Seduced By A Wrangler (Emerald Falls Book 2) Page 4

  As they neared the outskirts of town, the cattle holding pens came up first. The corrals were wide and sturdy, constructed close to the train tracks, where animals could be moved on and off the train.

  As they came abreast the fences, Ginny stared in shocked silence at the number of livestock dozing in the pens. The backs of hundreds of black and brown cows formed a dark sea. There had to be a thousand head of cattle stretched out over the five pens. She stared slack-mouthed as they continued toward a group of men gathered in the aisle between the fences.

  There were four cowboys, dressed to get down to business. Chaps, spurs, gloves, wide-brimmed hats, and lassos slung over the fence posts next to them. The group looked up as Tom lead the gang over.

  Ginny sat at the back of the pack, staring out over the expanse of cattle. She’d never been up close to a cow before. Even while she sat up on horseback, they looked so large. She’d imagined them smaller than a horse. Much smaller. But these beasts were hefty. If she took a wrong turn, they could bowl her right over.

  Her finger moved against her reins with a nervous twitch.

  “...checking to see if you needed any extra men on your team this fine morning,” Tom was saying.

  She faced forward and tried to pay attention, though she couldn’t see the cowboys through the Van den Berg men and their mounts.

  “Our other job fell through, and we’re looking for work,” he continued.

  One of the cowboys cleared his throat. "Actually, we're short-handed this morning. We could use the help."

  “Really?” Tom feigned surprise. “Excellent. When do we leave out?”

  “We can be set to go in the next half hour.”

  “Perfect.”

  “You’ll need your own supplies.” An older fellow with a long gray mustache spoke in a voice much too gruff for so early in the morning. “Food will come out of your pay for this last leg. Ain’t far.”

  The outlaws nodded.

  “Name’s Milton,” the man said, holding a gloved paw out to shake Jeremiah’s.

  Tom introduced himself, along with Jeremiah and Otis as they dismounted and hitched the horses to the fence.

  Ginny followed suit, unsure what to do with herself. Not only was she plopped down in the middle of a thousand cows, but she was surrounded by men yet again. She’d known she would be the only woman, but somehow she hadn’t considered how awkward it would be to travel with so many men.

  She would just have to focus on the task at hand and nothing else. Just ride and keep the cattle together, she repeated to herself.

  “What is this?” Milton coughed.

  When she looked up, she found his frown locked on her. Everyone stopped and stared at Ginny. She peered around at them, a pinch of doubt in her gut.

  “What’s the problem?” Tom asked.

  “A woman? Is this a joke?” Milton huffed, heavy brows pressed in close.

  All the eyes weighed heavy on her. She knew a cattle drive was not a woman’s place, but she was not going to give up.

  Instead of voicing any of her concerns, she gave them a beaming smile. “Good morning, gentlemen. My name’s Ginny Foster, and I’m ready to ride.”

  Tom snorted a quiet laugh, and she glared at him, a breath of mortification heating her skin.

  Another deep voice cleared behind Milton, and she glanced around him at the tall man standing there.

  Her breath squeezed from her chest so fast she nearly choked.

  Noah.

  The beautiful cowboy she’d stumbled into the night before stood with his arms crossed over his chest, watching her with intent eyes. They were shadowed beneath the brim of his hat, and as she stared at him, one of his brows lifted and the edge of his mouth twitched up.

  Her insides turned to mush at the subtle movement, and she gave him a quick glance over.

  He’d traded the casual clothes he’d worn the night before for a loose white shirt with long sleeves rolled to his elbows and a thick pair of brown trousers covered in leather chaps. Her mind immediately flitted to the last image she saw of him the night before and wondered if the new pants fit him as snuggly. Or at least as much as they did in the front.

  Her eyes leapt back to his face, and she could swear the crease of his subtle smile deepened.

  “It’s no joke,” Tom stated with a reluctant breath.

  Ginny’s fist clenched, but Noah spoke over her thoughts.

