Promise Them (The Callahan Series Book 6) (12 page)

“Do you know for sure cattle are missing?”

“Pretty sure. Friday we moved about fifty head here. I checked them again yesterday and they were fine. This morning, we couldn’t find half of them. Gordon and Joe are searching for the rest.”

“They couldn’t just disappear.”

“Could have been stolen,” Rey said as he stooped down to look at the fence.

Hearing horses, Beau looked up to see Gordon and Joe coming toward them. “We’ll find out if you’re right. Hope to hell you’re not.”

But Gordon confirmed that at least twenty-five head were missing.

“How the hell did that happen?’ Beau thundered. “Cattle rustling days are over.”

“Not really,” Rey said. “I read where more cattle are being rustled now than ever before.”

“Now why would you read up on cattle rustling?” Gordon asked with a sneer in his voice.

Rey turned to Gordon. “Probably because I’ve been reading up on ranching in general,” he snapped back.

“When did you call the sheriff?” Beau asked.

“He should be here. Said he was coming right out.”

Beau shaded his eyes, looked toward the ranch. “Does he know where we are?”

“I gave him directions,” Gordon said. “There. I think I see him.”

Sure enough, the sheriff’s cruiser bounced over the pasture until Dugan pulled up beside them.

“Hope I understood you wrong,” he said by way of greeting. “Haven’t had any rustling around here in years that I can remember.”

They shook hands all around. Beau pointed to the fence. “Looks as if someone cut the wire, got what they wanted, then put it back up.”

“How many head?” Dugan asked as he inspected the fence and the surrounding area.

“At least twenty-five,” Gordon said.

Dugan whistled. “That makes it an even bigger crime.”

“What do you mean?” Rey asked.

“If ten head or under are stolen, the thief will get about two years in the pen. Over ten, they’re likely to get ten years or more.”

“If you catch them,” Beau added.

“Yeah. There’s that. One thing’s pretty certain. There’s little hope you’ll recover your cattle. They could be in Oklahoma or Kansas by now.”

“Dammit to hell!” Beau exploded, slamming his Stetson against his leg. “Who did this? And why?”

“The why is easy. Money. And the economy. It’s an easy way to get full value for what you steal. If the thief went to your home and took a TV or jewelry or whatever, he’d have to sell it for far less than its true value. With cattle, he takes them to an auction barn and is paid what they’re worth.”

“Do they ever get caught?” Rey asked.

“More often than you think,” Dugan said. “Especially now that we have what are called Special Rangers who do nothing but track down thieves who steal livestock and equipment.”

“Are you going to call in one of these ‘Special Rangers’?” Beau asked.

“I am. But first I’m going to check the tracks on the other side of the fence.” He walked around for a while, took measurements. “From the looks of these tracks, whoever was in here either had a big diesel rig or a semi.”

“What the—?” Beau was flabbergasted. A semi on his land and no one noticed?

Dugan pulled out a digital camera and took pictures. “Looks like it might rain. I want to get all of this documented while I can,” he said.

“How long before one of these Rangers gets here?” Beau asked.

“Don’t know,” Dugan answered. “They’re spread pretty thin. There’s only about two dozen for the entire state of Texas.” He continued to measure. “I’ll need some details. What kind of cattle, break the list down to steers, heifers, and calves. I’ll need to know what breed or if they are mixed, if so what kind. Also, their coloring and size.”

“Is that all?” Beau asked, his voice mocking.

“Nope. The ranger will want to know if they were branded, had ear tags, ear markings, or anything else that can identify them.”

Beau looked at Gordon. “Can you do it?”

“I will,” Rey volunteered. “I can still see that bunch as we herded them over here. First, I’ll have to take a look at those that weren’t taken.”

“Sound mighty eager to make that list,” Gordon taunted. “Could it be because your hand is in this? Maybe you want to confuse the issue.”

Fists clenched at his sides, Rey glared at Gordon. “What does that mean?”

“What it sounds like,” Gordon said, before he turned and spit on the ground.

“You’re way off base,” Rey said, his mouth a thin line of anger.

“I’ll bet you were checking them out with that bunch of friends you were with Friday night. Bet you had that in mind the whole time. You’d know just where to go and how to get there. Besides,” he taunted. “You’re probably pissed at your old man for the reaming he gave you.”

