Page 7 of Wellspring
“I don’t rightly know what a zephyr is,” Webster admitted, “but it sounds better than Butterfly, that’s for damn sure.”
“Perhaps I have not the word right.”Erick hoped the growing darkness hid his flushed cheeks.“I meant a gentle breeze.”
Webster huffed a laugh, the quirk of his lips and twinkling eyes only adding to his attractiveness.Despite his frustration at expressing himself, Erick felt Webster was laughing with him, not at him.The other man’s face held too much kindness for it to be anything else.“Still don’t know if it’s the right word.’Round here, we call a breeze a breeze, but I like the name.”He poked at the pan and flipped the meat before returning his attention to Erick.His gaze warmed Erick more than the fire.“Not too long now.I’ll let it cook a little more.In the meantime, there’s coffee if you want some.It cools off fast once the sun goes down.”
Erick poured himself a cup of the strong brew and sat again, trying to copy Webster’s easy slouch.He still had so much to learn, but he couldn’t imagine a better teacher.
CADE WOKEup the next morning as the sky started getting light.Heller snored lightly in the bedroll not far away, but Cade didn’t disturb him.He allowed himself a moment to study the other man.Nocona would scold him for being so obvious about it, but Heller slept deeply, so Cade felt no need to hide.In slumber, Heller’s features lost their controlled expression, making him look… softer.Cade wondered what he’d have to do to see that expression when Heller was awake.Scolding himself for a fool, he pushed to his feet and rose.He was used to being on his own.He should get the fire lit again and put coffee and beans on for breakfast.They’d finished off the rabbit the night before, so there wouldn’t be any meat this morning, but Cade was used to that too.
When the fire was going again and both pots hung over the flames, Cade went to check on the horses.The draft horses regarded him with their usual placid stares, too used to him and being outdoors to care, but Zephyr was a different story.He didn’t rear or fight the way he’d done at the docks, but he was definitely nervous.Cade clucked at him as he approached and, when he was close enough, stroked his flank soothingly.Zephyr whickered softly and butted Cade’s chest with his head.
“You’re all bark and no bite, aren’t you?”Cade ran a hand over the stallion’s velvety nose.The horse snorted in reply and knocked Cade backward a few steps before shaking out his mane and going back to grazing on the grass at his feet.
Cade laughed and left him to it.Heller could check his hooves for stones before they rode out after breakfast.Cade wasn’t going to give the horse the chance to take a bite out of his ass.Now if Heller wanted a bite….
He pushed that thought away and focused on breakfast, not on how Heller had looked riding Zephyr yesterday, all prim and proper, not slouched in his saddle like a cowboy.Then again, he didn’t imagine Heller had ever spent all day working on horseback either, not if the cut of his suit was any indication.
Except Heller wasn’t wearing a suit now.No, he was wearing heavy denim and leather, much like Cade was, only newer and less dusty.That would change when they got past Houston and into drier, open land, but for now he was as shiny as a new penny.
Rustling from the direction of the wagon caught his attention and he glanced over to see Heller crawling out ass-first.Cade tried not to stare as Heller stood and stretched, his shirt riding up above the waistband of his dungarees and giving Cade a glimpse of pale skin.He bit his lip as he resisted the urge to bite that patch of skin instead.When Heller bent again to tie up his bedroll before tossing it into the wagon, Cade had to force his gaze away from the curve of his ass outlined perfectly in his snug jeans before he did something he wouldn’t be able to take back.Like grope the hard muscle.Heller might have led a life of some luxury in Prussia, but he’d ridden enough to have a rider’s legs and butt.
“Morning,” Cade said.“Coffee should be just about hot if you want some.Beans’ll take a little longer.”
“How did I survive before this without coffee?”Heller squatted to pour himself a cup.
Cade laughed.“You think my coffee is strong, wait until we get back to Wellspring.The cook there makes it even stronger.”
“Wellspring?This is a fountain, a water source, yes?”
