So�This Is Montana� Ch. 21
Chris walked angrily back to the bedroom area of the ranch house barely aware that a figure was following him. He needed to find his cell phone so that he could call the group�s manager, Johnny Wright, to let him know what was going on with JC.
Chris entered the room that he was sharing with JC and immediately reached into the closet and pulled out one of his bags then crossed the room to put the bag on his bed all the while feeling a pair of eyes watching his every move.
After sifting through the bag he found his cell phone and turned to leave the room, nearly running into one of the head ranch hands, Steven Cartwright.
�Hello, Mr. Cartwright�if you�ll excuse me,� Chris began as he attempted to walk past the man standing in front of the bedroom door. When Chris found that the ranch hand would not move to let him pass, Chris stepped back and crossed his arms over his chest.
�Is there something I can do for you, Mr. Cartwright?� Chris asked with a hint of angry sarcasm in his voice. �If not, I need to get back to check on JC since he�� Chris began but was interrupted.
�You do realize that it was all a joke, Mr. Kirkpatrick,� the older man said in a cool, almost condescending tone of voice not knowing that he had just said the wrong thing to the wrong person. He quickly realized his mistake when he saw Chris�s dark brown eyes transform into those as black as coal with pure anger while his breathing became quicker, more shallow as he worked hard to keep his anger in check. Chris looked down at his feet, counted to five then looked back up and felt his anger reach a new level when he saw a certain hint of a smirk lingering on the older man�s face causing him to take one step forward.
The ranch hand took a step back as Chris suddenly became as vicious as a Doberman. This stranger had overstepped his bounds by treating the circumstances surrounding one of his younger brothers as if it had not actually happened at all.
�Joke? You call what happened a joke?� Chris asked in disbelief through tightly clinched teeth as he practically saw red.
�Listen�where I come from what was done to JC is called assault, kidnapping, entrapment, endangerment�� Chris could not complete his sentence due to the anger raging through him.
He took a deep breath and looked up at the man who stood at least a head taller than him and outweighed him by at least twenty pounds or more.
�It was all a joke that got out of hand,� Steven said, trying to defuse the situation, but he already had a feeling that his efforts would be vain.
�You�re right�it did get out of hand and there will be consequences to that,� Chris answered in a voice that left no room for argument. He was going to do everything in his power to make sure that those involved with JC�s ambush were going to pay somehow�forget about the press�forget about fans�forget about everything except making sure that JC was safe and sound and that those involved would pay dearly for what they did.
�Come on�you�re talking about possibly pressing charges. What happened out there isn�t reason enough to do that,� the man said smoothly as if he were speaking to a spooked horse.
�What about the responsibilities that will go undone around this ranch if the hands involved are arrested?� the older man asked returning to the condescending tone of voice he had had earlier when he saw that Chris�s facial expression had not budged from that of pure anger. He knew that Chris and the others had no earthly idea what went into keeping Hickory Creek Ranch running smoothly�none at all.
That last remark did not earn the man any points with Chris. It only served to bring out the temper that he usually kept in check in the most trying of circumstances. In the five or six years that the guys had known each other, Chris had only truly lost his temper a handful of times, but compared to those events, this one was to be the mother of all tempers.
�Hold that thought, Mr. Cartwright,� Chris said in a strained tone as he reached around the man and closed the bedroom door. Once the door had been quietly shut, Chris let the man truly realize his anger.
Chris stepped up toe to toe with the ranch hand and pointed his finger angrily at the man�s chest while not taking his eyes off the taller man�s eyes of gray.
�Your responsibilities messed around with my little brother,� Chris said in a low voice so full of anger that the ranch hand slightly flinched. �That�s reason enough to press charges in my book.�
�Now�wait a minute�who do you think you are, little man,� Steven began, knowing that he would regret that label later when trying to explain things to John.
As the words left the man�s mouth, Chris moved even closer to the taller man and glared at him as he spoke.
�This little man has faced music executives with more pull than you and they don�t intimidate me when it comes to my family�and neither�do�you,� Chris said, punctuating the last of his statement by pushing his pointed finger harshly into the ranch hand�s chest.
In response to the contact and the words, Steven narrowed his eyes and stepped forward, but Chris held his ground.
�Need I remind you who you are dealing with, Mr. Cartwright,� Chris whispered, deciding to that pulling his celebrity status into the situation might put the final nail in the coffin for the older man.
