“Does Uncle Matthew know what you’re up to?” Nathan asked when Jem told Ellie to whistle for Quicksilver. He chewed on his lip and scuffed the dirt. “Seems to me that branding calves is a job for grown-ups. It sounds dangerous. I’m sure Mother would not—”
“Pa never said we couldn’t brand calves,” Jem said, cinching his saddle tight. If his cousin spoiled their surprise by squealing to Aunt Rose, he’d … well … he’d find the biggest king snake in the hills and hide it in Nathan’s bed. “You know he was gonna teach us.” He turned to Chad. “How many calves have you helped brand?”
Chad looped a lasso around Prince Charming’s saddle horn. “This spring? Hundreds, maybe more. I lost count.” He looked Nathan up and down. “You don’t look like a city-raised greenhorn, but you sure talk like one. Are you game enough to give us a hand with the branding?”
“I am,” Ellie said, leading the dapple-gray horse over to the boys. “I betcha branding a calf is no more work than standing for hours in an icy-cold stream lookin’ for gold.” She peered at Chad. “Betcha I can brand a calf better than your sister, whatever-her-name-is.”
Chad grinned and yanked one of Ellie’s auburn braids. “Her name’s Kate, and we’ll see if you can do better.”
“I’m game,” Nathan agreed. He sounded only a little hesitant.
By the time they gathered their supplies and left the yard, the sun had dipped lower in the late afternoon sky. Jem gave his friend a worried look.
“We’ve got plenty of time,” Chad replied to Jem’s unspoken question.
It didn’t take long to find a small group of cows and calves. The mothers lay in the shade beneath a large, spreading oak tree, chewing their cud. Four calves frisked about. Jem kindled a small, hot fire and set the branding iron in the middle of it.
“Do you want to go after the calf or should I?” Chad asked, fingering his lasso.
From the look in his eyes, Jem knew Chad was eager to show off his roping skills. It was just as well. Jem could find every last bit of gold dust in a bucket of dirt, but what he knew about roping a calf would not fill Aunt Rose’s thimble. “You go on,” he said, before Ellie blurted the truth.
Chad grinned and loosened his rope. “I’ll rope him and drag him to the fire. As long as this fancy horse will stand still and hold the calf, we can catch him and throw him down. Easy as pie.”
Chad not only made it sound easy, he made it look easy as well. Before the cows could guess what was happening, he had maneuvered Prince Charming between one of the calves and its mama. The chase was on, but it was short-lived. On his first throw, Chad’s lasso sailed through the air and settled neatly around the calf’s neck. Chad jerked, and the rope tightened. He dallied the other end around his saddle horn and headed back.
“He’s good,” Ellie breathed in awe.
Jem didn’t answer. His mouth was hanging open.
By the time Chad dragged the protesting calf to the fire, Jem had managed to shut his mouth. But his heart gave a sudden skip. The calf looked a lot bigger up close than it did from a distance. Worse, the agitated bawling of Mama cow was getting louder—and closer.
“Hurry!” Chad waved Jem and Nathan over. Ellie had been chosen to do the actual branding. She stood by the fire, waiting for her cue.
The three boys wrestled the calf to the ground.
Ooof! Jem grunted when he hit the dirt. This was no one-week-old baby, but a much older, strong and healthy bull calf. Pa could have slapped him to the ground in a heartbeat, but Jem had all he could do to hold his own against the terrified animal. He was so busy trying to keep his share of the calf down that he barely heard Chad yell at Ellie.
Jem looked up to see Ellie standing over them, the handle of the red-hot iron clutched tightly in her hand. “What are you waiting for?” he sputtered. “Brand him!”
Too late. The cow’s angry bellows spurred the calf into one last frenzy to escape. A hind leg darted out and caught Jem in the thigh. The pain loosened his grip. Taking advantage of his partial freedom, the calf kicked harder. Nathan howled and fell away. Ellie shrieked, dropped the iron, and ran.
Jem heard sizzling and smelled burnt cloth. The next moment he felt the searing heat of the branding iron against his flailing arm.
CHAPTER 9
Aftermath
The branding iron touched Jem’s flesh for no more than a second, but the pain sent him scuttling away from the red-hot metal. His eyes watered, and he clenched his teeth to keep from yelping. His breath came in quick gasps. The shock of nearly being branded scared him as much as the stinging burn. He felt sudden compassion for the calf.
