Total pages in book: 248
Estimated words: 236036 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1180(@200wpm)___ 944(@250wpm)___ 787(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 236036 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1180(@200wpm)___ 944(@250wpm)___ 787(@300wpm)
“Sounds like a plan.” With a tap of his heels and a slap of the reins, he turned Duke around and was soon galloping away.
An hour later, there was still no sign of the cows and dusk had long since faded. I paused on a slight rise to dig in my saddle bag for the flashlight. Flicking it on, I was rewarded with nothing but a clicking sound followed by a rumble of thunder—a rumble much closer than the last time I’d heard it. Looking up, I saw the sky seemed to have dropped lower, clouds thickening to assure that the stars wouldn’t be out to shed some light on the search.
This day just kept getting better and better. Dead batteries and clouds so swollen that if I poked my finger into one, I was pretty sure it would pop like a sausage casing on the grill. My thoughts were interrupted when I heard a crack. The possibility of it being lightning was quickly nixed when another crack immediately followed. I listened, hoping for a third, but when none came, I sighed. My brother had found two of the missing trio, but I had no idea which two.
I’d really rather not continue the search in the dark, much less if the skies opened, but cows weren’t the most intelligent animals on earth. Add in the fact that one was hugely pregnant and skittish as a newborn calf, and the decision was taken out of my hands.
I urged Zephyr forward again. “Sorry, boy, seems like our long day is gonna get longer.” His snort was most likely not one of gratitude, but at least he wasn’t attempting to buck me off at another clap of thunder. A man had to take what he could get.
As often the case, it wasn’t what I saw that caught my attention ten minutes later. It was a feeling that something was off. “Whoa,” I muttered softly, one hand dropping to the stock of my rifle. It was uncommon for bears to be seen down this low, but cougars were another story. I cautiously changed directions and continued, alert for the scent of a cat. Listening for a snarl was not worth the effort. By the time I heard one, the cat would likely have his teeth around my throat. The fact that Zephyr’s only reaction to the movement was to swish his tail told me he wasn’t concerned, which eased my fear somewhat.
Like anyone who’d grown up out here, I’d heard my share of stories about the history of this land and its people. Some of those had been based on actual fact but, when you were a kid, the ones that stuck out were the ones that stretched the truth to include anything from headless horsemen and ghostly spirits to giant bi-pedal hairy beasts tromping through the mountains. But I couldn’t recall a single one that had included any otherworldly being who sang, and I’d swear that’s what had my spidey senses tingling… singing. The next rumble of thunder destroyed any chance of hearing anything but the storm. When it was accompanied by the skies opening, my vision was blurred by rain pouring off the brim of my Stetson. Within seconds, I was drenched and seriously considering heading toward the house, but responsibility kept me in the saddle.
A click of my tongue against my teeth had Zephyr moving again. I didn’t rush him. Instead, we steadily walked forward until we came to the fence that marked the property line of the ranch. Well, the fence that would have been marking it if not for the gaping hole I was currently staring at. Boulders weren’t the only things uprooted by rain. Trees fell and this one had chosen to fall onto the fence, flattening it and most likely providing the escape route for a wandering cow.
I made a mental note of the damage even as I drew Zephyr to a stop and dismounted. Losing a cow and, god forbid, her calf, would be bad enough and I wasn’t about to add Zephyr to the list. Until I knew where the barbed wire had landed, there was no way I was going to jeopardize his legs.
Choosing a fence post a good distance from the damage, I looped the reins loosely over it. It was a risk with the storm, but one I was willing to take. If lightning spooked Zephyr. he could yank free and head for the barn. In that case, he’d be safe, while I’d be facing a very long walk home unless Luther came looking for me. Of course, that might require a bit of luck as I’d wandered off the path I’d told Luther I’d follow. In fact, I was now miles away from Old Hairy.
The name didn’t refer to a ranch hand or even a man at all for that matter. It was a set of deep depressions in a rock that Luther and I’d discovered on a campout years ago. We’d made a joke about how it looked like a footprint pressed into its surface. It wouldn’t be worthy of a name at all if not for the fact that the print was almost two feet long and a foot wide. Neither of us had been willing to state that it had been left by Sasquatch, but whatever had once stood there sure had one hell of a big foot.