“One thing I have learned in life is that if someone is determined to kill themselves, they will, one way or the other. A guy I went to school with tried to kill himself, but wasn’t successful. Two years later, he tried again. Let’s say on the second attempt, he made sure it was a one-way street,” Faith said solemnly.
“Yes. That’s what I tried telling Adrian. And Arn was the type of man that when he made up his mind to do something, he did it,” Aunt Bea said and shook her head. “The preacher wouldn’t even let us have a service for Arn at the church. He had told me that since Arn killed himself that his soul was damned. I asked him to not tell the boys. It would be best if it came from me.” Aunt Bea scoffed. “I couldn’t tell them such a thing. They had been through enough already. So, I talked them into having a memorial service here at the ranch. I said that would be what their daddy would have wanted. The preacher had refused to officiate. Dr. Green used to be a deacon at the church he attended when he used to live in Ohio. He knew enough to lead a service. However, the preacher did let us bury Arn next to Dana in the cemetery.”
Faith shook her head. Someone who claims to be a man of God and to devote his life to helping others couldn’t find it in his heart to comfort a grieving family after a tragedy?
“Now, I love the Lord, but after Arn’s memorial, I never went to church again,” Aunt Bea said flatly.
Chapter 13
Adrian, Joey, and the ranch hands had just finished eating dinner around the campfire. Adrian was going to take first watch. He thought it was a good idea that one of them stayed awake just in case the coyotes came along.
Adrian and Joey were hanging around the campfire. The ranch hands were checking the perimeter.
Adrian loved Aunt Bea’s cooking, but Faith had proven that she was a great cook as well. The potato salad she made was delicious. She was practically the perfect woman; pretty, a good cook, sweet, sexy ass, and her lips were soft and yummy.
“You’re thinking about her,” Joey stated.
“Her, who?” Adrian said, playing dumb.
Joey scoffed. “I know you didn’t ask for my advice, but I’m giving it anyway. Go for it. Faith seems to be a nice woman. Move on with your life. It’s time.”
Adrian scoffed. “You’re one to talk about moving on.”
“You’re not me,” Joey said. “I’m different. You’re the best of the lot. You’re the one that should reproduce. Not me and Steve.”
“Reproduce? Don’t you think you’re jumping the gun a little? I hardly know the woman,” Adrian said.
“That didn’t stop you from busting up her and Steve’s date or flossing her tonsils before we left,” Joey said simply.
“For your information, I was looking out for Faith’s welfare. You know how Steve is with women. And as far as kissing her tonight…we could die out here. A pack of hungry and desperate coyotes isn’t anything to trifle with. It was like a last ride type of kiss.”
Joey chuckled. “Die out here? Drama queen.”
Adrian rolled his eyes at his little brother. He did want Faith. He hadn’t been this attracted to a woman in four years. But, could he take a chance with Faith? He got lonely sometimes, but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle. He would rather be alone than to be made to look like a fool again.
Static came over the walkie-talkie. “Come in, Adrian. It’s Steve. Adrian, come on back.”
Adrian picked up the walkie-talkie. “Go ahead, brother.”
“We were too late getting to the Westside,” Steve said. “When we got here, we found three dead steers. Tore up pretty good. Look like they’ve been dead for at least day, over.”
“Shit,” Adrian sneered. He got back on the radio. “What about the fence? Did you fix it?”
“Yeah, but I don’t think it will do any good because we are not dealing with coyotes. They’re wolves, over.”
“That’s impossible,” Adrian said over the radio. “Wolves have been extinct in Texas for years, over.”
“Well, you tell the wolf that Tony shot an hour ago that,” Steve said flatly.
Joey’s eyes widened.
The ranch hands walked to the campfire as they listened to the conversation.
“Are you sure it’s a wolf?” Adrian asked slowly.
“More like a half-breed, but a wolf just the same. Tony called his wife on his cell and asked her to do some quick research. Apparently, there have been sightings in Arkansas of some sort of wolf-coyote crossbreed that has the red wolf bloodline. One dude actually got a picture of a small pack in his backyard. He sent a copy to the Arkansas Game Commission and posted it online, over,” Steve said.
