Cowboy on the Run (15 page)

“I’ll get to the boys,” Doyle retorted, solving another dilemma while gathering Jade and Gage in his sinewy grip. “Just go. They’re safer in the bunkhouse than we are in this house anyway. Once the kids are okay, I’ll help,” he stated in his matter-of-fact way, easing Nate’s mind with his candid statement.

Doyle was right. They were lucky the house didn’t fall down around them by the movement of the ground alone. Nate pulled a pair of jeans on over his boxers and slipped into his boots. He tossed on a long-sleeved shirt not sparing a moment to button the flannel. He paused only long enough to grab and load his pistol before racing out of the house.

Jumping on J.W. bareback, he urged the animal to a full gallop in less than a minute. If he could gain command, the moving herd would roll into itself. At least that was the plan.

Firing the gun, he prayed the noise would redirect the leaders of the stampede, turning the mass of steers. It was the only hope he had. If not... He shuddered, unwilling to think about if not.

In a split second, Nate placed himself in the perilous destructive path of the panicked animals. Taking the lead, he rode at a reckless speed. Rain pelted his face, blinding him, but he barely felt the sting of the needles.

Spurred on by the sheer brute force of the animals behind him, he encouraged his horse past the point of no return. The trampling of the cattle’s thunderous hooves equal only to the loud argument in the sky.

He fired his pistol several more times, turning to the right and thankful the leader of the pack followed his direction. Nate chanced a glimpse behind him. So far, it was working. The steers were forming a large circled arc, chasing his tail.

He pushed J.W. faster, headed back toward the direction they had come from. When he got a little ahead, he slowed his mount down to a steady cantor, fighting for breath to whistle the first tune that came to mind, knowing the sound could possibly calm the cattle. Before long, he had the animals down to a snail’s pace.

It was then he noted the brand of a large C on the flanks of the steer closest to him.

Jessie’s cattle?

What happened? Even if part of the fence line were down, the herd wouldn’t have reacted so panicked. He might have had a handful of steers, but not the whole darn lot, and they wouldn’t have been running like their lives depended on it. Something was wrong.

“What would have triggered that?” Doyle trotted up beside him on a chestnut gelding, taking it slow so as not to alarm the cattle again. “I reckon’ something startled them steers,” he replied smooth and slow, again voicing Nate’s thoughts. “Whatever it was, it scared them pretty good.”

“Yeah...but what?”

The old cowpoke shrugged. “Could’ve been the storm. The lightning would’ve done it. You ought to know, Nate, it doesn’t take much to spook one, and the others tend to follow.”

“Yeah, maybe. But something’s not right.” He stared along the landscape, his thoughts drifting to a darker area.

“Nope,” Doyle agreed, not offering any other insight.

“Are the kids okay?”

“Yeah, a little shook up. But they’re fine. The boys, on the other hand, got themselves a new hero. You should have seen their faces when you jumped on your horse and headed straight into the stampede.”

Nate ignored the compliment, his brows creased with worry.

“It was a sight to see, that’s for sure,” Doyle continued. “I’ve got Chris and Jake pulling the rear and Travis on the flanks. We should have these cattle back where they belong before too long. Your two are in good hands with Taylor.”

A lopsided smile crept across his friend’s face, causing Nate to grin. Great hands—Taylor would be entertaining his children in some off-color way, teaching them crooked card tricks or worse.

****

The minute Nate arrived at Jessie’s ranch he knew something was amiss. He headed directly toward the house, leaving Doyle and the boys to tend the cattle. A bloody rattlesnake caught his attention, its headless body still writhing in agony while less than two feet away, Jessie performed a frantic CPR on her father. A dangerous looking axe lay discarded by his feet.

“One, two, three...” She lifted her father’s neck and pinned his nose closed, breathing life into the unconscious man’s lungs.

Nate raced to her and took over pressing his chest.

“He was out here,” she said breathless, swiping a lock of rain drenched hair out of her eyes with the back of her arm. “All I saw was blood...he was killing the snake. I don’t know where it came from.” Keeping her timing, she breathed in two more breaths. “There were more. William killed them. I didn’t...” Jessie’s voice cracked with emotion. “I didn’t want to move him...in case...”

