When All My Dreams Come True (20 page)

B
obbie rode along the north range at Jace’s request, a surprise considering how protective he’d been lately. Maybe his trust of her had finally grown. But the cattle had to be checked, and someone needed to see how the calving was going. Leading Mack around the outskirts of the range before moving inward, she thought Jace would be pleased with her report. Many of the cows had already birthed, and their young looked healthy. Spring could be a tough time for calving. The good news would be most welcome. And soon, another round of branding would begin.

As Bobbie circled Mack around a cluster of pine trees, the sun dipped toward the western ridge. Tall scrubs dotting the rocky ground loomed overhead casting long shadows across her path. She slowed so Mack wouldn’t step in a hole. As she dodged between the pines and wove in and through the trees, she noticed something large and dark nearby. A familiar chill moved through her.

Bobbie pulled out her rifle and dismounted. She took a slow turn all around, keeping Mack between her and where she looked. Seeing no movement, she headed toward the cow. This one bore the same strange brand markings as the first cow they had found tied to a tree a couple months earlier.

A quick scout around the area revealed the remains of a campfire,
one that looked recent, but nothing more of any consequence. She returned to Mack and the branded cow, all the while feeling as if a pair of eyes bored into her.

She untied the rope from the tree and led the cow to Mack before heading for home. Halfway there, she came upon another cow, this one having trouble calving. The cow lifted her head and then let it fall back down.

With another quick glance around, Bobbie dismounted and walked around the cow, groaning at the job she knew needed to be done. After retying the branded cow to a tree and retrieving a rope, she placed her lasso around the cow’s horns before looping her end around the saddle horn. Then she pushed Mack back to tighten the rope. No sense taking a chance on the mother getting a burst of energy and trying to get up, although she looked too weak to attempt such a move. Bobbie stepped behind the cow and saw the calf’s head near the opening.

She’d assisted a calving once before and wasn’t thrilled at the prospect of doing it again. She squatted down, took a deep breath, and plunged her arm in next to the calf. She felt around for anything that might be blocking its progress and found the cord wrapped around the calf’s front legs. After a bit of struggle, she finally managed to pull one leg free, allowing the other to move more easily. She grabbed the calf behind the ears, braced herself by placing her boots against the mother, and pulled.

At first, she didn’t seem to be making any progress. Frustration mounted when her slick hands kept slipping from the calf. She rose to get another rope, looped it around the calf’s legs, and tugged. The calf came sliding out, throwing her backward with the calf almost on top of her. She wiped as much of the slime from the calf’s nose as she could before she wiped it from herself. She took off her neckerchief and rubbed on his chest while she tickled his nose with her other hand. After a moment the calf gave a sneeze as it struggled to lift its head.

“Well, hello, little one. Welcome to the world.” She couldn’t help
but smile. A glance at the mother told her it was gone. She hated this part of the job.

She retrieved the branded cow and tied it to the saddle, then pulled the blanket from behind the cantle. After wrapping the cover around the calf, she laid it over her saddle before mounting. A tiny shudder rippled through her body at the thought of the slime still clinging to her clothes. A bath—as soon as she got home.

Stares and then smiles from the other hands greeted her as she rode onto the ranch site. Coop opened his mouth to say something. She put up her hand.

“No comments, Coop.” She handed the calf to him and the rope tied to the branded cow to Sonny. “I’m going for a bath!”

“What do you want me to do with this calf?” Coop said.

Jace came out of the barn. “My goodness, Bobbie, what happened to you?”

She glanced at the calf in Coop’s arms. “You lost a cow but gained a calf.”

“You had to pull that calf?” He sounded shocked, but a smile spread across his face.

“Don’t you start laughing too. If I didn’t know better, I’d almost think you knew about that cow and sent me out to help her. I thought you’d be able to feed it from your milking cows.”

Jace’s eyebrows rose. “And who do you think will want to do that?”

“Beans.”

“If you want him to do it, you ask him yourself. I’m not going to. I value my head.”

She made a low growling sound in her throat and took the calf from Coop. She shook her head at the two of them, walked to the chow hall, and entered the kitchen. The men followed her to the doorway but no farther.

