Why Me, Cowboy?

by Stephy Smith

  Fury burned through her soul when she reached the office. She gasped at the sight of Gulch folding up his pocketknife. The air was gone from the front tire of the pickup she had planned to take. Tansy held her breath and clamped her lips tight. She was sure venomous heat shot from her own eyes, accusing him of messing around to set her up again. His continual efforts to make things hard on her gnawed at her insides. The hateful words he freely directed toward her hurt worse than his sabotaging her work.

  “Better change that flat, Pansy Tansy.” Gulch mounted his horse and rode off. His evil laughter trailed behind him.

  Tansy didn’t pull her gaze from his back. Her body shook from head to toe. The pounding in her neck beat against her shirt collar. How could he be so insensitive? She held back the tears of anger burning her eyes.

  “The tire was flat before he got here, Tansy. I had full intentions on having it changed before you came back from the mountain. Take my pickup.” Benny Whipple stood behind her. She turned toward his gravely and grainy voice.

  “Why is he so mean to me, Benny? I haven’t caused any problems with him. I try to stay out of his range. Yet he constantly hunts me down, condemns my work, and criticizes me in front of the others.” Tansy tried to still the quiver in her voice.

  “Don’t pay him no never mind. Gulch isn’t always this way. He has a lot to think about. Things he has to work out on his own. Demons he has to put to rest.” Benny handed her the keys to his pickup. “Take trailer number six. It’s up to snuff.”

  Everyone at the feed yard rambled on and on about poor Gulch and his demons. Tansy was darned tired of him turning his demons loose on her. She wasn’t his pathetic little puppet designed for him to goad every time he got a notion to. It wasn’t fair the way they all let him lash out at others and one day . . . one day soon, she was going to put a stop to his bullishness.

  Chapter Four

  Benjamin Gage ‘Gulch’ Whipple never looked back when he left the pickup. He had scraped a few unknown particles from the tire. Debris he was sure would help stop the trouble. He was careful to conceal his findings to send to the lab. Over the years, no one had suspected him to be an investigator or the son of the owner.

  When he first started to work for the feed yard, no one had asked his real name and he didn’t offer to tell them. For some unknown reason, all the cowhands thought he had a thing for Robin. They expressed their sorrow and promised to help him through the pain when she died. It was a well-known fact that he had seen the cattle coming and did everything possible to prevent the incident.

  He had agreed to help Benny under the condition no one would know a thing about him other than his name was Gulch. Even his sister, Robin, had been called into the secrecy, sworn never to call him Gage in front of anyone. Robin, may she rest in peace, had agreed to act as if he was a total stranger.

  He wished Robin were here with him now. She could explain to Tansy the reason for his meanness without giving him away. Robin could make the beautiful woman believe Gulch didn’t hate her. His feelings were quite the opposite and he hated not getting to prove otherwise.

  Tansy jumped to conclusions, but he couldn’t reveal his identity to her or anyone else yet. Bone-chilling goose bumps prickled his skin every time he had to rumble up the well-rehearsed sardonic laugh. When his father walked from the office doors, Gulch knew his father would stick up for him without letting on he knew the reason why Gulch treated the three women the way he did.

  Seven years earlier, his father, Benny, had called him to put a stop to the trouble at the Grow ‘em feed yard. At the time, they all thought it would be an open and shut case. As the years passed, several options had been discussed. Some were ruled out while others failed. However, they were getting closer to solving the problem . . . just a little more time and he could breathe easier.

  Gulch had been working too hard to find out the identity of the rustler stealing from the feed yard. He had narrowed down the suspects to three now. If he could get the women out from under the rustler’s scope, it would be easier to bring the thief in. For some reason, the thief had used the women as decoys to draw Gulch’s attention away from him. Whoever it was knew Gulch would be more concerned for their safety than he would be to catch the thief. He had used the ploy more than once.

