Spits of rain landed on her as she settled into the saddle. AJ shifted and picked up the reins, urging Ace forward. She didn’t have all day and, by the looks of things, the sky was getting ready to burst wide open. Travis would have to catch up.
And he did. Minutes later the thunder of hooves indicated Travis and Midnight were at her side.
“What? You couldn’t wait?”
Annoyance marred his face and AJ struggled not to laugh. Travis Maxwell did not like to be bested.
“The clocking is ticking. It’s about to pour and I still haven’t made it to see that cattle of yours.”
“Northwest pasture. See that big oak tree out there?”
“Yes.”
“That’s your landmark. Veer right.”
It took her a moment to realize why he was giving her directions. By then he and Midnight were racing toward the tree, leaving her and Ace literally in the dust.
“That was a false start if ever there was one,” she called after him.
Travis’s laughter rode on the wind, only encouraging AJ to lean forward in the saddle and spur Ace into the gray dawn. Rounding the massive oak tree, she closed the gap between them. Straight ahead in the distance, on a small grassy knoll, the silhouette of the cattle came into view.
“You’re not too bad in the saddle,” he observed when she caught up. His face was without expression as he narrowed his eyes in assessment.
“I told you in the interview. I was raised on a horse.”
“People say a lot of things in interviews. Ask Rusty.”
AJ jerked back slightly at the comment and pinned him with her gaze, but he had tipped his hat back to look at the sky.
“Uh-oh,” Travis murmured. “Here it comes.”
He was right. Fat drops turned into sheets of rain in a heartbeat. AJ pulled the folded square of clear slicker from her pocket, shook it out and slipped the plastic over her head.
“Got another one of those in your pocket?”
“No. Sorry. I didn’t think—”
“That’s okay. I won’t melt, but just to be sure, let’s duck under the oak tree. That canopy will help some.”
She turned Ace around and followed Travis beneath the stretching arms of the massive tree. For moments they sat in silence as water fell in constant beats onto the hard red clay. The greedy ground drank until full, then the water began to overflow, running downhill in winding rivulets around the horses’ hooves and over the roots of the oak.
Her father called sudden downpours like this “toad stranglers.”
“What’s that sound?” Travis asked moments later. He inched Midnight forward and peered through the curtain of rain.
“Thunder?”
“No. Sounds like a truck bouncing over the ground.” He continued to search the landscape. “But there’s no road out here.”
“Travis, look. Over there. You’re right. It is a truck, coming up on the other side of your steers from the woods.”
“Sure is. A truck and a trailer.” He released a breath. “Cattle rustlers. Must have cut the fence and come around the lodge.”
“You have fifteen head. Why would anyone take a risk for so few cattle?”
“They’re worth a bit over a thousand dollars each at market, that’s why.” He pulled up the collar of his jacket and lifted the reins. “Whoever those rustlers are, they surely know we’re easy pickings out here.”
“Are your calves tagged or hot branded?”
“Tagged. And, yeah, I know that doesn’t stop rustlers. They remove the tag. I was hoping we wouldn’t have to hot brand.”
“No cameras out here?”
“Cameras are in the budget for this year. Add that to your list.”
“My list?”
“Yeah, of all the things I’ve let slide because I haven’t had reliable help.”
“What are we going to do right now?”
Travis pushed his hat low on his ears. “The only thing we can do. Save the stock.”
“What if they’re armed?”
“I can’t let them walk onto our land and take my cattle, can I?”
“You can call the Timber police.”
“Chief Daniels and his two-man police posse? Seriously? It’s Sunday. If I call now, I’ll get dispatch and she’ll tell me that they’ll be out here to take a report later.” He shook his head. “No one is going to miss church for my little herd. If I want to save the cattle program that we haven’t even launched yet, I have to act.”
Overhead the clouds crashed, punctuating his words. The sound was followed by a crooked fork of yellow and pink light that flashed across the sky, illuminating everything for a brief moment. Midnight balked at the sound and Ace reared up, side-stepping in distress.
“Easy, Ace,” AJ crooned, doing her best to soothe the animal.
“Can it get any better than this?” Travis muttered. “We’re under a tree, in a lightning storm, while my cattle are being stolen.”
Once again, thunder was chased by a shock of electricity that split the sky. Ace kicked her hind legs, offering a loud, agitated whinny before she bucked and took off.
“Whoa!” AJ reached for the saddle horn, holding tight and fighting for control as the mare stampeded in a path straight toward the rustlers.
One more crash of noise had Ace spinning around and changing direction in a mad frenzy. AJ slid helplessly to the ground and landed with a thud and a splash right in a puddle.
“AJ,” Travis yelled, concern lacing his voice. He jumped from Midnight and was by her side in an instant.
Disgusted, AJ waved a muddy hand in gesture. “I’m fine. I slid and landed on my backside. Go get your rustlers.”
Travis laughed. “You scared them away. They backed up, circled around and disappeared through the trees and out the same way they got in.”
“Did you get a look at the truck pulling that trailer?” she asked.
“Dark-colored pickup, maybe black or brown.”