Chad sat a few feet away, dangling the now-empty rope from his hand. “I freed him just in time. Mama was headed for us at stampede speed.” He let out a long, shuddering breath. “I guess he was too much calf for us.”
Good guess, Chad! But a little late. Through watering eyes, Jem watched the calf kick up his heels and rejoin his mother. They headed back to the trees as if nothing had happened.
Nothing had happened … to the calf. Jem’s arm, however, throbbed.
Chad reached out and slipped a finger through the burnt edges of Jem’s shirt sleeve. “Looks like the wrong target got the brand.” He wasn’t smiling. “Bet it hurts like blazes.”
Jem glanced at his arm and winced. “It does.” He cracked a smile—a small one—to show Chad he could take it. “It coulda been worse. You might not have freed the calf in time. Being trampled by the cow would make my burn look like nothin’.”
“You’re right about that,” Chad agreed with a sober nod. “God gave my fingers extra speed, ’cause I was doin’ a lot of prayin’ right about then.”
“So was I,” Ellie piped up. She stood above Jem. Her tear-filled eyes looked huge and scared. “I’m sorry I dropped the iron on you, Jem.” Tears dripped down her cheeks, but she rubbed them away. “I saw that ol’ cow coming, and I just ran.”
Jem reached up and squeezed Ellie’s hand. “I’m glad you did. Can you imagine what Pa would do to me if that cow had trampled you?” He laughed. “You saved your own skin, and mine besides.”
Ellie managed a watery smile. “When you look at it that way, I reckon I did make the right choice.”
Jem looked around for the last member of their ill-fated branding team. Nathan sat just beyond Chad, with his knees bent and his head down—still as a statue. “Are you hurt?” Jem asked.
Nathan shook his head but didn’t look up. He mumbled something Jem couldn’t catch.
“What did you say?”
Nathan raised his head. His face was white. Two red spots flamed his cheeks. “I said, ‘I told you it was dangerous.’”
Jem said nothing. Neither did Chad. For another minute they sat silently, staring at the ground. Finally, Jem pulled himself to his feet and glanced at the sinking sun. “We better get home.” He took a step and winced. His right thigh ached from the kick the calf had given him; his left arm stung. “Do cowboys always hurt like this?” he asked Chad, who had risen with him.
“Yep.”
Jem limped to the fire. It had burned down to coals. He scooped up handfuls of dirt and buried what remained of the embers. Chad and Ellie helped. Dust rose in clouds. Coughing and sneezing, Jem made his way to Copper. Nathan stirred and joined Ellie on Quicksilver.
The quiet group rode their horses off the range and back to the yard. The surprise Jem wanted to give his father had turned into a near-disaster. True, Chad was an expert roper. He clearly knew how to throw a calf and hold it down. But someone should have been on horseback, keeping the cow away from her calf. Why had no one thought of that? Jem shivered at their close call.
“Maybe Pa isn’t home yet,” he said, mostly to himself.
For once, Jem hoped Pa’s sheriff duties had kept him in town long enough so Jem could put away the evidence of their failed branding attempt. He didn’t want his father to worry over what had happened. Pa had enough on his mind trying to keep order in town with the out-of-
work miners.
“Maybe he’ll say, ‘All’s well that ends well,’” Ellie said brightly. Now that the trouble was over, she seemed back to her carefree self. Jem envied her. He wished he could be as easygoing. “Nobody got hurt too bad,” she added. “Pa will figure we learned our lesson.”
I sure have, Jem told God in a quick prayer. I learned to stay far away from the working end of a hot branding iron. Next time, Pa can hold down the calf and I’ll do the branding.
If there was a next time. Please, God, let there be a next time!
By the time Jem rode Copper around to the front of the barn, his arm was screaming for attention. He wanted a cold cloth, ice from the icebox, a stream of water from the pump—anything to cool his injury and give him relief. Next to his burn, the bruise on his thigh faded to a minor annoyance.
“Look!” The catch in Ellie’s voice pulled Jem from his injuries and back to his surroundings. Three riders were coming up the driveway.
