Count This Cowboy In (28 page)

Trevor had gotten into the habit of coming into the house after morning chores were done, before he began working for the day, to see Sam a few minutes.  This morning he went to the office and gave her a kiss as usual, but then became serious as he asked,
"How are you this morning?"

"
I'm okay," she assured him.  "Why?"

"
Sam," he said warningly, "do I need to remind you what happens to little ladies who lie?"

"
No," she insisted.  "But what do you mean?  What am I lying about?"

"
After last night I know you've got to be sore.  That was your first time with a paddle, Honey, so I know you're sore."

"
Oh," she said, turning that shade of red he so liked to see on her. "That."

"
Yes, that," he agreed.  "Don't tell me you don't feel it this morning, or I'll have to remedy it.  That was meant to last a few days, you know."

"
And I'm sure it will," she assured him.  "I am sore, I won't even try to deny it.  But my heart feels better than it's felt in a long, long time.  And I slept better last night than I have since you told me about my dad.  So overall, I'd say I'm more than good."  She reached up to kiss his cheek before adding, "And I have you to thank for that."

He held her shoulders and gave her a real kiss.  Then he chuckled as he said,
"So I guess you're thanking me for that wonderful spanking you got last night?"

"
I didn't say that," she said with that adorable red face again, "but I do feel better.  Thank you for our talk."

"
You're welcome.  I hope it's taught you to come to me with any, and I repeat, any problem you have.  I may or may not be able to help, but I at least want the chance to try and I want to know what's going on."

"
I understand now."

"
Good.  In the meantime, I'm glad I already got my kiss this morning because you're probably going to be upset with me, but I feel I have to do it anyway."

She looked up at him curiously. 
"Do what?"

"
You are not to go riding alone for the next month, Sam."

"
What?"

"
Honey, I know how much you love to ride and I know you're quite capable of going out alone.  You've proven that to me.  I also know if something's on your mind you like to go riding alone to think."

"
I do.  Please, Trevor, don't do this."

"
But I also know how upset you had me and everyone on this ranch yesterday."

She lowered her head at his words.  She
'd thought about that last night and how he was paying his help for several hours while they looked for her.  That was going to cost him a lot, plus the helicopter.  It also put them behind on their work at the ranch.  She did feel bad about that.  "I know.  I'm sorry."

"
Well, unfortunately, you need to learn a lesson.  I don't want that to ever happen again."  His harshness softened as he said, "Sam, I was so worried about you.  I don't want to go through that again."  He leaned down to kiss her. 

"
Well, I know I won't be going out alone for the next day or two," she said, rubbing her bottom.

He grinned as he said,
"I don't imagine you'll be doing much riding at all the next day or two."  He stood straighter and turned serious again and added, "But I'm serious, Sam.  No riding alone for the next month.  I'll still go riding with you when I have time, but for the next month you and Lady will be staying here unless I'm with you.  Do you understand?"

She didn
't like it one bit, but she had to admit she understood why he was doing it.  She resigned herself to the fact it was a privilege she'd lost and finally muttered, "Yeah, I guess."

"
And no pouting," he added, seeing her expression.  Lifting her chin so he could see her eyes, he said, "I love you, Sam and I have to do what I can to keep you safe.  I just have to."

She nodded and reluctantly said,
"I know.  I love you, too."  He smiled, until he heard, "Even if you are a big bully."  He looked down and saw the mischief in her eyes.  He pulled her into him and gave her a big kiss and a swat on her sore bottom.  "Hey, that hurt!  What was that for?"

"
Respect, little one, respect.  See you at lunch."  As he was leaving he said, "Us big bullies just can't help ourselves sometimes."  They were both smiling as he went out to tackle that new pasture they were making.

The next month went by relatively smoothly.  Clay kept them informed, but didn
't have a lot to tell.  The prosecutor was working with the police department, gathering the evidence they'd need to make an arrest.  Clay gave them all his findings, but the police had to do their own investigation and gather their own evidence.  They were also able to do a bit more in depth investigating in certain areas.

Clay related to Trevor and Sam that the police were looking into June Davis, as she was known before marrying Sam
's father.  They discovered she had also gone by June Simon for a time and June Barrington, although she'd never been married.  They were looking for a reason for the aliases. 

They also talked with the doctor who took care of her sister that had the mental condition.  They discovered that June had gone to him and asked for a replacement refill of her medication, saying her sister had lost a new 90-day supply.  That explained how she got the medicine.

True to his word, Trevor started letting Sam help on the ranch occasionally.  It was always when he was there, as well, but Sam was happy with that for now.  She knew it would take time for him to see that she could do some of the routine things, like ride fence and fix weak spots.  She was happy with that for now.  She hoped to eventually be able to do more, but she was willing to give him the time he needed to feel comfortable with her out in the field some.

He also made sure they went riding together at least once a week during the month she was not to go
out alone.  Riding together was something they both enjoyed.  He was coming to see just exactly how much she loved living on a ranch.  He hoped some day she'd live on his ranch for good and not in the guesthouse, but as his wife.  He saw their relationship heading in that direction, but refused to rush her.  He had to be sure she came to want that same thing on her own time, with no pressure.

