To Heal a Heart

Chapter 11

Kristi followed Wade out on to the porch. He was poised at the railing, listening.

"What's happening?" she whispered.

Wade had his hand on his gun and he was looking towards the hills on the horizon. After several seconds he relaxed his grip.

"Just the one shot?" he called to Maddy, who had also stopped to listen in the corral. Maddy replied affirmatively and Wade relaxed completely again.

"What was that?" Kristi asked again.

Wade turned around, a half smile on his face again. "That was a gunshot signal. Well, maybe it wasn't supposed to be, but it was."

Kristi furrowed her eyebrows.

Wade smiled wider and explained. "On the range, we use gunshots to signal distress. On is taken to mean something happened but we're fine. Two is suspicious. And three means come a runnin'."

Kristi lifted a hand, gesturing to the hills on the horizon. "So you were listening for another shot."

He nodded. "We were. When you deal with so many men covering such a wide territory, you need ways to communicate quickly with the whole ranch. One shot can mean anything, a rattler, scaring off a critter, a rider spotted that's not our own. Not generally things to worry about. Two shots can mean any of the same things, but we usually send a rider to check the area it came from, just in case. Three is the distress signal. It means there's trouble of any sort, rustlers, animal attacks, problem with the herd, injury. Three shots mobilizes everyone on the ranch."

Kristi nodded thoughtfully. "And if someone forgets their gun?"

Wade chuckled. "That's not much of a problem here, ma'am. A cowpoke is more likely to forget his boots or his horse than his gun. This country ain't very forgiving, especially for ranchers. Folks learned real quick it was smart to carry a gun whenever you go out riding. Most men I know holster up as they climb out of bed."

"Every day?" she asked in disbelief.

"Close enough," Wade answered.

Kristi wrinkled her nose. A gun, like any other tool, had its time and place, she supposed. But it seamed foolish to think that carrying guns so excessively meant safety. She had seen too many bullet wounds in the hospital back home that seemed to prove that wrong. 

He smirked at the look on her face. "You get used to it after a while. It won't be long before you are counting shots with us each time. Most people do it without thinking out here."

It still seemed strange to imagine that becoming part of her daily routine, but Kristi had been prepared for changing to adapt to this wild, dry country. If this was one of those changes, she would not resist it. After all, it seemed similar to listening for the fire and ambulance bells in the city. They told of danger and trouble as well, and she now had a keen ear for them already.

Kristi stepped to the rail beside Wade. It was hot and arid today but the wraparound porch kept them shaded at least. In the corral Maddy was finishing up her session with the young mare. The scene made Kristi's throat dry just to watch, with the heat shimmers and dust puffing at every step. Maddy didn't seem to notice. The horse was following her around the corral, a lead around its neck, but not in Maddy's hand. It was cooperating much more kindly than when they had first arrived. After two more rounds, Maddy approached it slowly and smoothed a gloved hand down its mane and neck, retrieving the lead.

Kristi watched as she took the horse from the corral to the barn.

"Does this ranch breed horses as well?" she asked Wade.