“Uh-oh,” Chad murmured.
Jem recognized two of the riders—Pa and Mr. Sterling. The other was a man Jem didn’t know. And … Uh-oh is right! Will sat behind his father on the large bay horse. He looked madder than a peeled rattler.
Chad and Jem exchanged uneasy looks. Then Chad sat up straighter in his saddle. Jem wanted to give Copper a kick and hightail it into the hills, but he sat up straight too. He gripped Copper’s reins and swallowed his panic. The branding iron hung in plain sight, tied to his saddle. It was still warm. If Pa touched it—
“Off the horses!” Pa ordered when he came within shouting range. His face was dark with either anger or frustration. Jem didn’t know which, but it didn’t matter. He flew off Copper faster even than Chad. Ellie and Nathan slipped and slid from Quicksilver’s back as one, landing on their backsides with a thunk.
Pa’s shout brought Aunt Rose running from the garden on the other side of the house. Her arms were full of carrots, and her straw sunhat flapped as she ran. “Why on earth are you shouting, Matthew?” Then she saw the boys and Ellie. “Oh, my! I didn’t realize you were home. Who is your friend?”
Jem didn’t answer. Neither did Nathan or Ellie.
Pa dismounted, walked over to Jem, and looked the horses over. His eyes focused on the branding iron, ropes, and other gear hanging from their mounts. He shook his head. “What tomfool notion has got into you, boy? Surely you’re not thinking of branding a calf!”
The stranger stepped up just then, saving Jem from answering. This must be Chad’s father. He had the same black hair and blue eyes, and he was regarding Chad with the exact same look Pa was giving Jem.
“You’ve been accused of being a horse thief, Son,” Mr. Carter said in a deep, no-nonsense voice. “That’s a serious charge.” He said nothing about the branding tools.
Chad ducked his head and stared at his boots.
Will dismounted from his father’s horse. He ran up to Chad and pointed an accusing finger at him. “I went to the barn and found my horse missing. I thought he’d been stolen. Of course Father had to report it to the sheriff. How was I supposed to know you took him?”
Jem shot Will a furious glare. “You could have taken a good guess.”
Pa crossed his arms. “Nine Toes saw the two of you parading through town earlier on the ‘stolen’ horse,” he said. “He figured you were headed this way. I’d already spent a good part of the afternoon—time I could have spent here at home—trying to help the Sterlings recover Prince Charming.”
Jem suddenly wished he’d ridden Copper home from the creek with Ellie and Nathan. “I didn’t take Will’s horse,” he insisted. “I just hitched a ride.”
Pa dropped his arms to his sides and let out a breath. “So, Ernest, the horse has been found. Do you intend to press charges against this young man?” He nodded at Chad, whose head had snapped up at the question.
Mr. Sterling’s eyebrows rose. “Of course not, Sheriff. I did, after all, open my stables to my guests. It just never occurred to me that my young visitor would take a horse and disappear without telling anyone.”
“He does that a lot,” Mr. Carter put in. He wasn’t smiling, but a twinkle came to his eyes.
“I want to press charges, Sheriff Coulter,” Will said. He stood next to Prince Charming, his face a dark scowl. “Look at my horse. He’s sweaty and filthy. Mistreated and probably ridden into the ground. At the least, I insist that—”
“Chad will curry and care for your horse, Will,” Mr. Carter assured him. Before Will could reply, the tall rancher turned to Pa. “My son has the makings of a good rancher, but he falls a bit short when it comes to thinking things through. He gets fired up about something and bang—like a pistol shot—he’s off.”
He waved a hand toward the branding gear tied to Copper’s saddle. “Thank the Good Lord we caught these youngsters before they really got themselves into a fix.”
Jem sucked in his breath and glanced at Chad. They don’t know! Chad gave him a tiny nod of understanding. Overwhelmed by his good fortune, Jem relaxed. Will’s dirty looks slid off him like water over rocks. He smiled, in spite of his burning arm. “You have a good horse, Will.”
Jem meant it. Prince Charming had stood his ground like a true cow pony today, only … Will might not like to know what his precious horse had been used for.
Will’s scowl lightened at Jem’s words. He grunted a curt thanks and mounted the paint horse. Then Mr. Carter motioned Chad to join him on his horse. Mr. Sterling thanked Pa for his help, and the ranch visitors disappeared down the drive.
