Page 30 of On the Land, We Shoot Straight
They unsaddled the horses, let them roam for a feed as they got what they needed from the saddlebags for lunch. They set the bedrolls down in the rear of the cave for resting their heads on. Cole made the sandwiches while Grady poured coffee from the thermos. They moved around each other in the quiet way that’d come from doing so for the days traveling so far.
Grady was eating his sandwich, enjoying the cool of the cave and looking out at the heat rippling like waves across the broken-off stalks of wheat when Dog’s head poked inside the cave.
Cole laughed. “Well, hello.”
Dog wandered in, blew out a long sigh and lay down next to Grady. He stretched his body lengthways alongside Grady’s thigh, his fur hot.
Grady gave him a pat, and Dog rolled onto his back with his legs up.
“Where’ve you been?” Cole leaned around Grady to look at Dog.
“He’s scared of the cattle.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.” Grady gave him one last rub and then picked up his sandwich. “They trampled him a few years back. I ain’t never seen a dog get back up that fast. He charged ’em like he was the devil’s spawn come after ’em for it. I swear his feet didn’t even touch the ground, he wanted at ’em so bad. But then he ain’tnever wanted to come back. He always disappears when we get this far, but then he turns up again. Don’t ya?”
Dog’s eyes were closed, tongue lolling out, and Grady gave him a few gentle taps on his belly with the hand that didn’t have the sandwich.
“Was he hurt?”
“Nah.” Grady looked at the mangy old dog, at the scars littering his body. “Just mad.”
“Then scared.”
Grady hummed. “Yeah. I’m guessin’ that part came later. Anyway, it’s for the best, he was about as good with the cattle as he is with the sheep.”
Cole was grinning. “He’s a shit sheepdog, huh?”
“He sure is.”
They finished up their sandwiches, drank their coffee and then stretched out and went to sleep.
When they woke, the light beyond the corridor of the cave had shifted to late afternoon, and Grady turned his head to see Cole already awake and looking at him.
“Hey,” Cole said.
Grady watched him for a minute, those big black eyes steady on him like he had no qualms lying there watching another man sleep.
“You ready to set out?” Cole asked.
“Do I look ready?”
Cole cracked a smile and sat up. He brought his knees up and rested his wrists on them so his hands were dangling, his gaze steady on the horses under the trees a few yards away, their tails swishing the flies, their heads drooped, eyes closed.
Grady yawned and sat up. His body was stiff from lying on the ground. Cole was so close beside him, they were almost touching.
“C’mon,” Grady said and leaned back for his stuff. He dragged it with him as he got up and went out into the cooler part of the day. He heard Cole doing the same behind him.
They saddled up and set off.
18
T
he lake was thesecond one from the house. It wasn’t as wide or long as the first lake they stayed at, but it was deeper with fresh water and flanked by thicker scrub. The sun was well set by the time they rode in, trusting the horses to pick their way through the brush and find the track before they got to the stretch of earth for camping. They dismounted in unison, led the horses to the shore and let them drink.
“I think I might like a swim,” Cole said.
