Cowboy on the Run

by Devon McKay

  He fired his pistol several more times, turning to the right and thankful the leader of the pack followed his direction. Nate chanced a glimpse behind him. So far, it was working. The steers were forming a large circled arc, chasing his tail.

  He pushed J.W. faster, headed back toward the direction they had come from. When he got a little ahead, he slowed his mount down to a steady cantor, fighting for breath to whistle the first tune that came to mind, knowing the sound could possibly calm the cattle. Before long, he had the animals down to a snail’s pace.

  It was then he noted the brand of a large C on the flanks of the steer closest to him.

  Jessie’s cattle?

  What happened? Even if part of the fence line were down, the herd wouldn’t have reacted so panicked. He might have had a handful of steers, but not the whole darn lot, and they wouldn’t have been running like their lives depended on it. Something was wrong.

  “What would have triggered that?” Doyle trotted up beside him on a chestnut gelding, taking it slow so as not to alarm the cattle again. “I reckon’ something startled them steers,” he replied smooth and slow, again voicing Nate’s thoughts. “Whatever it was, it scared them pretty good.”

  “Yeah...but what?”

  The old cowpoke shrugged. “Could’ve been the storm. The lightning would’ve done it. You ought to know, Nate, it doesn’t take much to spook one, and the others tend to follow.”

  “Yeah, maybe. But something’s not right.” He stared along the landscape, his thoughts drifting to a darker area.

  “Nope,” Doyle agreed, not offering any other insight.

  “Are the kids okay?”

  “Yeah, a little shook up. But they’re fine. The boys, on the other hand, got themselves a new hero. You should have seen their faces when you jumped on your horse and headed straight into the stampede.”

  Nate ignored the compliment, his brows creased with worry.

  “It was a sight to see, that’s for sure,” Doyle continued. “I’ve got Chris and Jake pulling the rear and Travis on the flanks. We should have these cattle back where they belong before too long. Your two are in good hands with Taylor.”

  A lopsided smile crept across his friend’s face, causing Nate to grin. Great hands—Taylor would be entertaining his children in some off-color way, teaching them crooked card tricks or worse.

  ****

  The minute Nate arrived at Jessie’s ranch he knew something was amiss. He headed directly toward the house, leaving Doyle and the boys to tend the cattle. A bloody rattlesnake caught his attention, its headless body still writhing in agony while less than two feet away, Jessie performed a frantic CPR on her father. A dangerous looking axe lay discarded by his feet.

  “One, two, three...” She lifted her father’s neck and pinned his nose closed, breathing life into the unconscious man’s lungs.

  Nate raced to her and took over pressing his chest.

  “He was out here,” she said breathless, swiping a lock of rain drenched hair out of her eyes with the back of her arm. “All I saw was blood...he was killing the snake. I don’t know where it came from.” Keeping her timing, she breathed in two more breaths. “There were more. William killed them. I didn’t...” Jessie’s voice cracked with emotion. “I didn’t want to move him...in case...”

  Nate cut her off with a quick nod, not needing any further explanation. He shielded his eyes with a hand from the pelting rain as his gaze scoured over Jessie’s dad, searching for an obvious sign of a snakebite. Not finding anything, he pressed down on the unconscious man’s chest. “I’m not sure if he’s been bitten or not,” he informed her. “I can’t tell with the rain.”

  He glanced up at the sky, and then back at Jessie as she shook her head no.

  “I think he had another stroke. He was talking funny...saying strange things...not making sense...just walking around killing snakes. William’s calling an ambulance. One...”

  Both Rosita and the foreman emerged from the house, interrupting Jessie’s count. Worry clung to the housekeeper like a second skin. Without a word, she kneeled down beside Jessie and reached for Thomas’ hand.

  Lightning struck, highlighting William as he stuffed one of the dead snakes into an empty feed bag. Nate kept a keen eye on him, noting the concern etched on the man’s weathered face.

  “Dozens...” Jessie spoke in a tone void of emotion as she watched her father’s oldest friend.

