Chasing McCree

by J. C. Isabella

  “Yup, Jerry is my uncle too.” Dustin tipped back his black cowboy hat and spit in his red cup. “Are you with McCree?”

  I tried not to wrinkle my nose. “Yes.”

  Tuck smiled wide at me, giving Dustin a nod. “O’Brian’s and McCree’s never fought over land.”

  I glanced between the boys, “What did they fight over?”

  “Women.” Dustin said.

  “No, it was cattle. McCree’s and Smith’s fought over women.” Tuck corrected him. “Wait, I cold be wrong…”

  Dustin crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall behind the hay bale. “McCree has the same instincts as the rest of his ancestors. He’s on his way over.”

  I looked across the dance floor to see Chase on the other side glaring at the boys sitting next to me. I smiled at him and waved. He scowled and picked up the pace.

  “O’Brian and Callahan,” Chase said once he was within hearing range. “Things never change. Where’s Smith?”

  Tuck stood and gave Chase a whack on the back. “Good to see you too man. I don’t know where he went.”

  Dustin smiled evilly. “Josh is in the loft with Ellie.”

  Tuck rounded on Dustin. “Asshole, why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Hey, they like each other.”

  “Hell if I care, that’s my baby sister.” Tuck smacked his cowboy hat on his jeans, stuck it on his head, and ran the length of the barn to climb up a ladder.

  Dustin turned to me. “Want to dance?”

  I smiled, not looking at Chase, and shook my head. “Thanks, but my feet hurt. I’m going to sit a couple out.”

  “Kick off your boots. The night is just getting started!” Dustin leapt up and offered me his hand.

  To be honest, I was a tiny bit tempted, but not enough to feel like I’d be missing out on anything. Mostly I just wanted to get the boots off. “Sorry, from here on out I only dance with Chase.”

  There was a shriek, and everyone’s heads turned to where Tuck had gone. A blonde girl was leaning over the side of the loft, watching the boys wrestling in the pile of hay below.

  “Damn it,” Dustin shook his head and smiled. “I’d better break them up before our parents see.”

  “It was nice meeting you,” I said as he ran to the boys and dove into the fray. Now there were three of them, and I couldn’t tell who was who with all the hay flying around.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to join them?” I asked Chase, laughing when Dustin grabbed Tuck by the back of his shirt and pulled him off Josh.

  Chase chuckled, “No, I’m good. Dustin and Josh, who is a Smith, have been fighting over Ellie Callahan since they could walk. I’m surprised Dustin didn’t break Ellie and Josh up, actually. He must be getting over her.”

  “What does Ellie have to say?”

  “Honestly, I think she likes it. But before I left I wondered if it really is going to be with Josh. Now I’m sure.”

  “And why not Dustin?”

  Chase shrugged. “Ellie wouldn’t know what to do with him. He’s got a strong personality, would walk all over her. Josh, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. Ellie can walk all over him.”

  “Hey,” the girl named Ellie, who was up in the loft, spotted Chase and waved. “Meet us out back!”

  “So…” Chase pulled me off the bale of hay and his eyes glimmered with mischief. “How about we have an adventure?”

  Chapter 16

  Chase

  I got Briar out behind the barn in time to catch up to everyone else. Tuck, Dustin, Josh, and Ellie were waiting. We kept to the shadows and headed for the stables. The Callahan’s had more horses than anyone around. So they never missed a few when we borrowed them to go down to the lake. Though if Tuck’s dad found us borrowing the horses, we’d have some explaining to do…

  Tuck went in first, followed by his sister. Dustin and Josh followed.

  I held Briar’s hand and glanced around us. “Ready to run?”

  She nodded. “Yeah,”

  “Go!” we raced for the stables. I hoped no one saw us. The horses were quickly saddled. I chose one I’d ridden before, Chester, a brown Arabian. I got an easy tempered painted mare called Potts for Briar. Once she was seated I mounted my horse.

  “Uh,” She held on to the horn, a little worried. “Can’t I ride with you?”

