chickens, but I’m sure there’s room to have some horses. It’s my understanding that her ranch bred racehorses.”
Donald sat there in silence for a long time to think about what the young woman across from him had just said. “Does this Naomi know you’re talking to me about this?”
“No, but I’m sure she’d be receptive to my suggestion. I’m not sure anything will ever come of it, but I’m sure she’d listen.”
“Why would she do that?”
“Because she probably wants a distraction like I do.” Pru stood with their plates to take to the sink. She returned and looked directly at him. “She’s dating Clark Riceman.”
“Ah, and he’s out there waiting for the assholes to make a move.”
“Correct. Maybe it would give her a distraction.”
“Can you call her to come over? What about asking Erin to come too since she owns the ranch anyway.”
“Do you want them to come over tonight?”
“Why not? Why not invite all the ladies over?”
Pru laughed as she pulled her phone and sent a group text to the women. As she finished cleaning up from their meal, she stared in shock when Donald went to a cupboard and brought out several different types of cookies.
“Are you allowed to have those?”
Donald only shrugged and gave her a grin. The first to arrive was Naomi, and then they others trickled in, Erin being the last one to arrive because she had to drive over. They didn’t waste any time settling in, and Pru told them of her thoughts.
Before anyone could say anything after Pru said her thoughts, Donald spoke up. “Erin, I know you and Clark own my ranch, but I kind of like what Pru here is saying. I hate to see my land just lying there fallow. It wouldn’t take much to convert the chicken barns into stables.” He turned to Naomi. “Pru told me what was happening with you. Would you have any stock that would come here if you sold your ranch over in Wyoming?”
“I don’t know,” Naomi said, and Donald could tell she was telling the truth. “I haven’t been back there in years. I’ve only been working with Cole through e-mails and phone calls. How many acres are we talking about?”
“My ranch?” Donald asked.
“Yes.”
“A little over thirteen hundred.”
“Oh, okay, the Double A has about seven hundred acres, so you’re talking about double the size. I would only do this if Cole and Patrick would come with any horses Cole would recommend we keep. However,” she said, and paused to hold up her hand. “I can understand why Pru mentioned this, because it has to be done. However, I would like this crap with Royal done first before I open that can of worms. As of right now, there are people keeping an eye on things, and at this time, everything is okay. Once this Royal business is done, I’d like to talk it over with Clark about me going home and seeing what situation I’ll be walking into. I might have to bring some of the guys with me because I don’t know whether my father will try to kill me then and there, or wait.”
“What?” Donald spat out his drink and turned a glare onto Pru. “You didn’t tell me her life might be in danger.”
“I didn’t? I thought I did.”
“No, young lady, you didn’t.” Donald shook his head, then turned his shocked expression toward Naomi. “Talk to me.”
Naomi explained what had happened and what was being done about the fact that her father wanted her dead to collect on the insurance policy he’d taken out on her. They discussed what would happen if she arrived there unannounced, and thought taking Clark and some of the other former SEALs would be a good idea, but she wanted to wait until the current situation was taken care of and they could breathe easier leaving both Erin’s Way and The Broken Wheel alone in the women’s capable hands. She didn’t want to have the men split their time and concentration on the two different problems.
“You know,” Pru said as she looked at the table. “I didn’t tell you this, but I saw Ryan last week when I went into Colorado Springs for groceries.” She shook her head and held up her hand when the other women started to protest. “I had eggs to deliver so I thought I might as well pick up some groceries. Anyway, he was there with three other men.” She looked around and nodded once. “Our guys were there also. Apparently, they’d set up a meeting, and I happened to be there. Don’t worry, Clark rode back with me and we weren’t followed. Anyway, the point I’m trying to make is that two of the three men with Ryan used to work with them.”
“What team?” Marcia demanded. At Pru’s confused look she softened her voice. “Were they SEALs together?”
“Yes, and I don’t know anything more than that. I don’t even know their names. But the other man that was with them is in our favor.”
Erin shook her head, and sighed heavily. Sometimes trying to get straight information from Pru was like pulling teeth, but she loved the other woman like a sister anyway. “How is he in our favor?”
“He’s an undercover FBI agent, and the people Royal brought back with him with the guns to come onto your property are also undercover FBI agents. From the conversation I overheard, there’s not enough evidence to arrest Royal, Miller, or the Firths. Not in order for any charges to stick. So far, it’s just taking illegal guns across state lines. They have to wait until they’re on your land before they can add the trespassing charges. Also, from what I could take away from their talk is that it would be a felony trespassing charge if they come onto the ranch carrying guns.”
“Good,” Erin said. “And another good thing is that Clark’s name is now on the deed to Erin’s Way, and he can press charges right then and there.”
“Correct, at least that’s what I overheard.”
“You’re going to have to take one thing into consideration,” Adele spoke for the first time.
“What’s that?”
“I’m assuming from what you just said that Ryan is cooperating with the Feds. That will be great, and a point in his favor. However, he’s probably going to be arrested along with Royal, Miller, and the Firths.”
“We knew that when he went in.” Pru frowned at her. “At least that time I saw him at Gunny’s, the time he gave Clark that video where they were making plans to take over Mr. Ducky’s ranch. Ryan said he knew he would be arrested, but Sheriff Jim reassured him that he wouldn’t be booked. They’ll keep him in cuffs for a certain amount of time, then let him go. I don’t know how that would work.”
“Okay, I just didn’t want you to get upset if you get a phone call and have to go, quote, bail him out, unquote.”
“All I know is that I’m looking forward to that phone call, because that means this is over and our men can come back to us.”
They all nodded and sat there in silence for several minutes before Donald asked Naomi about the Double A ranch. They spent the next few hours talking and making plans to get Naomi’s life safe again.