�I have more lawyers working for me than you have ranch hands working for you�especially after charges have been pressed�so back�off�now.�
The pair stood their ground, both unwilling to be the first to break eye contact or give in to their personal spaces. Finally, Steven thought it best to let the young man pass by. He felt sure that he would have a later opportunity to confront Chris once again and this time he felt he would be more confident in breaking the young man�breaking him and any one of the other members of the group.
Chris shouldered his way around the taller man and opened the door.
�I want you out of my room and out of Lance�s house�now,� Chris said as he gestured for the man to leave the bedroom. With a half-hearted sneer, the ranch hand walked slightly into Chris causing him to step back, but Chris did not respond. Instead, he stalked after the man and reentered the living area.
Sheriff Hal Owens watched Chris return to the room with his cell phone in hand then followed the young man with his gaze as he stepped out of the house and out onto the dimly lit porch to make a phone call. He could tell that there had been some sort of confrontation but now was not the time to pursue it.
In the mean time, Sheriff Buddy Richards was helping to get JC prepared for the photographs that he needed to take for evidence. Justin nervously spoke into the phone that Chris had given him and ended the conversation that he was having with Joey by telling him that he�d call back just as soon as he knew what was going to happen next. Reluctantly, Joey hung up his phone allowing Justin to direct his full attention to what was about to happen.
�Let�s see,� Buddy began as he ticked off the list of photos out loud that he was going to have to take.
�I�ll need to take some of his front torso�then his back�his wrists, ankles�face,� he said thoughtfully as he glanced from JC�s covered form to Justin�s face. He could see that the young man looked torn as to what he needed to do about the situation as he sat on the couch with the sleeping, injured young man�s head in his lap.
�Listen�um�Mr. Timberlake� he started, looking Justin directly in the eyes, knowing what he was about to say was necessary in the peculiar circumstances surrounding the entire affair. He knew whom he was dealing with, but they had no idea who he was and he needed to gain their trust in order for the investigation to run smoothly.
�I understand your need for privacy and his privacy will be protected�I can guarantee that,� the sheriff said quietly, but in a tone full of conviction and promise.
Justin seemed to consider what the man had said. It was always difficult in the business to know who you could trust and he didn�t want these photographs to somehow get into some magazine or tabloid�s hands...no one needed that to happen. The man now kneeling down before him seemed genuinely concerned and sincere in his vows to protect JC and Justin decided to put his trust in the man�s promises. Justin glanced down at the dark head lying in his lap and ran his hand over its tousled hair before looking back up and speaking.
�I don�t want the pictures to fall into the wrong hands,� Justin said quietly. �If they do, I�ll do everything in my power to see to it that JC is protected...everything�and that�s my promise, officer.�
The sheriff saw a look that resembled that of a mother bear protecting her cub pass over Justin�s face. He truly believed that anyone of the young men would follow up on that particular promise and he didn�t want to be the one on the receiving end of it.
�Fair enough,� Buddy replied with a nod of his head then stood up and watched as Justin bent over and whispered to JC what was about to take place, but JC never stirred from his deep, exhausted sleep. Then, very carefully, Justin lifted JC�s head up far enough from his lap that he could slide out from under it.
For the next several minutes, Justin and Grady positioned JC�s limp body so that the pictures could be taken. By the time the last photograph had been taken Justin had already had to race to the bathroom when he became sickened by the sight of JC�s bruises and Hal Owens was seeing red.
�Well�seeing what they did is enough for me,� the sheriff said. �Buddy�call Sarabeth at dispatch and have her send out Jared and Tanner with their cars. We�re going to need the extra units to bring everyone in.�
Sheriff Richards nodded his head in agreement and made his way out the door to his patrol car to radio in the request.
While he was out of the room, Grady quickly rechecked JC�s vitals while Justin once again took his place back on the couch and rested JC�s head in his lap.
�You know you�re going to have to let Grady take him in to help out with our report,� the sheriff told Justin quietly as he knelt down in front of the young man. �It�ll help the charges to stick, along with his testimony,� he said, gesturing at JC. �Along with the eyewitness accounts of Troy and Mitch.�
�I know�I just want JC to be okay and I want those�men,� Justin practically spat out. �I want them to pay for this.�
Hal nodded his head in understanding then looked up at Grady indicating that it was time to call for a unit to come out to the ranch.