  Seeing the confusion in her gaze, Nate started the count again. She turned her attention to him with a blank stare, and he could tell shock was starting to set in as her face paled white as a sheet.

  “There were dozens of snakes. I don’t even know what he was doing out here. I heard a noise and looked out my window...and there he was. The kids...”

  He nudged her arm, and she breathed new breath into her father again.

  “Are fine. So are your steers. At the moment, they’re in your pasture.” He pressed four more times on Thomas’ chest.

  “That’s what woke me,” she stammered, catching her breath. “The noise. It sounded like...like drums...lots of them, loud, then it just faded...everything went silent.”

  A siren could be heard in the distance, its faint song a welcome lifeline, and he heard Jessie’s loud sigh of relief. They continued until the lights of the ambulance lit the darkness, shading the surrounding area in the glow of red.

  Two medics jumped out of the ambulance. One rushed to take over the CPR while the other unloaded a stretcher. After several minutes, a faint pulse was found, and Thomas was loaded onto the makeshift gurney.

  Nate placed a comforting arm around Jessie’s shoulder and pulled her into his chest. “Breathe. It’s okay now. He’ll be okay,” he said with a calming voice, though he had his doubts.

  Chapter 18

  “It was close,” the doctor said. “Jessie, if you hadn’t acted so fast, we would have lost him this time.”

  She released a pent up breath. On the brink of tears, Jessie allowed the doctor to console her with a reassuring pat to the shoulder.

  “You did the right thing. However, it wasn’t another stroke like we first thought. It was a snakebite. I take it you sent in the bag? The snake?” The medic turned, addressing the question to Nate.

  A confused expression contoured the sharp features of Nate’s face. He shook his head. “No, it wasn’t me. That would’ve been William. Jessie’s foreman.”

  “Anyway it was brilliant. Smart move. Saved the man’s life.” The doctor peppered Nate with a friendly slap on the back.

  Jessie said a silent prayer of thanks. Now it made perfect sense, recalling the faint memory of William stuffing the empty feed bag with a dead snake. At the time, she’d thought he had lost his mind. Suddenly, she realized how fortunate it had been he’d thought of such a detail. Her father could have died!

  Jessie gasped, covering her mouth with a shaky hand. “The snakes...oh, my, that’s what he was saying. I couldn’t understand him. That’s why I thought he was having another stroke.” She closed her eyes, shaking her head. “He wasn’t making any sense.”

  “Don’t beat yourself up. They both have similar symptoms. Luckily for your father, it appears he was bitten by a less lethal rattler—a prairie rattlesnake. Though known for a nasty disposition, they are too small to be a fatal threat to humans, if treated in time.”

  “Thanks, Dr. Grayson,” she said in a soft whisper, sparing a glance in Nate’s direction.

  He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Reading the anxiety in his eyes, she remembered how uncomfortable hospitals always made him. The sterile environment was obviously getting to him.

  It was time to go, but she couldn’t leave without checking on her dad again. “Can I see him?”

  “The best thing for your father right now is rest. At the moment, he is in stable condition. Go home, get some sleep yourself. You can’t do anything else for him. We’re going to hold him here for a few days. Keep a close eye on him.”

  But her
guilt clung stubbornly, not easily dismissed. Numb, she allowed Nate to lead her out of the hospital.

  The storm was in full force now. Angry bursts of wind whipped around them, hindering their way to her father’s truck. Tiny pellets of rain stung her face, and she covered her head with her arm in hopes of avoiding nature’s wrath.

  Once safe inside the truck, Nate headed them toward home. The only noise was the steady, consistent slap of the windshield wiper fighting to keep up with the torrential downpour.

  Jessie’s thoughts returned to the snakes. In her lifetime, she had come across only a few, so to see so many in such an isolated section was quite an enigma. For starters, snakes liked to be away from noise, detached from people, and the area the reptiles were in was a heavy traffic area. It just didn’t make sense.

  She considered asking Nate, but seeing his stern profile, Jessie refrained from questioning him. The rest of the drive remained silent.

  Her family was waiting on the porch as they pulled into the drive, and she swallowed back tears the heartwarming sight inspired. No matter what happened, she could count on her family.

