“It’s a deal. Has anything developed on who set the fire?”
“Hoover is on the case. Nothing new on who might have done it,” said Jake.
Fiona shook her head. “The next question is why. Any new ideas?”
“Same ones as before. They are trying to get to us, not you.”
“How about the bones at the hot springs?”
Jake smiled. Fiona was back in the saddle. She was feeling better. “No new developments that we’ve heard.” He checked his watch. “I’ve got an early start in the morning. If you ladies will excuse me, I’ll turn in for the night.”
Hoover showed up the next day around noon time as Fiona was helping Opal load lunch coolers on Old Faithful to take up the road for the buckaroos. Jake, Rosemary, and Esme had left on horseback to move the cows.
“Hello, ladies,” Hoover said, a big grin on his face. “I see I’m in time for lunch.”
“You’ll have to ride with us,” said Opal. “It’s all packed in these coolers. Don’t just stand there. Help me lift these heavy coolers into the bed of the rig.”
“Are you sure this fine vehicle will make it?” Hoover asked.
“Of course it will. Jake charged the battery.”
They squeezed into the front of Old Faithful, Fiona in the middle. She looked to the top of the knoll where the heap of ruins that once was her bunk house lay black and forlorn, and she sighed.
Hoover caught her looking. “That’s a big sigh, Fiona. There’ll be more bunkhouses. Are you going to re-build?”
“I haven’t decided,” she said.
Opal turned the ignition key. Old Faithful started up with a growl and then settled into an unhappy idle. They bucked into motion.
“What brings you out here?” Opal asked Hoover. “What are you investigating this time?”
“Cattle rustling is on the agenda today. I wanted to check in with you folks. I thought I might ride out to the valley and take a look around.”
“You’ll need a horse,” said Opal.
“Jake will loan me one. How far back is the canyon the rustlers used?”
Opal screwed up her face. She expertly steered the truck down the road and tuned onto another dirt road that was more cow path than road.
“This road goes most of the way. We’ll meet the cows coming along here. At the end of the road, you have to walk or ride horseback the rest of the way. Can’t use ATVs because it’s about a mile over rocky ground.”
“And that opens up into that sweet little valley?”
Opal nodded. “That sweet little valley we thought would deter anyone else from stealing more of our cows. They came in on horseback and probably drove the cows quite a way to an old cattle lane where they parked a trailer.”
Opal glanced over at Hoover who sat at the passenger door. “We might be out that ten head. We got to put a stop to this, Hoover.”
“You know how hard that is to do. It’s isolated out here. We’d have to post an army of sentinels, and we don’t have an army. We’re lucky to have me and two deputies on a good day.”
“There they are up ahead.” Opal pointed to the dust cloud in the distance.
Fiona heard the cows before she saw them. Cows and calves alike were bawling a cacophonous symphony.
“They don’t sound happy,” she said.
“They are going to be unhappy until they get water. That’s what the bawling is about. They’ll stop at the stock tank up ahead. That’s where we’ll have lunch,” said Opal.
Fiona could barely see the riders for the dust and the bobbing heads of cattle. She saw Jake toward the front of the herd, calling and whistling to the cows, his horse expertly turning them toward the well. The lead cow caught the scent of water and went into a trot, her calf leaping and dancing beside her. The rest of the girls and little ones followed, and they were soon jostling for position at the stock tank.
Rosemary, Esme, Sweet and Glory fanned across the back of the herd, moving them into the area of the stock tank. Rosemary and Esme looked like an outlaws with bandanas drawn up over their noses. Jake dismounted and came over to Old Faithful where Opal and Fiona worked on setting out the food on the tailgate of the truck. He took off his hat and beat it against leg, raising a small dust storm.
“I never liked this part of cattle ranching,” he said, using a red neck scarf to wipe his face. His dark, curly hair was plastered against his head and a line of dark ran across his forehead where the dust and sun stopped.
Fiona handed him a glass of iced tea, and he took a long draw.
Hoover walked over to stand by Jake.
“How many did you lose?”
“I count five pair.”
“These boys know their cattle.”
“You bet,” said Jake, grim-faced. “I think it might be those guys that Cody teamed up with a while back.”
“You have any proof of that?”
“Not yet.”
Hoover nodded. “Thought as much. Those boys are long gone by now. I can’t see that they would come back, the reputation they have. I haven’t heard anyone hiring them. Everyone knew they were thieves. No one in their right minds would have anything to do with them.”
“My gut feeling is it’s someone we employed in the past.”
“It would help if you could supply me a list.”
Jake nodded and didn’t say anything else.
Fiona watched the interplay of the two men. It was apparent that they respected each other though at the same time they were rivals for her attention. In a way she was sorry she was the one to come between them, but then she imagined she might not be the only woman that had caused that problem.
“I can help with the list of employees,” she said. “I might be able to track down where they are on the Internet.”
“Thanks,” said Jake. “I’ll take you up on the offer. You can use our computer. It’s pretty up-to-date. We even have a decent internet connection via satellite.”
Opal handed plates to everyone, and they helped themselves to fried chicken, macaroni salad and Cole slaw. They ate standing since the buckaroos had been sitting on a horse the better part of the morning. Fiona enjoyed the camaraderie of the gathering. People here had an easy way with each other and seemed genuinely interested in what someone had to say.
“You look so serious,” Rosemary said to her.
“I was enjoying the moment. Sorry if I look bad. I didn’t feel like a cowgirl today. That’s why I’m still in sweats.”
Rosemary shrugged. “Suit yourself. This isn’t a fashion show here. Ranch life is very practical.” She was dressed in jeans, long sleeve shirt, boots and hat. The suntan lines on her face gave her a seasoned look that wasn’t unattractive. Esme looked the same but for some reason favored a baseball cap today.
Esme said, “You look better than the last time I saw you.”
“Sleep helps. My throat feels better, and I didn’t have to take any pain killers.”
“Better get a hat on your head though.”
Fiona felt her head. She had forgotten a hat.
“I got a visor cap in the cab of the rig,” said Opal. “You’re welcome to use it.”
They didn’t linger over lunch. Jake and crew mounted up and continued on down the road with the herd of cattle.
“Opal, let’s drive out to that valley. I want to look around a bit,” said Hoover.
“You’ll have to get out and walk at the end.”
“Walking is good. I can look for clues easier.”
Six
Fiona rode along with Opal and Hoover to the end of the good road, that is, the road that was passable by motorized vehicle. The rest was hardly a deer path which meant riding a horse or walking. They got out and walked, Sheriff Hoover no longer joking and flirting, intent on where they were and what was on the trail. He walked briskly ahead, stopping now and then to study the ground or the brush by the side of the trail. His attention to business impressed Fiona. This was a new side of Sheriff Hoover.