  Gulch worked every trick in the book to get the women to quit their jobs without putting their lives in danger. At least he would know for sure they would be out of harm’s way. Now the rustler focused his efforts on Tansy. She was the new girl and made an easy target. Just like when he targeted Robin. There wasn’t any way he was going to let bad things happen to Tansy and not to Jo or Andi either.

  The women were tough. They were all determined to keep their jobs. All three women were as capable as any man on the Grow ‘em yards. Nevertheless, they took up the time he needed to catch the real bad guy.

  First, the offender messed with Jo’s truck, cutting her brake lines, clogging the auger, but Jo thought it was Gulch sabotaging her job. Jo’s exact words were, ‘you are nothing but a skanky snake, slithering through the deepest darkest sewer system on the face of this earth'.

  Then the criminal targeted Andi by putting rattlesnakes in her scale shack, messing up her scales and erasing records from her computer. Once again, just like Jo, Andi blamed it all on Gulch. She had told him his only mission was to belittle women. To dissolve their dreams, their lives into mush only to appease himself. She wanted to know if that made him feel like a man. The answer was no, but he couldn’t tell her.

  Both women convinced Tansy that he was the worst kind of evil she would ever encounter. Gulch squeezed his eyes shut. When this was done, he could only ask Tansy to forgive him. Hope of ever having a decent relationship with her had slipped from the equation because he had lost it since her first day on the job.

  Now the low-life scoundrel was after Tansy. Gulch drew a deep breath. The things the person was doing put her more at risk of being injured or even killed. The same person that was responsible for his sister’s death. Gulch was sure of it. That fact alone made his job complicated. He had to stay near Tansy, to protect her, even if she hated him. Why couldn’t she give up her job just for a little while?

  Gulch couldn’t allow her on a horse. Tansy made sure he was well aware of her opinion of him on that account. Robin had been on her horse the day she died. The rustler had tranquilized the horse and when it went down with his sister on its back, the maniac opened a gate and stampeded the cattle over Robin as she struggled to get out of the way of the frightened herd.

  The memory crept into his mind. The helplessness he felt when he saw his sister’s trampled, lifeless body weighed heavy in his chest. The smell of fresh blood mixed with cow manure and sweet molasses-laden feed turned his stomach still after five years. He couldn’t go through the trauma of seeing another body or breathing in a stench like that again. Not Tansy’s, Jo’s, or Andi’s.

  Especially not Tansy’s. The sweet, delectable, blonde-haired woman with the clearest, prettiest blue eyes he had ever looked into. The woman with a soft voice and angelic laugh who worked her way into his mind from the moment he laid eyes on her. She was his personal rendition of a queen; breathing, smiling, vibrant. Gulch knew he was in trouble of keeping control of his emotions if she stuck around.

  He had no problem with any women working at the yard. He wanted to acknowledge their courage, determination, and skills openly. Silently, he praised them. When this rustler was behind bars, he would make a public apology in front of every hand that worked at the feed yard. His heart fluttered as he thought about the day he could finally give them the well-deserved credit they earned and one on one - face-to-face - he would ask their forgiveness and understanding. At this point, that was the best he could hope for and he couldn’t blame them if they refused his request.

  Tansy. What a sweet, hard working person. She was a lot like his sister. Gulch adored her from afar. The less attention and praise he gave to her, the less the rustler tried to harm he
r. Therefore, Gulch turned sarcasm on her in hopes the rustler would leave her alone. It helped a little, but the threat was still there.

  He couldn’t let the other cowboys near her without knowing for sure they were not the one targeting the feed yard. No one on the yard seemed the type to be involved in the wickedness. For days, he had watched the men, working with each one, trying to figure out which one was lacking in money, food for their families, and any kind of clue that could help him put an end to the nightmare.

  There wasn’t one man that had shown any kind of cruelty or hatred toward the women. Gulch knew better though. Somewhere, a corrupt-minded killer and thief lurked easily in their midst. It was someone everyone knew and liked. A comrade who worked easily alongside them. Someone who laughed with them, ate with them, and for the life of him, he couldn’t find one reason why the thief was stealing from the feed yard. Nor could he find a motive of why the women were being targeted except to take his mind away from the thefts.

