The Cattle Drive [The Armstrong Brothers of Cedar Creek] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Rebecca Joyce

  “Rachael, I’m…” He tried to say sorry, but he couldn’t. He just quickly left and ran back home. There on the ground was all the material for the report that he didn’t do. She picked everything up and headed into the house. She spent the next two hours finishing the report.

  The next day at school, Robert avoided her most of the day, but when it came time to give the oral report in history, they both had to be standing together in front of the class. As Rachael took the report from her binder, she was standing in front the podium when Robert walked up behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist.

  She froze. She looked up at him, and he smiled at her. That day, Robert gave the oral report and answered all the questions as he held on to her. When they were done and Mrs. Lynwood gave them their grade, Robert leaned down and whispered in her ear, “We so need to talk. Meet me after school.” Then he walked away.

  After school, Rachael tried to make a beeline for the bus, but Robert caught her and dragged her toward his pickup. Rachael was screaming at him.

  “Robert, you let me go!”

  “We need to talk.”

  “I have nothing to say to you. Let me go!” she yelled as she was being pulled toward the truck and his friends.

  As they approached, Robert yelled, “You guys find another ride home!” And Rachael watched the boys scatter.

  He threw his backpack in the bed of the truck and turned to face her.

  “What happened last night?” he asked.

  “You tell me? You kissed me!” she shouted for all to hear.

  “That’s not how I remember it.”

  “And just what do you remember?” she said with her hands on her hips and one boot tapping on the ground.

  Robert grabbed ahold of her and kissed her firmly, not letting her come up for air. And as his tongue entered her mouth once again, she could no longer fight him. She wrapped her arms around him once again and gave herself to him. He took her, all of her, and when he backed away, breathless, he smiled. “That’s what I remember,” he softly said and kissed her again, gently this time, savoring every taste and every inch of her. The warmth engulfed her as her resolve failed, and she went weak. He softly nipped at her bottom lip and said, “Damn girl, you taste good.” He whispered, “A man can get drunk on you.”

  * * * *

  “Ma’am, are you okay?” the gentleman said, bringing Rachael out of her fog. Rachael looked up and smiled. “I’m fine, thank you.” She quickly got to her feet and started walking toward home.

  “Can I offer you a ride somewhere?” he asked.

  “No, thank you. I just live up this road.”

  “It would be my pleasure to escort you home,” he gently said. Rachael looked at him. He was a very nice-looking man. Though he was cramped into the small BMW, she could tell he was tall. His blond hair was tussled from the wind. His firm jaw and ice-blue eyes looked familiar to her.

  “Do I know you?” she asked.

  “I don’t see how. This is my first time in Texas.”

  “Where are you from?”

  “I guess you could say I am from everywhere. I don’t really have a home to call my own. I am Matthew Thomas Armstrong. I just came from Eaton. I am trying to find my way to a small town called Cedar Creek. I thought I would take a scenic route, but I think I have gotten myself lost.” He smiled.

  “Armstrong? Are you related to Michael Armstrong?” she asked, moving closer to the car.

  “Yes, ma’am. He’s my baby brother. How do you know Mikie?” he said, sounding interested with a devilish grin.

  “Oh, this night just keeps getting better and better. You drive, and I will talk,” she said, opening the car door and getting in. “I live right up the road about ten miles ahead.”

  Matthew didn’t know what to make of her as she just instructed him to drive her home, like she owned him and everything around her. He knew one thing though. Her legs went all the way up, and damn she smelled good.

  “Your wish is my command,” he said, putting the car into drive.

  * * * *

  Michael spent the next hour searching the festival for Rachael, but she was nowhere to be found. Walking around, he did find Henry with a girl, and he just shook his head. Figuring she went home, Michael walked to his car, and he was about to get in when Chris walked over to him, perplexed.

  “Chris.”

  “Michael,” he replied.

  “Something on your mind, Chris?”

  “Thought you should know that Rachael walked home.”

  “You let her walk home?” Michael said, slamming the car door, walking toward Chris angrily.

