Page 15 of Cowboy

“Why?” she sobbed. “Why kill her? Why? She did nothing! I don’t have a clue what he was asking for.”

“I know,” repeated Cowboy. “We’re gonna take her body back to the ranch and help you bury her. Then we’re gonna figure all of this out. Can you ride?” She nodded, standing to let the men wrap her grandmother in a blanket and secure her once again.

“What about the man you shot?” she asked Moose, looking toward Red.

“We got what we needed from him. I took a photo and got his prints. The coyotes and bears can have what’s left of him, but even that’s too good for him.” She nodded at him, then walked up and hugged him.

“Thank you for bringing my grandmother up for me,” she said.

“You’re welcome,” he smiled.

Cowboy helped her onto the horse, watching to see if she swayed at all. It was going to be a long ride back to the ranch, given the fact that they were towing the body.

Following the same path they’d taken to get there, they were able to make it before midnight. But what awaited them was anything but a positive greeting. The house had been burned to the ground, the horses released from the pens, and the barn was still smoldering.

“Oh, my God,” whispered Autumn as she slid off her saddle.

Cowboy caught her before she hit the ground, wrapping an arm around her waist. She gripped his shoulders for dear life, then buried her head in his chest, crying uncontrollably. There were three pickup trucks parked near the home, and several men came walking toward them.

“Autumn, sure glad to see you, hun,” said one old man. “We didn’t see your grandma.”

Autumn pointed to the litter, and the men all frowned.

“Someone killed Clarice,” said Cowboy. “We’re going to find them. We think they did this as well.”

“Well, they definitely lit her up,” said another man. “Used a couple cans of gasoline. I got Mack out tryin’ to find the horses for ‘ya. I can keep ‘em at our place until you get things straight.” Autumn could only nod.

“Listen, is there a hotel nearby we could stay at?” asked Cowboy.

“Afraid not,” said the old man. “Closest one will be Fresno. I got a coupla’ tents if you’re okay camping for a few days.”

“That’ll do,” said Mo, nodding at the man. He followed him to his truck, grabbing the camping gear.

“Just luck I had this,” said the man. “I was gonna take some tourists into Yosemite, but they cancelled on me. Just hadn’t had the chance to remove any of it. Autumn gonna be okay?”

“Not sure,” said Mo. “Her plane was shot down, and my friend went out to find her at the request of her grandmother. Whoever did it was probably the same men who killed Clarice.”

“Damn,” muttered the old man. “She was a good old woman. Tough as shit, but she was solid. I’m real sorry to hear that. Listen, there’s everything you need in these cases. Tents, cots, sleeping bags, all of it. Everything gets a deep clean after each excursion. Best place for you to camp would be at the campgrounds near the park. They’ve got patrols there, and at least you’re close to someone if you need help.”

“Thanks,” said Mo, sticking out his hand. “My name is Mo. The man who saved Autumn is Cowboy, and that’s Moose, Ethan, and Red.” The old man looked at them, then gave a strange look.

“Trigger,” he grinned. “You know, I served in Vietnam, and I’ve been around the block a few times. I’ve been a volunteer forest ranger and firefighter. I’ve worked on search and rescue missions, even helped track down escaped convicts. I know a thing or two, and I know when I see a man who isn’t just the average Joe. You ain’t just average boys, are ‘ya?”

“No, sir. We definitely are not.”

“If you need anything, let me know. I got a few gun cases in the house if you find you need some help.”

“I’ll be sure and do that, sir.”

CHAPTER NINE

Cowboy stepped out of the tent, staring at his teammates seated around the fire. It was 0730, but none of them had gotten more than a few hours of sleep. Once the tents had been set up, Cowboy, Moose, and Autumn took one, while Mo, Ethan, and Red took the other. Autumn had cried herself to sleep while Cowboy and Moose tried to console her.

“Morning,” he said in a gravelly voice.

“Morning, brother,” said Ethan. “Did she finally sleep?”

“Yea, around five. I didn’t think she’d ever stop crying. Fucking breaks my heart.”

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