Page 59 of Branded

“No, listen. Right now is exactly when we should go. The Marshalls are dealing with casualties. Wounded men, maybe dead. They’re regrouping, handling their own crisis. They’re not going to be watching empty pastures for stray cattle.”

He’s quiet, listening now instead of dismissing me.

“And those cattle are confused, jumpy, scattered across unfamiliar territory. But they know where they belong. They’ve been on your south pastures for months. They know the water sources, the routine and where home is.” I stop pacing and face him.

“If someone went out there right now and started rounding them up and moving them back toward our property line, they’d go. Cattle are creatures of habit. When they’re stressed, they want familiar ground.”

“You want to go cattle rustling. Tonight. Hours after we barely survived an ambush.” His tone is flat, unreadable.

“I want to recover our property while the Marshalls are too distracted to stop us.” I move closer. “Think about it, Sebastian. They’re not expecting anyone to come back tonight. They think we’re licking our wounds, dealing with your father and being cautious. Which means their guard is down.”

“Or they’re waiting for exactly this. For us to be stupid enough to come back.”

“With twenty armed men, yes, that would be stupid. But two people? Moving quietly, staying low, just pushing cattle back across a property line?” I meet his eyes. “That’s not an attack. That’s just ranch work.”

“Two people can’t move twenty-three head of cattle.”

“I’ve done it before, back home during night moves. I can do the work of three people. You just have to keep them pointed in the right direction and make sure none break off.” I grab his arm. “I know you think I’m crazy. But this’ll work. The cattle are already spooked and scattered. They want to go home. We just have to show them the way.”

Sebastian stares at me for a long moment, and I can see the calculations running behind his eyes. Risk versus reward. Stupidity versus brilliance. The possibility that I’m right versus the certainty that this could get us both killed.

“It’s too dangerous,” he finally says, shaking his head.

“More dangerous than what we did earlier? At least this time it’s just us. No one else is at risk. And if it goes wrong, if the Marshalls spot us, we’re just two people on horses. We can outrun them.”

“Lennox.”

“Sebastian, I don’t understand much about this world you’ve brought me into, but I know cattle, so let me help with something,” I say with finality. “I’m going, with or without you. But those cattle are out there, and the longer we wait, the more scattered they’ll get. By morning, they could be miles away. This is our window.”

“You’re not going alone.”

“Then come with me.”

He’s quiet for so long, I expect him to refuse. Then, finally, he pulls out his phone and sends a quick text.

“What are you doing?”

“Telling Nathaniel and James I’m stepping out for a few hours, and that they’re in charge of security.” He pockets the phone. “Because apparently my wife has lost her mind and I’m not letting her ride onto Marshall property alone in a silk nightgown.”

Relief floods through me. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet. If this goes wrong, if we get shot at again, I’m going to be furious with you.”

“If we get shot at again, you can be as angry as you want. But we won’t. Because we’re not going to be noticed.” I head for the door. “I need to change. Meet you at the barn in ten minutes?”

He catches my hand. His dark eyes search mine, and I see the moment he makes his decision. “Five minutes. Don’t make me wait.”

The barn is quiet when I arrive, dressed again in dark jeans, a black shirt and boots. Sebastian is already here, saddling Cisco with efficient movement. He’d changed, too, all black, no reflective surfaces, his face set in grim determination.

“Duchess is in the third stall,” he tells me without looking up. “Tack’s in the usual spot.”

I find the mare and go to work, my hands steady despite the adrenaline coursing through my veins. This is wild, completely insane to be honest. But it will work. It has to work.

Sebastian appears beside me as I tighten Duchess’s cinch, checking my work with a critical eye. “Are you sure about this?” he asks.

“Yes. Are you?”

“No. But I’m trusting you anyway.” He adjusts the bridle slightly. “We go in quietly. No radios, no lights, nothing that could give us away. We find the cattle, push them back across the property line, and we’re gone before anyone notices.”