  “I couldn’t stop her, if that’s what you’re asking,” Chris said, taking a step back. Michael stood there for a second and walked back to his car and soon left a trail of dust behind him. He made it to the R & R Ranch in no time at all, and when he pulled into the drive he slammed on the brakes and skidded to a stop in front of the house. Cursing, he got out and slammed the door.

  * * * *

  Rachael and Matthew were sitting on the couch in her living room drinking brandy, as she talked about Michael, the cattle drive, how she still needed men, everything. For some reason unknown to her, she found herself opening up and spilling her whole life story to this man.

  Matthew knew from listening to her that she was smitten with his baby brother, and it kind of aggravated him. It had been a longtime Armstrong tradition between the boys. Whenever there was a pretty girl in sight, the fight was on. And right now, Michael had the lead. He listened attentively as her soft lips talked about everything, and he showed concern when needed, laughed on cue, and offered advice where he thought she could use it. He was enamored with her, thinking to himself, I have got to at least try. She is too damn beautiful for my ugly brother. She deserves better. But I can’t, I shouldn’t. To hell with it, she isn’t married to him yet. May the better brother win! Mattie is here to have a little fun. The thought of getting his brother’s goat was surely too easy to admit, and a little fun.

  “So now you know how I know Michael.”

  Matthew took another sip of his brandy and said, “You like him, don’t you?”

  “What does that have to do with the price of wheat?” she said, getting up and pacing the living room. Matthew smiled, thinking to himself, Oh, this is going to be fun.

  “Rachael. Let me assure you that Michael is always on the level. What you see is what you are going to get. But, darlin’, when a woman enters the picture, Michael can be…well let’s just say…stupid!”

  “Matthew, please. That isn’t the point.”

  “Call me Mattie. Everyone does,” he said, but he thought, Call me anything you want, just let me wrap those legs around my waist.

  “Matthew. I have a problem, and now with you here, I don’t see this getting resolved anything soon. I see this turning into a swap meet.”

  “Darlin’, please, let me assure you. I will be on my best behavior. I can work this ranch just as good as Mikie, and sometimes better. Now that I am here, I want to help with the cattle drive. I am sure you can use the extra hand.”

  Rachael smiled and looked at him. Yes, he was devilishly good-looking. Besides the blond hair, he was the spitting image of Michael. But there was something about him that she just couldn’t pinpoint. He was too coy, too smooth. She liked him, yes, but she had a feeling that he had an agenda. She took another drink of her brandy and sat back down on the sofa.

  “Okay, fine. Yes, I do need the extra help. With yours and Michael’s ranch experience, I would be crazy to turn you away. You can stay, but not here. You either stay with Michael or find a place in town. The bunkhouses are for the young boys,” she said, looking at him, “and so we are crystal clear….there will be no fighting between the two of you. He is the older brother. I expect you to respect Michael’s decisions and follow his lead. I don’t want any pissing contest. Is that clear?” she said firmly.

  Matthew smiled, “Got it, boss lady.”

  “F
ine, we have a deal then,” she said, extending her hand to shake his, but when she did, Matthew saw his big brother out of the corner of his eye, and the devil within him couldn’t help himself. He leaned in and kissed her.

  * * * *

  Michael was already livid as he walked into the house. He cursed Chris for making her walk home. He wanted to ring that man’s neck, but his train of thought snapped as he entered the living room.

  Mother…fucker! There on the couch with Rachael was his brother. That rat bastard has his lips planted on her.

  He was going to kill him.

  All bets were off.

  The line had been drawn.

  Let the bodies fall where they may. Tonight… Matthew Thomas Armstrong was going to die!

  “You son of a bitch!” he yelled as he lunged for his brother.

  “Oh shit!” Mattie said, removing himself from Rachael.

  Rachael quickly moved out of the way as Michael grabbed Matthew around the shoulders and lifted him off the couch, throwing him to the ground. His hands quickly found themselves wrapped around Matthews’s throat as his grip tightened.

