Rafe’s lips tightened in irritation at the thought as he moved to the refrigerator, reached up, and flipped on the police and emergency band radio he kept there. Turning the dials, he tuned into the channel he knew the road crew used whenever they were clearing snow and wanted to keep their conversations more private.
It wouldn’t hurt to know ahead of time who else was on that crew and whatever they may have to say.
“Sheriff, I hope you brought that rifle of yours,” a voice drawled over the radio. “Eddy may want to borrow it.”
“Then why are you laughing, Martin?” Archer Tobias, sheriff of Corbin County, a man who had once, long ago, been a friend, came over the line.
“’Cause if that’s Eddy’s niece’s car out there like he thinks it is, then we may get to have a Callahan killin’ after all,” Deputy Martin Eisner came back. “Don’t worry, Eddy, I’ll testify for it. Justifiable homicide.”
Rafe glared at the radio.
“You want me to break your fucking legs, Eisner?” Eddy Flannigan came back, his voice entirely serious. “Because I can. And I will.”
It was obvious the deputy was getting on the wrong side of the smart-assed, wisecracking uncle of Cami’s.
“Hell, Eddy, I’m trying to do you a favor here,” Martin snapped. “Those boys work fast, remember? We’ll be lucky if she’s not already dead.”
“Let’s not allow our imaginations to get out of control here Martin,” Archer snapped.
“Yeah, that’s what your daddy said when Jaymi went missing that night too,” Martin snapped back as the sound of the plow’s motor revved and geared higher. “You saw her car, Sheriff. That tire—”
“Martin, concentrate on clearing that snow and let me concentrate on what may or may not have happened,” Archer snapped back, the heavy command in his voice working for a minute. “That’s my job, remember?”
But no longer than a minute.
“We should call out the National Guard and have them bring the helicopter in. We maybe could use the help against the three of them boys now that they’re back from the military.” Eisner sounded worried, concerned. “Didn’t we hear they were snipers or some shit?” He was obviously only worried about himself.
Rafe rubbed at the side of his face in frustration. Son of a bitch, Eisner sounded as though they were facing a full battalion of Callahans rather than just three of them.
Rafe knew the deputy well enough to know for a fact that it wasn’t worry or concern he was feeling unless it was for himself. It was pure gleeful anticipation cloaked with a highly false, somber demeanor.
“Martin, we don’t need a helicopter,” Archer promised him patiently. “Eddy, take your plow up to the house and I’ll drive your niece home, if she’s ready to go.”
“What do you think he means by that, Eddy?” Martin questioned with almost rabid curiosity. “What’s he implyin’?”
“That she might want to wait until the tow truck shows up to get her car out of the ditch, Martin?” the sheriff snapped, his patience obviously beginning to fray as the deputy continued to poke at Eddy’s temper. That was never a good idea. Eddy’s temper was short and his fists could be unpredictable. “And see if you can’t manage to run that plow without taking out another fence, Martin.” Eddy’s tone was harsh and filled with disgust.
Logan sat up carefully as Crowe’s face tightened, becoming stoney and emotionless at the order Eddy gave the deputy.
They’d spent more than a week replacing the old rotted and rusted fence. It was obviously a wasted effort where one fence was concerned.
“Sorry about that. I guess ole Rafe Callahan should have put those fences in better, huh?”
“I can hear the lawsuits now,” Archer said, his sigh coming across the radio. “And trust me, Martin, I won’t cover your ass on this one.”
“Hey, I didn’t see no fence,” Martin’s voice came back slyly. “Did you see a fence, Eddy?”
“Yeah, I did, and I’m going to be the one to tell the Callahans’ lawyer what an asshole you are. Asshole.” Eddy informed him, “It’s no damned wonder the mayor put you on probation. If we’re lucky, he’ll get rid of your ass now.”
Archer was silent, and that didn’t surprise Rafe in the least. It did surprise him, though, that Eisner was so damned brave in destroying Callahan property.
“One of these days that girl is going to get herself in trouble taking up with the stray dogs in this county.” Martin came back with an air of self-importance. “And if I ever seen a dog, those Callahan boys is three of them.”
“I just hope for her daddy’s sake she’s okay,” Martin radioed. “It’s too bad how she doesn’t help him much with her poor, sick mother. She’s nothin’ like her sister was, that’s for damned sure. Jaymi would have been there helping her parents.”
“Fuck you, Martin! You damned little son of a bitch!” Eddy was pissed now. Real pissed if the tone of his voice was anything to go by. “Get him the fuck out of here, Sheriff, because I’ll show the little bastard exactly what justifiable homicide really is.”
Rafe lifted his head and watched as Cami came to a shocked stop at the doorway of the kitchen.
Biting off a curse, he moved for the radio to flip it off and keep her from hearing any more of Martin Eisner’s stupidity.
She beat Rafe to it. She moved in front of him, staring back at him in determination. “Let me hear what he has to say. That’s one of Dad’s best friends, and he’s not saying anything I haven’t already heard.”
The radio crackled again. “Martin, shut the hell up.” Archer’s voice was rock hard and filled with command now. “You’ll shut up or I can make sure you lose this nice cushy job of yours.” It was that edge of worry that had suspicion rising inside him.
“Too late to shut him up, Arch,” Eddy came back quietly. “Martin and I will discuss it later, though.”
Martin’s mocking laughter came back. “Your asshole mayor didn’t hire me, Archer, and neither did you. Neither one of you can fire me either.”
“I guess you were right, Crowe.” Rafe turned to his cousin, anger churning hard and deep inside him. “Selling out is the last fucking thing we need to do. They can just live with us.”
He caught Cami’s look of surprise, as well as the worry that edged it. His lips twisted sardonically. Yeah, if he stayed around, that just upped the chances that everyone might figure out she’d been doing the nasty with him, wouldn’t it? Fuck her. Was she ashamed to admit that she allowed him to touch her? Of course she was. He’d suspected it before and now he was convinced of it.
He glared down at her. “Don’t worry, Cami. No one will suspect for a second that we spent the weekend fucking like minks, and I’ll damned well make sure of it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to try to attempt to make sure they don’t destroy the fucking place while they’re trying to rescue you.”
Cami stared up at him, her lips thinning. She knew the same thing he, Logan, and Crowe knew now just as well Sherriff Tobias and Eddy Flannigan knew. Obviously one of the barons had hired Eisner.
Cami shook her head slowly. “Martin’s James Corbin’s second cousin,” she said quietly as the radio seemed to go quiet.
“Well now, doesn’t that just figure. Guess Grandpop is making sure he has his eyes and ears where he needs them,” Crowe drawled mockingly.
“Martin is a pain in Archer’s ass,” she said softly. “Ignore it. Archer will take care of it.”
Rafe gave a hard laugh. “Do you think he’s going to destroy my property and get away with it?”