Cowgirl Up! (14 page)

LATER THAT evening, Sam was snuggled in her bed reading the latest adventures of Seth and Sienna when the phone rang.

“Doc?” asked the caller.

Sam immediately recognized Mitch’s voice.

“Mitch, I’m so glad you called. I wanted to talk to you.”

“Yeah, well I wanted to talk to you too. I want you to know that I didn’t write that nasty letter. I didn’t write any of them. I was telling the truth. You believe me, don’t you?”

Sam hesitated for a second and then replied. “I want to believe you Mitch, but you need to tell me why you were demonstrating against the annexation of the Wilson property yesterday in front of city hall in Boulder. I saw you when I was in town picking up supplies.”

“I can explain that, but I want to do it in person. Can you meet me sometime tomorrow? I don’t want to say anything over the phone.”

“I’m not sure about tomorrow. I’m going to be tied up all day helping Doc finish vaccinating the horses at the Lazy W. What about Sunday?”

“Sunday’s okay I guess,” Mitch said. Sam could tell he was in a sullen mood.

“Why don’t you give me your cell phone number and I’ll give you a call Sunday morning?” She asked him.

“No. I got your number so I’ll call you. Thanks doc.”

Then he hung up.

The next day Doc and Sam headed back to the Lazy W to finish up the vaccinations. Sam left Dundee in the care of Mason who was happy to get dog- sitting money from her. Mason needed extra cash to cover his addiction. Disney DVD’s could get expensive.

The day was progressing well and Sam breathed a sigh of relief because Marietta was nowhere in sight. She’d heard by the grapevine that Lance was at a conference in Denver with his attorneys that morning. Evidently the meeting the night before didn’t go as well as he would have liked so they were strategizing their next move. Getting the annexation and zoning approval was key to the sale of his property. If it didn’t happen then the sale would fall through.

Cheyenne was busy working with
Brio
in the indoor riding arena getting him ready for an upcoming show. Sam was glad he wasn’t around because she didn’t want to tell him about the call from Mitch and their meeting on Sunday. All he’d have to do was give her one look with those sexy brown eyes and she’d spill her guts about everything.

While they were taking their lunch break at the patio table outside the barn a horse galloped up without a rider.

“Wonder what’s going on?” Sam asked Doc.

“I dunno but maybe we ought to find out.”

They both ran to the horse and Sam could see several other people running from different directions, including Cheyenne. He grabbed the horse and turned to Jose.

“This is Marietta’s horse. Was she out riding today?”

“
Si, Senora
Wilson told me to saddle up
Mariposa
early this morning because she wanted to ride.”

“Something must have happened. Marietta’s an experienced rider but
Mariposa
must have spooked and thrown her. Do you know which direction she went?”

Jose nodded his head. “
Si, Senora
told me she was going to ride the north fences.”

“Well, we need to find her. We have a lot of territory to cover so we better get going.”

“Doc and I can help if you’ll saddle up two horses for us,” Sam offered.

“Thanks. The more we have to help us look the better. I’m going to the office to call Lance and pick up my cell phone.” Cheyenne rushed toward the barn.

Minutes later the crew was saddled and heading away from the ranch. Sam was delighted to be riding Dakota again although she wished it were under different circumstances.

“Let’s split up,” ordered Cheyenne. “Jose and I will head north along with the two docs and the rest of you men take the eastern section. I doubt if Marietta would have headed south or west. She’s always worrying about the migrant workers to the north and east so that’s where she would have ridden.”

They separated and took off.

Sam knew that Marietta had a deep prejudice against the Mexican’s that worked on the farms bordering the Lazy W. Everyone in Fairview knew it. She was always watching their movements, like a cat watching a mouse, waiting to jump if one of them made a mistake.

Every spring when the workers came to the farms, Marietta made it her mission to be the Lazy W’s guard dog. She watched over their property like a Doberman Pincher. Sam figured a groove was worn down along the fence lines that bordered the farms because she’d heard Marietta rode along there every day. Marietta obviously had paranoia, with a little schizophrenia throw in along with a few other social disorders. It amazed Sam that she tolerated Jose, Alberto and Ramon living on her ranch. But then, Sam guessed being Puerto Rican was better than being Mexican. Go figure.

After an hour of riding Doc and Sam reached the far northeast borders of the Lazy W Ranch. Jose and Cheyenne were following the property line in the opposite direction. Across the fence Sam could see the huge fields of young corn and sugar beets growing in the warm sunshine and the migrant farm hands bent over working. Sam and Doc followed the fence for awhile and came to a small stream lined with shady cottonwood trees. Sam rode over to the water to give Dakota a chance to drink when she spotted something lying across the stream half hidden by a boulder.

“Doc!” she hollered, and waved him over.

Sam jumped down from Dakota to get a closer look. It was Marietta. She ran to the crumpled body and tried to find a pulse. When she couldn’t find one, she turned Marietta over and saw the blood and gaping wound across her neck. Nausea overwhelmed Sam and she covered her mouth.

Doc jumped down and bent over Marietta. He grabbed his cell phone and dialed 9-1-1 as he put his arm around Sam’s shoulders and walked her away from the body. Then he called Cheyenne.

Sam was numb and dizzy. Although she had seen bodies of dead animals for years, this was the first time she’d seen a dead human.

Sam crouched down and put her head between her legs and a few minutes later she felt the dizziness pass. While they waited for help to arrive, Sam walked around the area, but avoided looking at the body. She noticed that the barbed wire fence was down near a field close to where she found Marietta. She walked over to take a look and saw that the wire had been neatly cut. Sam looked across the fence and could see the farm workers in the distance bent over the plants in the fields. A few looked up in her direction but then bent back down and continued working.