“That’s in Arkansas, Steve,” Adrian said and clicked off the walkie-talkie button.
“Well, wolves can travel, Adrian,” Steve countered in a light tone. “The Arkansas border is not that far away especially for animals who are hungry and crazy as hell, over.”
Adrian let the radio dangle in his hand. “I just don’t believe it.”
A long howl echoed in the distance. At least a half dozen howls followed behind it.
“You believe the shit now!” Joey shouted and stood up. It was rare when Joey talked loudly. When he did, shit had definitely hit the fan.
The ranch hands’ eyes widened.
Adrian’s body wanted to freeze, but he couldn’t let it. He slowly picked up the radio. “Yeah, Steve. I believe you,” he said slowly. “We just heard howling in the distance. Maybe a mile or two away from us. Where’s the rest of the herd that was on the Westside?”
“Judging from the tracks, it looks like they stampeded south, running away from the wolves. We’re going to follow the tracks in the morning,” Steve said.
“Okay,” Adrian said. “I estimate we are about twenty acres away from the Northside herd. We were going to rally them in the morning.”
“All right,” Steve said. “Be careful.”
“You, too, over and out,” Adrian said and put the walkie-talkie back on his belt.
“Boss, if we’re dealing with wolves, especially a crossbreed sort, this is a whole new ball game,” Isaiah said.
“I know,” Adrian breathed. Coyotes were easier to deal with. They don’t attack humans, and they were easy to scare off. Wolves were more aggressive and territorial. Sometimes they didn’t attack for food, they attacked for dominance. They weren’t tolerant of humans either. Plus, wolves were fifty to hundred pounds bigger than coyotes.
“The traps might get a few of them still,” Joey said. “They can hold up to a hundred pounds.”
Adrian nodded. “Maybe,” he mumbled.
“It’s a good thing I brought my shotgun,” Duke said.
Chapter 14
It was Faith’s second day at the dentist office. It looked like it was going to be a good job. Dr. Brent was a sweetheart. These days, dentists had hygienists to do regular cleanings. Not Dr. Brent. He did all the work on his patients, so it was only Faith and Dr. Brent in the office. He was in his mid-forties and married with two kids. Her hourly rate was a dollar lower than what she was making at the hotel, but she got full-time health benefits and free dental work. Dr. Brent’s last secretary fell in love with a drifter. She quit the dentist office and went on the road with the man she loved.
Drew, the owner of the local bar, waddled in. “Well, hello,” he said with a big smile. “I heard you were working here now. Glad you decided to stay.”
Faith smiled at him. “Yeah, for now. It seems like a decent town.”
“It is,” Drew said. “How are the Matthews brothers?”
“Good, as far as I know,” Faith said. “I haven’t seen them in two days. They went out on the range to gather the cattle. We got coyotes.”
Drew’s head rocked back. “Honey, they’re not dealing with coyotes. They’re dealing with some sort of super wolves.”
“What?”
“Last night, my neighbor’s dog got attacked. I heard the dog whining, too. By the time I got out there, my neighbor had shot one wol
f, and the others were running off,” Drew said. “Wolves are extinct around these parts, but I guess they’re not anymore. We called the game warden. It was the size of a wolf, but had traits of a coyote. I’ve lived here all my life, and I’ve never seen an animal like that. The game warden told us that there have been sightings in the county, but this is the first time he had gotten proof of it. He thought the people who called it in were mistaking a coyote for a wolf. Here I got a picture of it.” Drew pulled out his cell phone and started pushing the buttons. He turned his phone to Faith so she could see the picture.
It looked like a large dog with thick brown and reddish fur. It looked intimidating, that was for sure. “Goodness,” Faith said with a bewildered look. “In Florida, all I had to worry about were gators and fire ants.”
“There are a lot of large predators in Texas, but the one thing we didn’t have to worry about was wolves. Well, you know what they say, all good things….,” he trailed off, leaving Faith to fill in the old saying.
