Braxton's Run: Cattle, Whiskey and Women

Chapter Twenty-Eight

"I wanna give back what you've given to me. And I wanna witness all of your dreams. Now that you've shown me who I really am, I wanna be more than just your man. I wanna be the wind that fills your sails. Be the hand that lifts your veil. Be the moon that moves your tides, the sun coming up in your eyes. Be the wheels that never rust. Be the spark that lights you up. All that you've been dreaming of and more, so much more, I wanna be your everything." Keith Urban 'Your Everything'

"Is that what it looks like?" Laura asked as they topped over a hill and looked down at the dusty streets lined with shops and stores and the large black train waiting beside the station. "Please tell me that's what it looks like." Braxton smiled.

"Dodge City, Kansas." he replied and Laura let out a happy hoot of joy which was quickly echoed by the men.

"Well let's go see how we did." Braxton said as he started down the hill. This time Laura was much more help when it came to ushering the cattle into the corral and it didn't take long before they were secured. A man in a fancy suit and top hat walked over to Braxton and Laura as they stood on the train station boardwalk. Braxton pulled off his hat and pushed his sweaty hair out of his face.

"Mr. McAvery?" the man asked with a frown as he pushed his spectacles up on his nose. Braxton nodded.

"Yes sir. My name's Braxton McAvery." he replied. The man nodded and held out his hand.

"I recognized the brand on your cattle. My name is Bartholomew Thomas. I am used to dealing with your father when it comes to business but I don't see him anywhere. I assumed you were his son because you look much like him." Braxton gave the man a tight smile and forced the growl that wanted to escape his lips to stay in his throat.

"My pa is sick I'm afraid and my brothers were busy so I came instead." Bartholomew nodded and looked at the impressive sized herd.

"They look good this year." he said with a smile. His men were already busy counting them up.

"Yessir. We took a few days longer than we meant to but we got them here." Braxton replied and Laura saw that he was wringing his hat in his hands nervously. She quickly removed the papoose straps from her shoulders and unsnapped Audrey from inside.

"Here, Braxton, will you hold her for a while? My back is hurting a little." she lied. She knew that holding Audrey would give the poor man something to do with his hands. The closer they had gotten to Dodge the last couple of days, the more nervous he had grown.

"Sure." he replied as he put his hat back on his head and took the smiling infant from her arms. "Little Bit has to quit eating so much or else I'll have to call her Big Bit." he said with a smile as he nuzzled the infants cheek and she squealed with gurgling laughter when his stubble tickled her soft skin.

"I think she loves you." Bartholomew said with a smile. Braxton smiled brightly and pulled the bonnet that Laura had made for Audrey tighter over the girls head.

"The feelings mutual." he replied.

It was thirty long, tense and agonizing minutes before Bartholomew's men were done with their head count.

One of the men came up and whispered in Bartholomew's ear and his dark eyes widened as he nodded.

"How many cattle did you start with, Mr. McAvery."

"Braxton." Braxton said sternly as he looked up from Audrey's face. "And we started out with right at one thousand head, just like always."

"Is that so?" Bartholomew asked as he clasped his hands over his thin stomach. Laura wanted to throttle the man for taking so long to tell them how many cattle had made it.