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“You don’t have to apologize to me. You’re the boss. If you need to sleep in, do it.”
“I might need to sleep in, but I shouldn’t. What needs to be done?”
As Jerry told him what else to do, Liam pulled on his gloves, nodded, and saddled his horse.
“I have to call MDOL before I do anything.”
“Do we have cattle missing?” Jerry asked him.
“No. After we repaired the fence, the men and I did a head count.”
“There’s a reason that fence was down. An animal ran into it, or someone deliberately cut it.”
“Exactly. I’ll call Reece. I’ll be around the barns today.”
“All right, Liam.” Jerry laughed. “Just remember, you let it slide when I sleep in.”
Liam grinned. He knew that would never happen.
“Yeah, just like your internal clock never lets you down.” He shook his head. “Idiot.”
Later in the afternoon, as Liam worked in the barn, he heard a vehicle coming up the drive. He set the rake against the wall and strode to the truck. He saw the logo of The Montana Department of Livestock on the door and watched as Reece Maddox stepped out.
Liam strode to him, put his hand out, and shook Reece’s hand.
“Liam, how are you?”
“Good, Reece. You?”
“Great. What’s up?”
Liam explained about the fence, and Reece asked him to show him. They climbed into Reece’s truck, and Liam gave him directions.
As they walked along the fence, Liam followed Reece and watched as he squatted, removed his cellphone from his pocket, and snapped pictures of the dirt.
“What do you see?” Liam asked.
“Tire tracks.” Reece looked over his shoulder. “Did you have a truck or trailer here recently?”
“Not that I know of, but I can ask the men. They could be old tracks. Sometimes the men check the fence on ATVs instead of horseback.”
“I understand, but I don’t think these are ATV tracks. I’ll get some more photos, but check with your men. Rustling is always going on, but let’s hope this isn’t someone casing the place.”
After Reece left, Liam checked with the men, and none had been there—horseback or otherwise.
Liam sure hoped that someone wasn’t looking to steal his cattle. Damn, rustlers didn’t care who they stole from. It wasn’t their livelihood they were destroying. Thank God for agencies like MDOL. They protected a lot of ranchers and farmers.
Heaving a sigh, Liam entered the barn to muck out the stalls.
****
Siobhan entered the Clifton diner and smiled as people waved or called out to her. She’d been here a month now and loved the place. The townsfolk were friendly and treated her as their own once she settled in.
Sitting at the bar, she smiled when Connie filled a glass with ice and water and set it on the counter.
“Hi, Siobhan. How are you?”
“I’m fine, Connie. You?”
