Page 173 of A Curse On Black Lake
By the time we get downstairs, we’re both starving. We clean up the now-melted popsicles with grins on our faces. But I sober the moment I step outside to retrace my steps from last night and inspect the grass and dirt surrounding the porch. I don’t pick up on any footprints similar to the ones I saw at Eliana’s. I walk around the perimeter of the barn, but no latches were messed with.
I swear he was here, though. Tiny knew it too. He must have taken off maybe when he heard Tiny or me open the door.Dammit.There’s no way of knowing short of staying up all night to wait and see. And that’sifthe bastard shows up again.
Eliana and I get the stalls cleaned out and the goats, cow, and horses outside to enjoy the weather. The chickens are already out poking around.
While I brush the horses down, Eliana fills water troughs and gets all the animals fed.
When we’re done with these animals, we saddle up and head out to the pastures. I need to check the herds and look at the next pastures for movement. The one closer to the lake is the next area, and it should be ready for them. I haven’t wanted ranch hands so badly in a long time because they would be doing this and I could still be in bed with Eliana, at least for an extra hour.
Eliana and I head out to the pasture with the dogs. She grins, holding her hat as she pushes Winnie harder. She comes alive when she’s outside like this, and I keep trying to come up with ways to keep that smile on her face.
We check on the herd and the next pasture over, then start moving. It’s a slow process, and the heat of the Texas day starts to bear down on both of us. I take a swig of water from my bottle and lift my hat to shake my sweaty hair out.
I hear Eliana giggle. “Woof,” she says.
“You callin’ me a dog, darlin’?”
“If it walks like a duck, and talks like a duck,” she says, pouting her lips.
I grin and point at her. “I’m gonna handle that smart mouth later.”
“I was betting on it,” she grins and takes off towards the barns. Tiny not far behind her.
I circle the cattle, and everyone seems happy. My count is good, and we haven’t lost any. They all have had proper vaccinations. But I still need to make sure they are healthy. Circling them a few times, I observe them carefully, trying to seeif all of them are grazing, and if there are any lethargic animals. Everyone looks good, same as the other group. I loose a thankful, and grateful breath. I can’t afford to lose more cattle this season.
Turning Daisy, I go back to the barns and whistle for the dogs. We trot around a copse of trees, and I find Eliana bareback on Sunny. My heart leaps out of my chest, and I push Daisy to go faster. Sunny took well to Eliana, and is much better with me now, but that doesn’t mean he’s not a bastard and won’t throw her.
I lean back on Daisy, and she skids hard as I hop off. “What are you doing?” I yell.
Her head lifts to mine, and she nudges Sunny towards me.
“What’s wrong?” Eliana asks, angling him next to the fence so we can talk.
“Darlin’, I know you have a connection with this bastard, but you definitely shouldn’t be bareback on him.”
Eliana shrugs. “He seems fine to me, like someone else I rode bareback,” she says with a lifted brow.
I huff. “For now,” I mumble.
“Killian, he’s fine. Honestly, I think he’d rather be like this than with a saddle.”
I glance at Sunny, and I swear he has an evil look in his eye. My anxiety ratchets up a notch, and I can’t take it. Climbing the fence, I reach around Eliana’s waist to pull her off of him.
“Hey! I’m fine!” she shouts and simultaneously grabs onto me for balance.
“I don’t trust him.”
Sunny lunges trying to bite me, and I pull back before he can.
“See?” I yell.
Eliana snorts. “Well,I dotrust him, and it’s your fault for pissing him off,” she snaps.
“Seriously?” I glance at Sunny again, and he’s on the other side of the circle.
I get her on my side of the fence, and she huffs, crossing her arms.
“Seriously, you need to chill out. I know how to work with horses, and I know how to ride bareback. This isn’t my first rodeo, and I get that you’re all protective, but I can handle myself, and—”