  He owed Tansy. If only he could tell her she was the target of someone crueler than anything he could ever dream up. How this man after her was far more dangerous than him and then maybe she would understand. It was too late now. She had become the decoy that was causing the rustler to make mistakes and he couldn’t ask her to step out for just a little while, take a paid vacation or sick leave, without going into detail. And that could blow his cover. He hated the idea that he had lowered himself to the criminal’s mindset. That made him just as guilty by putting her life in danger just like the rustler.

  Gulch lifted the cowboy hat from his head and swiped his arm across his brow. The sun was bright. A few times he had seen Tansy remove her ball cap early in the morning. The glows of yellow, gold, and red in her hair enhanced the clear, tan skin of her face. Straight, white teeth were framed by her full lips as she smiled at the world from the top of Serenity Mountain and sent his heart to racing.

  Unfortunately, he would never be able to enjoy a nice, peaceful morning up on the mountain next to her, holding her hand and enjoying life, after the way he treated her. She worked especially hard to gain just one word of praise and he would make something up just to knock her down. He hated himself, the actions he was forced to take. Calling her Pansy Tansy. She already proved she definitely was not a weak, fragile flower. How much was he willing to pay to solve the rustling case? His stomach churned.

  His horse’s hooves clomped upon the ground. The voice of his partner for the day broke into his thoughts.

  “Why you gotta be mean to that gal? She ain’t ever done a lick of harm to you.” The newest and youngest pen rider, Brody Gale’s tone was more accusatory than anything else.

  Gulch swallowed the lump in his throat. He couldn’t blame Brody. The kid didn’t have any idea what had transpired at the feed yard. “It’s for her own good.” Even he couldn’t convince himself.

  “That kind of treatment ain’t good for her or anyone for that matter. I don’t see you goin’ around treatin’ the other pen riders like that.”

  “What do you know? You haven’t been around when I work with the men.” Sweat popped across Gulch’s forehead. He glanced over at the kid. Brody didn’t look a day over sixteen.

  “If’n I treated my wife that way I might not wake up before our fiftieth anniversary, if I got to wake up at all. We only been married a couple of months. I know she wouldn’t put up with you or me if I acted like you.”

  “Brody, I am not you and Tansy isn’t my wife.”

  “You better think twice if you ever get the crazy notion to treat me that way. I’ll pounce on your head and clobber some sense into that brain of yours. I should do it anyway to protect that sweet lil’ gal's honor.” Brody narrowed his eyes. Gulch knew the kid meant every word he said.

  “You’re new here and don’t know any of us well enough to make judgments.”

  “Ya know what I think . . . well I don’t care if you do, I’m gonna tell you anyway. I think you’re more than sweet on her and you can’t catch her.”

  You don’t know how right you are young man. “Naw, can’t let her get soft. She needs to be tough to work around a bunch of cowhands who look at women the way they eye a steak.” For the first time in a long time, Gulch’s heartfelt laugh filled the air. It felt good to let go of his guilty conscious even if it only lasted a few seconds.

  Soft? He couldn’t let his mind dwell on how her skin next to his would turn him into a love struck mess. Gulch liked her just the way she was; soft, sensual, hard working, and beautiful. Tansy had curves in the right place and a heart he had never seen in a city gal. There was nothing to change about her. She was perfect in his eyes and his heart.

  Chapter Five

  Tansy drove Benny’s pickup back up to the mountain. The steers she had left in the pen were restless, rambunctious to the point of fighting the fences. They rammed their heads hard into the pipe gates as if their main goal was to escape.

  She wished she could blame this on Gulch, but she couldn’t. He was riding away to the opposite side of the yard. There wasn’t anyone else working in the area except Andi. No one would believe she didn’t have anything to do with the rankled cattle. Andi wouldn’t have any reason to stir them up. Besides, she had her own job weighing trucks. There were no trucks in the area that she could see.