“That’s enough, Gordon,” Beau said. “There’s no way Rey was involved in this.”

“Sometimes the truth hurts,” Gordon sneered, pulling himself into the saddle. “I’m going to count heads again.”

“Jerk,” Rey muttered.

Beau walked over to his son. “Ignore him.”

Rey wheeled on his dad. “Why did you hire such a weasel?”

“I needed someone to help run the ranch who knew more than I did.”

“You hired the wrong guy.”

“You may be right. But we have other worries now. Like who the hell did this? Will they return and help themselves again?”

“Maybe that Special Ranger can answer your questions.”

“And maybe not,” Dugan said putting his tape in his pocket. “They don’t have a hundred percent success rate, you know.”

“Do you know what that rate is?”

“Not in percentages. But they recovered more than four million last year alone in livestock and machinery.”

“Not bad,” Beau stated, hoping his cattle would be in the recovered column.

As Dugan started back to his vehicle, he warned, “You’ll need to take precautions now. With such easy pickings, they may try again.”

“Or try other ranches,” Rey added.

“Right. I’ll call Donovan and let the other ranchers in the area know what happened. Everyone needs to be more vigilant.”

Joe, who had been silent the whole time, spoke up. “I’m sorry this happened, Boss.”

“Not your fault.”

“I know, but it’s a bad thing.”

“One of the worst,” Dugan agreed as he climbed into his cruiser. “I can only hope it’s the last in the area. We’re not equipped to handle this on our own. I’ll contact Nolan Murdock, the Ranger for our district. He’s young, but smart. I just hope he’s available. I’ll let you know.”

They watched him leave.

“I hope this Murdock guy is free,” Beau said.

“So do I,” Rey added. “I’m going to look at the cattle that are left. Then, if it’s okay with you, I’d like to take Joe and do a search of the entire ranch. It’s possible they just wandered off.”

“Possible, but not likely. Still, it’s a good idea.”

He watched as the two young men jumped into their saddles and took off. Such energy. It made him feel like an old man.

“Let me know what you find,” he yelled at their retreating backs.

Rey lifted an arm in answer.

Thinking he might check cattle himself, Beau started a slower loop of the ranch. It would take him the rest of the day. He hadn’t had a minute to look into getting help for Lela.

Maybe Nell could recommend someone.

The thought of Nell brightened his dismal day.

Chapter Twelve

Nellie put the last dish in the dishwasher just as the phone rang. It was Dugan, and he wanted to talk to Donovan. Donovan was out on the ranch, and Dugan didn’t have time to make another call so she took the message. “Donovan needs to know that rustlers hit the Chandler ranch last night.”

Nellie gasped. “No. How many cattle were taken?”

“Twenty-five or so. Tell Donovan to be alert. We don’t know if a gang is operating in the area or if it’s a one-time thing.”

“I will. Is everything else all right?”

“Fine. I have to go. The other ranchers in the area need to be aware of what’s going on.”

“Thanks, Dugan. Give the family my love.”

Dropping the phone in its cradle, Nellie found the nearest chair and sat down.

“What’s wrong?” Phyl asked.

“That was Dugan. Rustlers took about twenty-five head of Beau’s cattle last night.”

Phyl, who had been cleaning out the refrigerator, dropped everything to come and sit beside Nellie. “I don’t believe it. What does Dugan think? Should we do something to protect our herd? Don’t answer that. Of course he doesn’t know. Is he calling in one of the Special Rangers?”

“I didn’t think to ask. But I’m sure he will.”

“This is terrible. How can we protect our property? We can’t afford to hire guards, even if it would only be for night duty. Neither can any of the other ranchers in the area.” Her brow wrinkled as she tried to think.

Nellie reached over to her daughter-in-law to lay a hand on her arm. “Don’t worry, Phyl, Donovan will think of something. Let’s give him a call on his cell phone.”

“No. I’m going to ride out and tell him the bad news. I know Donavan. He’ll want to gear up for a possible theft and have a million things to do. I can help.”

“Of course.” Nellie understood. She rose, went to check the oven. “I’ll take one of these pies over to Lela when they’re done. This is a terrible thing to happen to anyone, much less a neighbor.”

“I’ll bet you won’t be the only one bringing something to the Chandler ranch today. I’ll let you know if I’ll be back or not.”

