Betrayal at the Buffalo Ranch Read online

  of bringing you some of my clothes. I hope you don’t mind. If they’re

  too big, we can stop and pick up something for you at the best depart-

  ment store we have in Sycamore Springs— Walmart.”

  The two women laughed, something Becky hadn’t done too much

  of lately. She liked Sadie and thought their budding friendship was the

  only good thing that had happened to her in a very long time.

  “I guess I’ve got some decisions to make.” Becky said. “I don’t know

  what I’m going to do . . . or where I’m going to go.”

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  “Well, I’ve been thinking about that,” Sadie said. “How about we start with my place? I’ve already fixed up the extra bedroom. It’s nothing fancy, but you’re welcome to stay until you can decide what you want to do.”

  Becky nodded and wiped at her eyes. “I don’t know what I would

  have done if you hadn’t come into my life right now, Sadie.” She smiled

  and looked away. “Thank you.”

  Sadie helped Becky get dressed and a young nurse magically ap-

  peared at the door with a wheelchair. “Hi, I’m Todd,” he said. “When

  you’re ready, I’ll take you downstairs.”

  “Oh, please,” Becky said. “I don’t need a wheelchair.”

  “Sorry,” he said. “Hospital policy.”

  Becky made a face.

  “We don’t want you fainting or falling down and hurting yourself,”

  he said, and winked at her. “You might sue us.” Then he flashed a beau-

  tiful smile.

  “Oh, okay.”

  Becky reluctantly sat in the wheelchair, and Todd wheeled her to the

  elevator with great pomp and circumstance, beginning with a modified

  wheelie.

  “No one said we couldn’t have fun, though.” He giggled behind her.

  She forced a smile. Would she ever be receptive to a man flirting

  with her again?

  When the elevator doors opened on the first floor, Sadie turned to

  Becky. “Since you’re in such good hands, I’ll go get the car.” Then she

  disappeared through the sliding front doors.

  Todd wheeled Becky out into the morning sunshine and set the

  brake on her chair. Spring had given way to summer almost overnight,

  and the midday sun felt good on Becky’s face. There was something

  about the air in Oklahoma that made Becky feel at home. And for a

  short moment, she forgot the injuries to her body and spirit and thought

  how good it was to be back in the land where she grew up.

  In a few short minutes, Sadie’s Ford Explorer rolled to a stop in

  the circular driveway in front of Becky. Todd opened the passenger- side

  door and helped Becky get in.

  “Thank you, Todd,” Sadie said.

  Becky carefully adjusted herself on the seat. The young man made

  a limp salute with his right hand, spun the wheelchair around, and

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  reentered the facility. Sadie pulled the car out of the hospital parking lot and together they headed toward Eucha.

  “How are you feeling, Becky?”

  “I’m still a little sore, especially where they removed my appendix,

  but the doctor said that was normal.” Becky stared out the window for

  a moment. “The doctor told me the rape had nothing to do with my

  appendicitis. She said the appendix was infected and would have had to

  come out anyway.”

  Sadie turned her vehicle toward Eucha Road. “Do you want to talk

  about what happened, Becky?”

  “Not really.” Becky thought for a moment. “I took your friend’s

  advice and let the doctor do the exam.” She turned toward Sadie. “He

  seems like a real nice guy.”

  Sadie smiled. “He is.”

  “I hope he was right about keeping it confidential. I don’t think I

  could handle the humiliation of a trial.”

  Sadie kept her eyes on the road and said nothing.

  “I was married to a cop, Sadie. I know how it works. If I file charges

  and he refuses to give them DNA, then they get a court order to get a

  blood sample. Even when they match his DNA, we still have to go to

  court. I say he raped me and slapped me around, and he says he has no

  idea what I’m talking about. He’ll say it was consensual, it was a fling, and that I asked for it. It’ll come down to my word against his, and from what I can tell he’s a big shot around here, so where does that leave me?

  I can’t see that it’s worth it.” She looked at Sadie. “Can you?”

  “I don’t know, Becky, but it seems a shame that Angus will get

  away with beating and raping you without any consequences. If I had

  to guess, I’d say you’re not the first. Maybe someone else would come

  forward.”

  “And in the meantime, I’m convicted in the court of public opinion,

  because I was raped before, in California. It will eventually come out,

  and my father will be devastated. He doesn’t know about the first rape,

  and I don’t know if I can keep both incidents from him, but I’m going to

  try.” Tears began to fall. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

  “Fair enough,” Sadie said. “But, remember. You can trust Lance

  to do everything he can to help you, and nothing will be said until you

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  decide whether to file charges, or not. I think you need some rest, and that’s what you’re going to get at my house.”

  “Thanks, Sadie.”

  127

  Chapter 22

  On Friday morning Sadie and Becky stopped by the travel agency to see

  if Beanie needed any help before they drove out to visit Becky’s father.

  Becky had been in contact with Grover by phone, vague and evasive

  conversations, but they both knew he would get suspicious if she didn’t

  show up in person before long.