  Of course, there was always the fact Gulch could have ordered one of his most loyal followers to rough up the livestock to pin on her. Gulch needed dealing with on his own level. She glanced at the shack. Maybe Andi had seen something of importance.

  Tansy killed the engine of the pickup. Gravel crunched beneath her feet as she hurried to the scale shack. There weren’t any magpies or sparrows lining the fence. The cattle in the pens closest to the shack packed against the far side, their ears perked up and their eyes seemed to focus on the shack.

  The hair on the back of Tansy’s neck stood on end. Her heart picked up a beat. Something was wrong, very wrong. The atmosphere of the mountain had lost its serenity, its magic. Things were too quiet, too still. Unnatural.

  The window on the door was speckled with red dots. There was no movement from the shack. Tansy’s breath stuck in her throat as she rushed around the corner. It wasn’t like Andi not to make her presence known. Then again, Andi could be on the other side of the tiny building. She always came out when Tansy was in the vicinity. The older woman held a constant vigil on the mountain to keep Tansy from the evil clutches of Gulch, and to keep up with the operations and security of the feed yard.

  Tansy drew in a deep breath and peered in the window. Lying on the floor was the crimson soaked body of Andi. Tansy grabbed her cell phone and called 9-1-1. After she hung up from the emergency call, she dialed Benny’s number.

  Tansy didn’t wait any longer. She opened the door and stepped into the shack. She knelt next to Andi and slid her fingers over the pulse in Andi’s neck. The slow, faint beats beneath her fingertips barely registered under her touch. Andi’s chest rose and fell, not quick enough for Tansy. It seemed like an hour since she made the calls for help. Where was everyone? It shouldn’t have taken this long for someone to show up.

  Her own heart beat wildly. She tried to think of a way to help Andi. The scene before her, the stench inside the small shack, and the possibility help wouldn’t get there in time shattered her nerves. All she could hear was the sound of her own breathing.

  Then Benny rushed through the door. He stopped a couple of steps inside. A groan escaped from his throat. The old man staggered backward until he hit the wall. His voice quivered. “Is she−?”

  “She’s still alive. I wish the ambulance would hurry up. She hasn’t regained consciousness since I’ve been here.” Tansy could hear a muffled siren that sounded a long ways off. “Are you alright, Benny?”

  “No. No, I’m not. Don’t care for blood, human blood that is. What happened here?”

  “I don’t know. The steers were all freaked out when I got back up here. I came to ask Andi if she had seen anyone messing with
them. This is how I found her. The cattle in the large pens are backed against the far fence and they kept their eyes on the shack.”

  “Son of a . . . this can’t be−” Benny Whipple lost his ability to finish a sentence. Tansy had never seen her boss at a loss for words, nor had she ever seen fear and confusion in the old man’s eyes. He stared at Andi, and Tansy wondered if he was seeing her friend or remembering something more sinister.

  “Maybe you should wait outside Benny.” Tansy tried not to sound too pushy. The shack wasn’t big enough to allow much room if Benny went down. The more people that entered, the harder it would be to find out who had done this. The old man stood against the wall for a moment. His pale face wrinkled as he shook his head.

  The sirens grew louder as the ambulance neared the shack. Benny slipped out the door and called Tansy to his side. She watched as the emergency team rushed in and worked on Andi just long enough to get things started and scoop up the limp body.

  A deputy pulled Tansy aside. He questioned her extensively and advised her to keep this to herself until they could determine what took place at the shack. Gulch skid a four-wheeler to a stop behind Benny’s pickup. He advanced on one of the deputies with long, purposeful strides. He nodded to Tansy as if to silently order her to get back to work.

  Her hands shook, her heart plunged to the pit of her stomach. Several times she fumbled with the chains on the gate. She didn’t feel as if her feet touched the ground as she moved the cattle into the trailer and closed them in.

  By sheer survival mode, Tansy opened the door of the pickup and slid up on the seat. The view in the side mirror sent cold chills down her spine. Gulch was cuffed and being helped into the deputy's SUV. Benny walked away with his head hung low.