Manny’s Mission (Broken Wheel Ranch #7)

Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

“Riceman,” came the crisp voice over the phone.

“Hey, Erin, it’s Sanchez.”

“How is everything going?”

Manny liked that Erin didn’t beat around the bush with small talk before getting down to business. “Good. I only arrived a couple of hours ago. I want you to know right off the bat that you were right.”

“About?”

“Taking the time to finish healing before starting work. Driving was fucking hell. Sorry for the language, but I damn near passed out when I got here.”

“Are you okay now?” He smiled when he heard the concern in her voice.

“Yes, I’m calling because I described what was going on to Cole, and Ann.”

“Who’s Ann?”

“Hank Patterson from Brotherhood Montana sent her here as protection for Cole. She works for Brotherhood and will be with us until everything is moved over to Colorado.”

“Good.”

“She’s also former military. I don’t know how long she’s been here, but that’s neither here nor there. There are currently twenty-seven horses here on The Double A. I’m calling because the question is how do we get them to you? I’m not asking the obvious, which would be in a trailer, and Cole said that he has three trailers that will hold eight horses comfortably. My question, how do you want them? All at once, or one trailer at a time?” He paused as he waited for her reply.

“First, I can’t give you the answer to that right this minute. I’m not being difficult. I need to talk with Ryan to see how many stalls he has done, last time I checked there were five completed, there might be more now. That would mean that one trailer load could come over, along with the tack. I also need to get with Duane to get the paperwork started on getting them across state lines. What’s the local law like over there?”

“According to Cole, they know Benson and how he is. Cole said that he actually has to go down to the local station to pay the bills with the checkbook if Benson is around.”

“Holy shit, that’s messed up.”

“Yeah, I just wanted to get with you to let you know that I made it and I’ll be working with Cole and Ann. I also wanted you to know about the horses.”

“Okay, speaking of them, let me give you my fax number. Have Cole fax me a copy of their files. I’ll get with Naomi to see if she remembers any of them, and which ones she wants brought over first. You’re going to have to figure on at least three days on the trip here. I’ll leave it up to you as to who you bring with you. By the time we get everything done from Duane, one entire barn should be ready for you. Ryan’s making great progress on the stalls.”

“Not that I’m doubting him, but how has he been able to do it so fast?”

“Since the barns were already built, and the electrics and water were up to code, it was only a matter of time. The guys that were waiting for the buildings to be erected at Broken Two had nothing to do, the inside guys, so Clark sent them to Ryan. They’ve been working tirelessly to get the barns ready for the horses.”

“That’s good. I’ll have Cole get you the files, then we can take it from there. Call me back on the number I called you on. That’s a secure line.” He paused for a second, then chuckled at what he could only assume was confused silence. “Ask Reid or Clark what that means.”

“Okay, I’ll be looking for those files, then I’ll get back to you. It will probably be in a couple of days.”

“That’s fine, Erin. I’ll get the lay of the land here and get to know the ropes, so to speak.” They both shared a laugh, and Manny quickly hung up, but not before Erin reminded him to take care of himself and not to do any work that might set his healing back. Instead of wasting time, he opened the door to Cole’s office and went to look for Cole. He found him down an aisle standing outside a stall with its door open.

“Hey,” Manny called out to the other man, and stopped a few feet away as Cole turned to look at him. “I just got off the phone with Erin.”

“What did she have to say?” Cole asked as he walked closer to Manny.

“They have five stalls complete, however, before she has any of the horses sent to her, she would like copies of their files. She’ll go over them with Naomi to see which ones she wants to bring over first. That’s if the horses are still the same from when she lived here.”

“Most of them are,” Cole said with a heavy sigh. “Without Naomi here, I didn’t want to be purchasing new horses. Even though she gave me power of attorney over the ranch, it didn’t sit right with me that I should go willy nilly and buy up horses. I continued to work with what we had.”

“Okay, I have no comment on that, but I left Erin’s fax number in the center of your desk. She said once she gets the files, she’ll talk with Naomi, then get with Duane.”

“Who is that?”

“The FBI agent that’s up in Yellowstone.” Manny leaned in closer, but looked over both of his shoulders before he spoke quietly. “It seems like Mr. Big is on the FBI’s radar. Duane Manchester will be our legal recourse for this mission.”