“Thanks, Phyl.” Maybe it was a southern thing, or maybe a Texas one. But when a neighbor was in trouble, neighbors gathered around. Most brought food.

It wasn’t long before the phone rang again. It was Phyl calling from her cell phone. “Donovan wants to move the cattle that are anywhere near a boundary fence line into the center of the ranch. Some, he’s moving closer to the barn. It will make it harder for anyone to get to them. Not impossible, but more difficult.”

“Did he call Beau?” Nellie asked.

“First thing. Told him to do the same.”

“I’ll take Susie with me. I won’t be long.”

“I’m sorry, but it’s going to be a long day.”

“Don’t worry about it. You have work to do.”

The day was overcast with rain predicted. Nellie didn’t see how, even with Phyl, Mark, and young Jimmy, that Donovan could move so many cattle in one day. But then, she didn’t know how many were already in Donovan’s safe area.

And Beau? Could he protect the rest of his herd? Could any of the ranchers? This was a terrible thing. Only once in all the time she’d lived on the ranch had there been an episode of cattle rustling. That rustler was caught almost immediately. If her memory served her, the man wanted a calf to slaughter to feed his family. When Ed Clark, the sheriff at that time, found out the circumstances, he convinced the judge to give the man a suspended sentence and found him a job.

That was then. Times seemed simpler. Not like now.

With five-year-old Susie in the back seat, Nellie pulled up to Beau’s back door and for a moment just sat there, doing her best to quell the slight shake in her hands.

Ridiculous. Beau was out tending his herd, just as Donovan was. She wouldn’t see him. Told herself she didn’t want to.

“Let me out, Gran,” Susie said.

“Coming.”

She helped Susie to the ground, picked up the pie, took a deep breath, and went to the back door.

Lela opened it, a smile creasing her face when she saw them.

“What a nice surprise.”

“I hope we’re not bothering you.”

“This is a treat. With Mr. Beau out working, it gets lonely around here.” She reached down and gave Susie a hug.

They walked into the kitchen and once more Nellie admired the renovations. “I brought over a pecan pie.”

“How nice of you. Have a seat. I just made a pot of coffee. Susie, would you like a glass of apple juice?”

“I love apple juice.”

“Good.” Lela went to get it.

“Only for a minute.” Nellie wanted to drop the pie and run. What if Beau came in? Could she keep up her charade? But Nellie sat on the stool at the island and accepted the cup handed her. “I’m so sorry about the cattle. I know how it feels to lose what you’ve worked so hard for, much less spent time and money on.”

“What cattle?”

“I’m sorry. I thought you knew. Rustlers took some of Beau’s cattle last night. Dugan will probably bring in a Ranger to help in the investigation.”

Lela put her head in her hands. “Poor Mr. Beau. He works so hard.”

The doorbell chimed.

“Who could that be?”

“Do you want me to go?”

“Would you? I move slow these days.”

“You’re allowed.” Nellie let her gaze sweep the rooms as she walked through. Despite her age, Lela kept everything spotless.

Nellie opened the door to see two other neighbors, their arms laden with casseroles.

“You beat us here,” Fanny Hudson said.

She and her husband owned the ranch on the other side of Beau.

“Looks as if we all had the same idea,” Jan Bellows added. “How’s Beau taking it?”

“I haven’t seen him. But I’m sure he’s upset.” Nellie led the way to the kitchen, introduced the ladies to Lela. “They’re neighbors, too.”

“We brought something over. Not much, just a tidbit to let Beau know we’re with him in this.”

“You won’t have to cook today, Lela.”

The doorbell chimed again.

“Maybe not for a few days.”

The ladies laughed.

It was an hour before Nellie could get away. By the time she left, Lela’s kitchen was overflowing with cakes, pies, and casseroles.

As she pulled onto the highway, it started to rain. If she’d stayed a little longer, she would have seen Beau.

It was better this way. Much better.

****

When the rain started, Beau called a halt to moving cattle. “We’ve done all we can for today. We’ll start again in the morning.”

Gordon headed for the bunkhouse.

“I’m going to move the herd in the west pasture. They’re vulnerable,” Rey said.

“Tomorrow,” Beau said, turning Taro toward the house.

By the time he walked into the kitchen, Beau was wet, tired, and hungry. Seeing the mounds of food on the counter, he sent a questioning glance to Lela.