Part 14 (1/2)

The men all looked at each other.

”When is Buck coming back?” Will asked.

Good question. ”He should have been back by now,” J.T. said. He had to be straight with them. If he was right, they were in danger. No cattle roundup was worth getting men killed.

”Any of you who want to leave, I understand,” he said. ”We'll round up what cattle we can this morning and then herd them down this afternoon for anyone who wants to stay.”

”What about the strays?” Nevada asked. ”There must be a good fifty head out there.”

”We'll have to leave them,” J.T. said, his mind made up. ”We head out by ten. That way we can reach the ranch by early afternoon.” Unless someone tried to stop them. He just prayed that nothing else happened between now and then.

Reggie would have to ride down. With her sprained ankle, it would make it difficult-and painful, but there was no other way. He just wished he had a horse up here that was more suitable for a rank beginner. But they would be trailing the cattle out, moving slow. And the woman had grit.

He looked at Cotton. ”You think you can ride out now?”

Cotton nodded. Clearly he just wanted away from here-and to get medical attention, even though few people died of snakebites. But J.T. knew they were painful and could make a man really sick. He didn't want to take any chances. He had a first-aid kit in the cabin, but nothing for rattlesnake bites. He hadn't thought snakes would be a problem since there weren't any poisonous snakes at this alt.i.tude.

”I'll go with him,” Slim said, sounding upset and scared.

”What about the rest of you?” J.T. asked, studying the men's faces in the lantern light. The rattlesnake hadn't been an accident. Like him, they were probably wondering who'd put it in the tent and why. Was Cotton the intended victim or one of them?

Will, Roy and Nevada looked at each other, suspicion in their expressions, but no one else appeared to be leaving.

J.T. tried to hide his relief. Part of him wanted to send them all out with Cotton, but he suspected that whoever was doing this would just be waiting up the road for him. And then there was Reggie. She had no idea what she'd blundered into. These men would have at least heard about what had happened up here nine years ago and maybe suspect it was happening again. Reggie didn't have a clue.

”Make sure Cotton gets to the ranch,” he said to Slim. ”One of my brothers will take him to the hospital from there and see that you are both paid.”

Slim nodded and glanced around the tent, his fear almost palpable. J.T. understood a healthy fear of snakes, but clearly Slim was more afraid of the men with whom he'd been sharing the tent.

J.T. watched Slim pick up both his gear and Cotton's, then duck out the tent door to go saddle their horses. Slim was practically running to get out of camp.

Is that what had happened to Luke? Had something scared him away as well? Something that reminded him of nine years ago and what had happened? But a man wouldn't leave his gear or his saddle or his horse.

J.T. glanced at his watch. ”I'll get breakfast going.” It would be light in a couple of hours and none of them would be able to get any sleep anyway. ”Thanks for staying on.”

He ducked out the tent door and walked to his own to finish getting dressed. He could hear the men rustling about in the other tent. No conversation now. They would all be leery of each other. Probably for the best, he thought. They would be watching each other like hawks, making it hard for one of them to pull another stunt like the snake.

Outside again, J.T. walked up to the corral as Cotton and Slim were getting ready to leave. He pulled Cotton aside, the one cowhand he knew and thought he could trust. ”When you get to the ranch, would you ask my father to send Cash up?”

Cotton's eyes widened a little at the mention of the sheriff's name. He nodded and glanced warily over at Slim.

”Good luck,” J.T. said, hoping neither of them needed it. As they rode away into the darkness, he fought the fear that neither of them would ever reach the ranch.

If Buck had made it that far, even if he was injured, one of J.T.'s brothers would have driven up to make sure everyone was all right and give him the news about Buck.

That meant Buck had never reached the ranch.

With growing dread, J.T. headed for the cabin. Lantern light bled from the small paned windows. He moved toward the light and Reggie, anxious to see her. He couldn't help but think about what would have happened if the snake had been put in the cabin instead of the men's wall tent.

Chapter Ten.

Regina had the fire going in the stove when she heard J.T.'s footfalls on the porch. ”Come in,” she said at his soft knock. He looked horrible. Her heart lurched at the sight of him. ”What's happened?”

”There was an accident. Cotton was bit by a rattlesnake.”

A rattlesnake? She s.h.i.+vered.

”Slim is riding out with him.” He moved to the stove, warmed his hands. She could see that his hands were steady but he was obviously shaken. It had been one thing after another. First the truck not running, then Luke disappearing and Buck not returning. Now Cotton and Slim were leaving?

”Someone put the snake in the tent,” he said, his voice so low she had to lean toward him to hear it.

”Why would someone do that?” she asked horrified.

”Maybe as a prank,” he said. ”Maybe to sabotage the cattle roundup.” He shrugged. ”I've decided to move the cattle down today.”

”You'll have them rounded up by then?”

”Enough of them,” he said. He sounded weary. And worried. ”I'm sorry about your ankle, but you're going to have to ride a horse out of here, Regina.”

Regina? He must be serious. She nodded. ”I'll do whatever you need me to do.”

He smiled at that as if he wished she'd done that in the beginning. So did she. Coming up here had been a mistake. McCall was right about that. She was no closer to signing him to the advertising contract than she'd been on the highway days ago.

She would have to ride all fifteen miles down this mountain on a horse. She would have to return to L.A. defeated. She would never find another cowboy like J. T. MacCall even if she had the time to look. She'd failed. But right now she was even more worried about Buck. ”Maybe Buck will get back before we leave,” she said, praying that would be the case.

J.T.'s look said she shouldn't count on that.

Her heart fell. Unexpected tears blurred her vision. ”What do you think happened to him?”

McCall shook his head.

What was going on? ”Are the rest of the men staying?” she asked, wondering how J.T. would get the cattle down if they all left.

”For the time being.”

She reached for one of the large cast-iron skillets on the stove. ”Should we start breakfast?” It wasn't light out and, according to her watch, it wouldn't be for several hours.

He nodded. ”We'll get an early start, right at daybreak,” he said almost to himself. ”I want you to be ready to ride as soon as I return,” he said to her.

She looked around the cabin. ”What about my suitcase, my clothes?”

He shook his head. ”I'll come back for everything once you're safe.”

Safe.

He took off his coat, hung it by the door and set about making breakfast. She helped, working beside him, trying hard not to think about Buck. What had happened to him? What was going to happen to all of them before they got out of here? Worse, would whoever was doing this let them leave?