Life, Love and Longhorns (Heart of Texas Series - Book One)

by K. L. Hemley

  It was clear that she wasn’t the only one worried about the river. Despite the crispy chuck wagon chicken Jonas was serving for breakfast, she could see others pushing their food around the plate, forcing themselves to eat up. You didn’t waste food, especially when you needed the energy, but it was hard to swallow past the knot of nerves in your throat.

  Jesse made his way over to her and drew her to one side. “I’ve been down to have a look at the river and it’s worse than it was yesterday. The current’s really strong, so we’re going to need to make sure that everyone works together. I’ve been across and back and the horse just about coped, but there were a couple of tricky spots. It’s going to be a big job, all right.”

  “Well no time like the present to get started,” Mabel said. “Let’s start with the chuck wagon. We get that across and Jonas can get started on setting up the camp on the other side. Nothing like the prospect of a warm meal to motivate the men to get the crossing over and done with!”

  Jonas had replaced the mules with a team of stronger oxen for the crossing and he urged them forward into the water. The burly creatures carefully found their footing, instinctively seeking out the safest way to cross. At its deepest, the river came up to their shoulders and Jonas had his work cut out for him keeping them moving until they were safely over to the other side.

  Once the wagon was ashore, he went round and checked the contents. He waved back to Mabel and her crew to show that the waterproofing had held before mounting up again to find a good spot to set up camp.

  “All right then,” Mabel nodded. “Mr Lockwood, if you could help me get the cattle moving before following on at an appropriate interval and then get the cowboys across in turn as the cattle go until finally Ned will bring up the rear with the horses.”

  “Will do,” Jesse agreed, swinging his horse round to take up position by the herd so they could ford the river.

  Mabel gasped as her feet entered the cold water. It crept up her body as her horse made its way across, chilling her to the bone as she went deeper towards mid-stream. She felt like lifting her legs up or telling the horse to stop so that she could acclimatize to the freezing temperature, but she knew that that would be the worst thing to do, so she grit her teeth and focused on the fact that it wouldn’t be long before she was on the other side, safe from danger.

  The current of the water beat against her and her horse stumbled at one point, causing her to almost slip off its back. She clung desperately with her knees to its back, not wanting to lose her seat. Even though she could swim, she didn’t fancy her chances in the fast moving river. Anyone falling into its current would be long gone downstream before anyone would be able to ride to their aid. By some miracle, she managed to stay on her horse and soon she was out the other side, looking over to check that the herd was making its way towards the water.

  Jesse had everything in hand, so she began to guide the cattle towards the site that Jonas had set up camp next to. There was plenty of good grazing for the cattle and it was a comfortable, shady spot that would serve them well that night.

  As the last of the cattle made its way over the river many hours later, Mabel allowed herself to relax a little. Now there was only Ned and the horses waiting and they would all be safe, another potential crisis averted.

  “Come on, Ned!” she shouted over to the clearly nervous cowboy. “It’s not so bad once you get in and you’ll be over before you know it.”

  Ned cautiously kicked his horse into movement, urging it to wade into the flowing water. Perhaps his mount was picking up on his nerves because it lurched as they approached the deepest part of the river, almost throwing Ned off. He held on tight, though and everyone breathed a sigh of relief as his horse approached the other side.

  And then it happened. Nobody was really sure how, but Ned’s horse slipped as it stepped out of the water and it fell to one side, landing heavily on Ned.

  Mabel screamed and ran to his side, calling for Jonas to come quickly. The burly chef raced to where Ned was lying motionless, carrying with him his medicine bag.

  “Ned! Ned!” she cried to the unresponsive man.

  “Out of my way, Mabel,” ordered Jonas, too focused on the job at hand to care about propriety as he pushed her aside.

  Jesse put his arm around Mabel, as everyone anxiously watched Jonas tending to Ned, ripping off his shirt to get to his wounds. He examined the young man, a worried frown furrowing his forehead. “I need someone to fetch me some prickly pear and fast,” he commanded. Instantly, three cowboys ran off to see what they could find. Soon he was splitting the pads and applying them to Ned’s chest and stomach.