“Got it,” Cole said with what Manny could only describe as relief. “I knew that man was bad, but I felt like I couldn’t do anything about it. I’m glad things are starting to move in the proper direction.” He removed his cowboy hat to rub the top of his head, finger comb his hair back in place, then replaced the hat. With a small smile on his face, he nodded once. “I’ll go get those files faxed.”

“What do you want me to do in the meantime? I may be here to help get the horses over to Colorado, but I won’t laze around until it’s time to move. Give me something to do to fill in the time.”

“No offense, son, but after seeing what you looked like when you first arrived here, I don’t rightly know if I have anything you might be able to do without passing out.”

Manny had to grit his teeth, but he understood where Cole was coming from. A sudden thought struck him and he looked at Cole with a grin. “Do you have any tack that needs cleaning? I could sit and do that.” When Cole looked like he was going to refuse, Manny chuckled. “Take into consideration that I was a Navy SEAL for over a decade. I know how to keep my equipment dust and dirt free.”

“You have me there. First, thank you for your service. Second, go down that aisle and look for Ann, she’ll show you where the tack room is.”

“Thanks, Cole,” Manny said, and started to turn away, then whipped back around. “Is her name really Annie Oakley?”

Cole chuckled again. “Yeah, you’ll have to ask for her story, but way, way back in her blood lines is her relationship to the famous Annie Oakley.”

“That wasn’t her name was it?”

“No, you’ll have to talk to our Ann about it to get the entire story.”

“Got it, I know I probably shouldn’t ask, but where will I be staying while I’m here?”

“Since none of us are allowed in the Main House, according to Benson, that is, I have my foreman’s cabin, and there is a bunkhouse. You can stay there, or go into town to get a hotel.”

“Why wouldn’t I stay in the bunkhouse?”

“Ann stays there.”

“Is there room for the two of us?” Manny asked in confusion. “I’ll tell you now, I’m used to sharing a barracks with dozens of guys in the past. One bunkhouse with a woman won’t bother me.” He paused when he realized what he’d said and shook his head as he held up his hand to ward off Cole’s next comment. “But it might bother her. Got it, I’ll play it by ear and see if we can’t come to a settlement. I really don’t want to drive back and forth if I don’t have to.”

“If push comes to shove, you can always bunk in one of the empty stalls, or I might have a couch for you.”

“Speaking of that, you said there were twenty-seven horses and their tack. That would be four trips back and forth. Each trip would be three days there, three back, what will you be taking from your personal items? I’m sure you have accumulated stuff over the years.”

“I have, and I’ll have to go through the cabin to see what I’ll take. Definitely my clothes, some of the dishes, but the furniture was provided by Naomi’s grandfather, as well as the appliances. However, the bedroom furniture is all mine.”

“Got it, well, let me send a text to Erin so she can discuss things with Naomi. Being the owner and all, she may have you bring the stuff with you, especially if she’s going to put it up for sale.” He looked up from his phone and sighed heavily. “Neither of us know what Naomi might like of her grandfather’s if it’s not already in storage. I do know that Ducky’s house is extremely minimalistic, so the furniture might come in handy there. It’s my understanding that you and this Patrick Clemmons will be staying there until the bunkhouses are built.”

“Got it. If you could hold off on that until tomorrow, I can make a list of things tonight after work. In the meantime, will I have a place to stay once we get everything moved?”

“Yes, it’s complicated, but as I just said, the guy who told us to convert his chicken barns to horse stalls says you can stay in his house with him and Partick Clemmons when he gets there. The guy, Ducky, is eighty-six years old, but he’s spry for his age. It’s complicated, but one of these nights I’ll tell you what happened, or we can hold that story for when you get there.”

“I totally understand. Now, go find Ann, and I’ll go fax those files to your Erin.”

“Thanks, Cole,” Manny said, and this time when he turned away, he kept walking. It took him ten minutes to find Ann, and he made sure to make noise as he approached. He had seen earlier that she’d had a gun in the small of her back.

“What’s up?” Ann asked as she looked up and saw him approach.

