by Danni Roan
Alexis pondered the thought for a while. “I think you’re right. Throughout history, men and woman have struggled to hold onto what is theirs. Sometimes things get pretty mixed up. I suppose only time will tell what mark we leave on this land.”
Again, the riders fell silent. Reg liked the fact that Lexi did not mind silence. He thought of the few picnics he’d shared with Alexis, her twin sister Isabella, and his brother Taylor. There were times when his brother and Issy had seemed lost in their own little world leaving him to try to converse with Lexi. She had never seemed to be disturbed when they fell silent, though.
"So what do you think of your first cattle drive?" Lexi finally spoke, her voice muffled by the bandana she had tied around her nose and mouth to help keep the dust out.
"It's different." Reg mused, shifting in his saddle as if parts of him were still uncomfortable. "It's good you can drive them to Casper now and not have the long haul to Cheyenne; that must have been a hard drive."
"Pa doesn't talk about it much, but the early years of cattle production were pretty rough. Most of the men who came along the Oregon Trail with him and Uncle Benji didn't know much about cows. I think Stephens was the only true cowhand; he came with them when they brought a herd up from Texas. Originally Pa and the others were just farmers."
Lexi paused, thinking about the stories she'd heard and the things her grandmother, Nona, had said about that time.
"Pa came out here in 1868 with his first wife, Bridgette. They already had my older sisters Katie and Meg; Fiona was born after they stopped on the site of the Broken J. The old sod shack on the north side of the house was the first home they had. Most of the men who stopped with Pa built soddies, at least in the beginning."
Reg watched as the girl on the big bay horse looked toward her half-sister sitting on the high bench seat of the red freight wagon.
"Bridgette didn't survive Fiona's birth; she'd been sick the whole pregnancy, so that left Pa, Benji, Deeks, Billy, Walters and Uncle Brion to look after my sisters. I'm sure you remember Brion, Pa's brother-in-law. Bridgette was his sister." Lexi sighed deeply thinking through the tangle of her family tree, then took a deep breath and continued.
"That must have been hard for your Pa. I know how hard it was when we lost my father. How did your Pa meet your Ma then, if you were out in the back of beyond?"
"It was later that Pa met my mother Camilla, Nona called her Cammy." She smiled wistfully and cast her eyes over the dusty cattle before here. "Pa found Grandpa Isadoro and Nona, or Bianca to you, with a broken wagon on the trail one day. Grandpa couldn't repair it on the move, and the wagon train they were with left them. I still can't believe anyone would do that," she added, glancing his way.
"No ma'am, that seems downright mean to me," Reg offered.
"The Oregon Trail was hard back then. The rail didn't run through this way and if a train had lost time on the way, crossing the Rockies would be even more dangerous if the weather turned cold."
"On the other hand, if the train hadn't abandoned my grandparents, my sister and I might never have been born." She smiled thoughtfully, making her eyes twinkle, as she pondered the idea.
"Anyway, Pa married Cammy pretty quick after they joined the little settlement, and soon added me and Issy to the family. I never really had to the chance to get to know my mother, she died of a fever before Issy and my second birthday." Lexi paused again, thinking about how talking about cattle had rather gotten away from her.
"Pa brought the cattle up from Texas about the time Cammy and her family agreed to stay on in Wyoming. Cammy fell in love with my sisters and I guess my pa at the same time. Nona said my mother was thrilled about the fact that they were starting a ranch. My mother even helped Pa name it, and Grandpa Isadoro was the one who started building the barn and house."
"So your whole family is tied up in cattle," Reg mused. "It seems like your father has worked hard to develop the ranch and make it prosperous."
"Yes, I think a good deal of prayer and luck played their part in the ranch being so efficient. When they gathered the cattle from Texas there was a surplus due to the effects of the War Between the States and Pa's brother, Jude, has a ranch in Amarillo and helped round up a starter bunch to be driven back here."
"Hang on a second. Did you say Jude?"
"Yes."
"So it's Jude, Jedidiah, Joshua... are there more?"
