Hell's Coming with Me

Long Black Train

Shoutout to @andreamakaylen for such a wonderful job on creating the cover to this story! I am in love with the job she has done in creating a wonderful character. Thank you so much! I hope to collaborate with andreamakaylen again in the future for other works. 

Long Black Train

A couple of days after the encounter with Jamie and Beth in the barn, I learned that Daddy was planning a cattle drive. I loved to go on a cattle drive. It was the best thing in the world. I lived for the days where we went on cattle drives and I got to be a cowgirl all day long with the other wranglers.

Daddy told me it would be in a week, because they had to set up the date for when the people who claimed the cattle could bring their trailers. I couldn't wait the entirety of that week for the cattle drive. Chief Thomas Rainwater had brought back the cows. I wasn't sure why or how Daddy managed to secure the return of the cows, but I wasn't going to complain. The cattle were up in pasture ten.

This is how we made our money – we would buy cattle, raise them, breed them, and then other ranchers would come to buy heifers and calves. Either to enhance their own herds, or to slaughter. When the men came, they would point out the groups they wanted. Lloyd and Rip would mark down which ones they were getting in a book to keep track of the numbers.

Sometimes when they did this, they would also require that we rebrand them if they wanted to integrate these cattle into their own herds. That cost extra, but many were willing to pay that price instead of doing it on their own land. Some of the ranchers didn't have as much property or hands as we did. They owned smaller parcels and looked after their own cattle.

I loved going on a cattle drive. Cattle drives meant being in the saddle for the entirety of the day. It meant feeling the warm sun on your skin, the feeling of the wind through your hair. It was a lot of hard work to accomplish, but I bounced off the walls until I was in the saddle.

Ryan sent me a text message, the night before the cattle drive to remind me that to set an alarm. I liked my sleep and was notorious for sleeping through alarms. I was glad that he warned me, because I had an idea.

I packed a bag – undergarments, socks, jeans, a tank top. Then I grabbed my phone and charger before leaving the house. It was almost nine at night and they would expect everyone to be up at four in the morning to eat and be ready for the day.

I ran down the driveway towards the bunkhouse, trying to burn off the extra energy that was bubbling underneath my skin. If I didn't, I would just be too excited to sleep tonight and be exhausted come tomorrow morning. I knocked on the door of the bunkhouse, breathless.

Lloyd opened the door, shocked to see me standing there with a duffel bag full of the items I would need to wear tomorrow. He opened the door and let me pass. The guys were playing poker at the table.

"What are you doing here?" Lloyd asked, shutting the door. The other Wranglers looked up from their poker game.

"Came down so I'm not late for the cattle drive," I bounced, eyes shining bright with excitement. I could barely stay still I was so excited about tomorrow.

"Um?" Colby asked, not quite understanding what I meant. I held up my bag in answer.

"I'm sleeping here tonight, Colby!" I rolled my eyes as he continued to look at me with a blank stare.

"OH!" It finally dawned on him. I sighed, sitting my bag down on the floor and leaning over Ryan's shoulder. He had a pair of aces. I inwardly held in my smirk, knowing that he would win the hand.