  When they entered the travel office, Beanie jumped out of her chair

  as if she could hardly contain her excitement. “Sadie, guess what!”

  “You won the lottery?”

  “No, but it’s almost as good.” Beanie’s face glowed. “Cory’s boy-

  friend went to the Cherokee Casino in Tulsa and won $1,250 on the slot

  machines. Isn’t that exciting?”

  Sadie laughed. “Yes, I guess it is, for him.”

  “Oh, no. It’s for the Three Sisters” she said. “All lottery ticket and

  casino winnings go into the Three Sisters’ pot.”

  “Oh, I see. So there’s actually Three Sisters plus one more.” Sadie

  couldn’t help but get caught up in Beanie’s excitement.

  Becky looked confused. “Who are the Three Sisters?”

  “Go ahead and tell her, Beanie, while I check my e-mail.”

  Beanie launched into an explanation of the Three Sisters, who they

  were, and their mission to buy a piece of property for back taxes and

  then flip it.

  “And who, again, are the other girls?” Becky asked.

  “Cory Whitfield, she works in the trust department at the bank,

  and Lucy Clyborn, she works at the bank, too, in the customer service

  department downstairs.”

  “Clyborn?” Becky’s face dropped.

  Sadie spoke up. “She was married to Angus’s son, but he was recently

  killed in Afghanistan.” Sadie paused for a moment and then continued

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  her explanation. “Lucy was a Walkingstick before she got married, and she doesn’t appear to have much in common wit
h her in- laws.”

  “Oh.”

  “She’s real nice,” Beanie interjected. “And her in- laws are mean

  to her.”

  “What do you mean by that, Beanie?” Sadie asked.

  “Lucy just found out that the deed to the land that pompous blow-

  hard supposedly gave to her and Jason was never filed at the courthouse.”

  Sadie looked up from her computer. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. She never got a bill for the property taxes, and she didn’t think

  she could trust Angus to pay them. That’s when she found out. She

  even got her copy of the deed out of the safe deposit box. There are no

  stamps on it from the county clerk. Lucy knew that, but she just assumed

  he made the copy before the deed was filed, but in reality, the deed was

  never filed.” Beanie fingered some papers on her desk and looked away.

  “I feel so sorry for Lucy. She told me she hated Angus Clyborn so much

  she could kill him.” A look of alarm crossed her face as if she suddenly

  realized what she’d said.

  Sadie tried to comfort her. “We all say things we don’t mean when

  we’re angry, and heaven knows that poor girl deserves to be angry.”

  “I know Lucy would never do anything like that,” Beanie quickly

  added. “She’s a real nice girl, even when she’s angry.”

  “I’m sure she is,” Becky said. “Maybe I can meet her and your other

  friend before long.”

  “Great idea,” Beanie said, and turned to Sadie as if trying to erase

  what she’d said a few minutes earlier about her friend Lucy. “I’m fine

  here, Sadie. Will you be back today?”

  Sadie looked at her watch. “Yes, we’re going to make a quick trip to

  see her dad and then we’ll be back.”

  ★

  Sadie began to replay events in her head as she and Becky drove in si-

  lence toward the home of Becky’s father, Grover Chuculate. It had been

  two weeks since the traumatic event at the Buffalo Ranch had landed

  Becky in the hospital with a bruised body and a broken spirit, but she’d

  rebounded nicely. She’d been Sadie’s perfect houseguest, and for the last 129

  couple of days she’d been helping out at the travel agency, running errands and answering the phone when Beanie was busy. Becky got along

  well with everyone who came in the agency, and Beanie had accepted

  her as if she were a lifelong friend. Beanie had already arranged a job

  interview for Becky with First Merc State Bank.

  Sadie broke the silence. “Becky, you know if things don’t work out

  for you with the bank, you can stay with me as long as you want. I

  can’t pay you much for helping at the travel agency, but it’s better than nothing.”

  Becky smiled at Sadie. “I don’t know how I can ever thank you for

  everything you’ve done for me,” she said. “But we both know this has

  to be a temporary arrangement. I’ve got to find a job that pays enough

  so I can get my own place. You and Lance need to get back to normal.”

  Becky sighed. “I have to admit, though, I’m a little nervous about the

  interview.”

  “You’ll do fine. I’ve already put in a good word for you with Thelma

  in the personnel department.”

  Becky’s eyes lit up. “Really? You know someone there?”

  “Yes,” Sadie said. “Let’s just say I have a colorful past with that

  bank.”

  Becky raised her eyebrow.

  “Don’t ask,” Sadie said as she slowed the vehicle at the Chuculate

  mailbox. She glanced toward the small trailer in the distance. “It looks

  like your dad is waiting for you.”

  Becky lowered the visor in front of her and checked her face in the

  mirror.

  “Don’t worry. You look fine.”

  “I hope so,” she said.

