“Your nanobots did all the work,” Melly said modestly, setting her medpack on the bureau and sorting out the sensors she’d need.
“It’s a relief to hear your voice,” Jeff said. “For a while there you looked like you’d been on a weeklong bender, red eyes and all.”
“Tamsyn gave me an anchor,” Cody said as Melly did her scans. “She read all her ancestors’ adventures to me and some of them were on the spicy side.”
Tamsyn blushed. She’d read those entries, even though they were embarrassing. One of her many times great grandmothers in particular had written enthusiastically about her marital relations. The log entries appeared to be copies of letters she’d sent a friend or a sister and read like a spicy romance novel. “I didn’t think you were hearing me,” she said.
“Oh, I was, pretty girl.” Cody winked.
“Preliminary readings are all in the normal range,” Melly said. “I have a few more detailed tests to conduct but so far so good.” She considered Tamsyn and bit her lip. “I need to ask you to step outside,” she said, surprising the group. “We know his symptoms improved when you were in the room so I want to check his condition without your influence, no offense.”
“I understand,” Tamsyn said. “I’ll go up to the house and start breakfast. What do you want to eat?” she asked Cody, who was watching her.
“Pancakes. And bacon. And hash browns. And?—”
“So everything but the dog food is what I’m hearing,” she said with a chuckle. “Coming up. I might even break into the real coffee stash.” Although she hated to leave while Cody was back to his normal state, she could see Dr. Jericho’s logic so she didn’t make a fuss but did indeed go to the house and assembled the pots and pans needed in order to cook the full menu Cody asked for. Mike came in and she put him to work too, while Buddy sat and stared soulfully at both of them, hoping for tidbits.
The meal was exuberant, everyone in good spirits and Cody at the center of the conversation. He’d been completely cleared by the doctor and his teammates appeared to have no further reservations about his recovery. Tamsyn would keep an eye on him for a while, in case there was any relapsing and she’d make sure their remaining stock of freyquitanal was handy. At least he could swallow the capsules now if needed.
As the meal ended and the group sat lingering over the cups of rare, real coffee, Jeff, at the head of the table, tapped his spoon against his cup and the table fell silent. “All right, now we have Cody at full strength, we’ve got to start making progress on our mission again. Refreshing as it’s been to kick back here at the ranch, we’ve got places to be and things to do.” He looked at Tamsyn. “My woman tells me I’ve been neglectful in not telling you directly you’re invited to go with us as a full team member. You’ve proven yourself, you can carry your own weight and you bring useful skills to the team.”
“And you can shoot real good,” Mike chimed in. His effusive praise for her marksmanship brought approving mirth from the others.
“Learned from the best, my Dad and Granddad,” she said with pride. ”I’ve given it a lot of thought since you arrived and I believe I should go, not remain hiding myself away here at home. The sheriff of Rosewater told me once I didn’t pay enough attention to what was going on around me. Well, I’ve sure had my eyes opened with all the events of recent weeks and I’m bought into your belief we have to fight these things and reclaim Randal Four for uninfected humans. I want to help.”
Cody squeezed her thigh under the table, which made her blush. She wasn’t going to explain to anyone but him—if he asked—that he was a huge part of her decision to cast her lot in with the soldiers.
“I do have one condition though,” she added.
Jeff raised his eyebrows. “And what would that be?”
She hoped they’d understand the importance of what she was going to say. “Before the Western Flu hit Rosewater, my ranch hands and I were getting ready to go on the annual cattle drive. We never got there obviously but I still need to ride up to the upper pastures and take care of the herd.”
“How long does a cattle drive take?” Mike asked. “Buddy and I can help.”
“It used to take about a week,” Tamsyn said, smiling at his enthusiasm. “And cattle can be real unpredictable and dangerous so I’m afraid it’s an adults only chore. But thanks for offering.”
“I can’t spare another week sitting here.” Jeff’s protest was immediate.
“And I’m not asking for a week. The point of the cattle drive was to move the animals to a lower pasture area, preparing them for shipment out.” She decided not to expand on the ultimate fate of the cattle, since Mike was a city boy and probably didn’t really make the connection between her cattle and his burgers. “Obviously that’s no longer a concern but I do need to ride up there and take down the fences keeping them out of the lower pastures. The herd will be on their own now and they need free range to survive long term. A herd this size can’t survive on either the upper or the lower pasturage year-round. They have to move.”
“How long then?” Jeff asked.
“Three days. One to ride up there, one day to take down the fences if I have help, and a day back. I could be ready to leave the next morning, But I do need one person to go with me to get it all done in a day.”
“I’ll go,” Cody said instantly. “Always wanted to ride a horse and play cowboy.”
Hooting and teasing remarks greeted his mock confession. Tamsyn noticed Melly didn’t join in. “You have reservations?” she asked the doctor.
“Not really. Any other patient who recovered from an ordeal like Cody has would be foolish to undertake so much activity right away but I believe he’s fully himself, thanks to the nanobots. I was reluctant at first but he’s not an ordinary patient, as we all know, so yes, I’m okay with it.”
“I can command the drones surveilling the ranch from there almost as well as I can from here,” Cody said. “She deserves our help, boss.”
“I agree,” the captain said. “All right, but three days is the maximum. Get done whatever you can and be back here on time. That’s an order.”
“Yes, sir. And if we run late for any reason, we can follow your route in the ranch truck and catch up,” Cody offered.
“Don’t be late, soldier.” Jeff’s answer was flat .”Now let’s review our immediate plans after leaving here.” A holo sprang up on the table as he flicked a finger on the pad of his handheld. Tamsyn leaned closer, recognizing landmarks.