Nate cut her off with a quick nod, not needing any further explanation. He shielded his eyes with a hand from the pelting rain as his gaze scoured over Jessie’s dad, searching for an obvious sign of a snakebite. Not finding anything, he pressed down on the unconscious man’s chest. “I’m not sure if he’s been bitten or not,” he informed her. “I can’t tell with the rain.”

He glanced up at the sky, and then back at Jessie as she shook her head no.

“I think he had another stroke. He was talking funny...saying strange things...not making sense...just walking around killing snakes. William’s calling an ambulance. One...”

Both Rosita and the foreman emerged from the house, interrupting Jessie’s count. Worry clung to the housekeeper like a second skin. Without a word, she kneeled down beside Jessie and reached for Thomas’ hand.

Lightning struck, highlighting William as he stuffed one of the dead snakes into an empty feed bag. Nate kept a keen eye on him, noting the concern etched on the man’s weathered face.

“Dozens...” Jessie spoke in a tone void of emotion as she watched her father’s oldest friend.

Seeing the confusion in her gaze, Nate started the count again. She turned her attention to him with a blank stare, and he could tell shock was starting to set in as her face paled white as a sheet.

“There were dozens of snakes. I don’t even know what he was doing out here. I heard a noise and looked out my window...and there he was. The kids...”

He nudged her arm, and she breathed new breath into her father again.

“Are fine. So are your steers. At the moment, they’re in your pasture.” He pressed four more times on Thomas’ chest.

“That’s what woke me,” she stammered, catching her breath. “The noise. It sounded like...like drums...lots of them, loud, then it just faded...everything went silent.”

A siren could be heard in the distance, its faint song a welcome lifeline, and he heard Jessie’s loud sigh of relief. They continued until the lights of the ambulance lit the darkness, shading the surrounding area in the glow of red.

Two medics jumped out of the ambulance. One rushed to take over the CPR while the other unloaded a stretcher. After several minutes, a faint pulse was found, and Thomas was loaded onto the makeshift gurney.

Nate placed a comforting arm around Jessie’s shoulder and pulled her into his chest. “Breathe. It’s okay now. He’ll be okay,” he said with a calming voice, though he had his doubts.

Chapter 18

“It was close,” the doctor said. “Jessie, if you hadn’t acted so fast, we would have lost him this time.”

She released a pent up breath. On the brink of tears, Jessie allowed the doctor to console her with a reassuring pat to the shoulder.

“You did the right thing. However, it wasn’t another stroke like we first thought. It was a snakebite. I take it you sent in the bag? The snake?” The medic turned, addressing the question to Nate.

A confused expression contoured the sharp features of Nate’s face. He shook his head. “No, it wasn’t me. That would’ve been William. Jessie’s foreman.”

“Anyway it was brilliant. Smart move. Saved the man’s life.” The doctor peppered Nate with a friendly slap on the back.

Jessie said a silent prayer of thanks. Now it made perfect sense, recalling the faint memory of William stuffing the empty feed bag with a dead snake. At the time, she’d thought he had lost his mind. Suddenly, she realized how fortunate it had been he’d thought of such a detail. Her father could have died!

Jessie gasped, covering her mouth with a shaky hand. “The snakes...oh, my, that’s what he was saying. I couldn’t understand him. That’s why I thought he was having another stroke.” She closed her eyes, shaking her head. “He wasn’t making any sense.”

“Don’t beat yourself up. They both have similar symptoms. Luckily for your father, it appears he was bitten by a less lethal rattler—a prairie rattlesnake. Though known for a nasty disposition, they are too small to be a fatal threat to humans, if treated in time.”

“Thanks, Dr. Grayson,” she said in a soft whisper, sparing a glance in Nate’s direction.

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Reading the anxiety in his eyes, she remembered how uncomfortable hospitals always made him. The sterile environment was obviously getting to him.

It was time to go, but she couldn’t leave without checking on her dad again. “Can I see him?”

“The best thing for your father right now is rest. At the moment, he is in stable condition. Go home, get some sleep yourself. You can’t do anything else for him. We’re going to hold him here for a few days. Keep a close eye on him.”

But her guilt clung stubbornly, not easily dismissed. Numb, she allowed Nate to lead her out of the hospital.

