And then came the light...
"Hot today." Brady's comment was met with creaks of saddle leather and silence. "Hot yesterday." The drone of bugs and his horse's long drawn out emission of gas was the only response to reach his ears. "Probably be hot again tomorrow." Brady pulled down his worn out straw Stetson further down and slid a glance over at his boss riding beside him.
Travis didn't show any sign of acknowledging his attempts at a conversation in either his stony features or his giant frame sitting astride his mount. But then again, Travis wasn't known for his conversational skills and definitely lacked the ability and the desire to participate in idle chit-chat.
Brady chuckled to himself. Hell, his boss was considered to be an out and out asshole to most people in these parts. Truth be known, he thought Travis liked people thinking the very worst of him and went out of his way to be intimidating and unaccommodating. The locals gave him wide berth and those that didn't, usually quickly regret it. Yes sir, Travis possessed all the cuddly softness of sandpaper and the temperament of a rabid pit bull, that's for sure. Only those closest to him knew there was more to him than the façade he presented to the average Joe.
Brady himself owed the man more than he could ever repay. He reset his ass more comfortably in his saddle and looked around at the beautiful landscape they'd been riding through for the last half hour looking for fence damage. Yup, he certainly came a long way from the street rat he used to be before Travis literally picked him up by the scruff of his neck and brought him here to the Dusty Rose, better known as the DR.
Like most boys his age, Brady considered himself a major badass at the tender age of 16 and took it upon himself to prove it in every stupid way imaginable. Kicked out of the house before he grew pubic hair by his alcoholic sorry excuse for a father, Brady took up a life of petty crime, booze and vandalism in hopes of winning favor with the local street gangs. He chuckled again at the thought. Yeah, major badass alright, soaking wet he might have weighed 100 pounds back then. Skinny ass with a bad attitude was about all he managed to pull off.
One night, boozed up pretty good, he took a dare from one of the big boys of the gang he aspired to join. A wet dream come true to even have them talking to him. They challenged him to break into a vehicle parked behind one of the bar joints in town and go for a little joy ride. If he succeeded, he would be one step closer to obtaining his "badass" status and become a member of their family of miscreants. He had so badly wanted that. He wanted to feel as if he belonged, rather than feeling like a piece of chewed gum stuck to somebody's shoe. Brady chuckled again. Little did he know then, he was about to meet his future employer and have his life changed forever.
After scoping out the possibilities, he set his sights on a damn fine red dually pick-up. Why he picked that truck out of all the hot little sports numbers or souped up rice burners was beyond him, but for some reason the truck called out to him like a siren calls to a wayward sailor. Must have been the inner cowboy calling him, who knows. All he knew, was he was taking that damn truck.
He remembered the way he weaved his way through the parking lot and stumbled up to the driver's side door, but before he could even lay screwdriver to door lock, he felt his wore out sneakers lift a good foot off the ground and was turned to face the devil himself. The darkness prevented Brady from seeing any real facial features...or maybe it was the half of Wild Turkey he had swilled down earlier which kept his eyes from focusing...either way, he was positive he was looking at death personified. And Death was one big motherfucker!
Brady snickered as he remembered the pure terror that flowed through him, and yes, ended up flowing down his leg as well. Scared shitless took on a whole new meaning that night. He couldn't recall what was said. Hell, he couldn't remember most of that night except bits and pieces. All he knew was, eventually, he was lowered back to the pavement and he promptly vomited on the biggest pair of boots he had ever seen and blacked out. He woke up some hours later here at the DR, hosed off and offered a job by the same man he thought was going to end his short and rather pathetic existence.
That was seven years ago and he'd been working here ever since. Not only did Travis keep him from a future of jail cells, or worse, but he taught him how to be a man. A real man, not a puffed out cock trying to impress the hen house and for that, Brady would be eternally grateful. Not many street kids got the chance to live their lives out playing cowboy on one of the greatest spreads on the planet. He sometimes still needed to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Yup, Brady considered himself pretty damn lucky indeed and he smiled as he looked out at the endless rolling fields of green.
"Your saddle tickling your ass or is there a reason you're grinning like a damn buffoon?" Travis growled. Brady burst out laughing, but quickly stifled it when his boss sent him a rather prickly glare.
"Sorry boss, just enjoying the day." Brady pulled his hat further down hiding his grin, but failed miserably. Travis snorted and rolled his eyes.
"I would be enjoying it a lot more if you kept your eyes peeled on the fence and stopped daydreaming," Travis snapped. "Sometimes I swear I'm depriving some poor village of its idiot." He cocked a disapproving eyebrow at his most trusted ranch hand.
Out of the 20 something cowboys working at the DR, Brady managed to quickly rise in the bunch, until he'd become Travis's second. Hell, he had a little soft spot for the runt he picked up off the streets like a stray. Although all his men were good at what they did and loyal to the bone, Brady was the one Travis could turn to when needed to go above and beyond the normal ranching duties. Ever since he took the kid in, Travis was impressed with his eagerness to learn. A lump of clay willing to be taught and molded into the ranch hand he was now.