“Adrian and the guys think they are dealing with coyotes,” Faith said. “Someone should warn them. I don’t know much about wild animals, but wolves sound more dangerous than coyotes.”
Ten minutes later, Faith was on the phone with Aunt Bea. Faith told Aunt Bea what she had learned about the wolves. Aunt Bea got on the walkie-talkie to contact the boys. Then, she got back on the phone with Faith. Aunt Bea told Faith that she was on the walkie-talkie with Steve and they had already figured out what they were dealing with. Faith was somewhat relieved, but not completely. Adrian and the guys were out there in the middle of the night with two trucks and tents. That wasn’t a good defense.
A young man came into the office. He looked to be in his early twenties. He must be Dr. Brent’s next appointment.
“Mr. Antonio Rodriguez?” she asked tentatively.
“Yes,” he said. “I’m here for a cleaning.”
“I’ll check you,” Faith said. She asked him a few billing questions.
He answered them, straight and to the point.
“Thank you, Dr. Brent is still with a patient, but he should be finished in a few minutes. If I may ask, are you related to Jose Rodriguez? The one who owns the ranch a few miles away from the Lone Wolf Ranch,” she said.
“I am. He’s my dad,” he answered with a smile.
“Oh, I met him a few days ago. He warned Adrian and Steve about the coyotes, I mean wolves,” Faith said.
“You must be Faith. I didn’t know you worked here,” he said. “Yeah, at the time we thought they were coyotes. I mean that was the only logical thought at the time because wolves hadn’t been seen in these parts for ages.” Antonio scoffed. “Last night, we heard howling – a lot of it.”
Faith frowned. She was worried. Yes, Adrian had a lifetime’s worth of experience being a rancher, but danger was danger.
“Are you all right?” he asked seriously.
“I’m worried about Adrian – and the rest of the guys of course,” Faith said.
Antonio smiled. “I’ve known those guys almost all my life. If anyone can beat a pack of wolves, it’s the Matthews family; especially Adrian. If he survived my cousin’s treachery, he can handle some wild dogs.”
“Your cousin?” Faith inquired.
“Me and my big mouth. You don’t know about Rosita,” Antonio said.
No, but I would love to. “No, I don’t. Will you fill me in?”
“I don’t want to blabber about….what I will tell you is that Rosita and Adrian were supposed to be married. Circumstances beyond Adrian’s control happened, therefore, the marriage didn’t happen. Before the….circumstances, my family and Adrian’s family were good friends. We still are on good terms, but the dark cloud of Rosita's treachery affected the closeness we had with the Matthews.”
“I see,” Faith said in a low tone. Married? Adrian was going to get married? “I take it that this happened about four years ago, right?”
“Yeah,” Antonio said. “How did you know?”
“Let’s say I’m good at putting pieces together,” Faith said.
Dr. Brent and Drew walked from the hallway to the lobby.
“Thanks, Doc,” Drew said. “Hey, Antonio.”
“Hey, Drew,” Antonio said.
“Faith, Drew needs to make another appointment,” Dr. Brent said and handed her the chart. Faith glanced at it. Drew needed to come back to have a cavity filled.
“Yes, sir,” Faith said.
“Come on back, Antonio,” Dr. Brent said.
“See you later, Faith,” Antonio said and followed the doctor to the back room.
“What days are good for you to come back, Drew?” Faith asked.
“Mondays and Tuesdays,” Drew answered.
Faith looked at the schedule. “We have an opening next Tuesday at two o’clock. How ‘s that?”
“That’s great, honey,” Drew said.
Faith scheduled the appointment and gave Drew an appointment card.
Drew put the card in his wallet.
“I’ll bill your insurance,” Faith said. “And…Drew,” she stuttered.
“Yes.”
“Do you know…I mean if you feel comfortable telling me…I,” she stuttered. Faith was nervous. A part of her was desperate to know what happened with Adrian and the woman he was supposed to marry. The other half of her didn’t want to pry.
