Chapter 41
Chapter Forty-one
Caleb
The thunderstorm had torn through in the early morning hours, hard and fast, leaving behind a sky scraped clean and the ranch in chaos. I bounced along the pasture in the UTV, mud flying from the tires, the smell of damp earth and ozone hanging in the air.
My radio hadn’t shut up for hours. Cows were scattered along the ridge, a fence line had flattened on the north side, a yearling bogged down knee deep in mud.
Everywhere I looked, my men were spread wide, some on horseback, others on rigs, hollering and whistling as they tried to push the herds back where they belonged.
“Keep pressure on their left flank. Don’t let them break again,” I directed into my radio, spotting a cluster of steers trying to flee for freedom.
Slamming the UTV into gear, I tore across the pasture, cutting them off before they could scatter any more than they already had.
A group of hands surrounded them on horseback, driving the cattle back toward the corral.
We’d been at this since daybreak, but there was still nothing but trampled fences, restless animals shifting in the heat, and thick mud as far as the eye could see. Hours of work lay ahead, maybe days before the ranch was fully set to rights.
Sweat burned my eyes. My shirt was plastered to my skin. I swiped my forehead with the back of my hand, taking a moment to sip some water and check the time.
Dammit. I hadn’t even noticed how far the morning had slipped away.
I’d had plans that weren’t looking like they were going to happen.
Jesse was out of school for the summer and spending the day at his buddy’s house then the library.
I’d been thinking I’d head into town after work, grab Alice and Jesse, and take them out to dinner to celebrate Alice finishing the first draft of her series.
At this rate, I wouldn’t be back home before dark, only to turn around and start all over again at first light.
I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed Alice. I hated interrupting her workday, but I was hoping she wouldn’t mind hearing from me too much.
“Hey, Cay,” she answered.
“Hello, darlin’. Are you having a good day?”
“It’s fine. Quiet right now. I was looking up new recipes I might make for dinner. I’m going to run them by Jesse when he gets here.”
Despite my exhaustion, I grinned. “Not by me?”
“Nope. We both know you’ll eat anything I cook.”
I chuckled. “That’s because you’re so good at it. Hope you know I appreciate you.”
“I do know that. Now tell me what’s going on there. I can hear the tension in your voice.”
For a second, I let my eyes close so I could picture my Alice sitting in her small office, her hair swept up, held in place by a couple pens.
I’d been gone before she’d gotten dressed this morning, but in my head, she was wearing her lavender sundress, a cream cardigan covering her shoulders and arms. Her desk was neat as a pin except for the stack of books she’d pulled aside to bring home.
They’d be on my nightstand this evening, then replaced with a fresh stack by the end of next week when she read them all.
Just picturing her did a world of good to ease the knots in my neck and the pounding in my skull. Knowing I’d be coming home to her this evening would get me through the rest of the backbreaking work ahead.
“We’ve been going nonstop. A couple miles of fence got knocked out by the storm and the herd got spooked. We’re moving as quickly as we can, but it feels like I’ve put out ten fires and there’s still twenty more waiting.”
Alice’s concern was as sweet as honey. “I’m sorry, Cay. That sounds brutal.”
“It is,” I admitted, dragging my hand across my jaw. “But it’s the job. I just hate it landed today, of all days.”
“Why’s today so bad?”
I took another swig of water, letting it soothe a path down my throat. “I wanted to take you out to celebrate, darlin’. It’s not every day you finish writing three books.” My voice dropped, rough with fatigue and guilt.
“That is very sweet of you. What if Jesse and I pick one of the recipes I bookmarked and buy the groceries we need to make it? We’ll still celebrate, just in a different way than you were expecting. You can take us out when things settle.”
I let out a long breath, some of the pressure easing from my chest. “Thank you, love. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“You won’t ever find out. I can’t shake you, remember?”
The corners of my mouth tugged into a tired smile. “I’d never forget. You know I’d be lost without you.”
“Love you, honey.”
I closed my eyes, letting that sink in. I was still getting used to hearing her say it, and it was never not a gift. “I love you too. See you tonight.”
As soon as I hung up, my radio crackled to life again.
Break over. It was time to get back to work. At least I could do it with a clear head, knowing Alice and Jesse would take care of each other while I couldn’t be there.