"Yes, Jonas, Jeremiah, and they have a sister they call Jemma, but her proper name is Jerusalem. That is who Mae has gone to live with in Boston."
"Seems like your pa's brothers help out when they can," Reg mused.
"You have no idea," Lexi said with a giggle. “Anyway, before the big blizzards of 1886-87, cattle was king in Wyoming, so the ranch did well. I think Pa's wise to expand to having other cash crop,s though. Wheat and now the sawmill Taylor is starting could be a real boon if people keep moving into the state. Not to mention the furniture that Hank builds may sell well in Casper.”
Reg smiled at the girl next to him. He liked watching how her mind worked. She thought things through and was willing to discuss them.
The few women he had known back East seemed more interested in what clothes to wear to Sunday services than anything else. He had never found that appealing about a woman, what did it matter what she wore. To him the mind was the most amazing thing about anyone. He wanted to understand a person, see what made them tick, and discuss things with them. Reg suddenly realized that he had a great deal of respect for Alexis James.
For a few moments, Lexi studied the young man from Pennsylvania from under the brim of her wide hat. He was tall and lean, unlike the shorter, wirier form of his younger brother. He had a nice face and thoughtful eyes along with an easy smile. He was quick to listen but slow to speak.
His most striking feature, however, good or bad, was his hair; red didn't even begin to express the color. A smile tugged at her lips as she thought of the first day he had arrived on the ranch and swept his hat from his head. Everyone had just stared, causing his ears to turn a bright crimson.
The sound of a rifle shot reverberated through the air, causing the cattle to bawl and pick up their pace. Lexi straightened in her saddle and reached a hand toward Reg to tell him to keep close.
The second shot had the results she had feared, and the already restless cattle lowered their heads and broke into the dead run of a stampede.
Leaning over Gabe's black maned neck, Lexi turned the horse toward the outskirts of the panicked herd. Her first objective was to keep the wild-eyed longhorns away from the wagons that had been driving leisurely on the sidelines of the main bunch.
Casting a quick glance under her left elbow, she noted that the young farmer was close on her heels and she urged her mount for more speed.
The thunderous roll of racing hooves, bawling cattle, squealing horses and yelling cowboys filled the air as dust obscured the sun. Alexis maneuvered her horse alongside her brother-in-law's freight wagon, where Hank's white knuckled hands held the traces as the massive red horses galloped along at an angle away from the cattle, their high-arched necks stretched out as white froth flew from their mouths.
Close behind the larger conveyance, Billy's green chuck wagon bounced and swayed over the rutted ground, his horses wild-eyed and snorting in fright while the small form of a blue roan mule raced them at breakneck speed. Scooter’s long, black-tipped ears were flattened against his ewe neck and Eric was white faced, but hung on bravely as his scrawny mount tried to move away from the heavy crush of animals.
The rattle and clash of pots and pans, and the heavy creak and grind of the wagon jarred in Alexis’ ears. With a sharp snap of the reins, she directed Gabe through the gap between the two racings wagons, falling in beside the miniscule mule whose large brown eyes rolled toward her without breaking stride.
Lexi kept Gabe pacing the mule, shielding the smaller animal from the thick bodies of cattle with her larger mount. From the corner of her eye, she caught the flash of Reg's
dun horse close behind her as he pushed the red dun cow pony behind her making, an effective first line of defense.
In the dust, noise and confusion, her heart pounding in her ears, Alexis found it hard to see what the other riders were doing but instead concentrated on keeping Eric safe and staying in the saddle. Judging by the sweat on her horse’s neck and the way the animal’s gait was becoming labored she guessed they'd been running for nearly fifteen minutes when she noticed the herd slowing slightly as the cowboys let them run themselves out, and she gently began easing her pace.
Longhorn cattle were prone to stampede if startled, and the rifle shots had been more than enough to set them off. Generally, drovers could do two things when a herd stampeded and Will had opted to let them run instead of trying to turn them in a wide circle until they swirled in on themselves, slowing and finally stopping. It was a dangerous maneuver and she was proud of her other brother-in-law for thinking of the men first.
