Page 87 of Branded Betrayal

Flashing red-and-blue lights spin out on the main road. My gut clenches.

“Who took her away?”

“Hearts and Hooves, a local company that handles fallen livestock. They got here real quick. They’ll take care of her.” Nash claps a hand on my shoulder. “It’s gonna be all right, Savvie. We’re gonna get through this.”

We walk together out to the far end of the pasture where three of the cattle moan loudly. I run toward them.

“Oh no,” I cry out, skidding to a stop next to Ginger. I fall to my knees next to her. There’s a deep gash on one of her hind legs. Gemma has cuts on her side, and Marcy’s right front leg is a mess of cuts and blood. “You poor babies. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“The doc will fix ’em up nice,” Nash says. “You okay here by yourself? I wanna help out the guys. They’re still trying to find all the cattle that wandered out.”

He points to the farthest pasture, where his friends have already begun to herd the cattle back to safety.

“We need to fix that fence,” I say. “This can’t happen again, especially if we are leasing the land. I’ll pay for whatever top-quality materials are needed to get this taken care of once and for all. Make that a priority for Mikey and Randy.”

“Let’s just get the cattle back here first. Then we’ll take care of the repairs.” Nash goes into the barn, and a few minutes later, he returns with Maxi, one of our horses, all saddled up. “I’ll be back soon. Maxi’s gonna help me round up the cattle out there.”

I nod as Nash mounts her and rides her out to the prairie just over the highway.

“I should have protected you all better,” I say, running my hand down Ginger’s neck. “But I promise, this won’t happen again. I’ll make sure of that.”

The morning sun rises in the sky, the air hot and heavy with foreboding. I look around the perimeter of the ranch. What kids would purposely pull a dangerous prank like this?

I walk over to the fence and frown at the post cracks and busted wire. I guess if some small animal caught their interest, a few of the cattle wandered over to the weak section of the fence and leaned on it . . . yeah, I suppose it could have just given way at some point.

I let out a deep sigh. Jesus, what a mess.

A truck pulls up behind me, and I jump up, relief crashing over me when Tyler’s smiling face greets me.

“Hey, Savvie. I’m so sorry to hear about what happened.” He walks toward me with his bag in hand. “But I’m going to fix these girls up real nice.”

“Thank you so much for coming.” He keeps up a steady stream of chatter as he examines the cattle, and it feels like a much-needed distraction.

There’s something so calming in his command of the situation. He cleans the wounds, patches the girls up, and gives them each a shot.

“Antibiotics,” he says. “Just to prevent infection. You never know what kind of germs linger on old metal.”

“Thank you so much,” I say. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you coming over here so quickly.”

“Well, it’s a serious situation. I didn’t want to delay. I’m sorry I couldn’t get here in time to see Miss Bea, but from what Nash said, there wouldn’t have been anything I could do. A leg that badly broken?” He shakes his head. “It’s sad, but putting her down is really the most humane thing to do.”

A knot of tears catches in my throat. “I know.”

“You doing okay?” he asks. “It’s a lot to handle on your own.”

“It hasn’t been easy,” I say. “But I have to keep going.”

“Well, don’t feel like you’re alone. I’m always here.”

I manage a smile. “You don’t know how much that means to me.”

He grazes my arm for a long minute, his gaze heavy on me. Then he bends down to pack up his bag once he finishes with the girls. “I’ll stop by tomorrow to check on them. Make sure no infections have set in. The antibiotics work quickly, but there’s no harm in being overly cautious.”

“I’d really like that.”

He holds out his hand, and I take it. He pulls me off the ground until we’re mere inches apart. He pushes his glasses up higher on his nose, his other hand still gripping mine. Our gazes tangle for a second too long before the sound of an engine jolts me.

I turn. Blaze’s truck slows to a stop. He gets out of his truck and walks toward us. I grit my teeth at the murderous look he shoots Tyler. Dangerous energy crackles in the air as he approaches.