Love's Rescue (20 page)

At midday, Ho Chen summoned everyone to the fire pit for dinner. Jess set her water bucket aside and stretched out her arms, enjoying the heat of the sun mingled with the cool of the breeze. The women rounded up their children and gathered around Ho Chen, who was heaping food on small plates for the little ones. Jess called to Red Deer that she’d be along, then headed for the well, certain she could drink it dry, such was her thirst.

The cool water was ambrosial. Four dipperfuls later, she glanced toward the corrals, trying to catch her breath.

Covered in dust, Jake and Doyle were bringing down the bigger calves while Diaz plied the hissing brand. Suddenly, a man reached out a gleaming blade, and Jess spun back around to face the well pump. She had no desire to witness the castration.

Jess glimpsed Taggart, who was strolling over for a drink. She gladly worked the groaning pump as a means to cover the squealing protest of the calf.

“And how are ye farin’ with God’s good earth this day?”

With a grin, Jess passed him the brimming dipper and tried to mimic the rolling accent of his countrymen. “I be farin’ quite well with the soil and with all the seedies we’re pokin’ into it.” When he laughed in approval, she lifted her gaze to the brilliant blue sky. “This is as beautiful a day as I can recall.”

He took a long drink, then likewise scanned the heavens. “Aye, that it is, and we’ve more cows that survived this winter than the last, by far.” He enjoyed another helping of cool water, then sighed with relief. “Aye, it’ll be a good year.” Noticing that she kept her back to the corrals, Taggart replaced the dipper. “Are ye troubled by that?”

“Some.” Jess glimpsed teasing in his pale blue eyes. Eager to hold it off, she asked, “What does the brand look like?”

Amiably, Taggart held out a gloved hand, on which he outlined the symbols with his other hand. “It’s two Bs, flat sides down beside each other, like this. It looks a bit like four mountains together, with a creek below. The Bennett Mountain Ranch, it is, though most folks about call it the B Creek, for the short of it.”

“I see.” Jess chanced a quick look over her shoulder. A water barrel sat near the corrals, within easy reach of the men. Her lightly accusing eyes curved up to his. “You didn’t need to come all this way to get a drink.”

“Well, ma’am, the boss said different.” With a friendly wink, he strolled away.

Jess wheeled toward the corrals. Jake was facing her, his eyes twinkling, apparently looking after her himself. Behind him, Lone Wolf roped a calf from his horse and dragged it to be branded. Jake broke his gaze as he turned to the calf, and then, in a deft movement, caught it off balance and took the struggling animal down.

Reminded of her own attempts to escape “captivity,” Jess went to join the women for dinner, shaking her head over the calf’s hopeless attempts to break free from Jake.

***

Jess dug holes, planted seeds, tamped soil, and watered earth until nightfall. As twilight began to tinge the horizon, the Paiute women and children headed back to their village, but the cattlemen brought out torches and lanterns so they could continue their gruesome tasks. Jess finished planting three more rows of turnips alone. Then she propped her hoe against a tree and lowered the empty seed bag beside it.

Going to the creek, she pulled off her bandana, soaked it briefly, then dropped it over her upturned face, sighing in bliss. Life, she decided, didn’t get much better than this. She wet the cloth again and wiped her neck, glad to be free of the dust and sweat of the day’s work. Rolling up her sleeves, she dunked her arms in the cool current. Before she knew it, she was slipping off her moccasins and wading in. She had nearly decided it was dark enough to swim in her chemise when she saw Jake approaching, guided by moonlight. She settled for walking about in the gentle current.

“Are the men about done?” she asked.

With a sigh of satisfaction, he squatted down to be at eye level with her. “There’s some cleaning up to be done, but the worst is over for today.” His expression turned thoughtful. “Jess, a rider came tonight with a message from Tom. The fire near Lake’s Crossing was set intentionally. The husband and wife who lived in the house escaped.”

Jess stiffened, alert. “The couple is from the South?”

“Yes, from Tennessee. They saw two of the arsonists well enough for Tom to think they were the same men who attacked you in Carson City. They stole a few horses before leaving, and they haven’t been sighted since.”

