Chapter 8
Jarrod hurried into the sheriff's office and found the sheriff there, behind his desk. "Andy Cambridge," Jarrod said. "I want a warrant."
"Nick woke up? He identified him?" the sheriff asked as he got up.
Jarrod nodded.
It was barely half an hour later that Jarrod and Sheriff Madden rode up the Cambridge house. The sheriff knocked loudly and Mitchell Cambridge opened the door in only a few seconds.
Sheriff Madden held the warrant up for Cambridge to see. "We've come to arrest Andy, Mitchell. We have a witness who saw him torch the barn at the Carmichael house and run Nick Barkley down with his horse early this morning."
"That can't be," Cambridge said. "Andy's been out with the herd all night."
"Where's the herd?" Jarrod asked.
Cambridge didn't answer.
The sheriff said, "I have a warrant, Mitchell, and I'm gonna take him in or take you in for obstruction. Where is he?"
Cambridge looked from Jarrod to the sheriff. "I'll take you there," he finally said and came out with them.
About half an hour later, the three of them rode up to Cambridge's herd of about 300 head of cattle, tended to by 20 men or so. It took them a minute to spot Andy, and then as they drew close, Andy spotted them.
And took off at a mad gallop, away from the herd.
Jarrod and the sheriff took off after him right away, Cambridge right behind them. "Andy! Andy!" Cambridge kept yelling, trying to stop his son before the sheriff or Jarrod took a shot at him.
The chase went on for a good five minutes, no one losing or gaining ground. Jarrod's anger was rising higher and higher, but at least part of him hoped the sheriff would get to Andy before he did. Andy finally made it to the main road to town and began to gain ground but then his horse stumbled and went down. Andy landed hard on the dirt road and rolled over onto his back, while the horse limped off into the grass.
Jarrod and the sheriff arrived and dismounted fast, Mitchell Cambridge right behind them. Cambridge moved fast toward his son, but there was no concern in him that the boy might be hurt. He grabbed Andy by the shirt front and pulled him up.
"You stupid idiot!" he yelled over and over.
Jarrod quickly pulled Cambridge off the boy. "Let him go, Mitchell! Let him go!"
Andy looked like he'd had the wind knocked out of him, but he was beginning to recover. The sheriff bent beside him, saying, "Son, you are in one helluva lot of trouble."
Andy caught his breath and closed his eyes.
"You couldn't wait, could you?!" Cambridge yelled at his son. "A month maybe and you just couldn't wait! Of all the idiot things! You try to burn the woman out, and then you pull this idiot thing trying to run away! I oughtta rip out the half an ounce of brain you have and feed it to the pigs!"
Jarrod kept holding the man back and pulled him farther away as the sheriff pulled Andy to his feet. Andy's horse was limping badly on three legs, and his fourth leg dangled uselessly from a break. Cambridge pulled away from Jarrod and marched over to the horse, and shot him dead.
Cambridge turned on his son again. "And now you've cost me a good horse! Of all the idiot – "
Jarrod grabbed hold of him again. "Mitchell – "
Cambridge's foreman and another men who had been with the herd and saw what was going on came riding up to them then. Cambridge waved his hand in the air, told them he needed one of their horses and had one of them stay with the dead horse while the other went for a couple men to bury the horse. As he talked to them, the sheriff tied Andy's hands in front of him. The boy didn't say a thing as his father walked up to him and slapped him across the face.
Jarrod grabbed Cambridge again. "Let it be, Mitchell!"
The sheriff put Andy on one of the horses the two men had ridden in on. Then he, Jarrod and Cambridge mounted up, and the four of them rode toward town.
XXXXXXX
When Jarrod got back to Dr. Merar's office, Nick was actually sitting up slightly in the bed in the doctor's sick room. Victoria, Audra and Heath were with him. He still looked green and like he could be sick any minute, but he looked at Jarrod anxiously and nearly tried to get up.
Heath pushed him down.
Nick asked, "You got Andy?"
Jarrod nodded. "Got more than Andy. He's in jail, and I've had a long talk with Mitchell. He was livid to find out Andy had torched the barn and attacked you. And, believe it or not, Andy was behind the mischief bothering our herd. Seems he was trying to get as many of our men away from Catherine's place and out there as he could."
"I don't believe it," Heath said, even though he had thought there might have been a connection. "How'd you get him to own up to that?"
"I didn't," Jarrod said. "Mitchell did. The sheriff and I practically had to peel him off the boy. He was so angry that Andy was confessing everything he ever did in his life. AND Mitchell and I went to see his lawyer. He's dropping the claim for Catherine's property. He's gonna be spending his time and his money trying to keep Andy from doing too much time in prison."
"Mitchell must be devastated," Victoria said.
Jarrod nodded. "He pretty much fell apart as we were leaving his lawyer's office."
"He sure earned that," Nick said and sank back down.
"It turns out," Jarrod said, "that Mitchell wanted the property to give Andy as a wedding present. Andy just couldn't wait for it. Now he's gonna have to wait forever, and I expect his engagement is over now, too."
Audra shook her head. "How sad. He was a pretty good boy when we were growing up. I wonder what happened."
"Greed happened," Jarrod said. "How are you feeling, Nick?"
"Better now," Nick said. "And better still when the doctor lets me go home."
Dr. Merar stepped into the room as Nick was saying that. "Tomorrow maybe," he said, "but here's something that should cheer you up."
Catherine came in, a tiny smile on her face until she saw Nick and he grinned at her. She grinned at him. "Well, you look better than the last time I saw you," she said.
Nick reached for her. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine," she said, taking his hand. "I only lost the barn. Your horse and mine are all right, but your tack and your saddle are gone."
"None of that is anything that can't be replaced," Heath said. "We can have some hands out there this afternoon to start cleaning up, and it's been a while since we had a good old barn raising in these parts."
"And that was one raggedy old saddle Nick was using anyway," Audra said with a smirk.
"Hey – " Nick said.
"Catherine brought some good chicken soup, Nick," Dr. Merar said. "My wife is heating it up now. It's perfect medicine for you."
Nick sighed, closed his eyes and smiled. "I feel like a million bucks."
"So do I," Catherine said, and she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek that did not carry a bruise.
Nick sighed again. "Make that a million and a half."
The End