Seasoned men were always handy to have, no doubt about it, but each one came with his own ways of doing things which a lot of times, butted heads with the way Travis liked to get things done. Sometimes, those conflicts weren't easily solved and so those hands either learned the ways of it, or they hit the road. Either way, it was a complication he didn't have the patience to deal with. He was not a man who liked to repeat himself and he certainly didn't appreciate having his authority questioned.
Having trained Brady himself, the guy was the least inclined to irritate him and so he got the good fortune or misfortune, however you chose to look at it, of being his right hand man. You could even say through the years they had become friends, of sorts. Travis snorted to himself. But that didn't mean Travis cut him any slack. It wasn't his style to be a candy ass for anyone. "Doug says we're missing three heifers. Two with calves, one without and they must have come this way."
"I probably know which rotten heifer lead them astray. She's meaner than a junkyard dog with fourteen puppies when she's got a calf at her side." Brady's looks of annoyance on his face as he continued to curse the troublesome cow, almost made Travis crack a smile. Almost. "I've never met a harder headed stubborn piece of..."
"Good, then you can be the one to rope her and haul her ass back with you, since you two have such a great bond going," Travis interrupted Brady's tirade. The dismay on his face at the thought of having to wrestle the obstinate cow all the way back to the corrals, made Travis chuckle.
"Oh, now you're in a good mood? Anyone ever tell you you're a miserable SOB?"
"Every damn day of my life." Travis gave a harsh laugh and spurred his mount into a trot.
After another few hours of searching, neither cowboy was in a very jovial mood. They rode miles upon miles of fence, only to turn up nothing. Travis flagged a few sections needing some new cedar posts and maybe a few wires here and there that needed tightening, but he saw nothing which would allow the cows to escape.
"I don't understand it, Trav, it's like they just disappeared. This fence isn't in bad shape and none of it looks broken or flattened down." Brady pulled up his mount next to his boss as he handed him a canteen. "I can't believe that walking all beef patty would have come this far." Just as Brady spoke, the slight breeze they'd been enjoying for the last half hour, changed directions and brought music to their ears. Country music if he wasn't mistaken. But, at this distance, it was difficult to tell. "Do you hear that?"
"Yup." Travis strained his ears to figure out where it was coming from. They were miles from anywhere, even the nearest road. The Dusty Rose took up a right smart piece of real-estate and on the other side of him was Charles Rafferty of the Circle Diamond. The only thing separating the two sprawling ranches was an 80 acre parcel owned by Jake Stewart, who, Travis was informed, had passed away several months ago.
His father, Mitch, always intended to buy the bit of land one day, but never really worried about it until Jake stepped in and swooped it up right from under his nose. No hard feelings ever came of it other than a good laugh and ribbing rights the two old cowboys shared. Not long after its purchase, Jake leased the place out to Mitch and the DR. The rambling farmhouse, bunk house, barns and outbuildings combined with the lay out of the land, made it a great place to take the pregnant heifers. The DR was known for its lovely rolling hills and thick pine trees, but, unfortunately, that made it difficult to see cows who needed help having their calves.
Jake's place, on the other hand, was low, flat and sparsely treed. You could see almost every inch of the birthing pastures from the house and the rest was an easy ride. The layout was desirable, but the fact he had natural springs running through it, plus a high percentage of water rights off the river and excellent feeding pastures, made it worth its weight in gold. Worried about land developers who were sniffing around these parts the last few years, Travis had contacted his lawyer and started the tedious processes of purchasing the land once it got out of probate.
He really didn't need it, but he owed it to Jake who loved this land as much as Travis and his dad. They had developed an easy going partnership over the years after Travis took over the DR from his father. It always dumbfounded him Jake never returned after years of saying he would. He knew Jake loved that place. You could tell the few times he came out this way. He never stayed long...few days at most, but he would always swing by the DR to say hello and enjoy some of Addie's home cooking.
After a good supper, Jake and Travis would take a ride out to his place to see how it was fairing and discuss any repairs Jake might have wanted done. Travis, on many occasions, observed a faraway look in Jake's eyes when he got to talking about his land. They would discuss all his hopes and dreams of the future which included a possible partnership with Travis and the DR.
Jake had a remarkable hand with livestock and horses. Stuff legends were made of, his dad had told him. Travis admitted he was looking forward to learning some of his wisdom and together building a profitable business, but every time he tried to get him to stay, he would always refuse. The only explanation he gave was he had obligations in Colorado. Then he would get a sappy look on his face which meant somehow a woman was involved and leave. To this day, Travis still didn't understand it. In his mind, no woman was worth giving up something he so obviously loved and there was no doubt, Montana flowed in Jake's blood.
"I don't hear it anymore. Do you, boss?" Brady whispered. The wind changed directions again and whatever they heard, ceased. "Maybe it came from old man Rafferty's? He could be having a party or something?"