  “It’s not looking good,” Jonas said grimly. “Best I can tell he’s got a massive amount of internal bleeding. I’m going to patch him up as well as I can, but I can’t guarantee anything.”

  “Let’s move him to the chuck wagon where we can make him more comfortable,” suggested Jesse, stepping forward to help with carrying the man.

  What concerned Mabel the most was how silent Ned was as they moved him. For someone who could easily have a few broken bones, he was deathly still and uncomplaining.

  “Don’t worry, Miss Mabel,” said Brad, one of the crew. “He’s in good hands. If anyone can keep him alive, it’s Jonas.”

  “I know,” replied Mabel. “But we’re a long way from Dodge City still and there’s only so much Jonas can do with trail supplies.”

  She made her way over to the wagon, hovering outside, waiting for news of Ned. At last Jonas jumped down and shook his head.

  “It’s hard to say how it’s going to go at this point, but if he doesn’t wake up soon, then he’s more seriously injured than I initially thought. All we can do right now is hope and pray – I’ve done all I can for him.”

  “I know and we’re lucky to have you with us,” Mabel said. “Without you, Ned wouldn’t stand a chance at all.”

  Jesse came over to join them. “Ned’s a good lad,” he commented. “It will be a sad loss to the team if he doesn’t make it.”

  “Don’t talk like that,” said Mabel fiercely. “Of course he’s going to make it.”

  Jesse and Jonas said nothing, but exchanged a look that spoke of their fear for the injured cowboy.

  “I suggest we get the campfires going and bed down for the night,” Jesse said. “It’s late and we’re not going anywhere anyway, so we might as well make the most of it. In any case, it’ll be better for Ned if he’s not moved again for a while.”

  “You do that,” Mabel agreed. “I’m going to sit with Ned.” Nobody argued with her as she scrambled up into the back of the chuck wagon and settled down next to Ned. She took his hand in hers and stroked it gently. “You don’t do things by halves, do you Ned?” she said, trying not to cry. She had no idea whether he could hear her, but it was important to her that she talk to him as if he were perfectly healthy. Perhaps if she treated him as if he were awake, he’d hear and open his eyes.

  “I remember when you first came to work on the ranch,” she told him. “You were one of the most enthusiastic stable hands we’d ever had and I knew that you had a bright future ahead of you. Everyone took a shine to you, even grumpy old Roger. I’m looking forward to seeing you compete against the other cowboys in Dodge City. Your roping skills are getting better all the time and it’s not going to be long before you’re one of the best drovers on the ranch.”

  She looked at Ned, willing him to respond, but he continued to lie motionlessly, his breathing shallow and raspy.

  “Here, Miss Mabel,” came Jonas’ voice from outside the wagon. “I brought you some steak and coffee. You need to eat something after the day we’ve had.”

  Mabel reluctantly placed Ned’s hand over his chest and came to the end of the wagon where Jonas was holding her food for her.

  “I’m sorry for shoving past you like that earlier,” Jonas apologized.

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Mabel said dismissively. “Ned needed you and nothing else is important
when it comes to the health of my men. Be truthful with me, though. Do you think he’s going to last the night?”

  “It’s hard to say,” Jonas told her. “If he does, then his chances are better for recovery.”

  “In that case, I’ll sit vigil with him. Is there anything I can do for him?”

  “You could replace his poultice,” Jonas told her. “I’ve seen prickly pear work wonders before, so fingers crossed.”

  Mabel took the large pieces of cactus Jonas handed her and returned to Ned, where she pulled them apart to reveal the juicy flesh, gently pressing it against the large, angry bruise that had formed across his stomach and side. Ned moaned when she touched him, but didn’t open his eyes.

  “Come on, Ned,” she whispered. “Come back to us. We need you. It wouldn’t be the same without you here.”

  “How’s he doing, Miss Mabel?” came a familiar voice. Mabel looked up to see Jesse clambering into the wagon.

  “The same,” she sighed. “If he would only open his eyes, that would be something at least.”

