The Rogue Mate

Chapter Two.

The next week was filled with hard work; fixing up the fences all over the property, clearing out the weeds from the paddocks, cleaning the barns from top to bottom, moving back into the house, arranging the renovations for the hand’s quarters and restocking all the medical supplies for the cattle and horses I’d be buying today.

My reputation preceded me it seemed and no one in town wanted to be involved with me; I got no help from the other ranchers I’d tried to speak to and since it was the off season, there were no drifters in town to hire either. I knew that a lot of the townsfolk didn’t believe that I’d killed my uncle but no one wanted to get involved with a woman who’d spent three years in a high security penitentiary. Not to mention I knew I had a target on my back- if the person who murdered my uncle and the men with him at the time did it to get the farm, they’d want me dead as well. I wasn’t stupid, I knew that value of such a large amount of land.

I know for a fact that Pine Hill was involved- they were the ones with the most to gain with my uncle’s death. After I was convicted Ernest told me that Jed came knocking and due to the massive cost of keeping the farm running, Ernest had to sell much of the stock to that weasel when things got bad. I knew that it would have only been a matter of time before he began buying the land and then Jed would have seen nothing but blue skies once his main competitor was out of the way and his land merged with Double T once again. But I wouldn’t let that happen. I’d heard murmurs that the police were investigating Pine Hills, which would really drive away business. I knew that the Pines would be trying to play it cool, like nothing was happening but I had my facts and they would crumble under my feet.

“Ernest let’s go!” I shouted, grabbing the keys to my truck. My check book was in the truck and I knew that I would definitely be using it today. It pained me to have to buy back stock from Jed Pines but it had to be done; Double T was known for their quality meat and famous for its working horse breeding program. Jed had the stock my family had been breeding for generations and today I was going to get it back.

-

“We lookie here; ain’t it the infamous Miss Evan Taylor?” Edward Pines obnoxiously said as he sauntered up to my truck. “What a surprise to see ya’ afta’ ya’ murdered ya’ uncle, how did prison treat ya’?”

I kept my face blank as I breezed right past him. “Where is your father?” I asked coolly, completely brushing off his jibe.

“Out breaking in that fuckin’ horse o’ yours.”

I turned and gave him a cold smile. “Good luck with that, I’ll send him a get well card when he puts him in the hospital.” Obi had been my horse from the day he was born and I’d raised him, trained him and if anyone else so much as touched him, he went ballistic.

I strode towards the coral where I could hear hoots, shouts, grunts, curses and hollers. I pushed past the men standing around the tall white fence and peered through the board. There, in the centre of the arena stood my horse, Obi; a beautiful brown and white paint, who stood seventeen hands high. Jed stood in front of him holding a whip, a saddle strewn in the dirt a few feet away.

With a snort I climbed the wooden fence and swung both my legs over the side before dropping the six feet to the ground. There were shouts as Obi turned his head and nickered at me. A smile spread across my face as he trotted over and checked my hands for treats before rubbing his face down the front of me shirt. “I missed you too.” I murmured as I rubbed his cheek.

“Don’t touch my horse.” Came the rough, infuriated voice of Jed Pines.

When I looked up I was shocked at just how old Jed seemed. His skin was leathery and wrinkled, sun spots marred his skin and a short white beard and moustache covered much of his face. His eyes were as blue and cold as the day I first met him though and I knew that even though he looked aged, he still had fight in him.

“He’s never been your horse.” I bit out, walking towards the man who took everything from me. “None of this has ever been yours.” And it hadn’t; Pine Hills had once been part of my family’s land but in the early 1900’s, the Pines family weaselled their way in using one of my ancestors and got hold of the deed. They made my great, great grandfather buy back half the land and kept the other half for themselves.  

He smirked and folded one arm in front of the other. “Oh really? You should tell that to my lawyer who handled the sale of this horse and those cattle to Pine Hills when you were sent to prison for the murder of your dear late uncle.”

I kept my face emotionless and I took measured steps towards him. When I was close enough I leant down a few inches to whisper in the old man’s ear, “I know that you had a part in their deaths and I would gladly go back to prison for your murder.” I pulled back to watch his expression as I smirked. “After all, I learnt a few things in the penitentiary and I’m not someone you want to cross.”

The smirk was completely wiped off his face as I pulled out my check book and wrote a check for ten thousand big ones. “Ten thousand for all the cattle and horses you bought from my ranch.” I expected more of a fight but when Pines nodded his head and gestured for the hands and his sons to begin loading cattle up into trucks, I was quite surprised.

I was in a pretty good mood so I saddled Obi up and helped heard the cattle back to where the trucks were waiting. It took me a while to get back into the swing of things but once I did, it was just like old times.

The brawling of cattle filled the air as we rode out to the farthest paddocks when Obi balked. I almost went sailing over his head but managed to steady myself before I toppled off. There were angry curses as I watched a shadow retreating in the distance, leaving only a chewed carcass. It had seemed too big to be a coyote or a mountain lion, but too small to be a bear. “What was that?” I asked, looking over at one of the hands.

His face was grim as he stared down at the dead bull and shook his head. “A wolf; they’ve been coming closer and closer, killing a lot of the stock.”

Wolves hadn’t been a problem before; it had just been the occasional coyote or lion. If wolves were attacking Pines Hill’s cattle, then they sure as hell would begin to migrate over to Double T.

“Let’s get them in the trucks then.” I ordered, kicking Obi into a lope as I circled around a few stragglers.   

-

“Something’s not right.” I said to Ernest as we climbed back into my truck, a horse float now attached with Obi and my uncle’s old horse, Zed, in the back. “He gave up too easily.” I was filthy, sweaty and tired; it felt amazing.

Ernest chuckled and patted my knee as I started up the truck. “The last year has been rough on the Pines family; they need the money to keep the farm and for Jed’s hospital bills.” I tried hard to keep the smile off my face at their grim situation but it was hard; I hated these people and now karma was biting them in the ass. “Can’t say I’m sorry; he’s still as mean as ever and just as ugly.”

If it got bad enough I’d buy the ranch off them and Double T would be whole once again. For now though I just needed to get everything back to normal on the land I did have.