{Chapter 11}
Adam adjusted the rifle in his hands as he stood guard that night over what looked like only half their herd. Though the numbers were down right now, he had a lot of faith that they would eventually round up most of the others.
Footsteps came from behind him and he whirled around. Brant Alexander stood there, though Adam knew the man’s true identity was yet to be revealed. He hadn’t been around the man much, except for the occasional glimpse around the campfire.
“I’m here to take the next shift,” Brant said.
Adam stood and was hesitant about handing the gun over. He didn’t trust the man.
“Have I met you before the drive? You seem familiar,” Brant asked.
Adam shrugged. “It’s possible.”
“Are you gonna give me the gun?” Brant held out his hands to take the weapon.
Adam narrowed his eyes, and Brant looked nervous.
“You’d better get used to seeing me with a gun, Alexander. It’ll be the last thing you ever see. Mark my words” Adam reluctantly gave Brant the rifle and walked away.
He was so confused. Brant really looked like the man Adam had hunted down and killed in the face, but there was a different look behind his eyes. Something strange was going on, and it felt like a cruel joke.
**********
“Bacon in the pan, coffee in the pot!” Katie sounded her usual early morning greeting to rouse the cowboys while breakfast simmered and sizzled by the fire.
She filled their plates with beans and bacon and their cups with piping hot coffee as usual. Everyone seemed to be lagging around this morning, and Katie knew why. Even Toni had a case of melancholy due to the death of J.T. Miller.
Adam came around and leaned close to whisper to her.
“I need a favor,” he said.
“What‘s wrong?” Katie whispered back.
“It’s that Brant Alexander. I need you to keep a close eye on him,” Adam said, moving closer to stand beside her.
Katie shifted nervously at his nearness. “What’s he done?”
Adam sighed. “It’s a long, confusing story that even I don’t understand. I’ll tell you about it sometime…”
“Adam! Stop fraternizing and hurry up!” Mark’s harsh voice yelled.
Adam sighed and Katie smiled.
“Poor man. He probably doesn’t even know what fraternizing means,” she giggled.
Adam chuckled. “I’ll see you later, Kate… I mean, Katie.”
Katie smiled as he walked back toward camp.
She realized that he was a good man down deep. Sure, he was bent on revenge, but under that thick, hardened exterior, there was the heart of a man who loved serving people.
It was strange for her to think of him with something other than hate for once. More terrifying than strange sometimes, but it was a good feeling. Truth was, she had missed Adam and they’re long, light-hearted talks when they were together all those years ago. Katie felt old by comparison to the person she was back then. Back when she didn’t have a care in the world… back before Ben.
Then it hit her.
She hadn’t thought about Ben in the past two days. What was happening to her? Surely she wasn’t getting over his death so soon?
Could it be possible that her broken heart was mending? For so long there had been a battle between her heart and her mind, her heart wanting to heal and get over the loss of her love, while her mind wanted to hang on to Ben for a while longer. Now his death didn’t sting as bad.
Was she… forgetting?
**********
Wade couldn’t get over J.T.
The evidence told the story that J.T.’s horse had stepped in a prairie dog hole while out trying to calm the stampeding herd, as told by the animal’s broken leg. J.T. had been trampled under the thundering hooves of the cattle, as told by the marks, gashes, and broken bones of his body.
It was a terrible way to go.
Lord, I just want to know that he’s with you. I wish I just had that reassurance. We talked about God and the Bible numerous times, but he never actually came out and said that he had accepted You. I’m scared, Lord. I admit it.
Wade finished his breakfast and downed the rest of his coffee, ready to go on about working with the herd. He loved the feel of a cattle drive. Though it was hard work, he loved the feeling of the saddle under him and the sound of the cattle.
His mind turned as it did so often to his little wife back home. How he missed her.
They had been gone a week, counting the day lost yesterday, so that put them at about ninety miles away from home. Traveling at around fifteen miles a day, that would put them in Grayson City in about seventeen days.
Wade sighed, thinking of the long days of work ahead and the long nights alone without Aubrey asleep in his arms. He felt so empty without her.
He wondered what she could possibly be up to.
***********
Aubrey was about to pull her hair out! She was caught up in an ocean of every feeble attempt to keep two children occupied, and was drowning in it.
“Aubwey!” little Sandy yelled. “Jay ran away and I can’t find the puppy!”
Aubrey sighed. “Where did he go now?”
“He said that he wanted to go froggin’ and took the puppy with him” Sandy said.
Aubrey smiled at the hint of Texas twang in Sandy’s voice.
“I’ve told him too many times not to go down there without a big person” she mumbled.
“I told him not to” Sandy put in.
Aubrey pressed a hand over Sandy’s coppery curls before opening the door and stepping outside. The layer of cloud over the sky gave a dreary look to the otherwise wide open, endless Texas land. Taking Sandy’s hand in hers, she walked toward the watering hole where a few cattle gathered around drinking. Aubrey froze. She didn’t want Jay around the cattle where he could get hurt.
“Jay!” she called.
The cattle lifted their heads and lazily walked away from the water at the disturbance. Aubrey looked around and saw Jay on the other side of the watering hole, jumping in after a frog.
“Jay!” she screeched.
“Ma! Look at this big guy!” Jay held up a big bullfrog.
Aubrey could envision him slipping of the slick mud and falling into the water, not being able to swim and drowning before she could get to him.
“Jay! Get away from the water!” Aubrey yelled, carefully making her way around to where he was.
“Why? There’s lots of frogs here” Jay looked confused.