  “It was a nasty fall,” Jesse told her. “His body needs a chance to heal itself. I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Mabel replied. “I’ll never forgive myself if he doesn’t recover. It was such a stupid accident – he was practically over the river. Why on earth did his horse fall like that?”

  “These things happen on the trail,” Jesse reminded her. “It’s nobody’s fault, and certainly not yours. We all know that there’s a risk of something like this happening. It’s a chance we all take. He could just as easily have fallen off the horse back at the ranch.”

  “I just remember how scared he looked before he crossed the river,” Mabel said. “If only there’d been another way.”

  “But there wasn’t,” Jesse reminded her. “We needed to get over and that was the only opportunity we had. With it looking like there’s more rain on the way, the river might have been even deeper if we’d waited and things could have been a lot worse. Jonas knows what he’s doing and Ned’s got you to watch out for him. He couldn’t be in safer hands.”

  Jesse’s words were small comfort to Mabel, who kept replaying the accident in her head, wondering if there was something she could have done to prevent it. She’d never forget the look on Ned’s face as the horse fell to the side.

  “Alice? Is that you, Alice?” Mabel turned around sharply at the sound of Ned’s voice.

  “No, it’s me, Mabel,” she said, rushing to hold his hand.

  “I’m cold, Alice. Could you get me another blanket?”

  Mabel felt Ned’s head. He was burning up. “Go get Jonas,” she told Jesse, who nodded and quickly returned with the cook in tow.

  “He’s feverish,” Mabel told Jonas as she moved aside to let him examine Ned, who continued to call out for Alice.

  “This isn’t good,” muttered Jonas, as he felt for Ned’s pulse. “Get me a cloth soaked in water. We need to try and bring this fever down. Get him some bison-meat juice as well – if we can get some fluids in him, that will help.”

  “I’ll fetch it,” offered Jesse, rushing off, leaving Mabel sitting anxiously by Jonas’ side, watching Ned in his delirium.

  “Here.” Jesse passed over a damp cloth to Jonas, who placed it over Ned’s head. Ned began tossing his head from side to side, and Jonas had to be careful not to injure him as he attempted to keep the cloth in place.

  “Alice!” called out Ned, suddenly sitting bolt upright, his eyes wide open yet seeming not to take in his surroundings.

  “It’s all right,” Mabel said soothingly. “You’ll see Alice soon.”

  “See if you can get him to drink some of the juice,” Jonas suggested. “He might take it more easily from you.”

  “Here,” Mabel said. “Drink this, Ned. It’ll make you feel better.”

  “Is that you, Alice?” asked Ned. Mabel looked at Jonas, who shrugged.

  “Yes, it’s me,” she told him. “I brought you something to make you feel better.”

  She supported Ned’s head, as he sipped the warm drink. When he was done, she guided him to lie back down. “Thank you, Alice,” he said. “I’ll speak to your father as soon as I get back from the cattle drive. With his permission, we’ll be wed in the fall. When he sees how much we love each other, he can’t possibly refuse us.”

  Mabel felt a wrench inside when she heard this. “Do you know who this Alice is?” she whispered to Jonas.

  “No.” He shook his head. “I don’t think she’s anyone local. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was someone he knew before he came to the ranch. Since he’s not married, I’m guessing that Alice’s father had other plans for her. Ned’s young though – chances are it was a teen romance and he’s long since moved on. Young men can be fickle.”

  Mabel wasn’t so sure. Why would Ned cry out for someone he didn’t care about? She was uncomfortable pretending to be someone she wasn’t, but it seemed to have brought some solace to Ned, who was now sleeping, a more natural sleep than the injury induced unconsciousness of earlier.

  She crept out of the wagon to leave him be. Jonas would check in on him overnight. Mabel decided to set up her bedroll somewhere close so that she could come quickly if needed.

  “Come and sit by the fire, Miss Mabel,” Jesse invited, when he saw her approach. “You need to take care of yourself, as well. If you’re not careful, we’ll have two invalids on our hands. We all took a soaking crossing the river and it won’t have done you any good to sit around in wet things.”