  “This woman is a strong one,” he said. “We can take her.”

  Her chest blossomed in a mix of emotions. Excitement, relief, intrigue. She blinked at him, and he gave her the smallest of nods.

  Next to him, Milton turned to scoff at the beautiful cowboy. “Are you insane? A woman?”

  Noah’s eyes darkened as he faced his companion. “We need all the help we can get.”

  Milton glared, his mustache twitching, then he dropped his eyes. “We need another riding drag anyway.” He snorted and stomped off.

  Noah’s eyes softened when he glanced back at her, then around at the other outlaws. “Welcome aboard, fellas. Name’s Noah Hayes. This is Ernest and Boon.”

  Ernest, a young man with dark hair that matched his short, rugged beard, stood with his hands on his hips. He gave a polite wave. The man next to him was as big as a bison. He gave a short nod with his thick chin.

  Noah tilted his hat to the outlaws. “We’ll head out soon.”

  Ginny watched as he turned and strode down the fence line away from them. She tilted her head a little to watch his muscles move beneath the fabric of his pants and smiled to herself.

  Finding Noah among the cowboys there had been a shock, but it would be nice to see more of him. Even if the circumstances were strained.

  She’d have to avoid him as much as she could and watch from afar, since she was, in fact, not there to help him, but to rob him. It made pleasant conversation rather difficult, but there was nothing wrong with looking.

  If she could just keep her mouth shut.

  Her best bet would just be to avoid him when possible, and do whatever job they gave her.

  Even though she had no idea what riding drag meant.

  Chapter 5

  Ginny pulled the red handkerchief further up her face in an attempt to shield her eyes from the cloud of dust in front of her. She'd been riding in the constant flair of dirt and debris for the last hour, and she was rather sick of it.

  If she’d known what it meant to be the drag rider on a drive, she would have fought harder for another position.

  The dark-haired cowboy she’d met earlier, Ernest, had explained to her that everyone had a position around the cattle. The two in the front of the herd were the point men and directed the cows which way to go. The best of the cowboys were up there. She couldn’t deny the tug of annoyance to find that Milton was one.

  Behind them were the swing and flank riders, keeping all the cattle together and moving smoothly. They were in charge of watching for any cows that attempted to break away from the herd. In the very back of the massive group were the drag riders. It was her job to push the straggling cattle along and keep them with the herd. It also meant that all the dust and disgusting leftovers were waiting for her to ride right into.

  It was difficult to breathe in the back, and she’d quickly adopted a handkerchief to cover her mouth and nose. Without anything to cover her eyes, she just had to squint and push through.

  Ernest drove a team of two hefty horses in the back nearby, helping her push the stragglers and pulling the food cart.

  She was surprised to find that Noah wasn’t among the cowboys pushing the cattle. He had a separate herd he was handling on his own. This one of horses. She’d tried to her best to ask Ernest nonchalantly about the second herd, and he’d explained they were the extra horses for the cowboys. The remuda, he’d called them. Enough mounts for everyone to be able to switch out horses at least twice to give them time to rest. Noah was in charge of the horses. The wrangler.

  No one was close enough to talk to, and the drive was as boring as it was unpleasant. The other cattlemen were far ahead of her, spread far down the line of the massive herd. It looked even bigger out on the prairie than it had squeezed into those pens. She could probably sit and watch it go by for an entire ten minutes.

  She drifted over to the wagon every so often to give Ernest a wave or a nod, but even then, it was difficult to hear over the thundering hooves and mooing cattle.

  She huffed and glanced at the open prairie around them. There were few trees or things to look at. The mountains in the distance were beautiful but never changed.

  How was she going to survive hours of this?

  When she was contemplating asking for a break, she caught sight of unusual movement. Tom was drifting back from his number two position. They were so spread out it took a few minutes to meet up with the outlaw behind him, then he came abreast of Jeremiah, and they shared words.