Guiding Scooter and Eric a little further toward the south, Alexis slowed her tired mount even as the wagons began to draw rein. She watched from a long distance as Reg whipped his horse up beside the little mule and with one arm swept Eric up onto his own horse, pulling the shaking boy close.
Reg lifted his eyes to Lexi's, willing her to understand why he had interfered. He could see that the boy’s strength was nearly gone and that the mule was flagging fast, so had acted. He hoped she would not hold it against him.
A sudden relative silence fell over the small group slowly pulling away from the still trotting herd. The rattle and clatter of the wagons settled and all at once, they came to a complete halt.
"Is everyone alright?" The booming voice of Hank Ballard rang out as the sound of pounding hooves receded into the distance.
"I'm alright, Pa," Eric's voice was strong but shaky.
Reg gently maneuvered his mount toward the red wagon where Hank sat, his arm wrapped protectively around Fiona.
Behind them Cathleen sat, both legs braced against the side of the wagon and the shotgun trained on the white faced outlaws, two who were clinging to the wagon rails while the burly man lay sprawled on the bottom of the wagon, a bright trickle of blood seeping from a head wound.
"Is he dead?" Reg asked softly as he transferred the boy to the wagon seat.
"No, but I clubbed him pretty good," the buxom woman replied.
"I'd have killed him," the usually passive Hank said his voice cold. "No one gets to hurt my family."
"What happened?" Billy pulled his heaving horses alongside the lathered Clydesdales.
"Burly britches here thought he could get the gun from me," Cathleen answered. "He was wrong." Her eyes glinted with anger.
In the near distance, Alexis could see the North Platte River winding its way toward Casper and the cattle yards. She lifted a prayer that everyone was all right after the stampede, but thanked the Lord they were almost to the town.
The sound of Hank getting out of the wagon drew all eyes. The big man's face was calm but his eyes blazed.
Slowly he checked his horses, patting them softly, calming them with his presence, then he walked around to the far side of the wagon and reached up, pulling Eric into his arms and squeezing him tight before setting him on the ground. Finally, Hank raised his arms to Fiona, lifting her down with ease and placing her on her feet beside him, but not letting go of her.
"You sure you're alright?" he whispered.
"I'm fine, Hank," Fiona replied her bright eyes glowing up at him.
"See ever ‘ones jest fine," the outlaw known as Botts spoke up. "No fuss here, we never hurt no one, so's you might jest as well turn us loose."
Without warning, Hank's fist connected with the man's face and the thin gang member crumpled like a sack stuffed with straw.
For a moment, Alexis blinked at her big, quiet brother-in-law, who was gently helping his wife and son back into the wagon.
"I'll do the same to any one of you that speaks up again. We're headed into Casper and the sheriff and you'd better just be thankful you made it there alive." Hank’s voice was flat, but it still sent a shiver down Lexi's back and she turned to look at Reg, as if he might have some insight into the aggression of her in-law.
Touching the tip of his hat, Reg turned back toward the little mule that stood, head drooping, by the wagon and gave the animal a hearty scratch behind the ears.
"I'll strip his gear and let him follow us in," he said, eyeing the exhausted animal. "I'd say he didn't hold back one bit trying to get that boy away from the herd."
"Scooter's something else," Lexi said with a smile. "This isn't' the first time he's saved Eric's life.” She watched as Reg pulled the small saddle from the sweaty back of the mule and lifted it into the bed of the wagon.
"Let's get moving," Cathleen's steady voice called out. "I'd like to get shut of these critters disguised as men before night fall."
Hank clicked to his big team and slowly started along the last stretch of trail to the town of Casper.
Swinging into the saddle, Alexis looked off to the west where the herd had headed and turned her mount in that direction. She hoped that the cattle had settled and prayed that no one was hurt.
Chapter 5
"Lexi?" Benjamin Smith called as he led his lame horse toward the young woman and Reg, who had somehow become her second shadow.