Clay called a couple months after he turned the matter over to the prosecutor, with news that something had finally happened.  The police had made two arrests.  They arrested both her stepmother, June
and the young attorney, Matt Kline that they now had strong reason to believe she had bribed.

June was denying everything vehemently, not saying a word without an attorney present.  Once she hired an attorney, he advised her not to say anything, so all they were getting from her was a complete denial. 

Matt Kline, however, was ready to talk.  He was upset.  He related a scheme, wherein she would pay him $5,000 in cash to tell Hank Simmerly that he was representing The Children's Horse Riding League, whom he had recently made a generous contribution to, and they just needed him to sign some papers saying they could use the money he donated as they saw fit.  He was to tell Hank that because of new tax laws if they didn't have these signed papers they were very limited as to what the money could be used for.  He was told by June that she would give him medication in the morning that made his vision blurry and he would take his word for it and not read them.  They put a fake front page on, with the organization's name in big letters at the top and that's all he would look at. 

After the papers were signed she was to send him an additional $20,000
and once she collected from the new will she would send him an additional $25,000.  He said she gave him the initial $5,000, but he never saw another dime of the $45,000 he felt he was owed.  Going to jail for taking a $5,000 bribe was one thing, but he was not going to go to prison for taking a $50,000 bribe without even getting the money!

Besides, he was upset that he got caught to begin with.  That was all June
's fault, so if he was going down, so was she.  She had a new boyfriend and told him how she'd gotten Hank to sign everything over to her.  When they had an argument and she kicked him out of her condo a year later he was upset.  When the police came to question him, he was more than willing to tell them what he knew.

Matt blamed his getting caught directly on June for telling the boyfriend, so when they arrested him, he, too, was more than willing to tell them what he knew. 

The police were able to go back to June's bank records and found a $5,000 withdrawal from her meager savings account the day before Matt's visit to see Hank.  This was viewed as just one more piece of evidence against June and Matt was willing to testify against her in a trial.

The prosecutor called a couple weeks later.  They wanted to talk to Sam about her thoughts on a plea deal.  Trevor agreed to take her to Amarillo so they could speak in person.  Sam wanted Trevor with her
and the prosecutor agreed, after hearing of their relationship.  So arrangements were made and two days later they were in Amarillo.

They stayed at a Holiday Inn close to the courthouse.  They were to meet with the prosecutor the next morning, but it was 2:00 and they had the rest of the day yet.  Trevor asked,
"Honey, would you like to show me the ranch where you grew up?  We can drive by if you'd like to see it."  When she didn't answer right away he said, "If you don't want to, that's fine.  But I know you and I know you're curious.  I know you're in a much better place with your father and all your memories now and if you want to see it we can go there.  If you're not ready yet, that's fine."

She looked at him and said,
"I am curious.  For so long I tried to put all the memories out of my mind, but now I find myself trying to remember the things I was trying to forget."

He laughed and said,
"Would you like to drive by it?  We don't have to stop if you're not ready, but we could drive by if you want."

She hesitated a bit too long
and he knew something was bothering her.  She looked up at him and said, "I've learned now to come to you with my problems or mixed up feelings."

"
Thank you.  Is it a problem or a mixed up feeling you have right now?"

"
I don't know," she said, throwing her hands up as if in surrender.  "You said I'm in a much better place with Dad and my memories and you're right, I am.  But I could be in a little better place."

"
What do you mean?"

"
There's still the nagging thought at the back of my head, she's denying it all.  What if she's not lying?"

Trevor was surprised to hear her say that. 
"Honey, should we go over all the evidence again?"

"
No.  I know it all; I've gone over it in my head lots of times.  I just don't know how to get rid of that niggling thought in the back of my mind.  What if we go drive out there just to look at it and all I see is her saying it's all lies?"

He sat down in the chair, pulling her down onto his lap, thinking.  Finally, he said,
"Honey, for right now let's not go out there.  Let me think about that a bit.  I didn't know you were having these thoughts."

"
I don't want to have them.  It's like they're haunting me or something.  I try to push them out of my mind, but then they pop up again.  I don't know how to get rid of them."

"
Let me give it some thought.  In the meantime, how about showing me around town a bit?  We don't have horses to go riding, but we could go walking.  Or if there's somewhere you'd like to go that's further out we can drive, or get a cab." 

"
Let's just go walking downtown.  That sounds like fun."  They spent the next three hours walking hand in hand through downtown Amarillo, stopping at a couple shops to look around, but mostly window shopping and talking.

"
What would you like to see happen to June?"  Trevor knew she'd been thinking about it and figured they may as well talk about it.

She snorted, a very unladylike noise he
'd never heard her make before and said, "I'd like to see her go to prison.  As far as I'm concerned, she killed Dad."

"
I agree, Honey, but remember what Clay said, that the prosecutor can't prove the medicine actually killed him."

"
But it can cause heart attacks, which is what he died of," she argued.

"
I know, Honey and I think that's what happened.  But they can't prove that because the medicine doesn't always cause a heart attack and people have heart attacks all the time without being on that medicine."

She sighed and said,
"I know.  But it just doesn't seem right that she should get away with it."

"
I know.  But she won't be getting away with it completely."

"
Just mostly," Sam grumbled.

Trevor decided this conversation could wait until after they
'd talked to the prosecutor tomorrow and changed the subject.