Braxton's Run: Cattle, Whiskey and Women

Chapter Nineteen

"You're love, there's no telling where I'd be without your love. Stumblin' along in the dark would be pretty rough. When I get down you're the one that lifts me up. I thank the Lord above for your love.... Soulmate, I hope that we grow old together, soulmate. In the good and bad, even through the heartache, we've got a special bond that'll never break. Cause, darlin, you and I are soulmates"  Josh Turner 'Soulmate'

"How long can this rain keep up?" Laura asked Braxton three days later. It had been raining for nearly two days straight and every thing was soaking wet. Her clothes, her skin, the horse, the cattle. To put it mildly, she was miserable.

Braxton looked her way and shrugged as he swiped at the water dripping off his nose with his soaked shirt sleeve.

"A long time." he replied. He was nervous and he was trying to keep Laura from seeing it. He'd had men scouting ahead trying to see what the river looked like but all reports were coming back that it was very flooded and the current was swift. Crossing a flooded river with a herd of cattle was one of his greatest fears seeing as how he couldn't swim.

"Hey Braxton!" Trace called as Braxton hurried ahead to meet him.

"What's it look like?" Braxton asked. Trace sighed and tried desperately to light a cigarette despite his soaked matches.

"Bad." he replied. "But I think there is a spot up ahead where we could make it."

"What about waiting it out?" Braxton asked and Trace shook his head.

"We don't know when the rain will end and then we'd have to wait another day or two for the river to recede at all… I think just going for it is going to be our best bet." Braxton looked up at the gray sky and cursed the rain.

"I was afraid of that." he said. He whistled sharply and everyone gathered around him. They were all wet, chilled, soggy and miserable.

"Alright listen up everybody!" Braxton called out. "It looks like we're gonna have to cross the river right about here." Laura's eyes widened when she looked at the angry swollen river. Had he lost his mind?

"Ain't there a better place?" Pete asked uncertainly and Braxton shook his head.

"This is the better place." he replied. "Now listen close. We'll send the wagon first. We'll tie the extra horses to the back and they should all make it across fine. Then it'll be time to lead the cattle. The most important thing is to just keep them moving forward. Don't let them panic and try to turn back because that turns into a giant stacked up whirlpool of horns and cattle bodies that ends with dead cattle and possibly dead cowboys…."

"This isn't our first cattle drive." Brady said with a shiver. Braxton nodded though his eyes quickly jumped to Laura before looking over at the river. It was somebody's first cattle drive and if something happened to her… Braxton shook his head. Nothing would happen to her. He would make sure of it.

Laura was nervous. More nervous than she had ever been in her life. That river looked angry and now they were going to try to lead a thousand head of cattle across it. She kept looking at Braxton for reassurance but he was busy barking out orders and getting everything ready. The saddlebags were all loaded into the wagon to help weigh it down. The five extra horses were secured to the wagon as well and Laura saw Skinny talking to Isabella. He kissed her soundly and then helped her up into the wagon seat beside Tiny.

"Alright Tiny, go ahead and take her across." Braxton said and Tiny nodded. This wasn't his first river crossing. The oxen acted nervous at first about entering the water but finally Tiny's yells and whip cracks got them moving steadily.