Page 68 of The Cowboy and the Stray

“You’re not gonna run, are you?” he asked, dead serious.

I shook my head. “Not tonight.”

He smiled. “Good. Give us one more day.”

Then he kissed me again, right there on the porch, and I didn’t care who saw.

When I made it to my room, I stared at the ceiling, remembering the creek, the grass, his hands on my waist.

Damn. Now I was horny.

33. CALDER

It was only ten in the morning, but the sun had already cooked the dirt into something between pavement and fresh asphalt. Every breath felt like sucking air through a barbecue pit. We had maybe three hours before the pack mutinied and left me to finish the round-up solo.

Reid was leading the drive, perched up on Ghost, sweating through his hat. I was right behind on Brimstone. Gray had the drag, riding Slate with the calm of a man who’d already mentally quit. Eli and Ash were off to the flanks, doing their best to corral the small herd of uncooperative steers without getting trampled. Which was a tall order. Jace and Buck had drawn the long straws and were back at the ranch, doing chores. Bastards.

The steers, about fifteen of them, were supposed to be simple. Move ‘em up the ridge, over the break, and into the holding pen for vaccines. We’d done this dozens of times. But today, the cattle were not playing. Every time we got close, the lead steer, a mean brindle bastard with a left horn that hooked down, would wheel and charge, scattering the rest.

“Goddamn it,” Reid muttered, circling around to cut them off.

“They’re on to us,” Eli called out. “I think they know what’s coming.”

Gray spat into the dust. “I would run too if someone was coming for my balls.”

That got a snort from Ash, who was trotting Ruckus on the outside edge. “You’d have to find yours first, pretty boy.”

Eli grinned. “That sounds like a challenge.”

I cut them off. “Save it for the bar. Let’s move these damn cows.”

We pressed in. The cattle pushed as a block, snorting, kicking up dust, but the second we tried to angle them toward the pen, they’d break left or right, usually both. For every two we moved forward, three would double back. It was like herding water uphill.

Brimstone was steady. He didn’t care about the heat, the dust, or the cows trying to gore his ankles. He just moved where I pointed. Gray was already slumped in his saddle, eyes on the horizon, counting down the seconds until lunch. Eli, to his credit, was working hard, until he got too close, and his horse caught a hoof to the ribs, bucking him half out of the saddle.

Reid was stony, but I could see the vein pulsing in his neck. When he got like that, it was only a matter of time before something broke.

Ash, on the other hand, was all energy, despite the fact that the cows weren’t respecting her or the horse. Ruckus had the energy, but none of the discipline. He’d chase, but never cut the angle. After the third time a steer slipped the line, Ash pulled up and cursed loud enough to make the birds scatter.

“Goddamn Idiots,” she yelled. “You’re letting a bunch of hamburger out-think you.” She looked at me. “You got any bright ideas, boss?”

I wiped my face on my sleeve. “Yeah. Get behind the lead and make him turn. The rest will follow.”

“That’s the problem.” Eli reined in next to me. “He’s got murder in his eyes.”

“We can match it,” I said. “Ready?”

I gave Brimstone a nudge and pushed toward the front, ghosting behind Reid. The lead steer spotted us and threw its head, snorting, daring us to try. I kept Brimstone steady, let him take the brunt. The steer faked left, then juked right, but we cut the angle and boxed him against the brush. For a second, I thought we had him. Then the bastard dropped his head and came straight for my leg.

Brimstone sidestepped, but the steer’s horn caught the stirrup and nearly knocked me clear. I held on, but the rest of the cows took advantage, breaking in all directions. They stampeded through the creek bed and made for the open field.

Reid swore so loud I heard it over the hooves. "Fuck!"

Gray just put his head down. “I’m retiring,” he said. “Right now.”

Ash looked at me, wild and grinning. “You want me to do it?” she said.

I knew what she meant, but I hesitated. The rule was, if you can do it on a horse, you do it on a horse. But these cows were not listening, and the sun was getting hotter. I knew Tess was in the kitchen with Midge, at the back of the house and well out of sight of this particular field and pen. The likelihood of her seeing Ash shift was slim.