Chapter 26
Colt
“Cheyenne contact you about the horse yet?” I asked Michael. Things had been going well since the reopening, with no leaks or other catastrophes in site.
“She told me she’d call me soon, but that’s the last I heard from her.”
“When did you guys talk?” I asked.
“This afternoon. I’m surprised you didn’t know?”
“Cheyenne took off this morning after the issue with our barn.”
“What happened with the barn?” Michael asked.
“Someone broke into it and lit some hay in one of the horse stalls on fire early one morning.”
“Are you serious?” Michael asked. “Did you call the sheriff?”
“Yeah, for all the good it did. He said there wasn’t anything he could do. Evidence of arson from the match on the ground that was charred, but nothing could be done because I didn’t see the bastard’s face. Can you believe that?”
“Well, the sheriff is bound by the limits of the law. If he doesn’t have a way to ID someone, what more can he do?” Michael asked.
“I don’t know! I thought that was his damn job!”
I slammed my bar towel down onto the bar and began to scrub and polish. I needed to get my mind off of this horrible day. I’d called Cheyenne at her sanctuary twice today, but no one picked up. She was obviously making phone calls if she’d called Michael, so that told me she was at least making calls, but not necessarily accepting them.
“What the hell is happening around here?” Michael asked.
“Any more issues with your chickens?”
“Nah. Nothing lately. Now, what does the barn shit have to do with Cheyenne?” he asked.
“She thinks someone targeted our barn because we were helping her out,” I said. “How stupid does that sound?”
“Actually, not too stupid at all,” Michael said. “She pissed off a lot of people in town, some of them with a great deal of influence.”
“Then don’t abuse your animals! Christ, how hard is that to do?”
I was infuriated with the whole situation. I knew Cheyenne was a target for caring about the horses she took in, and I knew people in this town were mad at her, especially for calling PETA, who could be really extreme. But, if they didn’t want her sticking her nose in their business, then don’t abuse your animals then abandon them with Jacob. It was that simple!
Now, at this very moment, Cheyenne was a moving target back at her ranch, where she had already been attacked. Meanwhile, she was seeking homes or sanctuaries for the horses and making strides to leave this place altogether!
I wasn’t going to let the bullheaded people of this town run her out of it. She was the only bright spot some days, and I wasn’t going to lose that without a fight.
“Now, if you could get evidence together for the sheriff, he’d be able to do something about it,” Michael said.
“That’s why I’m having security cameras installed around my place. The house and the barns, at least. I’m catching this fucker on camera.”
“And, in my experience, suing someone is usually easier than getting a criminal investigation open. If you can get any decent evidence to identify them, you could take it to a lawyer and serve them with a lawsuit. I’ve seen those things change people’s tune on a nickel.”
“That’s actually not a bad idea, Michael. Thanks,” I said.
“Now, the real question is this how is Cheyenne going to get the money to rebuild everything? I know her insurance will probably cover the barn, but it won’t cover things like feed, tack, and the other equipment and supplies she lost.”
“Well, we were going to hold a fundraiser, Tiffany had it all arranged. But Cheyenne told me to cancel it.”
“Why?” Michael asked.
“She’s running. She does that when she feels like she’s been backed into a corner she can’t get out of.”
“I don’t blame her for feeling that way,” Michael said. “Where is she now?”
“At her sanctuary trying to rehome her horses. It’s probably why you got the phone call from her today,” I said.
“Jesus, so she’s serious,” Michael said. “What are you going do about the fundraiser?”
“Well, I was thinking maybe I’d have it anyway. I tried calling her a couple times today, and she didn’t pick up, so I figure I could throw it before she can get her horses rehomed to show her the support she still has around here.”
“You think that’ll convince her to stay? I hope she does. That woman is a legend with horses around here,” Michael said. “At least to horse lovers.”
“I know. It would be bad for everyone if she left.”
Michael and I continued to talk about the fundraiser for a bit, and he said he’d help in any way he could. I told him I needed someone who could spread the word about it without passing it on to people he knew were pissed at Cheyenne, and he said he could see what kind of support he could drum up before we started finalizing plans. I knew if I could throw this fundraiser and show her the emotional and monetary support people around here could give, it would help my argument in getting her to stay.
She was jumping the gun and defaulting to a state of mind that made her feel more comfortable, and I’d devoted too much time and energy into her to just let her run off into the sunset after abandoning what I knew she truly loved. I cared for her too much to sit back and watch that happen.
“You and Tiffany gonna throw it?” he asked.
“Yep. I’m gonna take care of the food and drinks, and Tiffany’s probably gonna arrange the decorations, the date, and all that. She’s already gathered donated auction items and that kind of thing.”