Beans turned and saw her. “Get that thing out of my kitchen!”

She rushed out and put the calf in Coop’s arms. “I’ll be right back.” Several minutes later, she came out feeling as if she’d just faced down a bull and won. Beans followed on her heels carrying a bottle. She grabbed the calf again and headed toward the barn, this time with everyone trailing behind and Beans at her side. She laid the calf on some bedding in a stall.

“Whenever you need help, Beans, you just ask me. I’ll help raise this little orphan.”

He stroked the calf’s head, his calloused hands surprisingly gentle.

“But right now, I’m going for a bath.”

Jace walked with her to the house. “How’d you get Beans to agree to feed that calf?”

“That’s between Beans and me.”

“Come on, Bobbie. I may need to use your technique one day.”

She stopped at the threshold, this time a full smile on her face. “I’ll never tell because I may need it for
you
one day.” She laughed at the look on his face as she headed in to prepare a bath. She hadn’t taken many steps before she turned and said, “While I’m cleaning up, Jace, you need to take a look at that other cow I brought to the barn. Someone left you another message.”

Jace stayed up late trying to decipher the markings on the cow. He’d never seen the like before—except for his Double K brand intermingled amongst the others. Frustration rode him hard, but he tried to push it away.

The next morning, he sent his men out to scout the ranch for any other cattle while he headed out to question his neighbors. It’d been two weeks since he’d talked with any of them. The idea that he was the only one facing the problem troubled him. Even Lyle Phipps, the neighbor he didn’t know well, thought it odd and had promised
to help in any way he could. The sheriff had wired the town Lyle came from and received nothing but praise about the man. Jace no longer suspected him.

He rode up to Hank Willet’s house first since he lived the closest. The smug look on the man’s face as he descended the porch steps made Jace wish he’d waited to visit with Hank.

“I thought I’d be seeing you soon, boy, what with all the stealing going on. Come on inside and we’ll discuss how much your ranch is worth.” Hank turned on his heel and headed back up the steps.

“I’m not here to sell the ranch.”

Hank spun back around. “Then what do you want?”

“I’m checking with all the ranchers to see if they’ve started having any problem with their cattle.”

“There’s not a rancher around these parts that hasn’t heard about your troubles. We’ve always thought you were too young. This is a man’s job.”

“I’m not here to discuss my age or capabilities. I just wanted to know if you’ve had any problems.”

“No. I have things well in hand. We all do. Not a single rancher has complained about troubles, except you. But then, you’re no rancher, are ya, boy?”

Jace gritted his teeth, turned his horse, and headed to the next ranch.

“I’ll see you around,
boy
.”

Hank’s laughter followed him like a dark cloud. The man wanted his ranch, of that there was no doubt. He made it clear each time they met. How far would Hank go to get it? The thought hounded him the remainder of the day and clung to him during the evening meal, dampening his appetite. He was thankful his family didn’t question him about his silence.

A knock on the front door interrupted the end of their meal. Pete rose to answer and returned with Sheriff Thomas.

Jace stood and shook his hand. “Good evening, Morgan. What
brings you out here tonight? Did you find out anything about my cattle? Anyone seen them or the brand show up?”

Morgan looked uncomfortable as he stood in the kitchen, his eyes zeroing in on Bobbie. “I have some business to discuss with Bobbie here.”

All eyes shifted to Bobbie, and Jace saw a look of surprise cross her face.

The sheriff shuffled his feet. “You may want to do this in private, Bobbie.”

She looked around at all the faces in the room. “These are my friends, Morgan. Whatever you have to say to me can be said in front of them.”

Morgan appeared to give that some thought and then nodded. “Fine.”

Annie rounded up the two children and hustled them into the living room. Morgan found a place at the table, and Annie returned to her seat.

Morgan leaned forward and rested his arms on the table. “I waited until tonight to do this because I really didn’t want to come out here about it. But my deputy wouldn’t leave me alone, telling me that it was my duty to come and check it out. I finally had to agree.”

“Check what out, Morgan?” Pete said. “You’re not making much sense.”

The sheriff took a deep breath. “You’re a suspect in all the bank robberies, Bobbie.”

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