Jess splashed water over her face, then looked up at Jake. “Then the attack against my family was only the beginning. This is more than angry drunks. They’ve started their own war against Southerners.”

“Tom knows this. He’s organized a company of cavalry to search for them.”

Jess scanned the plains, half expecting an ambush.

Jake pointed to her rolled-up sleeves. “The boys brought up extra water for washing this morning. I can fill a tub for you by the fireplace, if you like.”

Jess drew her fingers through the cool water, glad he’d turned the conversation to something simpler, yet she was uncomfortable speaking about as personal a matter as what she had in mind. “Actually I—I’d prefer a dip in the creek, if I can be assured of privacy.”

“I’ll see to it the men keep their distance,” Jake said, quick to put her at ease. He pointed to an oak about a hundred yards off. “I’ll wait for you over there. Take your time, and don’t worry—I’ll keep an eye out for those Carson City boys, as well.”

He rose to go.

“Bennett?”

“Hmm?”

She wasn’t sure how to thank him for the washstand. “I…I didn’t know you were a wood craftsman.”

“I built the ranch house,” he said simply.

Jess laughed, chagrined that the thought hadn’t occurred to her. Of course he had. “And all the other buildings, as well?”

He apparently decided not to tease her. “Yes.”

For some reason she couldn’t explain, she didn’t want to face him, so she spoke over her shoulder. “Well, I want to thank you for it. I’m glad not to have the basin in the middle of the dressing table.”

“It was my pleasure.”

With a soft scuffing of his boots, he left her to her privacy.

***

Jake stepped down from his horse and glanced at the position of the stars. It was nearly midnight. After Jess had gone to bed, he had washed off the day’s dust in the creek, as she had, then had cut two roses and saddled Cielos. He stood smoothing his hand over the stallion’s neck in silence. Cielos had known the way. After a year of making the same trip over and over, often after dark, his horse knew it just as well as he did.

Jake briefly eyed the roses he’d brought. For him, these visits were changing…or perhaps he was changing. Raising his head, he looked over to the grave where he’d buried his Olivia and their daughter, Sadie.

For the thousandth time, he wished he had never let Olivia leave the ranch without him. Why couldn’t a wagon wheel have broken before she left? Why couldn’t one of the horses have gone lame? When he and Olivia had married, they were so much in love that he’d been certain nothing would ever come between them. He hadn’t known that their beautiful life together would end so quickly. He hadn’t known he’d have to go on without her.

And he never believed that he would have feelings for another woman again.

Jake saw that he was still standing where he’d dismounted. He tied the reins to a juniper tree and then started toward the grave. Jess was getting under his skin. It was Jess he pictured in his mind now when he woke, Jess whom he looked forward to seeing throughout the day. For the longest time, it had been only Olivia, even after she was gone.

Beside her grave, Jake slid off his hat. He cleared his throat and laid the roses on the low mound of earth.

“Hello, Olivia. I brought these for you and Sadie. Spring’s here, and the rosebush is in bloom now, so I’ll have more than twigs to bring you when I come.” He glanced around, uncomfortable, knowing he had to talk to her about Jess. No matter what had happened during their brief marriage, they had always been able to talk openly with each other.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been to see you every night. We’re starting roundup, so I’m keeping busy.” Jake kicked the dirt with his boot. If only he could touch Olivia’s hair once more, if only he could feel the softness of her cheek pressed to his…but that wasn’t meant to be. “Livvy, I’ve wanted you and Sadie back ever since you left. I’ve come here and I’ve brought you flowers, and I’ve always wished that the three of us could be as we were.” He sighed, searching for words, but he couldn’t tell her what he felt about Jess. He wasn’t sure himself.

Instead, he talked about the goings-on at the ranch. He knew she likely couldn’t hear him from heaven, but he wanted to share his thoughts with her, just the same.

Finally, Jake fell quiet. He looked up at the night, listening to the wind. Then he spoke again. “I’d best get back and get some sleep. Morning comes earlier every day.” As always, it was hard to go. “Good night, Olivia. Tell Sadie Daddy loves her.”

Jake turned and walked away from the grave. He pulled his hat on, thinking he should have told her about Jess. The possibility of death was something Olivia and he had never discussed, yet he wondered what she would want for him now. Would she rather he kept her memory alive? Or would she want him to continue on, maybe find someone else to love?