Jem, Ellie, and Nathan watched them leave without a word. Aunt Rose, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly asked, “What have you three been up to?”
“Nothing!” The word exploded from them at the same time.
Jem flinched and looked at Pa. His father stood by quietly, but his eyes were busy flicking from Jem to Copper, and back to Jem again. His gaze rested on Jem’s scorched shirt sleeve, and his brow wrinkled.
Aunt Rose tapped her foot against the ground. Dust puffed out from beneath her long skirt. “You’re as jumpy as frogs on a hot griddle,” she accused them. “Might as well come clean.”
Suddenly, Pa walked over and wrapped an arm around his sister’s shoulder. “Rosie, the sun’s going down, and those carrots are wilting in this heat. Why don’t you take Ellie and Nathan inside to help with supper? I’ll give Jem a hand putting up the horses.”
Aunt Rose gave Pa a questioning look then turned and herded Ellie and Nathan toward the house.
“Come on, Jem,” Pa said when the yard was empty, “we need to talk.”
CHAPTER 10
Scavengers and Miners
Jem groaned. He snatched Copper’s reins and followed Pa and Quicksilver into the barn to put away the branding equipment and unsaddle his horse. Pa took care of the dappled horse without speaking. When he turned Quicksilver out to pasture and returned to the barn, Jem was still struggling with his saddle.
“It’s hard to care for a horse with only one good arm,” Pa remarked. He reached around Jem, lifted the heavy saddle from Copper, and put it away.
Jem nodded in defeat. His arm felt like it was still on fire, branding his flesh all over again. Why did a burn hurt so much?
Gently, Pa reached his finger through the blackened edges of Jem’s shirt sleeve and ripped it away. Jem looked down and gasped. Part of an angry-red J glared up at him from just above his elbow. Bits of the E showed as well. The burn was already blistering.
Pa shook his head. “I reckon there’s not much left to say except I’m glad it’s not worse. And I don’t mean your new ‘brand.’ You might’ve started a wildfire and burned down the range, not to mention—”
“Pa!” Jem interrupted. “I was extra careful with the fire. And Chad was there. He’s branded hundreds and hundreds of calves. Everything was going fine until …” He paused at the disappointed look on Pa’s face and ducked his head. “I’m sorry. I wanted to help out with the ranch chores more, on account of you
’ve got so much going on with the miners and Mr. Sterling, and …” His voice trailed off.
“I’m not faulting you for your good intentions, Jem,” Pa said. “But even the best intentions need a bit of common sense. Your aunt let you off chores this week because you got thumped on the head. So”—Pa let out a weary breath—“what do you do? You take on something that’s more work than all your other ranch chores put together.”
Jem had no answer. He apologized again and hoped the scolding was over. It appeared to be, until Pa said, “Rose is still having a hard time adjusting to life out here. I just got her convinced that rattlesnakes don’t sneak up through the floorboards and the cattle won’t stampede across the yard.”
Pa led Copper out of the barn. Jem stayed on his heels. “And it took all my sweet-talking to convince her that you youngsters are in no danger roaming free,” Pa finished with another sigh. He stopped and turned to look at Jem. “It might be best to spare your aunt the worry of this latest incident. I’m not sure how she’d take it if she knew.”
“Yes, sir,” Jem agreed wholeheartedly.
“If Chad and his father want to lend a hand with my scrawny calves, I won’t say no,” Pa said. He jabbed a finger in Jem’s chest. “But no more branding on your own.” He didn’t wait for a reply but headed toward the field to turn Copper loose.
“Thanks, Pa,” Jem whispered at his father’s back.
It was the mildest rebuke Jem had ever received. The scolding Pa had given Ellie and him when they played hooky from school had packed more punch than this. Jem knew why. Angry words or even a well-deserved licking couldn’t hold a candle to the price Jem had already paid for this lesson.
Jem stopped by the pump and cooled his arm under a slow trickle. It didn’t help much. Then he ducked through the back door, hoping to sneak up the ladder and into the attic for a clean shirt. He didn’t dare sit down to supper in these rags. Aunt Rose had the eyes of a—
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