  “Not this time. I’ll only ride double on Ash.” I wouldn’t ride with someone on a horse I didn’t know well. Ash and I understood each other. He trusted me and I trusted him. “Don’t worry, I’m leading you. Just stay seated like I showed you and follow my directions.”

  “Oh, I’m hanging on. Trust me.” She gripped the horn tight as I walked us out of the stables.

  Ellie and Josh had taken off behind Dustin. Tuck was in the middle and Briar and I brought up the rear. We went at a slow pace, since she wasn’t used to being on a horse alone.

  “Where are we going?” she asked.

  Tuck glanced over his shoulder. “McCree Creek. Time for a swim.”

  I watched Briar’s face, thinking she thought Tuck had lost it. “There’s a creek named after your family?”

  “Yeah,” I said.

  “And McCree Lake,” Tuck snorted. “Don’t be modest man. The high school is named after you too.”

  Damn…I was hoping to ease Briar into where I came from, not dump it on her in one night.

  Her eyebrows went high. “Were you ever going to tell me this?”

  “Yeah, I just wasn’t sure how.” I glared at Tuck, but he kept on going. We were back on my land, heading for the deepest part of the creek. It was just over the next hill.

  “Hey, did Chase tell you who he’s related to?”

  “Tuck,” I warned him. “Now is not the right time.”

  “What, you didn’t tell her about John McCree?”

  “Who?” Briar asked.

  “John McCree.”

  “Callahan,” I wanted to smack him. If only I had my whip.

  “He was Chase’s great uncle. His grandfather’s brother.”

  “Damn it Tuck,” I spurred Chester forward and tried to grab him.

  He laughed and backed his horse up. Too quick for Chester since we were leading Briar and Potts. “You didn’t tell her! McCree, what’s wrong with you?”

  “Tell me what, exactly?” Briar pulled my arm, “Chase, what is he talking about?”

  “Tuck I’m going to wrap my hands around your neck and squeeze. We’ll see who’s laughing then.”

  “Hey, someone’s got to tell her,” he smirked. “It’s seems I’m the best man for the job.”

  We reached the top of the hill overlooking the creek. Josh, Ellie, and Dustin were already swimming.

  Briar’s voice grew apprehensive, “I’m not really into skinny dipping…”

  I wasn’t going to bare my ass for the world to see, that was for damn sure. “Don’t worry, we’ve never done that.”

  “So, about John McCree,” Tuck continued, dismounting and taking off his boots to swim. “He ran off to Texas one day, on account he hated ranching and preferred black gold to cow shit.”

  “Never trust a Callahan.” I left Briar with the horses and lunged for Tuck. He kicked me, but I managed to toss him into the creek, fully clothed. “Now keep your trap shut.”

  He surfaced and spit out a mouth full of water. “Shit, it’s freezing! What’d you do that for?”

  Dustin swam over and smacked the back of his head. “Are your ears full, idiot? Chase doesn’t want you telling Briar about his great uncle, the oil tycoon.”

  Great, just great. “Thanks a lot, Dustin.”

  He floated on his back down the creek, grinning. “Anytime, man.”

  I turned back to find Briar still sitting on Potts, both hands white-knuckled on the horn, even though the horse was perfectly still. She frowned, “Chase…”

  I sighed, helping her down. “Yeah, I know…I’ve got some explaining to do.”

  We opted out of a swim and sat on the top o
f the hill, star gazing. It was a beautiful night. Not to be a sap, Briar was prettier than any starry sky.

  “So, you’re rich too?” she asked, picking at blades of grass.

  “I guess…” I honestly didn’t like talking about money. The truth was I had a lot of it.

  “And you let all of my so called friends call you a hick and trailer trash when you could have proven them wrong?” she tied a piece of grass in a knot and tossed into the wind.

  “I don’t have to justify or prove myself to anyone. I wasn’t going to buy a Bentley to stop them from making fun of me.” I could have. Actually, I could have bought the country club. I’d heard it was up for sale… That would have really shut them up.

  “So tell me about John McCree.”

  I let out a deep breath and lay back to look up at the moon, folding my hands behind my head. “Well, he was my grandfather’s older brother. A confirmed bachelor, who had a string of girlfriends until the day he died.”

