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expected to awaken. This
was the first morning that the woman in his bed was his wife, and
the emotions were certainly different. Ryce reached out and pulled
Tanya close.
    “Good morning, Mrs. Dalton.”
    Ramona knocked on the apartment door at
exactly 7:30 AM, and the trio walked to a six-passenger golf car in
the parking lot. During the ride to the Pendergast District ISP
headquarters, Ramona gave her best impression of a tour guide.
    “The original Pendergast Ranch consisted of a
large barn and a three-bedroom ranch house built by John’s
great-grandfather on four hundred acres. Both of the buildings are
still on the Ranch, although they have been relocated.
    “John’s grandfather created a self-sustaining
dude ranch that could house almost two hundred vacationers who paid
for the opportunity to work. Guests would come from all over to fix
fences, work cattle, clean stalls, hoe corn, and sometimes repair
their own bunkhouses. They became part of an actual working cattle
ranch.
    “John’s grandfather expanded Pendergast Ranch
to over five thousand acres when he purchased the two thousand acre
Cromwell Cattle Company just north of here. John’s father expanded
the Ranch even more with the acquisition of three additional
ranches east of the Pendergast Ranch. When John took over
management of Pendergast Holdings, he opened up several areas of
the Ranch to developers. Those developments created Pendergast City
and the City of Sanctuary. He also expanded the Ranch with the
purchase of almost six hundred acres at the Sanctuary, and the
LeClerque homestead with one thousand acres.”
    Ramona finished the history of the Pendergast
Ranch as they arrived at the ISP officer’s entrance. She parked the
golf car, and they walked into the elevator center. After she
pressed the elevator button, Ramona turned to Ryce and Tanya.
    “As soon as you two get situated, I will take
you to the Sanctuary. John has kept it in a primitive state. There
is no electricity, no power tools, and no modern conveniences. John
made a rule that if it was used before 1825, it is OK. I have no
idea why he picked 1825. O2 thinks it was the year John was born
the first time. More than fifty craftsmen are living or working on
the property and have created heaven in a little piece of Idaho. I
know John goes there often to just sit and think. I do, too. Just
watch the park benches when you sit down. Most still have
splinters.”
    Ramona was interrupted by the arrival of the
elevator. They entered the car, rode to the sixth floor, and then
walked to John’s office. John’s secretary motioned them to the
conference room.
    As he walked into the conference room, Ryce
looked around. The conference table had been relocated to along one
wall and chairs had been lined up facing the table. Ryce saw there
were more than twenty people in the room, most of whom he had never
met. John waved Tanya and Ryce over to the table.
    “There are a few things you need to sign
before we swear you in.”
    John pulled some papers out of a manila
folder, created two small stacks, handed one stack to Ryce and the
second to Tanya. Both picked pens off the table and began to sign
the papers they had been handed.
    When Race and Tanya finished signing, John
slid the papers into the folder and turn to face the group.
    “OK, let’s all be seated.”
    John looked at Tanya and Ryce and pointed
toward four empty chairs in the front row.
    “I’d like to take care of a few things before
we swear Ryce and Tanya into the Idaho State Police. First, a
little background on Ryce. He has spent the past two years as the
Billings, MT, district supervisor of the Joint Border Task Force.
He will be here for four months or until he checks himself into one
of Pen’s psychiatric wards.
    “If you weren’t at the chow hall last night,
you might not know that Ryce and Tanya were married the evening
before last. Unlike O2 and Ramona, Ryce and Tanya allowed some of
us to watch. Congratulations to both of