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Looking behind me, a smile crept across my face as my brother stopped beside us.
He grinned, his hat back on his head. “Did you really think that you could keep all of the fun to yourself?”
“Tenley’s fine with this?” I asked.
“Tenley sent me to make sure you got going where you needed to be,” he answered and then nodded at Briar. “Go get whatever you need from the house. Cassidy and I will have the horses here and ready to go by the time you’re back.”
She gave me one last glance and then leaned forward and kissed me. Her lips only pressed against mine for a brief moment, and then she slunk away.
“Alright, brother. How do you want to do this?” Weston asked, and I scanned the unfolding problem in front of us.
“Sundance isn’t going to be alone for long.”
“That stallion trusts you, so you’ve gotta go get him. I’ll have Cowboy and say, Johnny here, tacked and waiting for you. Can’t use Bud since he’s still injured,” Weston answered, his eyes scanning the ten men that were grouping in a circle between the two vehicles.
“I’m not going to be able to get him unnoticed,” I muttered.
Weston placed a hand against my back. “No, you probably won’t.”
Biting my bottom lip, I scanned the area once more and then tipped my head. “I have a crazy idea, but you’re going to not like it.”
My brother sighed, a chuckle following the exasperated sound. “What’s this idea?”
“We’ve got the cows that didn’t head up with the first half of the herd down here. You know, the new ones that you bought and didn’t want to mix with your proven herd until we see what kind of beef and babies they produce,” I began and he nodded.
“What if they just happen to get out of their pasture?” I suggested, seeing if he caught my drift.
Weston closed his eyes and tipped his head back, chewing on my words for a moment. “That would probably work. But you’ll have to be fast,” he answered through his teeth.
“Ready to go rile up some cattle?” I grinned as he placed his hands on his knees.
“I’ll go get some cattle prods,” he answered.
Chapter 30
CASSIDY
It worked. Riling them up with some cattle prods agitated them enough that the entire herd barreled toward the front of the pasture. My feet raced along the fence line with them, mirroring the thundering of their hooves against the Earth. My movements were hidden by the blundering herd that startled the group of armed trespassers.
The first cow slammed through the gate, leaving it swinging sideways on a single hinge. And the entire herd roared into the parking lot like turkeys on Thanksgiving, desperate to not end up on a dinner table.
Chaos ensued. Shouting rose through the air, only inciting the herd more. Bellowing from the cattle shot a ringing into my ears. Muffling the violent shouts of the men who were doing everything possible to not get trampled.
I reached Sundance’s pen as a couple of loud bangs cracked through the air. The startling sound sent Sundance into his own frenzy, and he snorted, kicked out behind him, and then sprinted half a circle. The gate creaked upon opening, snapping his ears toward me. He slid to a stop right in front of me.
Hot breath washed over my face, drowning me in the scent of horse sweat and hay. All he did was breathe heavily and stand still. His chest rose and fell rapidly with each sporadic breath as his ears followed the panicking dust cloud that rolled over the entire parking area. The ground trembled from the herd that continued to panic and sprint mindlessly wherever they could.
Taking a mental note to make sure Weston knew that once Briar and I were back from the fishing cabin, I would help patch up any injured steer, I quickly snatched the black rope halter off the railing.
Slipping it over Sundance’s head, I tied off the loop and spun around, leading the horse toward the gate. He dug his haunches in and swung his head, terrified. Backpedaling through the sand, he snorted in fear of leaving his cocoon of comfort.
“Come on, boy,” I whispered, gently coaxing him on. Applying even pressure to the lead rope, I stepped sideways and tugged a little harder. It popped him slightly off balance, and he took a stumbling step forward.
Immediately, I released the pressure, giving him a quick reward before starting it over again. He didn’t fight as much this time as the frenzied roaring around me began to drift farther away. We passed through the metal gate, and I turned around to kick it closed.
“CASSIDY!” a high-pitched scream pierced the chaos, and everything around me silenced.
Thick sludge turned the sky black in an instant.