“Whatever it is, honey, just spit it out. Straight and to the point is usually best around these parts,” Drew said.
Faith took a deep breath. “Do you know what happened between Adrian and a woman named Rosita?” she whispered.
Drew’s eyebrows shot up. He stared at Faith for what seemed like five minutes. To Faith’s relief, he finally spoke. “What time do you get off today, honey?”
“Four. Why?” she asked innocently.
“I'll tell you what you want to know, but not here. It’s a long and nasty story. Most people don’t bring it up anymore out of respect for Adrian,” Drew said as he put his wallet back in his pocket. “Meet me at the bar when you get off. We don’t open until 5:30 today. Come around the back entrance. Ring the bell. Either the cook or I will answer. Okay?”
Faith shook her head. “Okay.”
Chapter 15
The Matthews brothers and the ranch hands had gathered three hundred head of cattle and were herding them back home. Steve and his team had found the Westside herd almost dead center of the property. Adrian and his team had found the Northside herd where they were supposed to be.
The teams came together in the middle of the property. Adrian and Steve along with two ranch hands managed the back of the large herd. Four ranch hands were controlling the center, and Joey and the rest of the hands were leading in the front with a couple of horses and the trucks.
“Adrian, we should stop for an hour,” Steve yelled over the mooing herd.
“If we keep going, we can make it back before dark,” Adrian yelled.
“An hour isn’t going to hurt,” Steve said. “We’ve been at this for five hours straight. The creek is a few feet west. The horses should rest and get water. We should eat, too.”
Adrian knew Steve was talking sense, but the quicker they got the herd back home and in the corals and barns, the better off they were.
Steve could see that Adrian was struggling with the decision. “One hour,” Steve shouted. “An hour and a half, at the most. We’re only forty acres away. We can make it back home by dusk.”
“All right, radio Joey,” Adrian yelled over the noisy herd.
Thirty minutes later, the men were eating freeze-dried food, and the horses were grazing next to the creek.
“Thanks for the break,” Tony said. “We needed it.”
“Yeah, my ass was definitely getting chapped,” Jake said with a chuckle.
Some of the guys chuckled at Jake’s comment.
“Hey guys, I gutted the wolf I shot the other night,” Tony said. “It’s on the back of Steve’s truck. You wanna see it?”
/> “Yeah,” Adrian said.
Adrian, Steve, Ray, Joey, Isaiah, and Duke followed Tony to the truck. Tony unwrapped the clear bag so they could get a good look at the animal. “I think something was wrong with this one. It was alone. When I gutted it, it looked like worms were forming in its organs.”
“Shit,” Duke said as he stared at the dead animal.
The wolf had brownish-reddish fur. It was thick. It had ears like a coyote, but the mouth of a wolf.
“Look at its feet, Adrian,” Steve said. “Feet like a coyote. That’s why Jose thought it was a pack of coyotes that attacked his bull calf.”
“Yeah,” Adrian said as he examined the animal. “Ain’t this the damnedest thing you’ve ever seen?”
“Sure is,” Ray said. He was in his late forties and the oldest hand on the ranch. “I’ve been a ranch hand since I was fifteen years old and I’ve never seen no shit like this.”
Adrian cleared his throat. “We’ll take another thirty minutes, then we gotta get back at it. I want to get back as soon as possible.”
The ranch hands nodded. Tony covered the dead wolf back up. The ranch hands walked to the creek to check on the horses. Joey, Adrian, and Steve leaned against Steve’s truck.
“Are you using our current problem to hurry back to Faith?” Steve teased.
“No,” Adrian answered quickly. “This is a serious situation. Until the wolves are dealt with or they move on, our stock is in danger.”
“Yeah,” Joey said. “But, he wants to get back to her, too. Don’t let him fool you.”
“I’m not trying to fool anybody,” Adrian said defensively.
“Bull,” Joey said. “If you can’t admit you like her to us, at least admit it to yourself. Don’t give us some BS excuse that you might die out here and kissed the woman as a last hoorah.”
The Rancher Page 6