She inched down the side street, getting accustomed to the feel of the white Ford 150. She glanced at her watch. Opal wouldn’t be ready yet. She decided to stop by the Sheriff’s office to see if she could catch Hoover. She wanted to find out if there were any new developments. She didn’t want to start re-building until they found out who set the fire. And she didn’t want to re-build if Jake wasn’t going to be owner of the ranch. She wondered what he would do if he didn’t get Opal’s beautiful ranch. Would he buy a different one?
Hoover was standing in the reception area when she arrived, talking to the dispatcher.
“Hello, Fiona,” he said, “what brings you into town?”
“I picked up my new truck this morning,” she said, “and I have time to kill so I thought I’d see if I could catch you in.”
“Let’s see that new rig,” he said. “I take it you are planning to stay a while.”
They walked out the door to where she had parked her truck on the street.
“Very nice,” said Hoover. “I bet Rusty sold you this.”
“He did. I kind of like it though it takes some getting used to.”
“You’ll never buy another car after you drive a truck. They can’t be beat for versatility.”
The bright summer sun beat hot on her head, and Fiona slipped on her sunglasses.
“Move over here into the shade of this scrawny tree,” Hoover said. He was in full uniform and wearing the wide brim hat.
Fiona stepped into the shade and looked at him. “I’m thinking to rebuild the bunkhouse that burned but before I do, I want to make sure that someone isn’t going to sabotage it again. Do you have any new leads on the arson?”
“Jake sent me a list of past employees, and we’ve gone through them. Unfortunately, half of them are relatives, the other half are on the wanted list, and there’s some crossover. We have a pretty wide field to question, and we’ve had a series of emergencies, and I haven’t gotten to it.”
“Could I see the list?”
Hoover considered. “I guess so.”
“I could interview some of those people for you since I’m a neutral party.”
“You’re not that neutral. You’re attached to Opal and Jake.”
She shrugged. “I could try.”
Hoover studied Fiona. “Jake might not get the ranch.”
“What do you mean? How do you know?”
“Because I’ve lived in this valley all my life. Henry’s relations are pretty powerful, and that is a prime cattle operation. True, Opal made it happen. Opal and that sorry lot of men she gave jobs. That might have come back to bite her. Some of those guys she tried to save were unsavory to put it mildly.”
“What happened to the unsavory ones? Can you track them down?”
“We’re working on it. Why don’t you let me do my job? Cool your heels for a few days. Take that friend of yours sightseeing or shopping or something.”
Fiona had the distinct feeling she had gotten a pat on the head and told to go and play. She was not to be put off.
“My friend is thinking of buying a ranch here.”
Hoover groaned. “Just what we need. Another city slicker mucking things up.”
Fiona was beginning to wonder how hard Hoover was working on her case. His heart didn’t seem to be in it. But then she didn’t know him very well. “Did your deputy tell you I was in here yesterday?”
“He mentioned it.”
She took out her cell phone and pulled up the photo of the gun. “Here is the gun I told you I found on the knoll.”
Hoover studied the photo. “It’s an old colt 45. Where did you take this?”
“In the buckaroos’ cabin at Opal’s. It was lying on the couch in full view. I’m sure it’s the same one I saw up on the knoll.”
“Well, then case closed. One of the boys must have left it up there and went back to retrieve it.”
Fiona didn’t like that answer. For some reason the Sheriff’s tune had changed. She plopped the cell phone back in her purse. “I’m sorry to bother you, Sheriff Hoover, and I won’t take up any more of your valuable time. Have a good day.”
Jake and the boys sat down to lunch at a meal Queenie had prepared for them. Opal had told him that Queenie would be making the meals. When he asked what was going to happen with Tillie, was she going to come and help out, Opal had said not yet. She seemed distant after their talk yesterday, and he had too much to do to worry about it. Let her take her time. After all it was her ranch, and she had a terrible illness to come to terms with.
He needed to think of his future because as far as he was concerned, the handwriting was on the wall. He’d saved up enough money that he could get a decent spread of his own with help from the bank. It wouldn’t be the H Bar O, but it would be his and there would be no relatives to contend with. Fiona might not be a part of Plan B. He’d just have to see.
They sat for a spell after they finished and Sweet said, “Where are we going to move those cows, Jake?”
“I haven’t decided yet.”
“We could move them to that BLM lease on the east side. We haven’t had any of the herd on it this spring.”
“I’ve thought of that but it’s a little isolated. One of you boys would have to stay out with the herd for a while. We can’t lose any more cows.”
“No problem,” said Glory. “I like sleeping under the stars.” He was a man who wore a grizzled beard, had the lined forehead of a perpetual worrier, and a voice that sounded like it came from the bottom of a well.
“All right,” said Jake, “we’ll move them in the morning. I’ll call Rosemary and Esme to see if they can come over and give us a hand. Glory, ride out there this afternoon. Check the fences and top off the stock pond.”
Fiona and Opal came back while he was in the office checking hay prices and talking to the broker. The window in the office overlooked the lane into the house. He smiled when he saw Fiona’s new rig but wondered how things were going to turn out. If Tillie and company got the ranch, he wondered if Fiona would stay. He liked to think that she would stay because of him. But he didn’t know for sure.
He walked out to greet them and have a look at the Ford.
“How do you like it?” asked Fiona, standing by the truck with a smile of pride on her face.
“I believe you’ve fallen in love with a truck,” he said.
“She rides real nice,” said Opal, standing there and admiring the truck with them.
“How do you feel?” Jake asked her. “How did it go?”
“Didn’t feel anything. People were all nice. I’m not even tired, so I think I’ll go in and see if Queenie needs help.”
Jake told her about moving the cows and where. She agreed.
“I wish I could go along on the drive, but I got other things to do.” And with that she went inside.
Fiona walked over to where Jake stood. “She seems stoic and resigned. The oncologist said the chemotherapy will affect her energy after a while.”
“She has too much to deal with. Did she say anything to you about Tillie and the ranch?”
“Nothing. Not a thing.”
Fiona turned to look at him. “I stopped by to see Hoover while I was in town.” She pulled out her cell phone. “I showed him this photo.”
Jake looked at the photo. “Is that a gun?”
She nodded and told him where she had found the gun and how she came to be in the new bunkhouse and then related Hoover’s reactions, and her feeling that something wasn’t quite right since Hoover’s attitude had changed.
Jake met her gaze. He was glad Hoover’s ardor had cooled for Fiona. “Hoover can get short sometimes when he’s under a lot of pressure. Don’t put too much store in his change of attitude. So he didn’t think anything of your finding the gun?”