  “I am going to kill you!” he shouted, choking his brother. Matthew smiled and lifted his leg, throwing Michael over him. He quickly got up and started backing away. “Now, Mikie, it’s not what you think…you calm down, you hear me.”

  “You better call Mom and tell her where you want to be buried,” he said as he lunged for him once again. Grabbing Matthew, Michael threw him into the china hutch that was against the wall, watching it smash into a thousand pieces. Matthew grabbed ahold of Michael and tackled him to the ground. The two men started throwing punches and tearing up Rachael’s living room.

  Michael was about to take another swipe at his brother’s pretty nose, when they both heard the shot. Looking toward the noise, they both saw Rachael standing at the front door with a double-barrel shotgun pointed at the both of them.

  “Now, if you two boys are done…get out!” she shouted, holding the front door open. The two men got up and dusted themselves off and walked toward the front door.

  “Sorry, Rachael,” Matthew said, smiling walking out the door.

  “Rachael…” Michael started to say, but Rachael interrupted him.

  “Go home, Michael, and take care of those cuts.”

  She watched the two men leave, and when she shut the door, she leaned against it and just laughed.

  * * * *

  “What the hell are you doing here, Mattie?” Michael asked as they walked into his small kitchen. Matthew walked to the fridge and grabbed a couple of beers, throwing one to Michael, and sat on the counter. “Mom wrote me. She told me that I needed to get my butt to Texas. So here I am.”

  “What did she tell you?”

  “Nothing much, just that the old man was at it again, and he had information on Henry. So are you going to be as cryptic as her, or are you going to tell me why I had to fly to the hottest state in the US to help my big brother. But please, first tell me how did you ever get that scrumptious creature to like that ugly face of yours?”

  “She shouldn’t have called you. I can handle this. And stay away from Rachael,” he said, taking a drink.

  “Sure you can, brother. By the way, if you so much as scratched one inch of this pretty face, you’re going to need a doctor!” he said, getting up looking for a mirror. Michael sat at the table and watched Matthew search the kitchen for something to look at himself in.

  “You idiot, the bathroom is down the hall,” Michael said, looking at him. Matthew just smiled and walked by him, slapping him upside the head. “Who you calling an idiot, salesman!” Michael got up quickly, but Matthew was already down the hall.

  Michael grabbed himself another beer from the fridge and turned to find Henry walking in the back door.

  “Are you just now getting home?” Michael asked, looking at his watch.

  “Dad, it’s only ten.”

  “You have branding in the morning.”

  “And you have a nice fat lip. Rachael hit you?” He smiled, sitting down.

  “Shut up, Henry,” Michael said, annoyed.

  “Hey, Mikie, where is the peroxide. All I could find is rubbing alcohol,” Matthew said, walking into the kitchen with arms loaded down with medical supplies.

  “Uncle Matthew!” Henry stood up and walked over to give his uncle a hug. Matthew dropped everything on the table and grabbed the boy into a bear hug.

  “Hey, half-pint, how in the hell have you been?”

  “Can’t…breathe…” Matthew laughed and put the boy down, patting him on his back as Henry tried to catch his breath.

  “Damn, Mikie. What are you feeding this boy? He has gotten big,” he said, taking the beer out of Michael’s hand. He soon found a seat at the table and started doctoring his wounds with a cold beer and antibiotic ointment. Michael just stood by the fridge and opened it, grabbing another beer. Hoping this time he could finish it.

  “What brings you this far north, Uncle Matthew?” Henry asked, opening the gauze for him. “Gram didn’t say you would be coming.”

  Matthew and Michael both caught on to the emphasis of the word “you” from Henry’s mouth. They both looked at each other and turned to the boy, who had a huge grin across his face. As if sharing one brain, they both asked in unison, “Who did she say was coming?”

  “She said Uncles Mark, Mitchell, and Marcus would be here on Tuesday,” he said and then looked at his father. “Dad, why is Gram sending your brothers here?”

  Michael and Matthew both looked at each other and sighed. Michael didn’t even bother to take another drink. He just handed his beer to Matthew and went to go get another one.

