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Asher would have asked who’d paid for that highfalutin hat, but he didn’t bother. If Ainsley had been in a shopping frenzy, she would have insisted on brandishing her credit card. As an attorney, she was used to winning arguments, too.
“I’ve already told you I’ll be volunteering with the rebuilding effort for all the earthquake damage. At least I can give something back to Mustang Valley while I’m in town.”
“I’m sure that the families who weren’t as lucky as ours will appreciate any help you can give.”
He clicked his tongue to encourage Dancer to pick up the pace, but movement along the southeast fencerow caught his attention. A few ranch hands, who were supposed to be doing regular inspections along the property perimeter, were gathered in a single spot instead.
“What’s going on up there?” Jace called from behind him.
Asher’s phone buzzed in his pocket before he could answer. He clicked on the call as the name of one of his ranch hands appeared on the display.
“What’s going on, Rex?”
“Sorry to bug you, boss, but someone cut through the fence on the southeast border of the new pasture. We have a couple hundred head hightailing it to the mountains or even El Paso.”
Asher’s breath seemed to freeze in his lungs, his heart punching against the wall of his chest. Someone was trying to sabotage the ranch. First, the bomb threat and now this? Could it even be connected to that fateful email sent to Colton Oil or to the attack on his dad? What was happening to the Coltons?
“Dammit. We’re not far. We’ll be there in five.”
He sent an apologetic look back to Jace. “I’ve got to handle this. Catch up when you can.”
He lifted his weight slightly from the saddle, leaned forward, nudged Dancer with his heels and loosened his grip on the reins, letting his mount know it was time to gallop. He couldn’t get there fast enough. Someone had threatened the ranch and the animals in his care this time. That he couldn’t allow.
Near the fencerow, he barely gave the horse the time and distance to stop before dismounting. Some of his men were already riding off to help herd the livestock, but Rex had waited for him. Asher tugged on Dancer’s lead, the horse balking before following behind him.
“Is this the only damage you’ve found?”
“You don’t think this is enough?”
Rex pointed with his thumb to the missing eight-foot section of the woven-wire fencing they used for the grazing fields.
“No, it’s plenty. I just wanted to know if it was worse.”
“I’ll ask Marty, Tim and Jarvis to continue riding the fences to check for any additional breaks.”
The two men traded worried looks over the amount of destruction the vandals could have caused to the livestock. Then Rex reached for his phone and sent off a quick text.
Asher stepped farther down the fencerow to examine the extent of the damage. Rather than a section with the horizontal wood top post or one with the diagonal wire brace, the vandal had cut through one of the more vulnerable panels on both sides, effectively creating an open gate for the cattle.
“At least the vandals cleaned up the extra fencing for us before they left.” Rex reached for the cut section that had been rolled and placed outside the fence.
Though his employee was only trying to cheer him up, Asher gave him a dirty look.
“Yeah, they were downright charitable.”
The thuds of approaching hooves announced that Jace had finally caught up with him. Jace pulled hard on Tally’s reins, and the horse jerked her head back and whinnied in protest.
“What happened up here?”
Jace lifted his leg from the stirrup and awkwardly climbed down, from the right side again. Good thing the mare wasn’t a runner, or she might have taken off since he failed to grab her reins. He glanced at the rein in Asher’s hand and reached for his mount.
Rex pointed to the gaping hole in the fence. “Somebody cut it. Several cows escaped.”
Jace blinked several times and pulled the brim of his hat lower. “Why would anyone want to do something like that? Wait. Not the new mothers and the calves?”
Asher shook his head, though he appreciated that at least someone was concerned about the animals.
“No, we kept them in the pasture closer to the outbuildings.”
