Lonely Secrets: Yellowstone Ranch Series

3

We finished dinner and I stood up to put our plates in the sink, when I noticed my feet hurting from the sandals. I gently put the plates in the sink. Kayces phone rang.

"This should just take a second." He stood up and answered the phone.

"You're fine." I nodded. It gave me a chance to take these damn shoes off. I untied the straps and slipped them off, stretching my toes and feet. I sat them by the front door on an old, Navajo looking rug. The cold wooden floor, chilled me. I walked over to the fire place mantle and looked around. For pictures or something. But nothing. As if no one lived here, nothing personal. I got nosey and looked out the window. The Montana view was picture perfect. The sun had just set and the sky was a summer dream. Oranges and pinks and even some purple clouds complimented the blue mountains. Today was a hotter day and you could tell by the colors that were portrayed. It looked like a postcard.

"The views better from the porch." Kayce raspy voice grumbled quietly from behind me.

I looked over my shoulder at him and smiled. "I'm sure it's even better with a beer."

He let out a little huff,"You're right." He opened the fridge and pulled out a few bottles. He popped open the top of mine then handed it to me, another small gesture that melted my heart. I followed him onto the porch, the warm wind felt nice, dry and not humid like Texas. He leaned against the railing but I chose to sit on the porch swing. One of my favorite things.

"Who was that man earlier?" I asked

"Elliot Whittaker. Used to let me and my brothers fish in his pond when we were kids." He smiled over at me.

"What about the other guys?" I hesitantly asked.

He took a long drink. "Cattle thieves. They steal 'em and run em down to Oklahoma and sell for big money."

I nodded,"So they just don't like you because you're livestock commissioner?" I sipped my beer then pulled my knees to my chest.

He looked over at me. Then he walked to me. And sat down by me. "Do you want the real answer?" He asked. His eyes looked deep into me. I didn't. I really didn't. Just say yeah, that's the problem. That's all it is. Just a simple problem. But I nodded. He sighed, a somber look on his face. "Last year they stole a hundred head of cattle from a neighbor out here. We caught them as they were driving down the road, the cattle all loaded in trailers and shit. Flipped on the sirens to pull them over and they wouldn't. His brother, the one that talked to you, Jake Turner, his brother, James, was driving. And drove off one of the cliffs. Trailer, semi, cattle and all." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Killed everything. Cattle and him both. It was a mess." He wiped his face then finished his beer. He tossed it into bucket by the door. It landed in with a loud clank.

"That's not your fault." I said, confused.

"Well, we knew they were picking up another load later that night." He cleared his throat,"So we pulled James's body out and hung it out by the ranch they were heading to. They got the message. They quit stealing cattle from us out here, just causing other problems now." My jaw nearly dropped. I couldn't get the image of a body hanging out of my head. Your brothers body hanging. And seeing that. He looked back at me then stood up."You want me to take you home now?" He asked. I thought hard for a second. About what he just told me. Trying to process it. He did it help everyone. He just said they stopped stealing the cattle. It was a validated reason. Not a very good one. But it was to protect his neighbors. His people. "It's okay if you want too. You've made it longer than most do. Most stop whenever they hear the stories." He leaned down and rested his arms on the railing.

"Kayce," I got up and stood beside him,"I've heard a lot about you. But I won't believe any of it until I hear it from you." I reached out and rested my hand on his forearm. He stared straight into the night and I thought maybe I lost him again.