The Only Way Out - Book Two of the Western Girls Trilogy

Chapter 12

Monroe had given everyone specific instruction as they approached the foothills of the mountain. Keep the herd moving at a slow and steady pace. Try to keep chasing strays to a minimum. No unnecessary noise once they got up into the pass.

All seemed to be going as planned for several days and everyone relaxed a little when they saw that they were nearly to the last, downhill section of the pass.

Morgan sat atop her horse. After two weeks, Monroe had finally given her the all clear to ride. But within the confines of the narrow pass, there wasn't much room for the herd to go anywhere except straight ahead or straight back. So there wasn't a whole lot to do, besides keep them moving.

She could see Monroe, a few hundred yards ahead, sitting on his horse and leaning on the saddle horn as he watched the herd move slowly past him where he'd parked himself on top of a small outcropping to keep watch. He glanced her way and she sighed when he seemed to watch her for a long time.

She was about to grumble about him still worrying about her when two young bulls went running across the loose rocks and she sighed, turning her horse to follow after them. The entire herd had nearly made it down into the valley and the last couple of animals had to get antsy and make things hard, she sighed.

The loose shale rocks made for slow going, even on the horse. The sides of the pass where the two bulls had headed for, sloped up slightly before angling straight up for thirty or so feet before leveling off above their heads. There were plenty of large, craggy looking rocks jutting out of the sides of the embankments, looming ominously overhead. Thankfully, there wasn't anywhere for the steer to go, so she took her time trying to shift them in the direction of the rest of the herd. But, as luck would have it, they were being stubborn and instead of turning back and following the others, they trotted back in the direction they'd just come from.

Letting out a soft groan of frustration, Morgan turned her horse back towards the middle of the pass again, trying to get to smoother ground before she circled around them and tried again. She didn't think two bulls could be so much trouble, but they were simply refusing to cooperate and she tried several times to get around behind them to push them onward.

"Something's going on," Monroe said, when Pierce rode up. "Maybe I should go help."

"She's going to say you didn't trust her enough to let her do it," Pierce chuckled.

"That's fine. She can be mad all she wants," he said, moving his horse down off the outcropping. "But she needs help. It's going to get dangerous if this keeps up."

"Alright, let's go." Pierce followed him down the short embankment and they headed slowly in Morgan's direction, keeping a close eye on the rocks above them.

They were nearly halfway to her when Monroe pulled his horse to a stop. "Something's wrong," he said, looking around, and listening.

Pierce pulled up next to him. "What are you looking for, Boss?" he asked softly, turning in his saddle to take a look around for himself.

"I'm not sure." Monroe said. "It just feels wrong." He listened for a few minutes, but they didn't hear anything and decided to continue on.

Morgan had finally gotten her horse positioned around behind the two bulls and was moving them along at a calm pace when one of them decided to run up the embankment on the side and kick off the side of the steep rock wall before trotting on ahead. With a buck and a kick, he joined up with his companion and they bolted past Pierce and Monroe.

Morgan pulled her horse to a stop. She looked around at the small rocks on the ground nearby and stared as they seemed to bounce around on the ground. She could hear something that sounded like thunder, but very far away and slowly increasing in volume.