Jake took the reins and mounted Cielos. He lifted his hat to his lady in a solemn gesture, then made himself ride away.

For several minutes, his heart was full of Olivia.

Then, as he neared the ranch, it filled more and more with Jess.

Jess squinted in the glare of the setting sun, which also helped protect her eyes from the dust raised by the herd of cattle. Like the men, she wore her bandana over her nose and mouth so she could breathe without inhaling the thick dirt. When they had first left the ranch on roundup, she had been a good rider who knew nothing about cattle. Now, after a month of riding through mile after mile of California and Nevada Territory, sleeping under the stars, and herding cattle alongside the men, she had gained a greater knowledge of cattle than she had ever imagined. Moreover, she had stopped thinking of Kentucky as home. She was home.

One of the cows ahead of her tried to break away from the herd. Immediately, Jess tapped Luina with her heels. The horse shot forward, and with a quick wave of her lasso, Jess urged the startled cow back into place. Returning to her position as Flank, Jess glanced over to where Doyle was wrangling the remuda—the spare horses they switched with their own several times a day to keep them from being overworked. Catching her eye, Doyle lifted a hand. Jess waved back.

She had discovered that Luina was one of the best cutting horses Jake owned, and he’d set her to cutting the calves from the herds for the men to rope and brand. It was dangerous work. She’d come close to being gored by protective heifers too many times to count, but Jake had patiently shown her what needed to be done, and she had mastered it. It had been his way of keeping her as far as possible from the branding and castrating while still including her as a useful member of the group.

They had cattle to return to neighboring ranches and new calves to birth. As trail boss, Jake often rode ahead to scout water sources and grazing lands where they could gather to do their work and sleep until they moved on. Knowing Jess’s experience in keeping books at her father’s store, he had assigned her the task of record keeping almost as soon as they rode out. She handled the job well, and she was able to focus on the trail ahead and do the branding with the men.

He’d taught her the cutting method in the first few days, he riding Cielos, she, Luina. Several other men, mostly Doyle and Diaz, had taught her to ride Point, Swing, and Flank as they herded, and she’d even spent several days wrangling the remuda with Seth. But none of the men, with their rigid honor code, would allow her to ride Drag—the dustiest position at the rear of the herd. Jess smiled as she thought of it. Whenever they stopped at night beside a river or a hot spring, they always insisted she go in first while they respectfully remained at a distance. They gave her the place nearest the fire on cool nights, and while they rode, they frequently inquired about her well-being.

Now they were headed back to the ranch with the beeves Jake had contracted to sell. They were moving at a leisurely pace so as not to arrive with lean, wasted cows. As it was, Jake had said, he would let them graze a few weeks within sight of the ranch in order to fatten them up before the journey to market.

Jess looked up to see Jake riding toward them from the south—he had been scouting out their camp. Behind him, familiar peaks of the Sierras were visible again. They would likely be home the next day. Jake approached Lone Wolf, who was riding Point, and the two spoke briefly. Then, to her surprise, Jake thumped Cielos with his heel and trotted toward her.

She had spoken to Jake as little as possible throughout the weeks of roundup. Thankfully, all of them had been too busy during the days to do anything but work. At night, she would talk with Ho Chen near the chuck wagon or would watch the other men play poker, politely declining their invitations to join the game. As soon as the campfire began to die, she would crawl into her bedroll to sleep. It had been easier that way—easier not to invite the internal war that plagued her whenever Jake came to mind, easier not to let herself see him and then think about him constantly.

Jake pulled Cielos around beside her. “How are you holding up?”

“Just fine.” She glanced up into the hot, cloudless sky. “I’m surprised we haven’t seen any rain this year.”

“And it’s already May, so that’s likely to mean trouble,” he said. “We’ll be back at the ranch tomorrow, late afternoon, I’m guessing.”

“I thought as much.”

They rode in silence for a few minutes. Then Jake broke the silence. “You’ve done well out here, Jess.”

“Oh? Are you thanking me for not trying to escape?”

“No, I’m thanking you for your hard work. I’ve never seen anyone learn cutting faster.”