Home Free. Claire McEwen
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“Connor’s upset about me being here in town. So he’s calling the sheriff.” Arch kept it matter-of-fact.
“Oh!” Todd looked at Connor, who was apparently on hold. “Arch is my brother-in-law. He’s welcome here.”
Connor shook his head. “You don’t know him. He’s nothing but trouble. He’s been hiding from the law down in Mexico. If he’s here, justice can finally be done.”
Arch smiled a little. He couldn’t help it. The universe must have a hell of a sense of humor to make Connor Purcell his Benson welcoming committee. “Hey, it’s okay,” he assured Todd, who was looking pretty uncomfortable. “When I first decided to come back here, I was afraid I’d get run right out of town. So this is good. You know what they say about facing your fears head-on.”
Todd’s lean face creased into smile lines. “You’re not worried?”
“I’m pretty sure my parole officer already gave the sheriff a heads-up that I’m here.” Arch glanced at Connor, who was spouting indignant words into his phone. “Look, can I talk to you about something? Privately?”
“Sure.” Todd led him across the parking lot, stopping out of Connor’s earshot.
Arch explained about Mandy’s behavior the day before. How it had been bothering him ever since. “In jail I learned to trust my gut when I felt like there was a problem. And something definitely wasn’t right with Mandy yesterday.”
Todd looked at him carefully. “Huh. Seems like she’d have called me if she needed anything. But if you’re worried like you say...” He trailed off. Shook his head. “I can’t go out there. Not now. I’ve got Connor breathing down my neck to get this tractor going again. The job’s taking longer than I thought it would, and he’s decided to stay put until I finish.” He glared at the rancher. “I guess he feels like I’d slack off without his imposing presence.”
Arch couldn’t help but chuckle. “Yeah, he’s always been real helpful like that. He spent junior high gluing my locker shut and pouring soda on me at lunch.”
“I imagine you gave him a run for his money eventually,” Todd said.
“Well.” Arch grinned at the memory. “The tires on the fancy truck his daddy bought him for his sixteenth birthday had the strangest habit of going flat every Thursday like clockwork.” He shook his head in mock wonder. “It was the damnedest thing.”
Todd laughed and clapped him on the back. “I would have liked to see that.” Then he sobered. “Look, I’m gonna need you to go out there and check on Mandy. Can you do it? I doubt I’ll be out of here until feeding time tonight. My horses will get a late supper as it is.”
Arch recalled Mandy’s fake smiles and hasty retreat. “I don’t know if I can help. She doesn’t seem to like me very much.”
“Mandy?” Todd shook his head. “Nah. She’s the sweetest person I’ve ever met. I’m sure it’s nothing personal.”
“When I stopped by yesterday, she couldn’t get away from me fast enough. I don’t want to make her uncomfortable.”
“Maybe you just make her a little nervous,” Todd said. “You’re a big guy, fresh out of prison, and let’s just say your reputation precedes you. As our friend the sheriff’s speedy arrival demonstrates.” He pointed to the patrol car pulling into the parking lot, lights flashing. “C’mon. Let’s get this over with.”
Todd walked toward the car and Arch fell into step next to him. “Just tell Mandy I sent you,” Todd went on. “And that you’re there to make sure she’s all right.”
“Will do.” Arch tried to ignore how much he wanted to see Mandy again. He didn’t expect her to smile at him like she had the day they met. But at least he’d find out if she was okay. It would be good to ease this worry that plagued him.
They were near the sheriff’s car now, and Arch swallowed hard. Those flashing lights set every cell in his body on edge.
“Deputy.” Todd shook hands with the man who stepped out of the car. “Thanks for coming by. Though I think you’ve been called out here for nothing. One of my customers was just a little concerned to see that my brother-in-law is back in town.”
The man looked straight at Arch, and Arch’s stomach turned. Patrick Norris. Connor’s best bud and partner in crime in high school. Now deputized.
“Well, look who’s crawled back to town.” The deputy’s voice was rich with menacing glee. He glanced at Connor, who was approaching eagerly. “He’s been giving you trouble?”
“No, he hasn’t.” Todd spoke before Connor could get a word in. “Connor got upset the moment Arch set foot on my property. But Arch has as much right to be here as any of us.”
Deputy Norris stuck out his chest enough to strain the buttons on his uniform. Arch could see the bully’s gleam in his eye. The deputy was loving this moment of power, and it was clear he was going to make the most of it. “With all due respect, Todd, you weren’t around back when Arch and his family wreaked havoc in this town. So I’ll ask you to step away while I deal with him.”
“With all due respect, Deputy, I won’t see a man illegally detained for crimes he’s already served his time for.” Todd stepped forward, a little in front of Arch.
The deputy’s pale little eyes shot back and forth between Todd and Arch. And to where Connor was standing a few feet farther back. “Where are you staying?” he asked.
“Out at Marker Ranch.”
“Humph. We’ll need to search it, then. Make sure you aren’t setting up any more drug labs out there.”
“You’re welcome to. Just come with a warrant.” Arch forced his voice to stay even. Searches were a part of parole, and he had to remember that the occasional property search was a hell of a lot better than prison. But the thought of Patrick Norris doing the searching made him uneasy.
“How’d you get here? To Benson?” The deputy pulled a little notebook and pencil from his pocket and wrote something on it.
“I caught rides from Los Angeles.”
“How’d you get to town today?”
There it was. His first mistake on parole. Possibly his only one, because Norris was looking for a reason to lock him up, and Arch had given him one by driving here. Cold sweat trickled down his back. He could lie like a coward. Or tell the truth and lose his freedom for sure.
“He rode the bike I loaned him,” Todd offered suddenly. “It’s parked around the back of the shop.”
“Humph.” The deputy eyed Arch. “Is that true, Hoffman?”
Arch stilled his features to mask the gratitude he felt for his brother-in-law. “Yup. That’s how I’ll travel, until I get my license back. My parole officer should have called your office already to fill you in on all that.”
“Parole officer, huh?” The deputy’s eyes went thoughtful in a way that chilled Arch’s bones. “I didn’t talk to him. But I know we have to be extra careful when we have an ex-convict around.” He pulled the handcuffs off his belt. “Considering that you’re a parolee, I’m sure you’ll understand why I need to put these on you while I give the office a call.”
“No, I don’t understand at all.” Arch eyed the cuffs with loathing. “I’m not causing any problems. Go call your office and see what my parole officer had to say. I’ll stay right here.”
“I’ll vouch for him,” Todd said.
But Deputy Norris had devolved into Patrick Norris, and Patrick couldn’t resist the chance to show his power. He shook his head. “I can’t be too careful. Arch knows the drill. Parolees are second-class citizens. Plus, you’ve spent plenty of time in cuffs, right, Arch? So it’s no big deal.”