Hal and the head ranch hands left the room and made their way to the large entryway outside the living area.
�Now, Hal�he isn�t that bad off,� John Williams began as the seriousness of the situation began to occur to him. He was realizing that his side business was now in jeopardy if the hands were taken away and that was something that he couldn�t afford...not now�not while Ralph Benson was out of pocket and the new owner seemed unaware of the little operation he had going.
�Didn�t you just get finished seeing what I saw?� Hal replied in disbelief as he stared at the ranch hand. He was finding it hard to believe that the ranch hand seemed oblivious or in complete denial as to what had taken place.
�He�s pretty banged up and he had been injured the previous day. Didn�t the hands know that?� the sheriff asked no particular person in the room.
Before John had a chance to deny the fact, Troy answered for him.
�That was the topic of conversation last night before we all turned in. Stan retold the entire story several times last night to everyone�everyone heard�everyone knew, Hal.�
�They also knew that Pete, Troy and I were planning to take Mr. Bass on a ride this morning,� Mitch added. �And that Mr. Fatone would need to go to the clinic to have some bandages changed. They must have figured that one or more than one of the rest of the group would go with him and that Mr. Chasez wasn�t going anywhere with a concussion.�
�So we can add premeditation to the list,� Buddy said grimly with a shake of his head.
�And the plan started out with someone telling him that Mr. Bass had had a horse accident?� Hal asked, trying to make sure that he had the story correct.
�Yes, sir. Selma was the one��
Mitch was not even able to finish his sentence before John was practically in his face.
�Leave my mother out of this,� he said angrily. He wanted to keep her out of the problem. He had enough pull with the hands to make sure that he wouldn�t be the one to go down. Two hands had already been mentioned as being the ones who had lured JC into the trap and they wouldn�t be mentioning the fact that he and Steve along with Stan had been the ones behind the game. Nor would they mention that he had called his mother, Selma and involved her in their plans. John had too much to hold over ranch hands, Jared Collins and Coltin Thomas and he knew that they wouldn�t be able to turn in any names other than those of the hands that had been directly involved with JC�s attack.
�Hey�wait a minute�we�re not trying to kill the messenger here,� Buddy Richards said as he stepped in between the two men. �Your mother was just repeating what had been told to her and she had no idea what was going to happen, so just hold your temper, John. Keep a handle on it.�
John nodded his head and turned away from the group. �I�m going to go make sure the animals have been taken care of,� he said as he stalked out of the house. Steven nodded his head and followed the man out the front door and into the darkness.
Troy and Mitch watched their retreating figures from the open door then glanced at each other. Something was up, but they couldn�t even begin to comprehend what it was�it was too big.
For the next 15 or 20 minutes, the sheriffs were kept busy loading up their patrol units with the ranch hands that had been involved with JC�s ambush while Grady and two on duty paramedics prepared JC for transport.
While this was going on, Chris spoke on his cell phone to the group�s manager, Johnny Wright and explained to him the events of the day.
�Chris, I want you to give the sheriff�s department your full cooperation,� Johnny said in a tone of voice that bordered on anger.
�Yes, sir,� Chris replied. �What are we going to do about the press?�
�Let me worry about that,� Johnny replied. �In the meantime, I�m going to call our lawyers to see what they recommend as a course of action and I�ll get back with you.�
�Are you going to come up here?� Chris asked, not knowing for sure whether or not that would actually help the situation.
�Let me see what the lawyers have to say first, then I�ll make that decision, but if you need me, you just call me and I�ll book the next flight out,� the older man stated wearily.
�I�m really sorry about all of this, Johnny,� Chris apologized as he ran his hand through his hair.
�Chris, it�s not your fault. This was someone�s idea of a sick joke and we�re just fortunate that JC�s okay.� Johnny did not know if his words reassured the young man. It just seemed as if nothing was going right for the group while they were in Montana.
�Don�t call Roy or Karen yet.� Chris�s words interrupted the manager�s thoughts.
�What?� he asked as he tried to refocus on the matter at hand.