Manny decided to get right to the point with Ann. He didn’t know why, but he felt if he was brutally honest with her from the get-go, he would be respected by her. So, he drew in a deep breath, and let it out in a rush, speaking honestly, “I may be here to help keep Cole and the horses safe, but I can’t sit around and do nothing. You saw how I reacted after driving for six hours straight. I’m not hard-headed enough to fight my own body’s weakness.”

“Okay, I understood all that, but what does that have to do with me?”

“Since I really can’t muck out the stalls, or toss hay bales around, I was wondering if you could lead me to the tack room? Being a former SEAL for over a decade, I know a little about cleaning brass.” He looked at her with a grin, and nodded when she smirked at him.

“Yeah, I totally understand that.” She pointed behind him, and at his frown nodded. “The tack room is this way.” He waited until she passed by him and then followed her. It took everything he had not to allow his eyes to lower to watch her backside as she walked in front of him. He must not have been very successful because he hadn’t realized she’d stopped, and he plowed into her. Manny automatically reached around and brought her to him so she didn’t fall. At first, she didn’t resist, then she quickly disengaged herself from him and whipped herself to the side.

“Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Make sure it doesn’t happen again,” she said coldly and pointed to a door. “That’s the tack room.” Before he could say anything she hurried away from him. He shook his head in sadness, but he knew he’d messed up and there was nothing he could do about it now. He opened the door, looked for the light, and after he turned it on, he sighed heavily at all the equipment lying around on the floor, and hanging from hooks. Before he could even walk into the small room, he looked around and with a plan in his head, took the next hour to remove the larger tack and when he had a good working area, he got to work. It only took another hour before he was lost in his work. Something about cleaning the metal on the bridles, halters, oiling the leather, and everything else eased his mind and put him into a relaxed state.

Manny gave a jerk when the lights flickered on and off several times, then looked around wildly with a startled cry. He hadn’t realized that he’d pulled the K-bar from his hip and held it out before him, looking for the enemy. That was how his captors had let them know they were there, by flicking the lights on and off. Both Manny and Scott knew then that the torture would continue from that point on.

“Whoa,” Ann said as she took a step back and held her hands up in surrender. “Easy there, big guy. I only wanted to get your attention.”

It took a few seconds for Manny to realize where he was, and when he did, he quickly re-sheathed his knife, and hung his head, breathing deeply. When he felt his heart rate slow, he gave himself a complete body shake, then looked at Ann.

“Sorry.” He didn’t say anything other than that one word, and refused to look her in the eyes.

“Okay, then,” Ann sighed heavily. “Seems like you have a little PTSD going on. I won’t question you, but I’m glad you didn’t come at me with that knife.” She looked at him and when he still wouldn’t look her in the eye, she again sighed heavily. “Again, I didn’t mean to startle you, I just wanted to get your attention. It’s after six, and after I discussed it with Cole, you’re more than welcome to stay at the bunkhouse.”

“I don’t want to step on any toes.” Manny looked around the tack room in confusion. He looked at her with his brow furrowed. “I can always bunk in one of the empty stalls.”

“Nonsense, there are two sides to the bunkhouse. I’m on one side, you can take the other. The kitchen and living room are not only common areas, but they are between the two sides.”

“Aren’t there any other hands working here?” Manny asked as he looked around and started putting away the cleaning rags he’d used, and hung the completed tack back on the nails. When he was done, he turned to her with a raised brow.

“Benson Alcott gave them the month off. They all left yesterday.”

Manny stared at her in shock. “Does this mean we need to get the horses over to Colorado in under thirty days?”

“If we want to stay undetected, I would say so.” They stood there looking at one another for another minute before she shook her head and backed away. “Follow me if you want to know where you’ll be staying.”

Manny hurried after her and watched as she turned off the lights as they went. Once outside, she led the way to the trucks, and when she reached the dark blue one, she turned with her hand on the handle. “Follow me.” She got in, and Manny rushed over to his black pick-up, hopped in, and tooted his horn when he was ready. Five minutes later he pulled in after her and got out of the truck slowly.

“Grab whatever gear you have,” Ann called out to him, and headed toward the front door.

Manny grabbed his bag from the back seat, and followed her inside.