“Or burgundy?”
“Hard to tell. Raining too hard.” The sky flickered with lightning as she spoke.
“Was it a Ford?”
“I told you it was raining too hard. The only thing I know for certain is that the truck is covered in mud.” He swiped at the water on his face and looked at her. “You recognize the vehicle?”
AJ hesitated. Was it Jace’s burgundy pickup truck? Surely her stepbrother wasn’t that reckless. She couldn’t be sure and she wasn’t going to point the finger without more proof.
“It’s raining too hard to be sure,” AJ answered. She positioned her palms on the ground and tried to gain traction; instead she slipped on the slick mud.
Travis put his arm around her. “Let me help you.”
“I’ve got it.” She moved from his touch, struggling to a standing position. “Where’s Ace?”
“That horse is way smarter than we are. She’ll be back at the stables before we arrive, I imagine.”
“How am I going to get back?”
“You’ll have to ride with me.”
“No way. I’m covered with mud.” She eyed him. And no way was she sharing a saddle with Travis. Her peace of mind couldn’t handle being that close to the man.
Scooping up the stallion’s reins with one hand and the saddle horn with the other, Travis mounted Midnight. Reaching down to AJ, he held out a hand. “Come on. We’ll grab the Ute and fix that fence. Then we’re going to have to move the cattle closer to the barn until I can get someone to work night shift.”
“You don’t have enough wranglers to work day shift.”
“Thanks for pointing out the obvious.”
“Aren’t you at least going to report this when we get back?”
“I’m not calling Chief Daniels out to the ranch on a Sunday to tell him that we almost got rustled
and that we can’t identify the vehicle much less the thieves.”
“You’re embarrassed?”
“Yeah, I am. I’ll stop by and file a report on Monday.” He glanced at the sky. “Looks like most of the fireworks in the sky have died down.” Again he offered a hand.
“I’ll walk.”
“I’m not going to argue with you while water drips down my back. Let’s go.”
“Fine.” AJ took his hand and let him hoist her up into the saddle. She sat stiffly as he reached around her for the reins.
“Are you comfortable?” Travis asked.
“Absolutely not,” she murmured.
Travis burst out laughing. “Relax,” he said close to her ear.
Relax? Not likely when she was a hairbreadth away from Travis Maxwell. Day two on the job and she’d lost her horse, was covered in mud and sitting in the saddle with her boss, smack dab in the middle of a pasture waiting for lightning to strike them.
He shall direct thy paths.
The verse danced through her head as Travis Maxwell directed the stallion back to the stables.
* * *
AJ gently pulled up the reins on Gus and moved closer to the top of the McAlester Ranch pasture. It had been a long day.
Once she and Travis had finished with the cattle, she’d gotten cleaned up and headed to church. Barely sneaking in the doors on time, she’d spied Travis across the crowded chapel and he’d offered a nod as he sat with his sisters and their families. She’d tried to resist but was unable to stop peeking at the Maxwells.
It had been a very long time since she’d sat in a church pew with family. AJ pushed away the gut-clenching sadness and instead focused on the prairie grassland before her that stretched as far as she could see.
She had too many things to be thankful for and that was what she needed to remember.
The sun finally poked through the clouds and began to warm her as she sat in the saddle. AJ took a deep breath and inhaled the sweet earthy scent that came after a good downpour.
A pounding of hooves had her looking south. She rubbed her eyes and blinked at the sight of a horse and rider approaching. Surely she was hallucinating. Travis Maxwell was riding her stepfather’s horse and headed in her direction.
“Just passing through?” she asked when he got closer.
“You might say that.” He grinned and pushed his hat to the back of his head. “You’d be wrong, but you might say that.”
She stared pointedly at the horse he rode. “You know, they still hang horse thieves.”
Laughter spilled from his lips and lit up his face. The effect left her a tangle of emotions, forcing her to avert her gaze.
“I am many things, but a horse thief is not on the list. Your stepfather told me to take this pretty paint.” Travis patted the gelding’s neck. “In fact, he practically begged me to. The man seemed impressed to meet me. And he never even mentioned Tulsa Now magazine.”
Her eyes widened. “Lem McAlester made you take his favorite horse?”
“Yeah.” He grinned. “’Course it didn’t hurt to find out that Lem and my mother’s cousin knew each other. He had some nice words to say about my family.”
AJ offered a harrumph.
“You know, AJ, this may come as a surprise, but lots of folks like me. Why is that so hard to believe?”
“What’s hard to believe is that you had the guts to come out here knowing Jace is gunning for you.”
“Oh, I knew your stepbrother wasn’t here.”
“How did you know that?”
“I saw him in Timber, walking into the diner with one of his cronies. When I wasn’t looking, my own truck detoured here on the way home. I saw your pickup and stopped.”
“Why?” she asked.
“I had a hunch.” His expression became serious and his gaze locked with hers. “And I think you did, too.”
“We can’t prove it was Jace this morning,” she murmured.
“Why did you come, then?”
“Same as you. I wanted to get a look at his pickup, but I missed him.” She released a frustrated breath. “Do you think it was him?”