  Sadie parked next to an old truck, and Grover, who had been sitting

  in a lawn chair under the awning, rose to meet them. Sadie got out,

  reached down, and patted the head of a friendly dog that greeted her

  with both suspicion and a wag of the tail. Becky made introductions

  and then they joined the old man in the two extra lawn chairs he had

  obviously set up for them around a campfire pit.

  There were no hugs of greeting between father and daughter, but

  Sadie wasn’t surprised. Grover reminded her of her own father— an el-

  derly Cherokee man who, even though he had experienced many things

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  in his life, held his emotions in check. He may not have shown affection outwardly, but at his age, Grover probably held lots of wisdom close to

  his heart, waiting for someone to come along to share it with.

  Grover had prepared three tall glasses of iced tea and handed a glass

  to each woman. “I thought you forgot where I live,” Grover began.

  Oh, no, Sadie thought. Not the guilt trip.

  “Of course not, Daddy.” Becky sipped tea. “I’ve been busy. That’s

  all. But, I wanted to come by so you could meet Sadie. I’ve been staying

  with her.”

  “Oh?” Grover sounded surprised. “What happened to your job at

  the Buffalo Ranch? I thought you were staying there.”

  “I didn’t like it,” Becky said, and quickly moved on. “I’ve been

  working at Sadie’s travel agency the last few days, and I have a job interview tomorrow at a bank in Sycamore Springs.” Becky looked at Sadie

  for support. “Sadie thinks I have a good chance of getting a job.”

  Sadie sat forward in her chair. “We’re keeping our fingers crossed,”

  she said. “It’s no guarantee, but I gave her a personal reference with

  some folks I know there.”

  Grover stuck out his lower lip and nodded.

  Sadie decided to change the subject. “I believe your father used to

  have some land behind my place. Is that right?”

  Grover nodded again. “Yes.” He held onto the arm of his lawn

  chair and turned toward Sadie. “There was a young man out here asking

  about that not long ago. A lawman from the sheriff ’s office.”

  Sadie didn’t want to reveal that she knew about their conversation.

  “Was it Lance Smith, the deputy sheriff ?”

  Grover nodded. “That’s the one,” he said. “Do you know him?”

  Sadie smiled. “Yes. I know him.”

  Becky spoke up. “I think it’s more than ‘know him.’ You two are

  pretty serious, aren’t you?” she said in a playful tone.

  Sadie looked at the ground. “Well, yes. He’s a neat guy. I like him a

  lot.” Quickly recovering, she changed the subject. “Did you sell that land recently, Mr. Chuculate?”

  “Grover,” he growled. “Call me Grover.” He adjusted himself in

  his chair. “No. Like I told your friend, it belonged to my father, now

  it belongs to me, and when I die it will belong to my daughter.” He

  patted Becky on her knee. “It would be hard to live on that land, but it

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  could be done. You could carve out a spot among the trees for a small home. You might think about that, Becky. We could pull a small trailer

  in there and you’d have your own place to live. We’d have to dig a well

  and put in a septic tank. There’s a nice spring on that property. You

  might be able to draw water directly from it. It’d take a little doing, but it could be done.”

  Sadie tried to hide her disbe
lief at what Grover said. He obviously

  had no idea that piece of land had changed ownership, and she wasn’t

  going to be the one to tell him, at least not until she could do some more research.

  “Well, if you ever want an easement for a road through my land, all

  you have to do is say so and we’ll do it.”

  Grover nodded again.

  Wanting to leave that part of the conversation behind, and sensing

  that Becky wanted some time alone with her father, Sadie rose. “Do you

  mind if I check out your horses?” she asked.

  Grover shrugged his shoulders and Sadie headed toward the corral,

  where four beautiful paint horses stood switching flies away with their

  tails. She parked her right foot on the bottom railing and rested her forearms on the top, admiring them. A stallion, almost completely covered

  in black except for a few white splotches across his shoulders and a white mane and tail, stood taller that the others. Another black- and- white

  gelding had equal parts of each color across his entire body, with a black mane and tail. The other two geldings had almost identical brown- and-white markings except one had a brown mane, the other mostly white.

  They both had brown tails tipped with white.

  Sadie loved horses, especially paint horses— horses she believed to

  be more beautiful than all the other horses combined. The paint horse,

  she believed, was God’s gift to the Indian people.

  All four horses migrated toward Sadie, nudging each other’s nose

  away to get closer to her, as if sensing her love for them. She rubbed their foreheads and combed their manes with her fingers, each horse taking

  their turn at the rail. She patted their necks and spoke softly to them. If Grover loved horses, he was okay in Sadie’s way of thinking.

  Sadie turned and watched Becky and Grover interacting from a dis-

  tance. They were deep in conversation, and Sadie wondered if Becky

  was going to tell her father about her ordeal.

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  When they stood, Sadie took that as her cue to return to the circle.

  When she approached them, she could see that Grover was leaning on a

  walking stick, and she wondered how he could get around and take care

  of his horses.

  When she got close, Grover reached toward Becky’s cheek and

  Sadie could see fear in her face. Could he see the new scar above her eye?

  “You have your mother’s face,” he said.