"I very much doubt Rafferty is having any kind of party," Travis said frowning. "He doesn't have a pot left to piss in, let alone the dough to throw a shindig."
"You're just pissed he could be having a party and Cyndi didn't invite you," Brady waggled knowing eyebrows at him. "Everyone knows he prances that filly out in front of your nose every chance he gets hoping you'll hop up on her flank and take a bite." Brady said the last words on the duck as a punch came flying his way, almost losing his seat in the process. "Hey, hey now...I can't help it if the truth hurts, buddy. It's not like it's a big secret he's hoping you'll marry her."
"He only wants me to marry her or whoever the highest bidder might be, in hopes of saving his worthless ass from bankruptcy." Travis couldn't keep the disgust from his voice. "He's turned her into a show pony and the empty brained twit likes it. Being married to her would be like being married to a bobble head doll."
"True enough, but a bobble headed doll with a nice rack." Brady held his hands up in front of his chest like he was carrying two sizeable melons. "You could do worse you know. At least Cyndi isn't too bad to look at, thanks to daddy's connections and some mighty talented plastic surgeons. She's hotter than a whorehouse on nickel night and she would certainly keep your bed roll warm, if you catch my drift." Another punch came Brady's way for his troubles.
"Next time you have something to say, raise your hand and put it over your damn mouth," Travis growled. "Besides, I can keep my bed roll warm enough without having to deal with daddy's little princess. Plus, from what I hear, she has plenty of willing victims to entertain herself with and I have no desire to become another notch on an already over worked bed pole." Travis hated saying it, but it was true. Daddy's little girl was getting quite the reputation in Wolf Springs. Beings that the town wasn't overly large, surely Rafferty heard it as well. It could be part of the reason he kept pushing the girl on Travis. The thought caused a shiver to run down his spine.
"Like I said Trav, you could do worse. At least she would bring some experience into the mix." Brady winked at his boss and gave a leering grin. "Anyway, Rafferty isn't a young pup anymore, a few more years and he's going to be pushing up plenty of daisies and then think about it..." Brady let his words soak in for a moment. "You could have the biggest spread probably in the State of Montana and would control most of the beef and livestock in it."
"Yeah, but at what price?" Travis said barely above a whisper. Marrying Cyndi would be like selling a piece of his soul. He always envisioned a relationship like the one his parents shared, and his grandparents before them. Hell, his whole damn family tree was nothing but an endless freaking love story. Relationships of pure unwavering love, respect and adoration is what they all claimed throughout the whole bunch of them and it was something Travis secretly wanted for himself.
That kind of devotion eluded and mocked him for years, until he had given up hope of ever finding that one true love, the one missing piece to his puzzle which would make him complete. Sure, he'd had plenty of lovers over his time, but not one of them fulfilled a deeper need other than the basic desire to scratch an itch.
It wasn't from a lack of searching that he hadn't found her. Heaven knows he dated enough. Travis shuddered slightly. The thought of dating at all left him cold. It was a chore he no longer cared for. A stream of faceless women he wined and dined over time, floated through his subconscious. All of them where the same. Pretty blondes, brunettes and red heads. From the slightly witless to intelligent, they all left him feeling empty.
They only had eyes for the Montgomery name. It was the reason why he stopped dating women in town after he graduated high school. He continued looking for that one woman for him in surrounding towns, even going so far as Billings and frequenting bars and clubs there. He glanced at his hand riding beside him. Brady was the only good thing to come from that fiasco.
It wasn't he hadn't met anyone; he met plenty. More than plenty, he snorted in disgust. But it all ended the same when they discovered who he was. Those women lost all self-respect, becoming mere doormats to his will in hopes of becoming Mrs. Travis Montgomery. None of them challenged him, all becoming meek and willing. Oh yes, they had been willing. Travis rolled his eyes. Each jumped at the chance to be in his bed, but none saw him as anything more than a golden ticket. Not that he didn't enjoy what they offered; he was, after all, a man.
At least he could fairly say he tried to create a hint of something more than just sex with each of them. Some might call him egotistical, but he thought his supremacies in the bedroom were rather impressive. He always saw to her needs before his own, but none of them touched that place in his heart. Some tried, but all failed. He just didn't feel anything deeper than a spark of lust that once satisfied, disappeared leaving nothing but emptiness.
Having to endure so many endless faces and shallow relationships turned him bitter. Travis all but gave up hope there was going to be a special woman just for him, perhaps he was destined to be alone and the asshole everyone claimed him to be. After all this time, should he just settle? Marry Cyndi and do what everyone expected him to do eventually anyway? The thought was a bleak and a depressing one.
I wanted to take this time to thank you for reading! I really hope you enjoyed this installment of When Roses Collide, and that you'll consider giving it a vote. I can't tell you how much your support means to me and how much it motivates me to keep going.
If you find any errors along the way, don't be afraid to point them out and I always enjoy any recommendations or critiques you may have. As always, I will try and update once a week, but if you don't see an update here, check out my other story Bending Steele. Thanks again!