for a newborn. They'd given up on trying to load the cow and calf in the trailer and were now just concentrating on trying to herd the pair home. The cow wasn't having any of that either. She seemed dead set on remaining right where she was.
Hot, dusty, their faces sweat-stained, Nick and Acey took a break and walked their equally hot and sweaty horses over to where Roman and Roxanne had been watching. Wordlessly, Roxanne handed them tall glasses of iced tea. Roman had two buckets filled with water for the horses. The four humans turned and stared at the black cow. Now that the cow was no longer being harassed, she was contentedly cropping the yellow weedy grass not thirty feet away from them. The calf was lying flat out on the ground beside her.
“That is undoubtedly the meanest bag of T-bones I've ever come across,” Acey admitted with a malevolent glance at the cow.
“Oh, come on, Acey. She's got a newborn at her side. All cows are cranky at a time like this,” Nicksaid. “And look at the bright side—we know where she is.”
“There ain't no bright side,” Acey muttered. “It's downright humiliating. I can't believe that after all these years, I'm being outsmarted by hamburger on the hoof.”
The sound of a vehicle approaching had them all turning to look in that direction. They'd half been expecting Shelly and Sloan to turn up and for a moment there was confusion when a big red truck pulled into view.
Roxanne recognized the truck immediately. Jeb Delaney. And who invited him? she wondered sourly.
A smile on his face, Jeb stepped out of the truck. Wearing jeans, boots, a black checkered shirt, and a black cowboy hat, Jeb walked to the quartet. By way of explanation, he said, “Shelly phoned me. Said she and Sloan were tied up.” He nodded to the cow. “So you guys ready to start loading her?”
“Start?” Acey asked in bitter tones. “What the hell do you think we've been doing half the morning? That piece of beef is the crankiest, rankest critter this side of the Mississippi—and that's no bullshit. She put Blue and Honey on the ailing list—and I'm not likely to forgive her for that. If you've got your gun on you, I'd just as soon you shoot her between the eyes.”
“Proving difficult, is she?” Jeb said lightly, his gaze skimming over Roxanne in her cropped top and jeans. “I've known a female or two like that.” He looked back at Acey. “All it takes is a little finesse.”
Nick snorted and gestured to the cow. “Well, be my guest and finesse all you want. We'll just sit here and watch.”
Jeb studied the cow and calf for several minutes. He eyed the trailer and the distance from it to the cow. Then the two men and their horses.
“She won't load?” he asked.
“Not so far,” Nick answered. “And believe me we've tried.”
“And she won't herd?”
“Nope,” Acey said. “We've tried that, too.”
Jeb pushed his hat back. “Guess we'll just have to trick her then.”
“And how do you intend to do that?” Roxanne asked, challenge in her voice and her eyes.
Jeb winked at her. “Watch and you might learn something, Princess.”
“So what do you plan to do?” Roman asked hastily, aware that Roxanne was nearly vibrating with temper at Jeb's taunting words. They really did rub each other the wrong way, he thought, amused. It would be interesting, he admitted, to see who emerged alive if they were locked up together in the same room for fifteen minutes. His money was on Roxanne, but he imagined that Jeb could hold his own. Maybe that was the problem: neither of them was willing to give an inch.
Jeb grinned and glanced at Roman. “Gonna find out if I'm still as fast on my feet as I once was.” He looked at Nick and Acey. “Get those panels down. Have those doors ready to swing shut. Oh, and make certain thesafety door at the front of trailer is open—when I go out, I'll be in a bit of a hurry.”
Nick and Acey grinned at him. “Yeah, I'll bet you will be,” Nick said
Hot, dusty, their faces sweat-stained, Nick and Acey took a break and walked their equally hot and sweaty horses over to where Roman and Roxanne had been watching. Wordlessly, Roxanne handed them tall glasses of iced tea. Roman had two buckets filled with water for the horses. The four humans turned and stared at the black cow. Now that the cow was no longer being harassed, she was contentedly cropping the yellow weedy grass not thirty feet away from them. The calf was lying flat out on the ground beside her.
“That is undoubtedly the meanest bag of T-bones I've ever come across,” Acey admitted with a malevolent glance at the cow.
“Oh, come on, Acey. She's got a newborn at her side. All cows are cranky at a time like this,” Nicksaid. “And look at the bright side—we know where she is.”
“There ain't no bright side,” Acey muttered. “It's downright humiliating. I can't believe that after all these years, I'm being outsmarted by hamburger on the hoof.”
The sound of a vehicle approaching had them all turning to look in that direction. They'd half been expecting Shelly and Sloan to turn up and for a moment there was confusion when a big red truck pulled into view.
Roxanne recognized the truck immediately. Jeb Delaney. And who invited him? she wondered sourly.
A smile on his face, Jeb stepped out of the truck. Wearing jeans, boots, a black checkered shirt, and a black cowboy hat, Jeb walked to the quartet. By way of explanation, he said, “Shelly phoned me. Said she and Sloan were tied up.” He nodded to the cow. “So you guys ready to start loading her?”
“Start?” Acey asked in bitter tones. “What the hell do you think we've been doing half the morning? That piece of beef is the crankiest, rankest critter this side of the Mississippi—and that's no bullshit. She put Blue and Honey on the ailing list—and I'm not likely to forgive her for that. If you've got your gun on you, I'd just as soon you shoot her between the eyes.”
“Proving difficult, is she?” Jeb said lightly, his gaze skimming over Roxanne in her cropped top and jeans. “I've known a female or two like that.” He looked back at Acey. “All it takes is a little finesse.”
Nick snorted and gestured to the cow. “Well, be my guest and finesse all you want. We'll just sit here and watch.”
Jeb studied the cow and calf for several minutes. He eyed the trailer and the distance from it to the cow. Then the two men and their horses.
“She won't load?” he asked.
“Not so far,” Nick answered. “And believe me we've tried.”
“And she won't herd?”
“Nope,” Acey said. “We've tried that, too.”
Jeb pushed his hat back. “Guess we'll just have to trick her then.”
“And how do you intend to do that?” Roxanne asked, challenge in her voice and her eyes.
Jeb winked at her. “Watch and you might learn something, Princess.”
“So what do you plan to do?” Roman asked hastily, aware that Roxanne was nearly vibrating with temper at Jeb's taunting words. They really did rub each other the wrong way, he thought, amused. It would be interesting, he admitted, to see who emerged alive if they were locked up together in the same room for fifteen minutes. His money was on Roxanne, but he imagined that Jeb could hold his own. Maybe that was the problem: neither of them was willing to give an inch.
Jeb grinned and glanced at Roman. “Gonna find out if I'm still as fast on my feet as I once was.” He looked at Nick and Acey. “Get those panels down. Have those doors ready to swing shut. Oh, and make certain thesafety door at the front of trailer is open—when I go out, I'll be in a bit of a hurry.”
Nick and Acey grinned at him. “Yeah, I'll bet you will be,” Nick said
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