Chapter 36
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
TUCKER
Moving this herd of cows is taking way longer than it should. Mostly because the babies keep getting lost in the trees, then the mamas freak out, and we have to find the babies and calm everyone down again.
It’s been a long fucking day.
Scott’s on the other side of the herd with one of the guys, and I’m over here with Alan, but I can’t help but think that I should get a dog. Cattle dogs are excellent pets, but they’re even better at herding, and that would be a big help today.
“Hey, boss, I think one of the cows is limping.” He nods to one of the head in the middle, and I watch her for a minute until she moves, and sure enough. She’s limping.
“Fuck,” I mutter, pulling my phone out of my pocket. “I’ll call Darby and see if she can come out here and have a look.”
But when I call, it just rings and rings and then goes to voicemail.
“Shit, she might not have her phone on her.”
I know she got back to the ranch because she texted me when she got home from delivering the last kitten to Ivy, but she might have the ringer off or just set the phone down somewhere and can’t hear it.
“Let’s keep an eye on it, and I’ll try her again in a bit.”
Twenty minutes go by, and we’ve made a bit of progress, but I suspect that one of the things slowing us down is this injured cow.
I ride over to her, have a look, and frown when I see that she has a bloody leg, as if she got kicked or scratched it on something.
“She needs to be cleaned up,” I inform Scott when he rides over to see what I’m looking at. “I tried calling Darby, but she didn’t answer. I should ride to the barn and get supplies.”
“I forgot the first aid kit,” he says grimly. “Do you want to send one of the other guys?”
No, I want to check on my girl, because I suddenly have a bad feeling.
Darby doesn’t usually go this long without replying to a call.
“I’ll go and be back in less than an hour. Keep nudging them along, and I’ll meet you.”
“Sounds good.” Scott nods, and I take off toward the house. I’m still a few miles away when my phone signals that there’s movement on the cameras around the property, and maybe that’s Darby. So, I slow the horse and pull my phone out to look at the footage.
Scrolling through the cameras, I see that Darby’s in the barn, cleaning out a stall. My heart calms a bit at the sight of her, unharmed and happy. She’s smiling a little, and I wonder where her phone is.
I scroll through the other cameras, just to make sure there aren’t any animals about, and then feel my heart stumble when I see a strange truck in the driveway. I zoom in and feel my blood run cold.
That’s Peter’s truck.
“Fuck, let’s go, buddy.” The horse speeds up, and I switch cameras again, and I growl when I see that Peter is at the door of the barn, watching my girl.
He startles her. I can see them saying something, but I don’t have sound on the cameras.
Quickly, I close out of those and call Easton.
“I’m about to go to work,” he says.
“Good. I need you at the ranch. Fucking Peter’s back, and Darby’s alone in the barn. He’s there with her. I’m watching it on the video feed now, and fuck.”
“I’ll be there in ten.”
“Get there faster,” I growl and hang up, switching back to the video and seeing that motherfucker advance toward her. I’ve never felt so goddamn helpless as I do right now, knowing that I’m at least ten minutes away myself and she might not have that long before this piece of shit hurts her.