“No.Well, yes, but not in this case.Wellspring Ranch.When we get out farther west, it used to be mostly open range, though fences are becoming more common.So each ranch has its own brand so we know which livestock belongs to who.”He pointed to the draft horses still tethered nearby.“Most of the time, it’s a letter for the rancher, but maybe on its side or with a curved bar under it.Lazy H or Rocking S or something like that.Our ranch was founded by Miz Roarke’s grandfather, Wells was his name, and there’s a source on the land, so that’s where the name came from.Then for the brand, he had one made special, with two wavy lines, almost a W but also a stream.Here, I’ll show you.”
He got up and offered Heller a hand, pulling him to his feet when he took it.The skin was smooth against his, something that would change before long, even if Heller wore gloves most of the time.He came right up into Cade’s space, so close their bodies almost touched, meeting his gaze for one long, fraught moment before taking a step back and waiting for Cade to lead him toward the horses.Cade brushed away the mud that had accumulated on one of the horses’ hips so Heller could see the brand.“Wellspring.”
Heller studied the mark, reaching out a finger to trace the lines.“Will Zephyr need to be branded thus?”
“Not unless you want him to be,” Cade replied.“He’s your horse, not a ranch horse.Nahnia, my horse, doesn’t have the Wellspring brand, but a lot of the others use horses that belong to the ranch, and a few, like Payne, have the brand on their horse so no one can argue where they belong.Nobody cares about a cowboy like me, but half the county hates Payne.They’d love an excuse to accuse him of stealing a horse, so it’s safer for him to have the brand on his gelding, even if it does belong to him.”
“Why do so many hate this Payne?”Heller asked, frowning.
“’Cuz they don’t like seeing a black man doing better than them,” Cade replied honestly.If Heller was going to have a problem working for Payne, better to find out now, when Cade could leave him in Houston or Austin rather than after they reached Wellspring.“Although if they rode half as well or knew half of what he does about running a herd, maybe they’d have a better chance of doing as well.He’s a hard man, and don’t let anyone tell you different, but he’s fair and he’s honest and he’ll keep his word, which is more than I can say of a lot of men.Wellspring ain’t the first outfit I’ve worked for, but it’s damn sure the best.”
Heller smiled.“Then I am doubly fortunate to have met you.I am sure most would look at me and judge me deluded to imagine myself a cowboy.I can but hope I will learn enough before we reach Wellspring and meet Herr Payne.”
“Just Payne.The only person who calls him anything else is Miz Roarke.”And the less said about that, the better.Because while the neighboring ranchers might resent Payne’s role as foreman, they’d lynch him in a minute if they knew the rest.“We better get on the road.It’ll take us a month as it is to reach Wellspring.We don’t need to make it longer.”
“So long?”Heller’s surprise didn’t sound displeased, but maybe Cade was just reading his own feelings into the question.He wouldn’t mind spending the time with the new hand.Because he’d need the time to get used to life on the range, that was all.
“The wagon is heavy and the horses can only cover so much ground.It’s not like there’s real roads, most of where we’re going.Dirt tracks, yeah, but they’re rutted and uneven, and if we push too hard, we run the risk of a broken axle or a lame horse, and that would slow us down even more,” Cade explained.“And it’s a good four hundred miles.You ain’t never seen any place that’s big like Texas.”
“I did not realize your home is so far.From one border of Prussia to the other is less.”Heller nodded his head.“Sehr gut.I will have much time to grow accustomed to my new country.”
Cade didn’t know what had prompted Heller to leave his old country, though perhaps losing his wife and child had something to do with it, but he’d take the attitude of embracing the new one over resentment any day.“Breakfast should be hot by now.Eat plenty.Lunch will be cold jerky on horseback unless you want to take a turn driving the wagon.Then it’ll be cold jerky on the wagon bench.”
Cade wouldn’t ask for a turn on Zephyr, although if Heller offered….
Heller didn’t smile, but the corners of his eyes crinkled.“Do I dare trust you to handle Zephyr?He is too strong and has a nasty temper, after all.”
Cade snorted.“I’ve spent more of my life on horseback than I have with my feet on the ground.I think I can handle him.But he’s your horse.And if there’s one rule everyone respects out here, it’s not to get between a man and his horse.”