�Hold off on calling Roy and Karen,� Chris repeated. �C can call his parents tomorrow and talk to them. I�m afraid they�d freak out if you or one of us called them�the same goes for Jim and Diane too. I�ll have Lance call them when he gets back here tomorrow.�
�Okay, but make sure they do�you all do. We�re talking about pressing charges and this is very serious, Chris. Everyone calls home tomorrow,� Johnny said in a concerned tone of voice. He wanted everyone to check in with their families. That way he wouldn�t be the one to make the same kind of awkward phone calls that he had made months before when they had first visited Montana and put their suburban through a fence. Once was enough as far as he was concerned when it came to making that type of phone call.
�Okay�I�ll make sure everyone calls�including me,� Chris reassured Johnny. Minutes later, their conversation ended with Chris once again reassuring the man that the phone calls would be made.
�Joey, get me the phone,� Lance said firmly as he struggled to sit up in his bed without being overcome with dizziness. Joey had ended his conversation with Justin just moments earlier and now he was going to call Mr. Benson to let him know what was going on.
�You really need to get some rest, Lance,� Joey said, but quickly closed his mouth when he saw the grim look on his friend�s face. Quietly he reached over and picked up the phone then handed it over to Lance who began to punch several numbers. Seconds later, the young blonde was speaking with the older man who was still in Phoenix handling a family emergency.
�They�re fired, Lance�don�t worry about that�they�re fired,� Ralph Benson said through clinched teeth after hearing what JC had endured and the extent of his injuries.
Through the years the game had been played among the ranch hands and there had been minor injuries, but it had all taken place between fellow workers. Now, a stranger, a famous one to boot, had been forced to play the game and had been injured and probably scared half out of his mind. As far as he was concerned, that was it�those hands involved in the attack of JC would be served their walking papers immediately.
�I�m going to call the sheriff�s office when we get off the phone so that I can personally tell each one of those boys that they�re fired,� Mr. Benson said in a controlled tone of voice that Lance easily recognized as anger being held in check.
Mr. Benson realized that the ranch would be quite a burden to handle without a full roster of employees, but the ranch would not take precedence over the health and safety of its new owner or his friends. He just wouldn�t allow that.
�Now, Lance�I want you to rely heavily on John and Steven along with Troy, Pete, and Mitch. The other hands will have to be off the ranch by tomorrow morning if bail is met tonight. I�ll also take some action against John and Steven since they didn�t have better control over those 6 hands, but you have to also realize that those hands were responsible for their own actions and I can�t hold John or Steven fully responsible for their mistakes.�
�I understand that, Mr. Benson. Do I need to have John and Steven begin looking for new employees?� Lance asked. He knew that his talents did not lay in that department.
�No�not yet,� Ralph replied. �I�ll handle that when I get back early next week. The workload shouldn�t be too much to handle between now and then. I�m sure you�ll do just fine there. Now�how are you doing?�
�I�m okay, but I do need to tell you something else,� Lance answered in a voice that was betraying his worry.
�What is it, son?� Mr. Benson asked, concerned over the change in the young man�s voice.
�Well�there was an accident this afternoon,� Lance began and for the next several minutes he explained his mishap and what had happened to the horse that he had been riding.
�Now�don�t you worry about that, son,� Mr. Benson said gently after listening to Lance�s choked voice tell of how the horse he had been riding had to be destroyed.
�I�m just glad that you�re alright�that you�re safe and sound. You were fortunate that you weren�t alone when that happened.� Horrifying scenarios briefly danced through the older man�s head. He could have had to make some phone calls to someone�s parents if the situation had been any different and Lance had not had such capable men as Mitch, Pete, and Troy looking after him.
�How long will you be staying at the clinic?� For a brief instant, Ralph Benson found himself to be back at the clinic that late evening nearly three months earlier, looking at five hospital beds being occupied by one young man that he was familiar with and his friends. All in various stages of injury�all hurting�all�
The older man�s thoughts dissipated almost as quickly as they had come at the sound of Lance�s voice.
�I think until tomorrow sometime and then I have to take it easy for a day or two,� Lance answered as he picked at the sheets on his bed. He was already beginning to feel a bit antsy at the prospect of lazying around the ranch when extra help would be needed, but he knew that he would be able to help out and be back on a horse before the end of the week.
�Well�you can use that time to look into the paperwork on Skitty. Charlie Reynolds, the local vet, will need to look at the papers and you�ll need to get familiar with them anyway.�
�Yes, sir. That�s what I had planned on doing,� Lance quietly replied.
