Page 62 of A Steadfast Heart
Drew’s stomach clenched. Quade now held land bordering the McGraw spread. He wanted their water access. Always had.
Ed pulled his hat off and ran a hand through his hair. “Wonder just how your boss managed to force them out.”
Black Hat tilted his head toward the herd. “I wouldn’t know much about that, but Boss said to tell you he won’t take kindly to any further trespassing.”
Take kindly? Drew shook his head. Way too many interpretations of that phrase, all of them a threat to his family and their livelihood. “Tell Quade we got his message.”
The corner of Black Hat’s mouth turned down. “I reckon you know the rest of the message without me saying it.”
“No point in hiding it.” Conchas’s smile could have frozen water on a summer day. “Everyone knows Quade’s gonna have his water afore long.”
Drew’s heart dropped to his boots. Pa had had to draw his pistol to protect the family legacy from Quade. No way was Drew going to let his family down.
And how are you gonna do that when you now need money for hay as well as lumber?
Black Hat looked over Drew’s herd. “It’s a lot of animals. I can spare an hour or two to get them back to your homestead.”
Drew ignored the hired hand and focused on the man in charge. “We can handle it.” Black Hat would probably be a help, but Quade still signed his paycheck. If the boss asked what he’d seen on McGraw land, he’d have to answer.
Black Hat nodded, then signaled his men to head back toward the Diamond Q bunkhouse.
When the four horses topped the second rise away from them, Ed ran a hand along the back of his neck. “What are we gonna do now?”
“Take the cattle home.” Drew kept his voice steady, even with his heart resting somewhere around his boots.
“And after that? There’s not enough grazing to get the cattle through the summer, and we need the hay we planted for the winter.”
Tell me something I don’t know, little brother.
“Tomorrow’s problem.” Maybe they could buy some hay for the summer. Except they needed that money to prove up the first homestead. He never should have let them get this far behind on the homestead improvements. If only he’d managed things better, they wouldn’t be in this fix.
The air in his lungs evaporated. He struggled to draw in more. But how was he supposed to have managed better after Amanda left him and the kids needed his time? And now, with the bottom dropping out of the cattle market…He shook his head. Jo didn’t think he loved her, and he was going to lose the land. He was failing on all fronts.
He gestured for Ed to move to the side. “You take the right and I’ll take the left.”
With just the two of them, it took hours to push the cattle back home, and someone would still have to go back out to round up a few stragglers. Drew’s body ached at the very thought.
Nick met them in the barn. “Why’d you bring the cattle up?”
Ed filled him in. Drew couldn’t find the energy to care.
Nick scowled. “Quade’s a snake.”
“Nothing new about that.” Drew swung down from Solomon and pulled his saddle off. “I’d best take another horse and head out to look for stragglers.”
“Isaac can handle it. You look about done in, and he’s getting antsy anyway.”
Drew nodded, and Ed went to let Isaac know about the situation.
“We can still cut some logs.” Nick tilted his head thoughtfully. “Make a small cabin on Ed’s place. Maybe even a lean-to. Doesn’t have to be fancy.”
“That might not be good enough. Ernie Duff is in charge now, and he’s a stickler.”
Nick scoffed. “Probably in Quade’s pocket.”
“Wouldn’t matter anyway. We’ve only got three weeks. Barely enough time to put up a cabin. No time left for cutting logs.”
And didn’t that just sum it up? Selling the bull might supply hay for the cows to survive the summer or buy supplies for cabins, but not both. There had been little interest when he’d tried to sell Phantom. He was a great horse, but the ranches around here were well stocked.
