Chapter 9
“Welcome,” Duane Manchester told Yvonne as she parked and exited her truck at Erin’s Way.
“Hey, Duane. I’ve got some groceries here for Erin.
” She went to the back of her SUV, opened the gate, and pointed to the bags for Erin.
They both carried them inside, and Duane took them to the kitchen counters, and he told her to go down to the office.
She did, and when she entered, Julie left to take care of the groceries.
Yvonne looked around, and went to Erin’s desk, opened the top drawer, and slipped the item inside.
“Thank you,” Erin said on a heavy sigh.
“Is this a good thing?”
“I think so,” she sighed heavily again and leaned back in her chair, laying her hand over her lower stomach. “According to my calculations, I’m about eight or nine weeks along. I wanted the home test before I made an appointment with the doctor.”
“I understand.”
“Okay,” Erin sat forward and nodded. “Now, do you remember what I told you about all my properties?”
“I do,” Yvonne said as she settled in the chair and pointed to the map on the wall.
“Good, now you’re going to drive me to all of them.” Erin laughed and held up her hand. “Don’t worry, I’ll give directions. I just thought that if you drove, then you’d be more aware of where to turn. It’s not that complicated.”
“Okay. Yeah, I can do that.”
“Good. We’ll go to RRR first, then to Broken Two, Broken, then over to New Double.
Like I said, I have another person that you’ll be working with, they’ve been here for two weeks.
They know they have to share the space with you.
” She held up her hand. “Don’t worry, there will be plenty of room for the two of you to work peacefully together.
You’ll see when you get there.” They rose to their feet, and went out to Yvonne’s SUV.
As she followed the directions Erin gave her, she listened to the other woman talk about the different ranches, and what they all did.
At RRR, Yvonne watched the construction crew work, and could picture Erin’s vision for the ranch.
When they left there and headed toward Broken Two, Erin pointed out where Duane, and the others lived.
Further down the road, Yvonne slowed down when told, and parked before two buildings.
“Are these office buildings?”
“Yes. That one is where Dr. Caleb Lassiter works. He is dual certified as a physical therapist and a chiropractor. He shares the entire building with Dr. Staci Hardt. She has a PhD in biomechanics, and is working on a government grant to help veterans with prosthetic limbs. She actually builds them,” Erin paused to hold up her right hand.
“Eventually, she’ll be making me one. She’s finished Reid’s leg, and working on Adele’s lower leg, and Opal’s arm. ” At Yvonne’s look she explained.
“Former military women that work at Broken Wheel. This is what we refer to as Broken Two. One office building is in use by Caleb and Staci. The other one will have a doctor who practices in general medicine as well as orthopedics.”
“Where are they now?”
“Finishing up their lives, working out their contracts at their current jobs, then branching out on their own. Don’t worry, Duane has their files.”
“I’m guessing that we’ll have files on the people coming to New Double?”
“Yes, and the people that will eventually transfer over to RRR, those files will go with whomever of you two come over here.” Erin lifted her hand as she shook her head. “I don’t care who works where. I just care that I have security at each place.”
“Understood.” Yvonne stated, and stared at her in shock when she was told to drive through a set of trees, and follow a path. As she did, Erin continued to explain what the Broken Wheel was all about, and pointed out the bunktels. They drove around a bend, and Yvonne saw a giant barn.
“This is Broken Wheel Ranch. The horses that I started with, I fostered them, are horses that the police and SPCA removed from abusive and neglectful owners. Once they did the case, I donated to the agency and was given the papers in order to keep the horse. The name of Broken Wheel came from two different things.”
“Can I ask what?”
“One, there is a broken wagon wheel out at the road that has been there since the eighteen thirties. It’s off the covered wagon my many times removed grandparents used to come here from back east. Dear old grandpa left his wife and child in the middle of the night, and grandma pulled up her big girl panties and started Erin’s Way.
The second reason is because all the horses here were broken when they arrived.
” She pointed to where there were horses in the field around the barn.
“After rehabilitating the horses, with help from former military people that also needed help healing from their ordeals. I started a horse rehabilitation center for people that need them. We work with their doctors and everything.”
“Wow, that sounds interesting.”