  Chapter 8

  The ranch was bustling by the time Rachael made her way outside. She noticed Michael’s car, along with Henry’s truck, and there parked next to it was the blue BMW. She just shook her head and walked toward the stables.

  “Mystic!” she yelled as she entered the barn, running toward the back stall where smoke was billowing out of. She grabbed the hose and tried to turn the water spigot, but it wouldn’t budge. As she ran to find help, the stable doors closed, trapping her inside. The fire caught and soon. The barn was engulfed in flames.

  She was trapped.

  * * * *

  Michael and Matthew were out near the corral when Kenny shouted into the walkie-talkie. “Fire in the stables!” All hands within hearing range jumped on their horses and headed back toward the house. Matthew and Michael were accomplished riders and soon took the lead riding for hell and fire.

  They arrived to find the stable fully engulfed in flames.

  “The damn stable door is shut! Get it open and get those horses out!” Matthew yelled. Michael and the boys were already at the door, and within seconds they had them opened. The boys quickly ran to the stalls, each removing the horses in record time. As Michael went to grab Mystic, he found Rachael lying under the horse, unconscious.

  “Matthew, your bag!” Michael shouted. He picked up Rachael and threw her over his shoulder, giving Mystic a hard slap on the rear, moving toward the stable door. Michael had her outside and on the ground as Matthew ran back over and took control.

  “Mikie, CPR. She isn’t breathing,” Matthew shouted. He was looking in his bag, as Michael did as he was told. Finding what he was looking for, he grabbed her arm and stuck the syringe into it. Together the two brothers took turns pumping her chest and breathing into her mouth. Matthew, having had enough of that shit already, balled up his fist and slammed it down on her chest. The force shook her body, and when Michael breathed another breath into her lungs, she started coughing.

  “About damn time,” Matthew said, frustrated. “Henry, go get some water.”

  “Michael…” she tried to talk.

  “You’re okay, honey. Everything’s going to be okay,” he answered.

  “The door…someone…the…” she managed to say before she passed out.

  “We need to get her into the
house. I need to check her properly,” Matthew said, standing, grabbing his bag, and heading toward the house. Michael picked her up and carried her into the house and up to her room, with Matthew on his heels.

  Michael was sitting at the table when Matthew came down looking like crap.

  He walked over and took the beer from Michael’s hand and took a drink.

  “How is she?” Michael asked.

  “She is sleeping. I gave her a sedative. She will be out for the rest of the day.”

  “Matthew, thank you.”

  “No problem, Mikie,” he said, taking another drink. “Did you hear what she said?”

  “Yeah, I heard. Everyone heard. The boys are out scouring the ranch for anyone that might still be around, but I doubt they find anyone,” he said, getting up and walking to look out the back door.

  “Michael. What the hell is going on?” Matthew asked.

  “He knows, Mattie.”

  “How? We have all been careful. How did he find out?”

  “I don’t know but he knows.”

  “Shit. Maybe we should get him out of here.”

  “I thought of that already. It won’t work. He won’t go.”

  “So Mom figures by getting us all together that we can stop him?”

  “I guess.”

  “About the fire…has he tried anything else?”

  “Yeah, but nothing like this, though. At first it was stupid minor shit, but two days ago she was out at the pond for a swim. Mattie, he cut up her cattle and put the carcasses in the pond. She almost drowned. He isn’t going to quit, is he? He is going to kill everyone to get him.”

  “Over my dead body, Mikie. He will have to kill us all before we let that happen. I guess I got here just in time, looks like the fun is about to begin,” he said, finishing the beer and heading back upstairs to check on Rachael.

  * * * *

  Knowing the rest of the Armstrong clan was descending, Michael went into town for some supplies. He couldn’t help but smile at the thought of having his brothers around once again. Whenever there was a need, his brothers all banded together. There was nothing they wouldn’t do for each other. The last time they had all been to together was three years ago, when Mitchell was in an automobile accident with two broken legs. For two months the brothers nagged, picked, pushed, and fought with each other. It was Mitchell who had finally had enough and kicked them all out.