  “Thanks, Mr Lockwood,” she said, gratefully taking a place next to Jesse.

  “Don’t you think it’s time we dispensed with the formalities?” sighed Jesse. “I’m Mr Lockwood to business associates and people who don’t know me very well. You’re not just a business associate – you’re my partner. And by the time this journey’s ended, you won’t be able to say that we don’t know anything about each other.”

  “Very well… Jesse,” Mabel agreed. “I must admit that I’m not especially fond of being called ‘Miss’ anyway.”

  “Why? Does it remind you that you don’t have a good man like me by your side?”

  Mabel restrained herself from punching Jesse in the shoulder. “Well now, I suppose that would depend on your definition of ‘good’, wouldn’t it?”

  “Ouch!” Jesse clutched his chest where his heart was. “You got me!”

  “No,” Mabel explained. “It’s more that it reminds me of my great aunt. I was named after her and everyone called her Miss Mabel. She was a formidable lady – nobody would dare torment her the way you do me. I was always scared of her, truth be told.”

  “You? Scared of someone? I don’t believe it for a second.”

  “It’s true,” Mabel nodded. “The funny thing is, she never laid a finger on me. I don’t know why I found her so frightening, but I always knew that I had to be on my absolute best behavior when we visited her, even though I never knew what the consequences would be if I wasn’t. I was too afraid to find out what would happen if I overstepped the mark.”

  “She’d probably shake her stick at you and give you a stern talking to!” joked Jesse, making Mabel laughed along with him.

  “Who knows? Perhaps she was really a sweet little old lady hidden under layers of grumpiness. There must have been some reason why my parents named me after her.”

  “Or maybe they hoped you’d have her gumption instead of being a whiney little girl…” This time, Mabel really did punch Jesse in the shoulder, making him grimace in between laughs. “You even hit like a girl,” he told her.

  “I can hit harder if you like…?”

  Jesse held up his hands to fend her off, still laughing.

  “I’m going to turn in now, anyway,” Mabel said. “We’ve still got a long way to go. Ned can travel on the wagon while he recovers, but the rest of us have cattle to drive.”

  “Too true, ma’am,” Jesse nodded. “I’ll let you get on then.”

  M
abel put her head in the wagon to see how Ned was doing before she went to bed. He was still fast asleep.

  “Sleep’s a great healer,” Jonas commented. “I’m a little more hopeful for him now. You go on and get some rest. I’ll wake you if there’s any change.”

  Mabel left him to it and gratefully climbed into her bedroll, asleep almost the instant her head touched the ground.

  Chapter Seven: More Than One Way to Use a Tarpaulin

  When they set off the next morning, Ned was still delirious. Mabel was worried about him, but she couldn’t waste too much time thinking about him – all her energy needed to be devoted to keeping the cattle moving along. Now they’d been on the road for a while, the novelty had worn off, but that didn’t mean that they could ease up. As the river crossing had shown, accidents could happen at any time when you were least expecting it.

  As the day wore on, Mabel was kept informed of Ned’s progress. Worryingly, he was becoming less and less coherent and his fever still hadn’t broken.

  When she heard that Ned had vomited up blood, Mabel knew that he didn’t have much time left and sure enough, Jonas called her to the wagon to pay her last respects not long after.

  She called for the cowboys to set up camp and immediately went to the chuck wagon to see Ned.

  Mabel was shocked by how deathly pale he was. In contrast, the bruising around his torso had spread, a clear indication of serious internal injuries.

  Ned tossed his head from side to side, muttering incomprehensible words. Mabel had no doubt that he was calling for the mysterious Alice and she went and took his hand.

  “Hush now, Ned. Your Alice is here,” she whispered, stroking hair away from his forehead.

  The smile that spread across his face told her that he’d heard her words and they’d brought comfort to him.

  A few moments later, he breathed his last.

  Mabel burst into wracking sobs, as Jonas covered up Ned’s body. She allowed herself to be comforted by the big man for a few moments before pulling herself together. She was the leader of the cattle drive. She couldn’t afford to fall apart, even for the death of someone she cared about.