“See that horse there,” Erin said with a grin and pointed out the windshield of the SUV.
“Yes?”
“That’s Katie. When she came here, she was literally all skin and bones.
She barely lifted her head. One day, Reid, my fiancé, was standing in the barn and she threw a ball at his back.
He picked it up and threw it back to her.
They now play catch every single day, even in the winter.
If he’s working over at Erin’s Way, he makes an effort to come over and still play with her. ”
“Fascinating,” Yvonne said as she watched man and horse play catch. They exited the vehicle, and Erin gave her the entire tour of the barn, introduced the horses, and the human workers that were there.
They climbed back into the vehicle and she directed her back to Erin’s Way. “There is no way to get to Broken Wheel from the road. You either have to go through Broken Two, like we did, or the way I’m taking you back to Erin’s Way.”
“Is there a reason for that?”
“At first, no, it was a spot on the ranch that I never used. Then when Katie’s former owner got out of jail, he tried to come and steal her back.
” When Yvonne whipped her head around to stare at her, Erin held up her good hand.
“He’s in jail. It took some time because he had buddies that tried to steal the horses from Broken Wheel.
They have been sitting in jail for almost two years, and Jason Black and Ilsa Miller are about ready to take them to court.
Our case is ready, we’re waiting for the guys sitting in jail, because they keep firing their court appointed lawyers.
They have six months to find someone, or it goes before a judge, with or without counsel for them. ”
“Wow, okay. Not having access from the road is a good thing.”
“It is now. Back when I started Broken, that’s how we refer to it, it was a logistical aspect. Quicker to go over land than out on the road. A hassle to put in a driveway and all that stuff.”
“Got it,” Yvonne said with a nod, and followed her directions and grinned when she came in the ‘back way’ to Erin’s Way. But she continued out onto the road, following Erin’s directions.
“It’s twenty minutes because you have to go around Erin’s Way to get to New Double.
It would be too expensive to make a road between the two properties.
Trust me, I’ve looked into it. Also, the only entrance to New Double is from the road we’ll take.
The rest of the ranch is landlocked along with mine, and there is federal land to the north. ”
“Ah, so anyone coming to New Double would have to go by the security shack.”
“Correct. With it being a Saturday, and no one is expected, I don’t imagine anyone will be there.
That’s okay. Once you meet Kevin, the two of you can come up with a schedule.
You’ll also be coordinating with Cole and Naomi.
” She launched into the logistics of her owning the land, and Naomi owning the animals.
Yvonne was fascinated by the tale and the big heart Erin had by helping others.
“Turn here,” Erin said as she pointed, and Yvonne slowed down and saw several men further down.
She stopped and looked when Erin grinned and laughed.
“It came!” She hopped out, ran up to someone and gave them a quick hug.
Yvonne threw her truck into park, exited, and walked up to them.
She watched as the men used their hands and equipment to erect an arch going over the driveway that spelled out New Double. The same way that Erin’s Way had one.
No one said a word as she watched them, and when they were done, and the guy driving the heavy lifter loaded it onto the back of a flatbed trailer, and drove away, they all turned to Erin.
“Thanks, guys, it looks great. Let me introduce you to our new security woman. Yvonne Wilson, former FBI. This is Naomi Alcott, owner of New Double. You’ll be working with her about doing background checks on the people she invites here.
Next is Cole Mercury. He’s the ranch manager.
Patrick Clemmons, he’s been with these guys for a long, long time.
He’s leaving within the week to go back out to rodeos to look for hands for RRR.
He will be calling you and Kevin with information on people he thinks would be a good hire. ”
“Let me guess, to do background checks on them?”
“Yes. You know Myrna and Pedro. Then there is Shay and Faith. Pedro is a horse trainer, Faith is the jockey who rides all the horses. Next is Tony and Staci.”
“Dr. Hardt?”
“Yes, they live on New Double because Tony is a hand here at the ranch. Then we have Ann and Manny. Ann is also a hand here, and Manny floats between working here and over at Broken.”
During all the introductions, Yvonne had shaken their hands and nodded, committing names and faces to her memory. Then a single man stepped forward and he stuck out his hand, full of confidence.
“Kevin Lassiter. I’m the other security guy here.”