  Ginny couldn’t help the pull of curiosity, and the envy that the two of them actually had someone to talk to. The flank riders had to be vigilant, but they could move up and down the perimeter. She, on the other hand, had to stay put, because the cows were as lazy as donkeys in the back of the herd, just waiting for her to stop pushing them.

  After a moment, Tom rode back up to his proper position, and Jeremiah began to fall back. A silly sliver of her soul leapt like a young girl. She was going to be included. She’d have someone to talk to!

  She waited most patiently, trying not to let her eyes linger on Jeremiah too long, or glance in Ernest’s direction, just in case he didn’t approve of them moving about. Once Jeremiah was close, she urged Paco around the edge of the herd to meet him faster.

  “You doing okay back here?” he asked.

  She pulled her handkerchief down and wip
ed at the dirty film slathered over her face with a shrug. “I’m surviving.”

  His brows pinched, his eyes shining with sympathy and something she could only assume was relief. No one else wanted her job, that was for sure.

  “Good. Tom has a change of plans.”

  Ginny blinked wide eyes as Jeremiah gave a quick glance around to cover their tails.

  “What do you mean?” she asked.

  “Few miles ahead was where he’d planned on breaking off a hundred head.”

  A hundred? Her eye twitched as she swallowed a mouthful of disbelief.

  There was no way they’d be able to handle a hundred head of cattle. She might have thought the idea was alluring before, but now that she was staring down the bony asses of a thousand of them, there was no way. They’d never be able to bring them all in.

  “But he changed his mind,” Jeremiah continued. “There’s more here than he’d expected.”

  Thank the Lord. Ginny coughed out a laugh. Guess he thought better of that idea as well.

  “Sheridan’s only a few days away. He wants to go all the way.”

  “Pardon?” she sputtered.

  “We’re going to join these fellas to town. Then we’ll nab the money there.”

  Her head swirled, and her vision blurred. It could have been from all the dust, or she might be ready to faint. She lifted an arm to block another cough as she caught her breath.

  “Instead of stealing the cattle like we’d planned,” she hissed, “he wants to just help these guys make their delivery?”

  “Not rightly like that, no.”

  Her nose wrinkled hard under her frown.

  “One of these fellas is in charge of the delivery. He’ll accept the money for the rancher. We’ll be stuck to him like mud on boots to relieve him of that money as soon as possible.”

  She nodded slowly, a bitter taste still in her mouth.

  There were too many things wrong with the plan. She didn’t like it.

  Not only would they have to ride for an extra few days over the one day they’d planned on, but they’d be faced with a confrontation at the end of the line. If done right, they could break off a small group of cattle just around the ridge there without anyone noticing for a few minutes. Long enough to get a head start in a new direction, and it wasn’t as if the cowboys had enough manpower to up and leave the big herd to chase after them.

  But waiting until the cattle had been turned in and paid for, and then steal from the cowboys? That seemed like a big fight waiting to happen. And for what? Extra money.

  Well, a lot of extra money.

  She'd managed to get Ernest talking about the rancher and what he would earn off the herd as well. They were riding with six hundred thirty-four bovine, mostly steers. They would sell for around forty dollars a head.

  She’d done her best to keep her eyes from popping out of her head. She couldn’t do math that high in her head, but she knew it was a lot.

  It was no wonder Tom wanted that over whatever he could get for a hundred head at the fence.

  Except he was turning a simple task into a very dangerous one.

  And stealing her mission, no less! Who did he think he was changing everything all on his own?

  She clenched her teeth and pursed her lips as she drew in a deep irritated breath.

  Then she fell into a coughing fit.

  Jeremiah sidled up close enough to pat her on the back. She shrugged him off, wiping her mouth with her handkerchief.

  “Fine,” she grumbled. “What do we do?”

  “Just keep up the good work. We’ll figure out a plan when we’re closer to Sheridan.”