Aubrey reached him and grabbed his arm, pulling him away from the slippery mud and the deep water. Jay held up his frog to where it nearly touched her face.
“See how big he is?” Jay asked.
“Jay, how many times have I told you not to come out here without either your father or me? How many times, Jay?” Aubrey didn’t even notice that she was yelling and her grip was tightening around his arm.
“You told me I could” Jay defended, raw fear behind his eyes.
He should be scared.
“Now you’re lying to me!” Aubrey felt like bursting into tears.
Since when had Jay become so rebellious?
“I’m not lying!” Jay looked more hurt than scared now, probably because her nails were digging into his arm.
Aubrey looked down at her white knuckles and released his arm with a fright. What had come over her? She had never hurt Jay before. Wade always did the punishing, and now he wasn’t here.
“I asked you at breakfast if I could go froggin’, and you said I could” Jay explained, rubbing his arm.
“You did” Sandy agreed.
Aubrey looked between the children and faintly remembered the question and her absentminded answer. She had been so distracted from another lonely, sleepless night that she hadn’t even processed the question. Her eyes stared filling with tears as she dropped to her knees beside Jay.
“I’m sorry” she said softly while taking him in her arms. “I’m so sorry.”
Tears coursed down her cheeks and onto the shoulder of Jay’s shirt.
“It’s okay, Ma. You didn’t mean it” Jay’s hand ran over her hair the same way his father’s had the habit of doing as he comforted her. The touch made Aubrey cry more.
“I’m sorry” was all she could say.
She squeezed Jay tight briefly before letting him go, wiping tears from her eyes.
“It’s okay Ma. Now we can go froggin’ together, can’t we?” Jay smiled.
Aubrey giggled. “I’d love to.”
Looking at the watering hole, Aubrey remembered the time Wade had first brought her frogging.
“Why can’t we find any?”
“Shh.”
“We’ve been out here for an hour, Wade.”
“It’s been ten minutes, sweetie. We’ve got to be quiet” Wade put a finger to his lips.
Aubrey could be patient, and that’s not what she was right now. The watering hole near their line shack was usually filled with frogs, but not tonight.
“Okay. I’m quiet. I’m quiet as a church mouse” Aubrey whispered.
“Then why are you still talking?”
“You’re talking, too.”
“Shh.”
“You shh too.”
Wade scowled back at her, smiling in spite of her insolence.
“I found one!” Jay hollered into the dusk.
They heard splashing water and a playful bark from Sadie. Then they saw Jay hold up a big frog.
“Look at him!” he grinned from ear to ear.
“He’s a big one!” Wade gave Jay a thumbs up.
Aubrey squealed. “Eek! A frog!” She flapped her hands and hopped around like she was on fire as the nearby amphibian merely watched the show before hopping into the water.
She looked into the water after the frog and breathed a sigh of relief when she realized the frog was gone.
Wade stared at her, his eyes narrowed.
“Jay! Bring me that frog, will you?” Wade waved Jay over.
Jay walked around the watering hole and held the frog out to Wade. Wade took the frog and turned to Aubrey.
“What are you doing?” Aubrey took a step back.
“You’re gonna hold it” Wade smiled.
“No!” Aubrey put up her hands.
“It’s the only way you’ll get used to them. Now hold… What’s his name, Jay?” Wade looked down at Jay.
“Bob” Jay smiled.
“Hold Bob, then.”
Aubrey’s face contorted as she stuck out her hands and Wade put the bullfrog in them.
“This is so gross” She informed them.
“Don’t drop him” Wade cautioned.
She took the frog and looked down at it. “He’s slimy.”
“He was in the water, Bree.”
“You should have washed him off, at least.”
Wade sighed. “Have you eaten supper?”
“No, why?” Aubrey narrowed her eyes at him.
Aubrey got grumpy when she got hungry.
“Just curious” Wade answered.
Bob croaked, and Aubrey dropped it with a squeal.
“You killed him!” Jay exclaimed when the frog didn’t move.
Aubrey knelt beside Bob and the frog hopped off. She breathed a sigh and sat back on her heels. “He’s fine.”
Wade took her arm and helped her up
.
“We can’t find too many this late in the year, but there’s a few still out” Wade looked around the bank of the watering hole. “They’re probably all in the water, anyway.”
“Maybe we can scare them out” Jay offered.
Wade looked at Aubrey then back down at Jay.
“Should we?”
Jay nodded him head vigorously.
Wade walked toward Aubrey.
“I know what you’re thinking! Don’t you dare!” Aubrey threatened
Wade picked her up and carried her to the edge of the watering hole.
“Wade Dylan, if you throw me in there, I’ll…” her threat was interrupted by a squeal as she landed in the darkening depths of the water.
She came back up and gasped for air. “How could you!”
Wade laughed at her and helped her out. “I think they’re all scared out now.”
“That was the meanest thing anyone has ever done to me” Aubrey said, shivering.
Wade took off his coat and wrapped it around her, and his arms around her shoulders.
“How do you know I didn’t do it just so I could hold you close” he whispered in her ear so low that Jay didn’t hear.
She looked up at him, all the anger fled from her eyes. “Then I’d say there are better ways of doing it.”
“Another one!” Jay hollered as he ran down the bank a ways.
“Please don’t make me hold this one” Aubrey pleaded.
Wade kissed her temple. “I won’t.”
Aubrey smiled at the fond memory and her heart nearly burst with love for her husband. Jay was becoming just like him, too. What a blessing.
Love Quote
If you love something, let it go, if it comes back, it's yours. If it doesn't, it never was meant to be.
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