Cody glanced around. “Where’s Joey?”
“He’s chasing after the herd. The ground’s soft enough that their tracks were obvious.” Eddie wiped his brow. “Unfortunately, it seems they went in three directions. It’s gonna be tough roundin’ ’em up before dark.”
Scrubbing a hand over his face, Cody stifled a groan. “All right, boys. Let’s find Joey and get a plan together.”
It took half an hour before they located their fellow ranch hand. Joey had about thirty cows together, but deep furrows ran across his forehead. “Sorry, Boss. I thought I followed the path with the most tracks, but they split up here, there, and everywhere. I don’t know where the rest of the herd is.”
Two hundred and forty-two cattle missing. Cody’s heart sank. Of their eight hundred total, they lost three hundred over the course of the harsh winter. He couldn’t afford to lose any more. Pushing down his disappointment, Cody let out a long breath. “We can’t waste any time. Let’s split up and find as many cattle as possible. Report back at the north pasture in three hours.”
Hank swiped his hat from his head, raking back his sandy hair. “We gotta get that fence repaired, too, Boss. Getting the cattle back will do nothin’ if they just get out again.” His eyes shadowed. “Not to mention if any cattle from other pastures find their way out of that blasted hole.”
Cody bit back a groan. “Joey and Eddie, you rustle up the cattle. Hank and I’ll get to work on that fence.”
“Yessir.”
The twins galloped off, leaving Cody and Hank to drive the thirty rescued cows back to the ranch. Once all of them were safely inside the north pasture, the two men went to work on a makeshift fence. It took several hours to get the wood to an appropriate length to repair several feet of fencing. As they prepared to cut away the old bits of fence still standing, Cody’s boot came down on a length of rope half hidden in mud. He frowned, crouching. “Hank, c’mere.”
“Yeah, Boss?”
“Do you see what I see?” Cody pointed to tracks in the soft ground. “These horse hooves aren’t ours. And the fence looks like it was dragged.” He picked up the rope. “See this?”
Hank sucked in a breath. “You sayin’ someone pulled the fence down on purpose? Who would do somethin’ like that?” He smacked his leg. “Cattle rustlers?”
Cody’s stomach clenched. “Maybe.” Or maybe it had something to do with Blackwell’s threat.
He prayed he was wrong.
They worked for several more hours, fitting the new wood to the older fence. By the time the sun sank low in the sky, Cody felt as though he’d been hit by a train. He was covered in sweat, tired, and hungry. As he hammered the last nail in place, a whistle caught his attention. When he looked up, Eddie and Joey rumbled toward them, driving a significant portion of the herd. Relief sluiced through Cody’s body. He hurried to the gate and flung it open. As the cows made their way in, he called to Eddie. “How many?”
“One hundred and eighty-three. Add that to the thirty from earlier, and we’ve got most of them accounted for.”
But not all. Cody tried to summon gratitude for the ones that were found, but his gut churned with concern. If they couldn’t find the other twenty-nine, it would be a significant loss.
Hank clapped a hand on his shoulder. “We’ll find the rest, Boss. This can’t be the work of rustlers. That means those cows are out there.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“I usually am.”
Hank grinned. Cody tried to take courage from his levity, but bone-deep exhaustion radiated through him. And if it wasn’t rustlers… “Thanks for your help today, boys. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He rode Preston home at a slower pace than usual. Cody considered himself an excellent horseman, but in his current state, he didn’t trust himself to gallop. By the time he got to the barn, deep darkness settled over the land, with stars twinkling brightly in the sky.
The door to the house opened. Ella slipped outside, covered in a thick shawl. “You’re home.”
Was that fear in her eyes? Cody dropped Preston’s reins and took several long steps to the porch. “Everything all right, Ella?”
Her breathing sounded labored. “When you didn’t come home on time, I feared the worst. But you’re here.” She exhaled, running her hands over his arms. “You’re safe.”
The gentle touch nearly made him forget the day’s stress. He caught her hands as they reached his, giving them a squeeze. “I’m sorry I worried you. Let me get the evening chores done, and I’ll be in.”
She followed him down the steps. “The chores are done.”
Cody stopped in his tracks. “What?”
Ella tightened the shawl around her. “The children helped me feed the animals, and I milked Sadie and Becky. Everything’s done.”
“You…did my chores?”
