Chapter Seventeen
West
The following morning, a hush falls over the Kitchen as I walk in. There’s only three of my family members present, including my best friend—who gossips with the best of them.
“West,” Mama says, fixing a plate at the stove and handing it to Colt. “I wasn’t expecting to see you this morning.”
“Mornin’, Mama.” I cross the room and kiss her on the cheek. She looks up at me, and there’s both knowing and disappointment in her gaze.
“You smell like a brewery, son.”
“Sorry. Slept through my alarm, didn’t have time to shower,” I lie.
I wake when the roosters crow, sometime even before it.
I haven’t set an alarm since high school.
Mama fixes me a plate and hands it to me.
I take it, because you don’t turn down a plate of food from Mama, but I can’t stomach eating today.
Not after I pickled my liver and drank myself into a stupor last night.
So I set it down, pour myself a coffee and sit at the table beside my sister. “Thanks.”
“What time are visiting hours?” Lemon asks.
“How should I know?” I sip my coffee and let out a deep sigh. My head and I are not friends today. “Why?”
“Because I’m taking mama to see her.”
“Girl’s trip,” Mama says, clapping enthusiastically.
“Won’t that be a little overwhelming for Daisy? I mean, we only made it there at around two am. I’m sure she’s exhausted.”
“West, she has no family, and her only female friend moved to Dallas three years ago. Of course she wants to see us.” My sister looks fucking giddy, and I have to remember Daisy has been family long before I ever called her a friend.
As much as I want to keep her to myself, having Lemon and Mama around her will probably be more help than I am.
They’ve both been through childbirth and breastfeeding before.
Poor Daisy. She must really be missing her grammy about now.
“You’re probably right.”
“You could come with us,” Mama says. Lemon wrinkles her nose in disappointment, but mama doesn’t catch that.
“Ranch ain’t gonna run itself, Mama.”
“The boys can take over. I’m sure she’d love to see you.”
“And don’t think we’ve forgotten that you’ve not said anything about her birth. We want details. Were you in the room, or did they make you wait outside?”
“The room?” I ask and then instantly regret it because the look on my sister’s face says she wants this story right now. “Daisy didn’t make it to the hospital. Hell, she didn’t even make it ten minutes out of the county. Waylon was born by the side of the road, just passed mile marker fifteen.”
Colt whistles as if he’s glad he dodged that bullet. Mama’s brows attempt to knit with her hairline.
“Oh my god, West!” Lemon shrieks, punching my shoulder hard enough to bruise. For a pregnant woman, she certainly hasn’t lost any damn strength. “You delivered her baby by the side of the road?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Well, now I’ve heard everything,” Colt says.
“Where is everyone?”
As soon as the words are out of my mouth, Cash bolts into the house. “West, Colt, you’re gonna wanna see this?”
My heart drops into my stomach. “What is it?”
Cash glances at my mama, then Lemon, and back at me. “Just hurry.”
I set my coffee cup down and head for the door.
“Should we wait for you?” Mama asks.
“No. Best you two just get out of here,” I say.
“What the hell is going on?” Lemon asks Colt.
“Later. You girls be safe.” He kisses his wife’s cheek. “Try not to drive like a maniac please, Lemonade.”
“No promises,” Lemon says, but the joke is lost because this kind of warning from Cash can only mean one thing—dead cattle or dead ranch hands.
In the stable, most of the horses are saddled and waiting to get on with the day’s work, but my brothers and the rest of the ranch hands stand around gossiping like old ladies. This is becoming a habit.
“Wade, Wyatt,” I shout. “Get your asses over here.”
“What’s going on, brother?” Wade says.
“Probably just trying to get on with the day so he can go see his woman.”
“Shut the fuck up.” I say and then look at Cash. “What’s this about?”
“I went out for an early morning ride, and there’s been another poisoning. North pasture, twenty head, at least. Longhorns, this time.”
“Fuck!”
“We gotta get Rhett on the phone. I’ll have him meet us by the North gate.”
“We’ll see you there.”
I head for Blinkin’ Impressive’s stall and put her rope halter on, then I lead her to the cross-tie bay and tether her, because she can be a moody lady when you don’t woo her properly.
I follow a curry comb over her back with a wide brush, and clear off any debris from her stall.
Then I throw on her pad and make sure it’s lined up with the center of her back before hoisting her saddle.
She bows her head to my back with an indelicate snort.
Her way of saying I stink like a drunkard, I suppose. “Oh, it’s like that is it, Miss B?”
She stomps her hoof as I smooth a hand down her shoulder, reach under, and wrap the front cinch. I snug it up by pulling on the top strap, taking out the slack, until the buckle locks. Then I buckle her back cinch and give her a couple sturdy pats on her rump.
We’ve done this dance a million times since I was a teen, though normally I come equipped with carrots or treats. She whinnies as if she’s mad at me.
“I know, I know. I’ve been spending too much time away, huh?” I take off the rope halter and bridle Miss B, and then I press my nose against hers. “Whadda ya say we go for a ride?”
I lead her from the stall and head out into the overcast Autumn day. Pulling my cell from my pocket, I call Rhett.
He answers on the third ring. “West, I was just about to call you.”
“You got news for me? ’Cause I’m looking at twenty more dead.”
“Jesus.”
“Someone is poisoning my cattle, Rhett, and I wanna know who.”
“I’m gonna head out your way with a team, give me an hour, and we’ll collect samples, but I’d rather not have this conversation over the phone.”
What the fuck? “Meet us at the north gate.”
