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Jebediah hesitated, looking Rachel up and down. She could see the wheels turning in his head as if he was trying to figure out whether or not to trust her.
Suddenly, a woman's voice called out from the direction of the house. "Jebediah, what's going on out here?"
Rachel turned to see a woman approaching them, her long blonde hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. She wore a faded denim jacket and jeans, and her eyes were red-rimmed as if she had been crying.
"Who are these people?" the woman asked, her gaze flickering between Rachel and Ethan.
Jebediah hesitated for a moment longer. "Doesn't concern you, Milly. Dad said I was supposed to handle tressers."
"They ain't trespassers, Jeb. They're rangers," snapped the blonde woman.
It looked like the two were about to devolve into sibling bickering.
But just then, the crunch of tires on gravel cut through the standoff. A police cruiser pulled up, and Sheriff Hank Collins--who Rachel recognized from the briefing file--stepped out, his expression grim.
"Evening, ladies, gentlemen," he said, his voice steady but firm. "Jeb, Milly, why don't y'all head on home and let me handle things from here."
The men glared at the sheriff, gripping their weapons tighter.
"Not a chance," one spat. "We ain't leaving 'til we get some answers."
The sheriff's eyes narrowed, and he rested his hand on his holstered pistol. Rachel watched the exchange closely, tension coiling through her muscles.
"Now listen here," Sheriff Collins said, his tone sharpening. "Y'all are obstructing an ongoing investigation. I'm gonna have to insist that you clear on out and let us do our job."
The men stood defiantly, fingers twitching near their shotgun triggers. The sheriff's jaw clenched, his eyes burning with frustration. His hand gripped his revolver.
"Dammit, Jeb. Imma tell Silas this was your call. You wanna face that?"
Jeb hesitated, bit his lip. He glanced at the blonde-haired woman who frowned at the lot of them with a disapproving frown.
Then, with a snort of disgust, Jeb lowered his shotgun.
The other man shuffled his feet, rifle lowering slightly.
Jeb muttered something under his breath, and the sheriff stiffened.
"What was that?"
Jeb looked at him. "You heard me. You got weak blood there,Collins.Your mama marry outside the family and suddenly you're too big for your britches."
Rachel hesitated, trying to understand this comment. Was Chief Collins related to the Clarks?
Now, she could sense the tension rising again.
Collins reached up, pulling a badge off his chest and placing it on the hood of his car. He stepped forward, jutting his chin at the shorter man. "Why don't you say that again? Huh?"
"So you can lock me up? Pshaw. Get bent,Collins."
"No badge. Just a civilian here. What'd you say, Jeb?"
The shorter, scar-faced man sneered. And then he threw a sucker punch.
The punch landed squarely on the sheriff's jaw, sending him staggering backwards. For a moment, no one moved. Rachel was frozen in shock, unsure of what to do. Then, the blonde-haired woman rushed forward, grabbing Jebediah's arm. "What the hell are you doing?" she hissed. "That's the sheriff!"
Jebediah shrugged her off, looking wild-eyed and crazed. "He ain't nothing but a lap dog for the government! Always meddling where he doesn't belong!"
Rachel could feel her blood pumping. Where was law and order? It felt like a foreign country. This was getting out of hand, fast. She drew her gun, taking a step forward. "That's enough," she said firmly. "Put your weapons down and back away from the sheriff."