The storm was in full force now. Angry bursts of wind whipped around them, hindering their way to her father’s truck. Tiny pellets of rain stung her face, and she covered her head with her arm in hopes of avoiding nature’s wrath.

Once safe inside the truck, Nate headed them toward home. The only noise was the steady, consistent slap of the windshield wiper fighting to keep up with the torrential downpour.

Jessie’s thoughts returned to the snakes. In her lifetime, she had come across only a few, so to see so many in such an isolated section was quite an enigma. For starters, snakes liked to be away from noise, detached from people, and the area the reptiles were in was a heavy traffic area. It just didn’t make sense.

She considered asking Nate, but seeing his stern profile, Jessie refrained from questioning him. The rest of the drive remained silent.

Her family was waiting on the porch as they pulled into the drive, and she swallowed back tears the heartwarming sight inspired. No matter what happened, she could count on her family.

Dodging sharp needles of rain, they raced to the porch. As soon as her feet touched the steps, Jessie grabbed ahold of William and hugged him tightly.

“You saved his life,” she whispered and kissed the man’s cheek.

“Mama, is Grandpa okay?” Jessie heard Jade scream over the loud wind.

She scooped her daughter into her arms, tossing a reassuring smile to Gage who aloofly stood on the porch. His worried expression was far too adult for such a small child.

“I’ll tell you over a nice cup of hot cocoa,” she said, fighting for a calm voice while ushering her family through the front door. “The doctor said Grandpa will be just fine.”

Once in the entrance way, Jade wrapped around her body like a small monkey.

“Did you hear me?” She pried herself free from her daughter’s grip and stood the child by her brother. Jessie kneeled in front of them. “He’s just going to stay in the hospital for a couple of days. The doctor said he would take real good care of Grandpa. Don’t you worry, okay?” Both children nodded their heads, and she rose to a standing position. “Good. How about that hot cocoa now?” Grabbing hold of each of their hands, she made her way through the hallway to the kitchen.

Startled at the site of a man sitting at the dining room table, Jessie instinctively placed herself in front of the children as the stranger stood.

“You must be Jessie.” He stepped forward and extended his hand. “Doyle Rawlings. Pleased to meet you.”

“He’s a good friend of mine,” Nate interjected, coming around on the other side of her. He patted the man on the shoulder in heartfelt appreciation. “Doyle and his wife head the O-K Corral. He also did one hell of a job wrangling up your steers.”

Still weary, Jessie stared at Doyle uncertainly as Nate’s explanation started to sink in, and her thoughts quickly detoured toward her stock. With all of the excitement of her dad, she’d forgotten about the cattle. “Thank you,” she managed, shaking his hand.

“Mama, hot chocolate,” Jade insisted with a whine.

Before Jessie could respond, Rosita emerged with two steamy cups of cocoa, and the children scrambled to the table. A second later, the two siblings were squabbling over which cup had the most marshmallows.

“The steers...are they okay?” Jessie directed the question to Doyle, somehow able to tune the argument out.

“Yeah, should be for the night,” he answered with a thoughtful expression. “I reckon’ they’re a little shook up. While you were at the hospital, William and I repaired the fence as best as we could and brought the kids back. They weren’t sleeping anyway, and I didn’t think you’d appreciate the card tricks Taylor was teaching them.”

The older man walked back to where he’d sat at the table and reached for his coffee. He took a deep sip, then pointed at Gage’s cup and winked, garnishing a wide smile from the boy.

“Mama, Gage has more marshmallows than I do,” Jade wailed.

“No, he doesn’t.” Jessie looked into her daughter’s mug. “See? You each have five. Now drink up. You two should’ve been in bed a long time ago. It’s way past your bedtime.”

Jade gulped down the rest of her cocoa while Gage handed his half-filled cup to Rosita.

“Done.” Her daughter wiped her mouth off with her shirt sleeve. “Daddy? Will you tuck me in?” she asked with an exaggerated yawn.

Stunned, Jessie held her tongue. In fact, the whole room seemed to be enveloped in silence. Her daughter’s request had come straight out of left field. She spared a glance at Rosita who shrugged her shoulders in response.

Jessie fought against the tide of emotions the innocent question had brought forth, unsure of how she felt.

“Sure, sweetheart. I’d love to,” Nate said, a genuine smile gracing his features.