  Dodging sharp needles of rain, they raced to the porch. As soon as her feet touched the steps, Jessie grabbed ahold of William and hugged him tightly.

  “You saved his life,” she whispered and kissed the man’s cheek.

  “Mama, is Grandpa okay?” Jessie heard Jade scream over the loud wind.

  She scooped her daughter into her arms, tossing a reassuring smile to Gage who aloofly stood on the porch. His worried expression was far too adult for such a small child.

  “I’ll tell you over a nice cup of hot cocoa,” she said, fighting for a calm voice while ushering her family through the front door. “The doctor said Grandpa will be just fine.”

  Once in the entrance way, Jade wrapped around her body like a small monkey.

  “Did you hear me?” She pried herself free from her daughter’s grip and stood the child by her brother. Jessie kneeled in front of them. “He’s just going to stay in the hospital for a couple of days. The doctor said he would take real good care of Grandpa. Don’t you worry, okay?” Both children nodded their heads, and she rose to a standing position. “Good. How about that hot cocoa now?” Grabbing hold of each of their hands, she made her way through the hallway to the kitchen.

  Startled at the site of a man sitting at the dining room table, Jessie instinctively placed herself in front of the children as the stranger stood.

  “You must be Jessie.” He stepped forward and extended his hand. “Doyle Rawlings. Pleased to meet you.”

  “He’s a good friend of mine,” Nate interjected, coming around on the other side of her. He patted the man on the shoulder in heartfelt appreciation. “Doyle and his wife head the O-K Corral. He also did one hell of a job wrangling up your steers.”

  Still weary, Jessie stared at Doyle uncertainly as Nate’s explanation started to sink in, and her thoughts quickly detoured toward her stock. With all of the excitement of her dad, she’d forgotten about the cattle. “Thank you,” she managed, shaking his hand.

  “Mama, hot chocolate,” Jade insisted with a whine.

  Before Jessie could respond, Rosita emerged with two steamy cups of cocoa, and the children scrambled to the table. A second later, the two siblings were squabbling over which cup had the most marshmallows.

  “The steers...are they okay?” Jessie directed the question to Doyle, somehow able to tune the argument out.

  “Yeah, should be for the night,” he answered with a thoughtful expression. “I reckon’ they’re a little shook up. While you were at the hospital, William and I repaired the fence as best as we could and brought the kids back. They weren’t sleeping anyway, and I didn’t think you’d appreciate the card tricks Taylor was teaching them.”

  The older man walked back to where he’d sat at the table and reached for his coffee. He took a deep sip, then pointed at Gage’s cup and winked, garnishing a wide smile from the boy.

  “Mama, Gage has more marshmallows than I do,” Jade wailed.

  “No, he doesn’t.” Jessie looked into her daughter’s mug. “See? You each have five. Now drink up. You two should’ve been in bed a long time ago. It’s way past your bedtime.”

  Jade gulped down the rest of her cocoa while Gage handed his half-filled cup to Rosita.

  “Done.” Her daughter wiped her mouth off with her shirt sleeve. “Daddy? Will you tuck me in?” she asked with an exaggerated yawn.

  Stunned, Jessie held her tongue. In fact, the whole room seemed to be enveloped in silence. Her daughter’s request had come straight out of left field. She spared a glance at Rosita who shrugged her shoulders in response.

  Jessie fought against the tide of emotions the innocent question had brought forth, unsure of how she felt.

  “Sure, sweetheart. I’d love to,” Nate said, a genuine smile gracing his features.

  Carrying the child upstairs to her bedroom, he placed her onto the twin mattress of a canopy bed draped in a luxurious waterfall of pink. Nate tucked her in, pulling a fluffy pink comforter up to her chin and kissed her cheek. Whatever he whispered into the child’s ear made her smile.

  Jessie stood back and watched, holding Gage to her side. The scene tugged at her heartstrings, but she welcomed the bittersweet emotion. This was what fathers did. They made everything all right in just a few words and a kiss.

  And she had kept this moment from her kids.

  From Nate.