For the next several minutes, Mr. Benson explained to Lance where to find the papers and who to talk to if any questions happened to arise. They also spent a short amount of time discussing the progress of Mr. Benson�s brother�s treatment for his spinal injury and their hopes that he would heal very soon. Fortunately, everything seemed to go in the direction that the entire Benson family was hoping and praying for.
Their conversation finally ended when Lance let out a yawn, signaling that he really needed to get some rest and besides that, Dr. Parrish had entered the room and was signaling the need to end the phone call.
After their goodbyes were said, Lance hung up the phone and the doctor soon had both young men settled and ready for rest. Now, all that remained was a phone call from Justin letting them know what would be happening with JC.
�JC? JC?� Grady said quietly as he knelt beside the young man, who had not stirred during the entire time that photographs had been taken of his bruised and battered body nearly 30 minutes earlier, confirming the fact that JC did need to be checked over by a physician. The paramedic was becoming concerned that his earlier diagnosis of simple exhaustion may have been one to only skim the surface of JC�s current incoherent condition and that concerned him greatly.
When JC did not stir, Grady placed his hand on JC�s shoulders and gave them a gentle shake in order to bring the young man into some state of alertness.
�Hmmm?� JC�s finally replied as he slowly climbed from the depths of deep sleep to some shallow level of wakefulness.
�We�re taking you in to the clinic,� Grady explained in calm, even tones.
JC frowned deeply and slow shook his head no then moaned the word without even bothering to open his eyes. His eyelids were just too heavy and he seemed to lack the strength to lift them, but he had to let them somehow know that he didn�t want to go back to the clinic�he just didn�t.
As JC continued to weakly shake his head no as it lay on Justin�s thigh, Justin ran his hand over his head in an effort to calm him. He knew that JC was confused and possibly still frightened by his ordeal and may not even fully understand what was going on around him. Grady continued to speak to JC while Chris sat down at the other end of the couch and lifted the young man�s feet into his lap so that he could stroke his shins to let him know that he was also there.
�Yes, JC�we need to,� the paramedic insisted knowing that under any other circumstances, he probably would have just called Dr. Granger or Dr. Parrish to come out for a house call, but since the law had been brought into the matter and charges were going to be filed, JC really needed to go on in.
�Listen to me, JC,� the man said in quiet tones. �We need to go to the clinic so that the sheriff�s reports will have more weight when you press charges and I want to make sure that you�re really okay since you�re still recovering from a concussion.�
�Johnny said to press charges, Jace,� Chris said loud enough for JC to hear and he watched as JC tried to find where his voice was and he gave his leg a small squeeze.
�Johnny said to not worry about anything�just press charges,� Chris repeated hoping that his words were somehow getting through to his mostly unresponsive friend.
Chris�s last words were the ones that pushed JC over the line of indecision and his frown slowly melted away as he finally nodded his head in agreement. If Johnny said it was okay, he�d do it.
�I�ll press charges and I�ll go,� he whispered as he heavily blinked his eyes open and briefly looked about him in a dazed manner before slowly closing them once again.
All eyes turned to the sheriffs in the room who acknowledged JC�s statement�those of the paramedics, Justin and Chris, and�those of Steve Cartwright and John Williams.
�Let�s do it,� Hal Owens said as he stood up from his knelt position by JC.
�Let�s take them on in,� he said to Buddy gesturing toward the open front door where the flashing lights of the several sheriff�s patrol cars could be seen reflecting off the outer buildings. Buddy nodded his head and made his way out the front door to signal the other officers to take in the ranch hands that had been arrested while the paramedics brought a stretcher and several medical boxes to prepare JC for the 30 mile ride to the clinic.
For the next several minutes Justin and Chris watched as JC did not flinch when one of the paramedics inserted an IV needle into the top of his left hand, signaling to them exactly how exhausted their friend was nor did he seem to be aware of his being lifted onto a stretcher and tightly strapped down under a layer of blankets.
�There�s enough room for both of you in the ambulance if one of you will sit up front,� Grady said as he followed the stretcher out onto the porch and into the dimly lit yard.
�I�ll take the front,� Chris said knowing that Justin had remained at JC�s side throughout most of the evening.
None of the men passing by Steve Cartwright and John Williams noticed the looks that they exchanged�dangerous looks.