  She gave him an irritated nod. He gave her a polite one back, pulling his reins to lead his horse back up to his own position. Before he turned away completely, he lifted a hand to point over her shoulder.

  “Might want to get those back in order.”

  She jerked around to find four stray cattle in her area turning on a dime to bound away from the rest of the herd.

  “Dammit,” she shouted. “Get back here!” She hauled Paco’s neck around and heeled him after the strays.

  He squealed and leapt forward, nearly tossing her out of the saddle. She grabbed hold of his mane with one hand, clenching white knuckles as her stomach flip-flopped.

  The four cows loped along the sagebrush and rocks, kicking up their heels and tossing their heads. When Ginny yelled and began closing the gap between them, their demeanor changed. They picked up the pace and bellowed in distress. A group of ravens sitting on the ground in their path leapt into the air in a flurry of black feathers.

  Ginny pushed Paco faster, but the cattle stayed ahead of her, pulling farther away from the herd.

  “Stupid cows,” she growled, grabbing at the lasso on her saddle.

  She wasn’t exactly sure what she’d do when she caught the cattle, but tossing a rope over at least one’s head seemed like a good idea. Or it would if she’d ever lassoed something.

  She squeezed the rope until her fingers pinched and pushed forward. She was just getting ready to throw the lasso with a silent prayer when hooves thundered up behind her. She checked over her shoulder to find Noah quickly encroaching on her. Her body slackened, and Paco took the opportunity to slow.

  The cowboy reached a long arm out and snagged one of her reins, pulling them back into a jagged trot.

  “They’re getting away!” she yelped, throwing a hand out at the running cows.

  “Let them go.” His growl was low and forceful, bringing her to attention instantly.

  He pulled both the horses back to a gradual stop.

  “What are you doing out here?” he asked, brow furrowed and lips tight.

  “Rounding the cows back up.”

  “No, you’re making a lot of noise is what you’re doing. You’re loud and flailing around like a trampled bird.”

  She gasped, pulling herself up taller in her saddle.

  “You’ll never catch cattle carrying on like that,” he continued. “You have to calm down.”

  She set her jaw, unsure if she was more annoyed that she’d screwed up or that he’d so blatantly pointed it out.

  “Fine,” she said. “How do we get strays back in?”

  “With less enthusiasm than that.”

  This time when she glanced at him, his face was softer. That small tug in his lip was back. She tried to ignore it. She was frustrated and filthy, after all, but it beckoned her.

  He pulled the lasso free from his saddle and rested it against his leg.

  “I’ll show you how to bring them in,” he said, voice quieter, on a timber that vibrated her bones, “but you have to promise me to cool it down.”

  She regarded him silently for a moment, refusing to let her cheeks warm at the excitement his voice rippled through her. Then she nodded.

  “I can promise I will try,” she offered.

  This time his mouth broke, and she could see the white of his teeth in his half smile. Her heart leapt.

  “I guess that’s all I can ask for,” he said. “This way.”

  His horse crossed in front of hers and meandered in the general direction of the strays, giving them a wide berth and plenty of room. She followed behind him.

  The dappled gray gelding he rode was huge, dwarfing her as much as he had the night before when she’d pulled him out to dance.

  A smile played across her lips at the thought. He’d been a horrible dancer, but his tentative hand on her hip had been nice. She couldn’t think of the last time someone had touched her that didn’t make her ill.

  “Cattle are lazy.” He spoke over his shoulder without turning around. “We have to push them, as I’m sure you’ve seen today.”

  She rolled her eyes with a shake of her head. She sure had. She’d seen them try to stop and lag behind a hundred times, except when there was an escape window.

  “There are trouble makers though,” he went on. “They’ll bolt just because they can. Look at those fellas up there. They’re not going anywhere. They’re just rotten.”

  The grumble in his voice drew forth another smile from her lips. He sounded like a father discussing the children that both drove him mad and he secretly adored. What an odd relationship to have with a cow.