Dodge the Bullet Read Online Free PDF Page B

under their wing since word of her
husband’s death got around.”
    “Good. Ranching is no business for a single
woman, Thornton. Her husband and I were close friends and I kind of
promised him I’d look out for her. You be sure to call me first if
she’s having any trouble at all.”
    Tommy wondered how Senator Burwick would
have promised Mr. Woodward he’d look out for Sarah when her husband
had died unexpectedly in a plane crash, but dismissed the thought
when he heard an impatient cough on the other end of the line.
“I’ve got someone taking real good care of her, Senator. Don’t you
worry.”
    “Really? Anyone I know?”
    “A.J. Dodge. His family’s been in the
business a long time. He’ll make sure she doesn’t make any
mistakes.”
    “You’re not talking about the A.J. Dodge who
was run out of town a few years back? Because if he’s the same man,
I’d have a real problem with a hoodlum like him helping poor Mrs.
Woodward, no matter how long he’s been in the business.”
    “Well, now Senator, Dodge wasn’t run out of
town. He left on his own. I happen to know for sure he wasn’t
responsible for what happened to that poor girl.” Tommy hadn’t had
to defend Dodge in a long time and he’d forgotten how frustrating
it could be convincing someone of his innocence, especially since
Dodge never bothered to defend himself to anyone.
    “Thornton, I don’t want someone with a
questionable background anywhere near Mrs. Woodward. You be sure to
tell Dodge thanks but no thanks and let me worry about helping Mrs.
Woodward.”
    “But…”
    “No buts, Thornton. Just keep Dodge away
from Mrs. Woodward and that ranch. Do you understand me?”
    Tommy sighed and held up his middle finger
to the base of the phone sitting on his desk. A grown man shouldn’t
have to put up with that kind of talk from anyone. “I understand,
Senator.”
    “Good. Keep me posted.”
    ###
    When he hung up the phone, Benji looked at
Kimberly. “Get me Fred Saxton on the phone.”
    Damn Dodge for messing up an already messed
up situation. Saxton was getting antsy. He’d promised him the
Woodward ranch months ago and had yet to deliver. When every other
door had slammed in his face and he seemed to run out of
possibilities for water near Cooper, he’d thought of the Woodward
place. With Todd Woodward six feet under and his widow as the sole
owner, he thought buying the ranch out from under her would be no
big deal. But every time he’d gotten in touch with her about
selling the ranch, she’d been too busy grieving or doing whatever
rich widows do to give him the time of day.
    He’d been about to put on the full court
press before she realized the gold mine she was sitting on when
he’d learned that she intended to move to the ranch full-time. His
first reaction had been to laugh, but damn if she didn’t up and do
move to Hailey and now he was in a real pickle. But Benji was used
to having to do things the hard way. He didn’t get to be a United
States senator without a few tricks up his sleeve. He’d come up
with something to get her to sell.
    Mrs. Woodward didn’t know one end of a cow
from the other, as far as his background check on her could
surmise. So he’d let her struggle with ranching for a few months
and then be there with his checkbook open when she came to the
obvious conclusion ranching wasn’t the way to move on with her
life.
    But he needed her to fail soon. The last
election had cost him most of his daddy’s fortune and Benji was
running on empty until his development with Sarah started to pay
off. But it wasn’t going to pay off until it got off the ground,
which is why he had to get Dodge away from Mrs. Woodward.
    Kimberly passed him the phone. “Saxton
here.”
    “Fred, how are you?”
    “Well now, Senator, I’d be doing a hell of a
lot better if you called to tell me you’ve got that ranch under
contract like you promised. The State’s coming down on my ass about
the water. I can’t even get