It wasn’t long before Cheyenne and Jose rode up.

Cheyenne took a quick look at Marietta and then came over to Sam.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just a little unnerved. I expected to see her cussing and hurt, not bleeding and dead.”

“Flight for Life should be here any minute. Why don’t you ride back to the ranch with Jose?”

“Okay, but first I want to show you something.” Sam led Cheyenne over to the cut wire. “Someone cut this wire. I think it’s strange that it’s right where we found Marietta. Could be a coincidence, but I don’t think so.”

Cheyenne looked at the wire and then glanced over to the field of farm workers.

“I agree. I’ll tell Sheriff Olson about it.”

Doc walked over to Sam. “I’ll stay here with Cheyenne until the Sheriff and helicopter gets here. Why don’t you go back and pack up our gear. I’ll be along shortly and we’ll call it a day.” He paused. “And it’s been one helluva day.”

Sam rode back to the ranch with Jose and everything seemed so surreal. She wouldn’t let her mind dwell on what she’d seen earlier and instead concentrated on packing up their gear. What she needed was a good stiff drink.

Sam didn’t have to wait too long before Cheyenne and Doc arrived back at the ranch.

“Sheriff Olson is going to want to question you,” Doc told her when he dismounted his horse. “But it can wait until Monday.”

“Did they find anything else?” Sam asked.

“Not yet,” Cheyenne told her. “We left when the helicopter took off with Marietta’s body. The Sheriff and his crew had arrived and were looking for evidence. I showed them where the fence was cut.”

Sam walked toward Doc’s truck and Cheyenne came up beside her.

“I know this has been a traumatic day, but I still want to see you tonight. If you don’t feel like going to the Grizzly Rose we can go somewhere else. Maybe a quiet dinner and a few drinks would be better. What do you think?”

“I think that would be a wonderful idea.”

“Okay then, I’ll pick you up at six.”

He leaned down and kissed Sam gently on the lips. She climbed into Doc’s truck and they rode in silence back to their office.

“Are you okay?” asked Doc when they were back at their office unloading their gear.

“I think so. This whole thing is just so overwhelming. What about you, how are you doing?”

Doc gave Sam a fatherly hug. “I’ve been around the block a few more times than you have, but this still stinks. Go home, take a hot bath and then go out and have some fun. Do something that will take your mind off all this. It’s way too intense for someone your age. Hell, I’m nearly 60 and this is too intense for me.”

Sam hugged him back and headed for her truck. She was definitely going to take his advice.

When Sam arrived at Evergreen she stopped at her parent’s first. Her mom and dad were working in their yard and Angelo was cleaning out their swimming pool getting it ready to open for Memorial Day weekend.

Sam’s mom knew immediately something was wrong and ran over to Sam.

“My God, what’s going on? You’re as white as a sheet!”

Mason came up and gave Sam a quick hug and then went back to playing catch with Dundee. Sam motioned her parents into the house.

“I didn’t want Mason to hear all this, but Marietta Wilson was murdered this morning.”

Sam’s mom sank down in the nearest chair. “Omigod! What happened?”

Sam told them everything that happened that morning.

“I don’t know what to think,” Her mom said. “I’m just glad you’re home and safe.”

“Me too!” her dad chimed in as he poured them all a small shot of whiskey. “Poor Lance. He won’t know what to do without Marietta around to tell him. I never saw such a hen-pecked man before in my life. They never had any children of their own and he’ll be lost without her.”

Sam gulped down her whiskey and then rose to leave.

“Well, I’m going to grab Dundee and head over to my place. I have a date with Cheyenne tonight. He’s picking me up for dinner at six and I need a nice long bubble bath before he gets here.”

When Sam’s mom heard the word ‘date’, her eyes widened in surprise. Her dad grinned and poured himself another shot of whiskey. Parents could be so embarrassing sometimes.

SAM CALLED to tell Isabella the news the minute she walked through the door to her house.

“No way!” Isabella responded. “I can’t believe it! And you found her? That must have been awful.”

“It wasn’t real pleasant, I can tell you that. I need to hear something good to take my mind off of everything, so why don’t you tell me how things are going with you and Dr. Max.”

There was a quick pause. “There’s so much to tell you I don’t know where to begin. He’s wonderful! Why don’t you come over and spend the night? We can have a slumber party like we used to in high school and shoot the breeze until dawn.”

“I’d love to but Cheyenne is picking me up at six for dinner.”

“Oooo, sounds like you have a lot to tell me too.”

“I do. But, hey, it’s Saturday night. Aren’t you going out with Max tonight?”

“He’s working at the hospital this weekend. It’s a bummer but he said he’ll make it up to me next weekend.”

“Okay, I’ve got to hear all about this. Tell you what, I’ll give you a call when I get in and if it’s not too late I’ll head on over. How does that sound?”

“Sounds like a plan to me.”

“Good. I’ll talk to you later.”

Sam hung up and headed for her bathroom. She ran hot water in her tub and loaded it with her favorite bubble bath. Then she lit some candles and stripped out of her jeans and shirt and stepped into the tub. Thirty minutes later Sam crawled out and dried off. She almost felt human again. She looked down at her toes and decided to give herself a pedicure and pulled out her favorite polish.

Ah, Mango Madness is definitely my color, she decided later as she looked down at her brilliantly painted toes. She wiggled them happily before she jumped up to get dressed.

Cheyenne arrived promptly at six. Sam was dressed in a black gauze skirt with her best push-up bra under a low cut white blouse. She had on a pair of black sandals that showed off her bright Mango toes, although she didn’t think Cheyenne was looking at her feet. She spent extra time on her makeup and hair, but she didn’t think he was noticing that either.