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“What exactly are you doing out here?” I asked, interrupting him.
“Right.” He sat taller in the saddle and cleared his throat. “Jed wanted me to tell you there are actually three missing heifers, not two.”
“Yes, I know.”
He frowned. “You… know?”
“Jed radioed to tell me that a couple of hours ago. He didn’t mention you though.”
Richard’s jaw dropped. “Radioed? But… he didn’t mention a radio, only that there was spotty cell service. Why’d he want me to ride all the way out here to deliver the message? My ass has been numb for hours, and let’s not even start in on the chafing on bits that don’t need to be chafed. I doubt there’s enough Megababe Thigh Rescue in the universe that will soothe these gams.”
I remembered Jed noting my interest in Richard the other day by the ring, when Richard had been learning to ride Duck. I wondered if him sending Richard out here was his way of throwing temptation in my path in the hopes I’d get it out of my system.
More than likely though, he just wanted to get Richard out of his hair for a day or two, and this had been the easiest way to go about it. Of course, that meant that Richard was now in my hair instead.
And why did that thought send a little thrill through me?
“Well, you’re here now,” I grumbled to hide my excitement. “May as well help. We have heifers to find.”
I turned around and whistled for Birdie, who’d gone all lovey-dovey when she’d heard Richard’s voice. She bolted from her spot next to Branson and shot ahead of me on the trail. I nudged Vic into a walk and followed her.
After a few minutes, Chatty Cathy couldn’t hold back. “Why aren’t these missing ladies in the calving pasture back home?”
Something about him calling my ranch “home” made my chest tight. “They were overlooked when we rounded up all the first-calf heifers. If they were cows with experience, I wouldn’t be as worried at the oversight, but until we know how a heifer calves, we have to assume she could have difficulty. Even if they calve successfully, there could be other problems after delivery. It’s why we gather all of the pregnant cows and heifers together in the calving pastures before calving begins. So we can keep an eye on them.”
“How were these three overlooked? You’re kind of known for being meticulous. At least, according to the guys.”
The truth of his words gave me another little thrill because he knew this about me and also grated on me because he was right. This kind of lax herd management wasn’t like me at all.
“We had a man named Weller who worked as Jed’s right hand for almost ten years. He was in charge of the roundup on this part of the ranch while I was working clear over the other side. He’d done it perfectly for years. We worked well together, and he was as loyal and dedicated as they came. After the roundup, he up and quit. Said he’d gotten a much better offer from another operation and couldn’t turn it down.”
“That sucks.”
“It does. But it’s life, I suppose. I tried to keep him, but nothing I offered came close to tempting him to stay. After he was gone, it never occurred to me to check his recent work. Yesterday afternoon, Jed was updating our notes on each first-calf heifer to make sure we knew how they were doing, and that’s when he realized we had some missing. I assume Weller was just sloppy at the end, but a mistake like this could cost the lives of both heifer and calf.”
“Did you call him and ask him about it?”
I shook my head. “No reason to unless I can’t find them out here. And even then, I doubt he can help.”
I didn’t bother telling Richard that Weller had gone to work for Tyler’s dad over at the Hosser Ranch. It was yet another reason things were tense between Walt and me. I never in a million years would have poached one of his best men, but obviously, he didn’t have the same sense of honor.
We rode along in silence for a while longer until I saw the corner of the Mob Creek pasture fence up ahead. “Here we are.” I kicked Vic’s flank to speed him up before hopping down to open the gate. When Branson began to walk through it, Richard yanked back on the reins, startling the gelding.
“Woah,” I said, reaching out for the reins and patting Branson on the neck. I looked up at Richard. “What’s going on?”
His eyes were wide as they flicked between me and the pasture full of grazing stock. “I’m… um… you want me to just ride him in there? With all the cows? What if they…?”