  “Sounds like he wasn’t the marrying kind.”

  “No, he wasn’t. He left the ranch when he was young, went to Texas. Bought some land, made a few business deals and struck gold.” My grandfather had told me this story four years ago, the day we received news his brother had passed away from old age. “Black gold and lots of it. His will stated everything would be split between his niece and nephew, my dad and Millie. But dad was dead, so after some legal stuff I didn’t understand yet, it went to me. I was my father’s heir, and now the heir to a Texas oil man I’d never met.”

  “So, what did he leave you?” she asked.

  I shrugged, searching for shapes in the stars. “It doesn’t matter.”

  “Do you think it will change the way I think about you?”

  “No,” I heard Dustin shouting and laughing in the distance, Ellie screeching. They were up to something crazy probably.

  Briar crawled up beside me and settled into the grass, laying her head on my chest. “You know, a ton of money doesn’t change anything. Just levels the playing field between us.”

  I shook my head, looking down at her. “I make you look like a pauper.”

  “Whoa, sorry, I’m interrupting something…” Dustin whistled a couple catcalls and I ignored him. “But that’s okay, you two keep making eyes at each other, don’t look at me.”

  I didn’t look at him. If he wasn’t getting attention he’d go away.

  “Oh my god!” Briar covered her eyes. “What are you doing?”

  Damn, what now… “Fuck man, put some clothes on!”

  Dustin was standing on a rock, buck ass naked in front of us, holding his Stetson in front of his crotch. “Hey, I can’t help it. Tuck took my clothes while I was changing.”

  Briar uncovered her eyes. “Just don’t turn around, okay?”

  Dustin grunted, glancing over his shoulder. “I’m gonna hogtie you and leave you for the bears Tuck!”

  “Blue moon, you saw me standing alone!” one of the guys sang out of tune. It sounded like Josh.

  “No,” Tuck shouted. “Let’s call it a white moon, floating alone. Two fat globes separated by a large crack…”

  Dustin cursed and took off running, going after whoever was closest.

  “Ah, hell.” I glanced at Briar. She was covering her mouth, snorting with laughter. “I’m sorry, they were raised by wolves.”

  She wiped tears from her eyes she was laughing so hard. “It’s okay, I really like them.”

  “Yeah, they’re not so bad.” We settled back into the grass, Briar propped her elbow on my chest and looked down at me.

  “So, lay it on me. What are you, a millionaire?” she took Millie’s hat off and set it next to us, putting mine on her head. It was too big, but she tipped the brim back enough to see me.

  “I was when my dad died.” I motioned around us. “This is fifty thousand acres. If I were to stick a for sale sign on it, it’d be worth more than thirty million.”

  “Holy crap,” she swatted my chest. “Chase, what the hell?”

  “It’s not something I go telling everyone I meet.”

  She smiled, “Well, at least you can hold your own against my father if you have to. He likes rich people.”

  “What about you, do you like rich people?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Well, no, because the ones I know are jerks. But you’re not like them, and that’s why I like you so much.”

  “Thanks,” I said, knowing that I could trust Briar with this. She wasn’t looking for money. In fact, I had the feeling she’d burn cash in a barrel if she had the chance.

  Briar started to fall asleep a little while later. I pulled out my phone to check the time. It was nearing two in the morning. Tuck came back up. His shirt was torn and he was still soaked, but looked like he’d had a good time.

  “Hey, so you’d like to get her back to the ranch, I’m guessing?”

  I nodded, and Briar yawned. “Yes, now would be great.”

  The lights of a car filled the field behind us and I glanced over my shoulder to see Dustin driving my truck. Fully clothed, thank God. “What are you doing?”

  He got out, leaving it running. “Oh, just seeing if I can still hotwire a car…seems I can.”

  Briar looked around. “Where did Josh and Ellie go?”

  Tuck slumped over and ripped at the grass. “I don’t know. I shouldn’t worry, much.”

  Dustin whacked him on the back. “That’s right.”

  “Hey, Josh is a good guy,” I said, standing with Briar. “But why did you bring me my truck?”