“Doesn’t matter what I think. As you said, we can’t prove a thing. The only thing I’m sure of is that he won’t get a second chance to mess with my cattle.”
“I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact it could be Jace.”
“Then you don’t know your stepbrother like you think you do. I’ve seen him in action more than once. Foolhardy, out of control and spiteful.”
“I understand why he’s mad at me.” She looked at Travis. “Why is he out to get you?”
“Oh, the usual. A bronc and a woman. It was a long time ago.”
A woman? AJ tried to process that information. She glanced at his profile, unsettled at the notion that he’d had a woman important enough to fight over.
“Jace is playing a dangerous game of revenge,” Travis said with a shake of his head.
“Poor Lem. He has no idea.”
“Should you tell him?”
“I can’t be the one.”
“You might want to rethink that decision.” He glanced around. “What are you doing here anyhow?”
“I thought I may as well give my horse a workout while Jace was gone.”
“That’s Gus, huh?” He nodded toward the blue roan. “Beautiful horse.”
AJ smiled and patted the gelding’s neck.
“I told you I’ll get him out to Big Heart.”
“I’m giving that offer some thought. The truth is, I’m not sure you’ll keep me employed long enough to make moving a horse a worthwhile proposition.”
“Trust is a two-way street, AJ.”
“Yes. So I’ve heard. Heard it when Lem promised my mother that my father’s ranch would be mine someday. Heard it when my last boss said I was on the fast track to assistant foreman. Seems like trust works well with horses but not so much with people.”
A long silence stretched and AJ dared to peek at the man sitting next to her. She followed his gaze as he turned in the saddle and scanned the lush greenery. Spring wildflowers had turned the fields to a colorful panorama. Bitterweed, sage and Indian grass were already beginning to bloom.
“So this was your spread growing up?” Travis finally asked.
“Yes,” she said, her lips curving into a smile. “Red River Ranch.”
“Where are the bison grazing?” he asked.
“Seriously?” she scoffed. “Jace is about as open-minded as you are when it comes to sustainability and innovation in ranching.”
“Ouch. That hurt.”
She didn’t answer.
“Looks like those fences could use some attention,” he said with a nod to the sagging wire and rotting posts.
“Everything around here could use some attention. This place never looked like this when my daddy was alive or when I was taking care of things.” She shook her head. “I probably should come out and help Lem with the fences, instead of riding Gus.”
“Maybe Jace should be helping with the fences.”
“Not going to happen anytime soon. He’s headed to Tulsa for the night. Lem says Jace is going to buy cattle on Monday.”
Travis slapped his hand on his thigh. “Which is exactly what you and I are going to do tomorrow. The only difference is my fences are in good shape.”
She nodded. Lifting the reins, AJ let Gus take the lead.
“Where are you headed?” Travis asked.
“I promised Gus a ride.” She clucked her tongue. The horse complied and picked up speed. A glance over her shoulder told her Travis had, too.
“What’s your assessment of Big Heart? I mean so far?” he said when he caught up. “I guess that’s not really a fair question. Two days and you’ve seen nothing but trouble.”
“You have a fine operation at Big Heart,” she said. “You should be proud.”
“Okay, that’s the canned answer. What do you really think?”
“That is what I really think.”
“Well, I’ll call it good once I get this grant and can expand the cattle operation. Then I’ll feel like I’ve pulled my weight.”
“Is that what this is all about?” she asked, understanding dawning.
“What do you mean?”
“The whole grant thing. It’s bigger than starting a program. This is about you.”
He frowned and looked at her. “My ego is nowhere in the mix, if that’s what you’re saying. But yeah, I’ll sleep better when I’m certain I’m contributing my fair share to the ministry of Big Heart.”
“Seems to me you already are.”
“Nothing is as it seems. I’m running fifteen head. My sister Lucy handles the entire ranch staff and Emma tends to the children of Big Heart. Why, Tripp has more horses to keep track of than I have cattle.”
“Aren’t you responsible for the other livestock, as well?”
“Yeah, that’s me. Travis Maxwell—poultry, swine and goat supervisor.”
AJ tried not to smile. He could deny it, but this was all about ego.
“I can’t expand the operation without help. That’s where you come in.” He ran a hand over his face. “All I’m saying is that this project means a lot to me. I’m praying you’re going to be on board one hundred percent, because no way can I do it alone. You and I are stuck with each other for the duration.”
“I am committed, Travis. At least for ninety days.”
“Fair enough.” He nodded. “Though commitment is one thing. What I really need is your loyalty.”
Confused, she narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean?”
“You’re going to have to make a decision.” Unflinching, he met her gaze. “It’s obvious you’re still tied to McAlester Ranch.”
“That’s not true.”
“Sure it is. You’re wallowing in regret.”
She inhaled sharply as the truth of his words punched her in the gut.
“You have to decide where your loyalties are going to be. Big Heart Ranch or McAlester Ranch?” Travis straightened in the saddle. “Because everything we do from this point on is all about that grant and failure isn’t an option.”
Falling for the Cowgirl Page 5