Braxton's Run: Cattle, Whiskey and Women

Chapter Twenty

"Sometimes she cries on my shoulder when she's lying next to me. But she don't know that when I hold her, that she's really holding me. She don't know how much I need her. She don't know i'd fall apart. Without her kiss, without her touch, without her faithful loving arms. She don't know that it's all about her. She don't know I can't live without her. She's my world, she's my everything. And she thinks she needs me. Yea and now the funny thing is she thinks she's the lucky one...." Andy Griggs 'She thinks she needs me'

The following afternoon found Laura using sheer willpower to stay in the saddle of her mare. Her body was screaming and in pain. Her legs were shaking and weak and her head was pounding. The hot sun was beating down on her back and her mouth was dry. She wanted to collapse on the ground and not go a single step farther but this was a cattle drive and none of the men seemed to be having any trouble. Laura wasn't about to voice any complaints aloud. It had been her choice to come along on this drive and she didn't want to give Braxton any reason to wish that she wasn't here or cause him embarrassment with the other men.

Braxton glanced over at Laura and saw her hanging over her mares neck and looking ready to fall to the ground. He could see how pale and drawn her face was from pain and he growled and brought his gelding in front of her to cut her off.

"What are you doing?" she asked as she tried her best to sit up, but her aching ribs didn't seem to want to let her. Braxton didn't say a word. Instead he jumped from his horse and grabbed her gently around the waist. He pulled her down and cradled her against his chest.

"You're in pain and you're tired." he said. Laura realized that many eyes were on them from across the plains and she shook her head.

"I'm fine." she lied. Braxton shook his head.

"No you're not." he scolded. "Don't lie to me."

"I don't want special treatment Braxton. I want you to treat me just the same as you would any of the other men." she replied sternly. Braxton chuckled and kissed her forehead.

"You weren't saying that last night when I lit those candles and…" Laura flushed bright red and threw her hand over his mouth while Trace trotted by on his horse and chuckled.

"Shut-up." she exclaimed in a hushed whisper. Her body trembled with delight when she thought about the massage he had given to her sore, tired muscles. He hadn't even tried to make love to her and she was thankful for that because she wasn't sure if she could have without being in pain. He had simply rubbed and kissed every inch of her flesh until she had been a helpless pile of jelly beneath his hands. Then he had kissed her forehead, laid down beside her and held her all night while she'd slept more soundly than she had in years.

"Come on, ugly, you can rest in the wagon until we make camp tonight." he said as he carried her over the ground and Tiny brought the wagon to a stop.

"I don't want to rest in the wagon, Braxton. I want to prove that I'm tough just like everyone else." she whined and he shook his head.

"Woman, you were just trampled by a hundred cattle in the middle of a raging river while saving my worthless life, I think you've earned a little bit of taking it easy."

"Your life isn't worthless." she argued and he just shrugged.

"Tiny." he said and the old man jumped down from the wagon. "We need to make her a bed in the back." Tiny nodded and Braxton sat Laura on her feet in the shade of the wagon. Isabelle climbed down from the wagon seat as Braxton walked to the back of the wagon with Tiny.

"That was awful scary the other day." she said and Laura raised a brow and looked over at the woman. Laura had never really heard her talk before and she had a voice that was light and airy.