“Will do,” he says and adds, “West, it might be best to keep this under wraps for now. Need to know only.”
“Got it.”
I hang up and my phone chimes with a text from Daisy.
Baby Mama: I thought you’d appreciate this.
Daisy’s posted a picture of Waylon, wrapped in a little white blanket covered in cowboy hats. He’s sleeping peacefully. Above his head, taped to the side of the hospital bassinette is a colorful nameplate that reads: Waylon West Moore.
I sigh and tap the picture and hit the heart emoji, and then I slide my phone in my thigh holster and hoist myself into the saddle.
I feel guilty for not replying properly, I feel guilty for not being by her side today, but Ranch life doesn’t let up.
Right now, I need to focus on the problem at hand.
Who the hell would want to ruin us like this?
I can only think of one family that wants to see us fail, but surely, they’re not this stupid?
“Walk on,” I say to Miss B.
***
Rhett and his full team of lab geeks head through the North gate—lead by Wade—as we’re overseeing the wreckage of the heard.
Miss B nickers at the intrusion of trucks.
She and the other horses have been uneasy since we arrived, spooked, like they’re expecting a snake in the grass.
I often wonder what goes through their minds.
Especially seeing so many cattle dead, cattle she’s usually herding.
There is no doubt horses are empathetic creatures, but I wonder how much they take in of the things going on around them.
Twenty head of dead cattle are bound to spook them a little.
“Rhett,” I say, climbing off my horse and meeting the TSCRA special ranger.
“Mornin’, West. Okay if my people get right to it? They wanna collect samples before it gets too warm out.”
“Go ahead. We’re as keen to get to the bottom of this as you are. The more cattle we lose, the more money we’re hemorrhaging.”
He nods and turns to his crew, indicating they should start. They get to suiting up in their little safety gear, and soon it looks as if I have ten astronauts milling around my family’s ranch. I shake my head.
“Tox report came back as NPN supplement toxicosis.”
“Ammonia poisoning?”
“Contaminated samples were collected from the dam on site. Levels indicate a much higher toxicity than that of standard urea ingestion.”
“This wasn’t us.” I shake my head in disbelief. “My family have been farming cattle for over one hundred years. We don’t fuck with the dosage of our supplements.”
“West, there is no question this was deliberate, and I know it didn’t come from your people, but how well do you know your Neighbors?”
Since Colt sold his daddy’s quarter-acre land to us not long after the old man died, we have no neighbors flanking the property, but the Thorntons own the ranch opposite us. It’s not as big as ours, and there’s always been bad blood between my great granddaddy and his.
“The Thorntons and the Winchesters have had beef since our ancestors settled this land. Old man Thornton was always spitting about a border here, or a broken fence, making out like it was a Winchester problem that he couldn’t keep his ranch from falling apart. He’s gotta be pushing eighty by now.”
“What about the sons? He’s got three of them, right?”
“And one girl, Violet.”
“Isn’t she famous in the dressage world?”
I laugh. “Barrel racer.”
Rhett’s eyes widen, because barrel racers come with their own reputation for being wild. They ain’t afraid of anything.
“We haven’t had no problems. Mostly keeps to herself when she’s home, but I heard she moved into town to be with her grandma, over on Maplewood Ave. Cash could probably tell you more about her, since they run in the same circles. You know how circuit riders all stick together?”
“And there’s no possible way she has anything to do with this?”
I raise a brow and glare at Rhett. “Cash is family. Yours and mine. He’s worked this land since he was a teenager. You really think he’d date someone who might put this ranch at risk?”
Rhett holds his hands up to ward off my anger. “No. I know my brother, but I also know how much losing Carla fucked him up. I’m just playing devil’s advocate here. There’s no way this Violet woman could be the culprit?”
“Not a chance. What are you really getting at here, Rhett?”
“I’m just sayin’ be careful who you let in now. Word is that the Thorntons aren’t the only ones looking to see Winchester Wild fail.”
“Well, what the fuck does that mean?”
Rhett gives me a no-nonsense look. “It means word around town says you and Fast Eddie had a little dust up in Miss Daisy-Mae’s front yard. It’s all anyone can talk about in the Red River Canyon Report.”
I scoff. “You actually read that shit?”
He shrugs. “It helps to keep a finger on the pulse.”
“Uh-huh, and the old biddies in town firmly in your pocket.”
“Information is information.”
“Noted,” I say. “But Eddie ain’t smart enough for this kind of shit.”
Rhett nods. “My team will likely finish up soon, and I’ll head on over and question the Thornton’s again, but, West, it’s gonna be real hard to find evidence of whoever did this.
If it’s a rival rancher, they’re likely going to have urea for their own cattle.
We’re looking at the perfect fucking crime.
I suggest you buy shares in trail cams, ’cause you’re gonna need every acre recorded to catch someone in the act.
” Rhett opens the door of his cruiser and climbs in.
A beat later, he’s leaning out the window. “West, you burn this field too.”
“Already on it,” I say and glance at Wade, who’s since come back from the barn with an ATV and lots of gasoline. He’s tormenting one of the lab geeks by standing over her shoulder while she works. I roll my eyes.
“You boys take care now. I’m just a call away if you find your culprit before I do.”
I nod. “I won’t be calling if I find them before you, but I appreciate the gesture.”
His vehicle navigates the rocky ground with ease as he makes a U turn and heads out the way he came.
And as I watch the lab geeks pack up their samples and scurry back to the truck, while my brothers get to work on burning the herd, I meant what I said to Rhett.
If I find the culprit before he does, that poor bastard will rue the day they ever set foot on Winchester land.