“Well, I’ll definitely see what I can do. In the meantime, what about those security cameras?”
“I’ve already got it under control. I called someone today, and they said they’d be installed by the end of the week. I can hook them all up to the computer in my house and check the cameras at any point in time.”
“Sounds fancy,” he said.
“I’m sparing no expense. If I can put together enough information and catch this son of a bitch on camera, then I can make all this stop.”
“And maybe then Cheyenne will stay?”
I saw the smirk on Michael’s face, and I simply shook my head. I made a few drinks for those that had walked up to the bar, but I could see Michael’s eyes watching me intently.
“What?” I asked.
“You care for her,” he said.
“Of course I do. She’s my sister’s friend, and she’s been through some tough shit lately.”
“She’s a skilled horsewoman, a spark plug with a great personality, and she’s very easy on the eyes. Come on, you care about her, and you know it,” he said.
“Seriously, Mike. I’m good,” I said.
“I know you are. Because you’ve had a very beautiful woman living in your house for a while now.”
“Can I get you another drink?” I asked him.
“If I say no, will you admit that you like her?”
“Another beer coming up,” I said.
Michael laughed at me while I got him another beer. I had too much on my mind to debate with my neighbor on how I felt about Cheyenne. Of course I cared for her; she’d had her life threatened by the dipshit in town who burned her barn down. I helped her out because Tiffany had devoted so much of her time to Cheyenne’s cause, and I could get behind it too. Sure, we’d had to hide her being at Smith Ranch so she could keep her grants, but she’d do the same for Tif and me if we needed help like that.
In a heartbeat, she would. I was just returning the favor I knew she’d do us.
“Things going well since you reopened?” Michael asked.
“No sprung leaks, no major issues, no clogged pipes. I think we’re back in business.”
“That’s good,” he said. “Have you ever thought about someone coming after this place?”
“What?”
“Think about it. If your girlfriend was right about people around her being targets, then it’s plausible that they would eventually come after this place.”
“She said something along those same lines this morning,” I said.
“She’s not crazy. It’s a logical train of thought,” he said.
My silence told him everything he needed to know.
“You thought she was crazy. Don’t tell me you told her you thought she was crazy.”
“Holy shit, I’m not that stupid,” I said through my grin. “I just don’t think it would’ve happened.”
“Did you think someone would try to burn down your barn?” Michael asked.
“Have I mentioned that arguing with you is a pain in the ass?”
“Welcome to my past life. I just can’t shake it sometimes,” he said.
“Just drink your beer and shut up.”
I continued to work the bar and help with the wait staff until we closed up that night. I went back over all the plumbing and piping one last time before I decided to go home, settling my mind that things were on track for now. I still thought we should do the fundraiser at the Iron Stallion instead of at the house, but if doing it at the house made Cheyenne alright with the fact that I wasn’t canceling, then so be it. If anything, that fundraiser was the only argument I had to get her to stay, and I wasn’t going down without a fight.
I shut everything down and then got in my truck. Michael’s suggestion that someone could come after the restaurant had set me to worrying. Hearing it from a panicked Cheyenne seemed a little insane, but hearing it from my neighbor who was outside the situation was another story. I pulled away, then circled back, and parked at a distance and sat there for a while, waiting to see if I saw any shadows moving. A few squirrels and bats caught my eye, but after sitting for an hour, I took a deep breath and fired up my truck.
As I drove back toward the ranch, I couldn’t get Cheyenne out of my mind. I wanted to try calling her again, but I knew it was well past midnight, and I’d probably wake her up if I did. Part of me wanted to drive by her sanctuary and knock on her door, but part of me knew I was hovering for a variety of reasons.
And none of them had to do with making sure Cheyenne was alright.
I knew she’d be okay. She was strong and independent, and it was one of the things that drew me to her in the first place. Always busy doing something, always busy fixing something, and always busy moving forward with something in her life. She’d be fine wherever she went. That wasn’t why I wanted to go over.
It wasn’t even why I wanted to call.
I wanted to do all these things because I didn’t want her to forget. About how I knew she felt when she was in my arms and how warm and comforting our bodies were to one another. I didn’t want her to forget the night of passion we shared when she finally let down her wall with me. I didn’t want her to forget that I wasn’t the bastard that broke her heart, and I didn’t want her to forget that I was here.
For her. Whenever she needed me.
But instead, I just drove home. I went upstairs and took a hot shower, washing away the terrible day I’d had. I looked out the window to check on the barn one last time, knowing I’d have to pick up the slack around here until Tiffany was on her feet.
Reaching for my alarm clock, I set it for three instead of four, and I fell into bed.