Chapter Twenty-One #2
Sadie wrapped her shawl tighter around her shoulders and stepped down from the porch. As soon as the puppy’s head turned toward her, the dog promptly launched itself into a sprint.
Buster was a large St. Bernard puppy and even though he was only three months old, he was the size of a baby calf.
Sadie screamed when he came bounding straight toward her.
When his huge paws slammed against her belly, all air got knocked out of her and Sadie fell flat on the ground.
Suddenly she found herself with a huge brown nose sniffing her all over her face.
Ruby’s cackle turned into a full-blown belly laughter and for a second, Sadie was able to completely forget her worries this morning.
“Nothing like some puppy love to make you feel better, am I right?” Sam asked as he bent down to help her stand up. Sadie took his hand and relished the warmth of it. But somehow, the glow in his eyes burned even hotter than that, which made Sadie blush.
“You’ve got grass in your hair!” Ruby said, as she pointed her finger with a giggle. Buster barked a deep bark, clearly confirming Ruby’s statement.
Sam pulled the leaves and grass out of Sadie’s hair and they actually joined in with the laughter. All was well in their little world.
“We’ve got company!” Daniel called out from across the backyard. He and a ranch hand were already on their way, rifles in hand.
Sam immediately stretched to look above Sadie to see who it was.
“Is it Walter again?” Sadie asked worriedly as she turned around, but Sam shook his head.
“Three riders, normal trot,” he told her, which instantly relaxed her.
“Maybe they want to trade horses,” she suggested, a lot less anxious. Then Sam tensed beside her.
“No, that’s not it. That’s Sheriff Briggs and two of his men,” Sam told her. Sadie was surprised to see that man come to her ranch.
Daniel and the other ranch hand joined Sadie and Sam.
“Ruby? Why don’t you go and take Buster into the kitchen?” Sam told his daughter with a gentle smile. “Tell Louise to give him a bone and stay there with him until I come to get you, all right?” Ruby nodded and ran off toward the back of the house. Buster immediately followed her.
The way Sam acted confused Sadie. He was another sheriff. Why was Sam so aggravated about Briggs coming here?
“Could this be about Sampson’s Cove?” she wondered aloud. Sam shook his head. Then he shrugged.
“I don’t know,” he admitted, his shoulders stiffening. “But I don’t have a good feeling.”
When Briggs finally reached them, his face was crunched up in a nasty-looking scowl.
He stopped in front of the porch, but didn’t dismount his horse, while his men stayed behind several yards away.
The fact that they were just sitting there, watching, was unsettling.
One of them held his rifle across his lap as if he was ready to shoot at any time.
“I need to talk to you!” he said, pointing at Sadie with his stubby finger. She recoiled, taken aback by his forcefulness. Sam stepped halfway in front of her, as if he wanted to shield her from that man. Sadie wasn’t completely against it.
“What about?” Sam asked brusquely. Briggs glared at him, then turned back to Sadie. Maybe he thought that it was easier to intimidate her rather than Sam.
“We need to discuss certain details about your history,” he said to her, but his finger pointed at both of them.
“Why?” Sam asked, before Sadie could. “What interest do you have in our life?”
Briggs released a loud sigh, shaking his head.
“I’m the law around here! I have an interest in everything that’s going on in my district,” he declared with a bored face, though his tone gave away his annoyance.
“Maybe you didn’t take your job seriously enough when you were a sheriff in your nowhere-town, but around here, I am in charge and I take my duty very seriously. ”
Sadie grabbed Sam’s arm to pull him back, because she could see how his breathing rapidly accelerated.
“No need for insults!” Sadie said firmly, which caused Briggs to raise both eyebrows questioningly.
“Then you might want to answer my questions,” he replied arrogantly. “Maybe we can speak in private somewhere?”
Sam shook his head vehemently. Sadie could see Daniel doing the same, which was a little surprising. Did her foreman also have a problem with Briggs?
“We don’t have secrets around here,” Sam told the sheriff. “Why don’t you cut to the chase, so we can be done here.” Sadie realized that there was something bigger at play here, but because she didn’t know what the issue was, she couldn’t step in.
Briggs shot a quick look back over his shoulder at his two companions before he loudly cleared his throat. Then he spit a big fat dark brown dollop of chewing tobacco on the ground. Sadie made a face. She was utterly disgusted.
“I need to know the exact details,” Briggs declared and started to count off his fingers. “When you met, how you met, how long you’ve courted, how long you were engaged, and when you actually got married. I need real dates.”
“Why? What for?” Sam asked again; this time, he shook his head in disbelief.
“I won’t discuss my investigations with you,” Briggs replied haughtily. “You are no longer within the circle of knowledge, if you know what I mean.”
“Investigations? About what?” Sam exclaimed, and Sadie could tell that he was getting impatient. “We didn’t break any laws, so what are you implying here?”
Briggs leaned forward and put his elbow on his pummel, staring at Sam as if he were a child.
“If you two have been lying to the community about your relationship, then that is the same as theft.” Sam burst out a barking laugh; Sadie couldn’t believe what she was hearing either. None of that made any sense to her.
“If you got married after your parents’ deaths,” Briggs continued undisturbed, “it’ll count as a fraudulent act to retain the ranch.” Sadie scoffed loudly at that.
“Now I see what this is!” she called out. “You are working for Walter! My uncle is putting you up to this! How much is he paying you?”
Briggs didn’t respond immediately, but he didn’t look swayed either. Why were the two men in the back laughing at her?
“Watch it, young lady!” Briggs warned Sadie. “Are you claiming I was bribed? That would be another charge—false accusations against an officer of the law! I could take you to jail for that!”
“You are lying,” Sam said calmly. He slid his arm around Sadie’s shoulders, steadying her, and she needed it. Her head was spinning.
“Nothing of what you are saying has any bearing in the court of law!” Sam declared. “You are making all of this up, trying to scare my wife! I don’t appreciate your conduct and I would like you to leave this property. Now!”
Briggs looked unimpressed. His deadpan stare toward Sam changed into a nasty glare when he looked back at Sadie.
“I suggest you come to the sheriff’s office by tomorrow, so we can file a proper report and record all the details,” Briggs said to her. “I’ll give you twenty-four hours to respond. If not, I’ll personally see to it that you are being brought in in handcuffs.”
Sam released an angry sound, but Briggs chuckled.
“You wouldn’t dare to put your filthy hands on my wife!” Sam told him through gritted teeth. Briggs laughed at that and turned his horse to leave.
“As I said, I am the law around here,” he said to Sadie. “It would be in your interest to do what I say.” He tipped his hat, then he rode off without another word.
Sadie watched him with her mouth agape. Spinning around to Sam, she looked at him with pleading eyes.
“You were a sheriff once!” she exclaimed nervously. “Please tell me that he’s lying! That he can’t do that! I won’t go to jail just because of a wedding date! And he can’t take my ranch away from me either! Can he?”
Sam shook his head.
“He is overstepping,” Sam told her, as he pulled Sadie into his arms. “Don’t worry. We’ll fight this.”
Sadie trusted Sam fully, but why did her gut tell her that trouble was brewing?