Part 19 (1/2)
”He'll get over it.”
”Get over what?” Jeb walked up to where Marshall and Drew were standing on the porch.
”We're going out tomorrow to look for my missing cattle.”
”You can stay with Robert. Kenny will come with us.”
”Nope, I'm going with you. I know the government land better than he does. He'll even tell you that.” Drew placed her hands on her hips.
Jeb gritted his teeth but didn't say anything more. Instead he stomped off inside the house.”
”Well, that went over well,” Marshall said.
Chapter Eighteen.
Early the next morning, Drew made sure she was up and dressed when Marshall and Jeb got ready. Jeb hadn't said anything more to her about going, but he'd definitely been upset about it. Still, he didn't try and talk her out of it.
They mounted up and took off toward the back part of her ranch land. On the way, they searched the obvious locations without any luck. As they neared the government land pa.s.s, Jeb pointed out the obvious hoofprints that had been frozen in the mud.
”Someone sure has been through here. This is your land up here until the pa.s.s, right?” Jeb asked.
”Yes, it's all mine. That's one reason Brett wants my ranch. He wants access to the land. I offered at one time to let him use it anytime he wanted to as long as he kept the gates locked. He wasn't too happy with my offer.”
”If we find you cattle over here, we still can't prove who did it. They could have wandered over here even though we know they didn't,” Marshall pointed out.
”I know. I just want my cows back right now.”
”What about putting a gate up to the land and padlocking it?”
”Thought about that, but he'd just cut them as fast as I put them up.”
”The only thing we can do is camp out here at night until he shows up and then catch him red-handed,” Jeb suggested.
”I've thought about that myself.” Drew looked around at the area. ”There aren't very many places we could hide.”
Jeb frowned but didn't say anything. She knew he didn't want her anywhere near anything dangerous. She sighed.
They threaded their way through the pa.s.s that spread out into a wide, open pasture. Across it she could see her cows. Thank G.o.d they had survived. She and the men rode over to round them up.
”Check the brand to be sure, guys.” She didn't want to be accused of stealing someone else's cattle.
”Looks like they're all yours,” Marshall said.
”Let's get them home, then.” Jeb began circling them and moving them forward.
They got them through the pa.s.s and were just about to head farther into her land when a shot rang out. The cattle began to run. Marshall and Jeb urged their horses around the cows to steer them towards the house.
Another shot rang out, and this time, Jeb fell of his horse. Drew panicked and stopped her horse to go back for him. She climbed down as soon as she made it to him.
”d.a.m.n it, Drew. Get back on that horse, and get out of here.”
”I'm not leaving you here. How bad are you hurt?”
”It's not bad. Just my shoulder.”
”Can you ride?” she asked, trying to keep from crying.
”Yea, but I don't know about getting on the horse.”
”I'll get you up. Come on. Stand up.”
Drew whistled and Crooner answered, running up to her. She took the reins and climbed up. Then she reached down and pulled with all her might to help Jeb climb up in the saddle behind her.
”Hold on tight. Don't you dare let go of me,” she yelled over her shoulder.
They'd barely gotten started when Marshall came racing back to help them. He reined in on seeing Jeb on the back of the horse with her. Even as they urged the horses faster, bullets rained down on them from two different spots. Drew felt the sting of one skimming her thigh and another, her arm. She gritted her teeth and held on tight to Crooner.
”f.u.c.k! Can you see any of them?” Jeb called over her shoulder.
”No, I can't tell where they're shooting from.”
”We should be out of their range now.”
”Do you think they are on horseback? How else can they still be shooting at us?” Drew couldn't believe they were really being shot at.
”Don't slow up until we get home,” Jeb urged her.
”Don't worry. I'm not. Help me keep an eye on Marshall so we don't lose him.”
About fifteen minutes away from the house, they met Kenny coming toward them.
Marshall waved him back, and Kenny reined in and turned around. They all four rode into the ranch yard. They released the horses in the barn and ran for the house. Drew limped her way beside them. Kenny and Robert both already had rifles out and ready.
”We heard the gunfire and called the sheriff. He's on his way,” Kenny told them.
”We're going to have to go into town. Jeb's been hit.”
”It's not bad. I'll be okay until the sheriff gets here.”
”Marshall, see about him while we watch the windows.” Drew gave orders like she'd been doing before they came.
Marshall grabbed a towel and pressed it to his friend's shoulder then held it there.
”I'm fine, d.a.m.n it, but you're bleeding. Why in the h.e.l.l didn't you say something, Drew?” Jeb asked with a growl. He grabbed her and turned her around to look at him.
”Marshall.”