  “We need two extra horses,” Dustin grinned. “I got a call from Zoey and her friend Willa. We met a couple weeks ago. We’re going to sneak them out and see where the night takes us.”

  Tuck seemed to like the plan and gathered the horses. I said good night to them and helped Briar into the truck. Once I had the keys in the ignition, and the wires underneath looking like normal, we drove across the field to the road and back to the ranch.

  Chapter 17

  Briar

  Two days later and I hadn’t heard anything from my family. It didn’t surprise me. My father probably forgot I was supposed to be home. Wouldn’t be the first time. I’d stayed with Grandma for weeks before, and he didn’t realize I was gone until I got home and told him where I’d been.

  It still was a little unnerving, not knowing when I could get a call from him. I’d braced myself for it, but so far, nothing. Not a peep from anyone.

  Haying season came and so did rain. Buckets and buckets of rain. It rained for a three days solid, and then off and on. There was nothing anybody could do. The hay was soaked, and they couldn’t start cutting and drying it until the clouds dried up.

  I picked up Whiskers and he purred against my chest, tipping his head back so I could scratch his chin. I was on the porch in one of the swings. It was late afternoon. Lightning cracked in the distance. The rain had stopped, for now.

  “Well, what’s going to happen?” I asked Dustin as he climbed the porch steps and sank into one of the rocking chairs. He’d come over to help Chase repair a tractor, but mostly I think he was bored waiting out the rain. They were good friends. They irritated each other sometimes, but for the most part, got along great. I was beginning to like him too. He had that same, easy personality like Chase. I didn’t feel like I had to impress him.

  Come to think of it, I didn’t have to impress anyone here or put on a face. The last time I wore mascara was the night of the dance. It was liberating.

  The McCree’s and their friends were just good people who worked hard and loved each other even harder.

  “We’ve lost a week haying. It’ll be okay, but if we lose anymore time, it’s going to be tight.” He rested his elbows on his knees and patted one of the collies at his feet. There were dogs everywhere. This one had come with Dustin. “Ain’t that right Moose? Gotta get that hay.”

  “So your family hays too?” I asked.

  “Yeah, but not on this scale. We’ve got about ten t
housand acres and eleven hundred cattle. Though we’ll feel the strain as much as McCree, if not more.” Dustin leaned to the right and spit in the yard. “We’re strictly family run. We don’t employ anyone outside like the McCree’s. They got…what, ten to fifteen hired hands, plus family? We got my parents, me and my older twin brothers, and my Grandparents. Can’t really count my sister yet, she’s still too young.”

  “We’ll be fine,” Jerry shouted. He was out in the yard fiddling with his truck. The hood was up and his hands were black with grease. Millie said he liked fixing things. It kept him busy and out of her hair…so sometimes she broke stuff on purpose just for him to fix. Easy fixes, according to Chase. He told me that on a few occasions it included large pieces of machinery, like the truck.

  “Hey, tractor’s fixed.” Chase came around the side of the house with Stinker.

  “Damn, I wanted to help,” Jerry shook his head and went back to tinkering with the truck.

  “Maybe next time.” Millie appeared smiling in the doorway.

  “You wouldn’t actually break a tractor,” I whispered.

  She shrugged. “Honey, with Jerry unable to work with the men like he used to, I’d take a sledge hammer to it to keep him busy. I like my kitchen free of busybodies.”

  “Dictator with a wooden spoon,” Jerry grinned, wiping his hands on his jeans.

  “Hey,” Chase eyed me, and then the spot next to me on the swing.

  I smiled, thinking he’d join me, but he glanced at Whiskers and crossed his arms. Honestly, it was just a cat. I set him down on the porch. His tail went straight in the air and he started hissing, walking sideways as Chase came toward the swing.

  Whiskers swatted, his nails hitting Chase’s boot, “Damn it.”

  “Oh, my poor baby.” Millie picked up the cat and took him in the house with her, laughing.

  “Baby my ass,” Chase sat and put his arm around me.

  “I don’t get it,” I said. “Why does that cat hate you?”

  “Hell if I know,”

  I smiled, but then my lips curled… I smelled something… “Chase, where were you before you fixed the tractor?”