  He kissed Jade on the forehead, and turned back to Jessie. Gage held out his hands, and without hesitation, Nate took him and followed her down the hall to her son’s bedroom on the left.

  Gage’s room was a subtle green, reminiscent of a summer day. She couldn’t help but wonder what Nate’s reaction would be to this shade. The room had a calming effect on a person, so much different than the busy tint of Jade’s room.

  He tucked the boy into bed, pulling the forest green cover up over his small body, while whispering something Jessie couldn’t hear. Her son reacted with a fit of contagious giggles.

  This must be another trait fathers were known for, finding a boy’s silly side. She smiled, misty eyed. After a few more chuckles and an exchanged knowing look between father and son, the child was ready for sleep.

  Making their way back down the hall, she glanced through her bedroom door. The white quilt on her queen-size mattress seemed to be illuminated in the dark. It would be so easy just to fall into bed with him.

  And what was the harm? What more damage could be done by adding sex? Her guard was down. Gone. With what happened with her father, the stampede and everything, Nate had been there to lean on. But that was only part of it. Seeing him with the kids had dissipated any resolve she had to keep her distance from him. It had undone her. All of her defenses were useless now.

  The warmth of his hand embraced hers as if he were having mutual thoughts.

  In a moment, they were wrapped in each other’s arms, a frenzy of need and desire, the heat sweltering and consuming. His hands like fire on her lower back pulled her into the unyielding hardness of his chest. His lips, hungry and demanding, claimed her mouth with an undeniable urgency.

  Her head swam, so dizzy by his kiss, she hadn’t even noticed they were no longer in the hallway but in her bedroom.

  Suddenly, he stiffened, distancing himself.

  “No, Jessie, stop. We have to stop this.”

  Nate pushed her away with a firm but gentle hand. She read regret in his gaze and her desire deflated in an instant.

  He reached out to touch her cheek. Swallowing the hurt, she brushed aside his hand. Persistent, he pulled her back to him, tilting her chip upward. His mouth found hers, searching, desperate. She succumbed, lost in the passion of his kiss...only to have him pull back again.

  “I’m sorry. It’s not that I don’t want to, in fact...the opposite. I want you more now than I’ve ever wanted you before.” He glanced around the room, and his stare landed on the bed. “This is ha
rd as hell. The timing’s all wrong. I told myself I would take things slow with you. I want you to have faith in me again. I want to trust you again.” Nate stepped back as if allowing his words to sink in. “It will take some time, Jessie.”

  She shook her head, understanding the meaning of the words he didn’t voice—he couldn’t trust her again.

  Time.

  No, it would take more than time. It would take a miracle.

  “With all the things that happened tonight, I’d just be taking advantage of you. You would hate me in the morning. And I’d resent you. Hell, I would resent me.” He attempted a smile, keeping his distance. “You’re vulnerable right now.”

  Jessie stepped away. He was right. At the moment, she was more fragile than a piece of glass.

  “Of course,” she replied in a shaky voice. “I...ah...I don’t know what came over me.” Her face burned hot, and she sucked in a deep breath thankful for the darkness of the room. She had all but thrown herself at him, deserving his rebuff.

  Voices drifted up from downstairs.

  “We should join the others.”

  The warmth of his hand embraced hers as he led her down the stairs. Shamefully, his touch made her long for more, rekindling the desire again. It didn’t seem fair. How could she want him now more than ever?

  They joined Doyle, Rosita and William at the dining room table. The housekeeper enticed them to sit down, pouring each a cup of coffee.

  “Doyle and William found over a dozen snakes. Can you believe it?”

  The news twisted her insides into a knot as she accepted a cup from Rosita. She spared a glance at Nate, who was drawn in by the statement. How quick the incident upstairs had been forgotten. Wincing, her pride took the brunt of the hit.

  “Fourteen,” William offered. “And we killed every one of ‘em.”

  His words hit her like a brick wall, the count so high, so shocking. She placed her cup down on the table, her hand trembling too much to hold it.

  Her dad had been lucky. They all had. She shuddered, shattered by the thought of what else could have happened. What if the kids had been out there?