but Jeff could swear he heard the muted bawling of calves not far ahead, the sound carried on the wind. He drank some water, then reined the big horse around and set off again.
They rode another hour, Jeff pacing the stallion so as not to wear him out too soon. Finally, Domino snorted and bobbed his big head as he sniffed the air.
“What do you smell, boy?” Jeff asked, stroking his long neck. “I’ll bet there are mares up ahead.” With his knees, he urged Domino on.
Another half an hour and the whinny of horses could be heard clearly, for the mares had picked up the stallion’s scent. The gentle mooing of cattle drifted to Jeff as well. Even though he’d been climbing steadily, the sun had warmed the temperature to near sixty, he estimated. Checking Slim’s map, he saw that he was close.
A few minutes later, he rounded a bend and saw three horses tethered to a juniper tree that provided spotty shade for the agents sprawled beneath having their lunch. John Winters was the first to look up.
“Hey, Jeff. I didn’t know you were joining us.” Seated on the ground alongside his hat, John squinted up as Jeff swung down off Domino.
“Last minute decision,” Jeff said, walking Domino over to a second tree upwind from the mares and tying him to a strong limb.
Walking toward the three of them, he greeted Tanya and then looked over at Tish. She was studying him, trying to figure out his real motive in following them here, he was certain. He sat down opposite her and took an apple out of his jacket pocket. “Slim wanted me to deliver a message to Justin about his wife.”
“Mmm-hmm,” John said, a knowing grin on his face. He gathered their trash and moved toward his horse, stuffing crumpled paper into his saddlebag. “We’re about ready to head out. You need to rest awhile?” he asked Jeff.
Chewing on his apple, Jeff shook his head. “No, I’m all set.” He watched Tanya stroll over to her mare before turning to Tish. “How are you this morning?”
“Why are you here?” she asked so softly he had to bend closer to catch her words. “And don’t give me that nonsense about a message for Justin.”
Feigning indignation, Jeff gave her a wide-eyed stare. “Why else?”
Her shrewd dark eyes stayed on his. “You’re not as innocent as you pretend. I think you have ulterior motives, a hidden agenda.”
He splayed a hand over his heart. “You wound me.” But his eyes danced mischievously.
Shaking her head, she rose. “You’re too much, Jeff Kirby.”
He was up and beside her in the next heartbeat. “Would you believe the truth,” he whispered, “that four or five days without you around was more than I could handle?”
Stepping back, she again shook her head. “No, I wouldn’t.”
“You’re a hard sell, Tish Buckner,” he commented.
“You have no idea how hard,” she answered, then turned to walk toward Belladonna.
Untying Domino, Jeff smiled to himself. And she had no idea how persistent he could be.
By the time they got to the winter grazing pasture where the cowboys had made camp, the sun was low in the sky. Pete and Derek had already found and rescued a calf stuck in a narrow canyon but Jim wasn’t back yet from scouring the area. The new arrivals took care of their horses first before asking the seasoned hands what they could do to help.
“We’ll split up tomorrow morning,” Pete said, taking charge as the most experienced, “two by two, each taking a section and roping any lost calves or cows, bringing them back to the herd. Justin’s down the canyon aways, heading here. If someone would like to get dinner going, I’m sure Justin would appreciate something other than jerky and beans.”
Derek studied the sky. “I don’t think we have to pitch tents tonight. Doesn’t look like we’ll have rain anytime soon.” He angled his chin toward a grassy shaded area. “You can set your bedrolls over there.”
They all worked well together, and in no time, they had wood gathered and a fire going. Jeff positioned the big black pot over the simmering blaze as the two women spooned in precooked stew that Elsa had packed for them. Tanya dug out tin plates and utensils while Tish cut thick slices of fresh brown bread that was one of Elsa’s specialties.
If Tish noticed that Jeff spread his bedroll next to hers, she didn’t let on. Soon Jim returned from his search-and-rescue effort empty-handed and Justin arrived from doing a perimeter check, glad for the company. And pleased to meet Jeff who’d just informed him that his wife was doing well.
“Thanks,” he said, his perpetually sunburned face creasing in a smile. His fair skin and blond head didn’t fare well with constant exposure to the sun, even wearing a wide-brimmed hat.
“Did your wife have an ultrasound?” Jeff asked as they all sat down around the campfire. “Do you know if you’re having a boy or a girl?”
“Nah, she didn’t want to. Me, I’d like to know, but Marianne said it’s more fun if you’re surprised.” Justin tossed his cigarette butt into the fire. “Really though, I don’t care as long as the baby’s healthy and Marianne’s okay.”
“Medicine’s come a long way,” Jeff pointed out. “Problems in childbirth are less common these days.”
“Good, because I’d like to have lots more. Maybe four more. Five sons, my own basketball team.” He grinned. “I haven’t mentioned this to Marianne yet.”
“You might want to hold off on that,” Tanya told him, “at least until she’s recovered from this first one.”
“Ah, but what if you have five girls?” Tish teased him. “Five prom dresses, five weddings to put on.”
“Oh, save me,” Justin said, laughing. He saw the stew was hot enough and was the first to ladle a healthy portion onto his plate. “Man, you guys don’t know how great this smells. Three weeks up here alone with cows, eating dried fruit, beans and jerky, and you begin to fantasize. Not about women, about a big steak with all the trimmings.”
“He’s been up here too long,” Jim commented and everyone laughed.
Listening to the ebb and flow of conversation, Jeff sat on the edge of the circle. He wasn’t one of the cowhands and as someone still fairly inactive in SPEAR even though he was a part of the team, he felt like he didn’t quite belong to either group. It had often been like that for him; growing up in a household where drunken behavior was the norm, he hadn’t felt as if he belonged to a real family unit. All he’d dreamed about was escaping. Which he had as soon as he’d been old enough.
Living on the streets, he never felt safe, either, never confided in others, never made friends because getting close to someone was inviting trouble. Runaways could turn on you for a slice of bread when they were starving, or a dollar when they needed cheap wine or a fix. He’d never been part of a real family, or a group of like individuals until East had taken him home. Even after that, it had taken Jeff months, years to trust, to relax, to feel safe with anyone except East.
Now, here with his fellow agents and experienced men who worked the herd at Red Rock, he felt a kinship, but still he didn’t feel as if he were a part of either specialized group. Listening to the way the men joked with one another with Tanya joining in, Jeff wondered if he would ever belong.
Finishing his plate, he glanced at Tish and saw that she, too, seemed on the perimeter of the group, observing and listening but seldom joining in. He wondered if their apartness was something they had in common, or if he was reading something into her behavior that wasn’t there. Maybe she was just shy or perhaps self-conscious because he was there and last night they’d shared a couple of powerful kisses. For him, a life-altering happening. But for her, had it been just one of those things?
He needed to find out, which was one reason he’d followed her up into the red rock high country.