"Uncle Benji, are you alright?" the girl called back, worry evident in her voice.
"I'm fine darlin', but my horse bruised his tendon in the run. Everyone alright at the wagons?" His tone was easy, but Lexi could see the worry in his eyes.
"Yes, everyone's fine. That big man tried to take the shotgun from Cathleen and she hit him with it. She's fine though, don't worry." Lexi hurried on, as Benji's eyes grew wide with fear. "Do you want to take my horse and head out after the herd?" Alexis knew he would be torn between checking on his wife and the other men who had followed the cattle.
"No, I'll go on a-long after the wagons. When you catch up with Walt, you can bring me another horse. Besides, it's only another five miles or so until we reach the stock yards." The old cowhand smiled at her, his dark blue eyes bright, and then he turned and continued toward town and the wagons.
Lexi kicked Gabe into a trot, and without a backward glance moved after the herd, and before long she came upon the stragglers. Instead of pushing on toward town the cattle had been allowed to stop and begin grazing, letting them lose some of the jumpiness the incident had created.
Seeing Will, Lexi lifted her hand letting him know she was there and a moment later, he came galloping up to her. "Anyone hurt at the wagons?" The lean dark-haired cowboy asked sharply, "Where's Benji?" He gazed around him as if looking for the older man.
"No one's hurt and Benji's following the wagons. His horse came up lame so he's moving pretty slowly; if the remuda's nearby, we can take a horse back for him." Lexi's answer seemed to ease some of tension in the lanky cowboy's frame.
Will turned his tired horse toward the milling cattle and looked along the ranks of riders who hemmed them in. Walt was sitting a dark gray horse on the far side of the cows, slowly circling a group of still skittish horses, and Lexi could just make out her grandfather on his favorite horse doing the same.
"There's Walt," he said pointing, "just ride up on him easy and ask for fresh mounts. I'll get this bunch moving in another half hour and join you in town when we get there." Offering his sister-in-law a soft smile, he then turned a weary Duster back toward the cattle.
"You stayed very calm through this whole situation," Reg postulated as together they led a fresh horse back the way they had come.
"There wasn't anything else I could do at the time, was there?" Lexi asked, rhetorically. "I was scared, but panicking wouldn't have helped, so it was better to do what I could."
"Does this type of thing happen often?" Reg asked after giving the whole thing some careful consideration.
"No, thank heavens," Lexi sighed. "I've never been near a stampede before, but
Benji and Pa have seen a few. Probably Will as well, though he has never said." She looked around her at the trampled grass.
"Longhorn cattle can be spooky from what I understand. When they’re on a drive nothing is familiar so they're more prone to stampede," she paused a moment, replaying the whole event. “Did you know that if a herd stampedes, there are only two things you can do about it?" Her question had Reg studying her dust covered face with care.
"No, I figured you could only do what we did and ride it out."
"Sometimes when it happens the cowboys will try to turn the leaders of the herd back on themselves. They would race to the head of the herd and push in close, turning the leaders to the right. For some reason cattle don't like to turn left when they’re running; isn't that funny?"
Reg was so taken aback from that bit of information he pulled his horse up short, and it was several strides before Lexi realized he wasn't at her side anymore. She knew she was nattering on a little, but running through her knowledge of cows was helping to settle her nerves.
"Reg?" she called, and the young man kicked his horse into a trot to catch up.
"That's one of strangest things if I've ever heard of," he finally replied.
"Yes, and as far as I know, no one has ever figured out why. One good thing about the longhorns, though, is that they tend to stick together when they run. Other breeds are more prone to scatter and you might lose a good number of them. With this bunch it's more likely you'll only lose a few to injury or because they couldn't keep up." Keeping her eyes steady on the trail ahead, she tried to let her mind focus on cows and not the fear she'd felt.
"I surely like learning new things, Miss Lexi," Reg finally spoke again, "but I believe that one stampede in a lifetime is more than enough." Her relieved smile was reward enough for the comment.
