by Nancy M Bell
“Go on, catch him before he gets there,” Carly urged.
“Fine.” Laurel sighed and hurried to intercept him.
“Laurel! Help me with this would you?” Anna called from BBQ area.
She altered her course to assist her mother with lifting a heavy cooler.
“Thanks, sweetie. I think we’re almost done with the cooking. When you get a minute can you come help us clear up?
“Sure, Mom. There’s just something I promised Carly I’d do, then I’ll be right back.”
“Just be careful.” Anna gave her a worried look.
Laurel nodded and hurried toward Chance. She caught up with him just as he reached the outskirts of the group of men. He turned in surprise when she pulled on his sleeve. They stopped at the edge of the group.
“What do you want?” Chance looked surprised and annoyed at the same time. He stepped closer to the group.
“I just wanted to talk to you about something,” she began.
“Have a fight with lover boy?” His lip curled a little at the side. “I don’t know what you see in the guy with that poncy accent of his. Dad says let you have your fling and you’ll come to your senses soon enough.”
“He does, does he?” Laurel struggled to hold her temper. She promised Carly she’d talk to Chance. “That’s not what I want to talk to you about, so drop it.”
“What is it then?” Chance took a step closer and snaked an arm around her waist, hooking a thumb in her belt loop and snugging her against his hip. The intense expression on his face made her uneasy.
“Carly’s worried about you.”
He shrugged. “She’s got nothin’ to worry about.”
“You sure? Seems like you’re taking an awful lot of risks you don’t need to. You drink way too much. Carly says you drive when you’ve been drinking, too.”
“Carly should mind her own business,” he growled. “And so what if I do sometimes? It’s all gravel roads, not like I’m goin’ down the highway.”
“It’s still not right or safe and you know it!” Laurel attempted to pull away from him without attracting the attention of the men.
“Whatever.” He shrugged again. “Is that all you wanted to talk about? I got more than talkin’ on my mind.” Chance leaned closer, his face obscured in shadow.
A spike of fear tightened her stomach. Suddenly he seemed a stranger and one she didn’t like. “Let go of me,” she hissed between her teeth.
“Not likely, darlin’.” He loomed over her and lowered his head.
The smell of alcohol on his breath almost made her gag. “You’re drunk, Chance. Let me go.”
“Not that drunk, Laurie. C’mon, be nice.” He pulled her tighter to him.
“Don’t call me Laurie!” She stamped on his foot as hard as she could and whacked the side of his head with the heel of her hand.
“Damn it, woman!” Chance released her and rubbed the side of his head.
Laurel wisely moved to join the men, slipping in beside her Dad.
“Hey, Laurie. Does your mom need me?” Colt glanced down at her.
“She’s just about finished with the BBQ and we’re gonna start cleaning up,” she replied.
Chance joined the group on the far side, glowering at her. He accepted a can of beer from his dad, popped the top and saluted her with it before guzzling half the can.
Laurel intercepted the worried look her dad sent Chance and then herself.
“You should go help your mom, Laurie. Tell her I’ll be along in few minutes.”
“Sure, Dad.” Laurel moved away from the group but halted a few yards into the darkness at the sound of Cory Cullen’s voice.
“Yeah, I got that catch pen repaired. Damn kids or whoever wrecked it.” Cullen’s voice was rough, and he spat a stream of tobacco juice.
Laurel stepped deeper into the shadows and strained to hear.
“How many head you figure we’re gonna get?” Rolly Rollick asked. “I could sure use the extra money this fall.”
“I’d like to clear all those wildies out, graze should be for the cattle not those useless things,” Milt Stone complained.
“I got the word, the permits are gonna be issued this week. We can start herding them the second last week of this month,” Cory announced.
“Do any of them damn fool protesters know? Pain in the ass they are,” Rolly asked.
“Not that I know of, but they’ll find out somehow. They always do,” Cory said.
“I guess Fish and Wildlife will take care of getting rid of them like they did last time. It was pretty funny seeing ’em stuck in the back of the cop car for hours,” Shorty Stevens commented.
“And they had to go to court over it,” Cory added.
“We gonna work together on this?” Rolly turned the conversation back to the business of culling.
“I don’t know about that, I already built my catch pens,” Cory said. “Got three of them set up already.”
Laurel held her breath hoping the man would reveal where they were.
“Fixed the one by the river, got another over by where that black bastard of a stud likes to hang out, and another a bit further into the hills,” Cullen bragged.
“I’m short of hands so I could use some help,” Shorty said. “We can go in together if you want Rolly.”
“Deal.” The two men shook hands to seal the commitment.
Laurel slipped away and hurried back to where Carly waited.
“Did you talk to Chance?” Carly waited ’til Laurel sat down.
“Kind of. He really wasn’t interested in talking, if you know what I mean.” Laurel grimaced.
“What did he do?” Carly sounded resigned.
“The usual. Tried to steal a kiss, didn’t want to hear anything I had to say unless it involved hooking up with him. As if!”
“Sorry, Laurel. I really thought he’d listen to you.”
“Nope. He’s been drinking, and I don’t know what else. But, I overheard the men talking. The cull is set for the second last week in August. And I heard where your dad built three pens,” she finished triumphantly.
“You’re gonna go destroy them, aren’t you?” Carly refused to meet her friend’s eyes.
“You bet. You’re coming to help, right?”
“I don’t think so,” she spoke slowly. “You didn’t see Dad when he discovered the damage last time. He scared me, I’ve never seen him that mad. Even Mom didn’t know what to do with him. She made me lock myself in my room ’til he calmed down,”
Laurel squeezed her friend’s arm. “Wow, I’m sorry, Carly.” She paused. “He doesn’t hit you, does he?”
“Not usually, only if I do something really stupid, and wrecking his pens would really set him off. I can’t risk it, Laurel. I can’t. I don’t want to see those horses go to Fort McLeod any more than you do, but…I just can’t…”
“It’s okay, Carly. Really. I’ve got Coll and Joey, you don’t have to be involved if you’re afraid of your dad. And Mr. Good Smoke might be willing to help us too.”
“I wish I could help. It’s just, Laurel, you’ve never seen him when he’s really mad. It’s like he’s someone I don’t even know. I don’t even mention those horses when he’s around, and if he thought you were involved with trying to save them he’d never let me see you again. I hope Chance can keep his mouth shut about that.” Carly bit her lower lip.
A frisson of unease sent goosebumps over Laurel’s arms. “What does your brother know about me and the horses?”
“I’m not sure…”
“Carly! Tell me, please. Coal and the other horses’ lives might depend on it. What does Chance know, or thinks he knows?”
“I think he’s suspicious you had something to do with wrecking Dad’s pen. You know he hates Coll because he’s so close to you and somehow Chance is blaming him for egging you on. He heard me talking to you on the phone when I didn’t think he was around. I’m not sure what he heard but it was enough to interest him.”
“Did he ask you about it?”
“Oh yeah. I played dumb, said he misunderstood what we were talking about. I thought he bought it, but I’m not so sure now. I heard him hinting to Dad he might have a lead on whoever was sabotaging the cull.”
“Did he mention me? Or Coll?” Laurel’s hands clenched into fists on her thighs.
Carly shook her head. “Not yet. And if he does, he’ll try and put the blame on Coll. The English shit head, he calls him.”
“Nice.” Laurel shook her head. “What’s gotten into Chance? We’ve been friends since kindergarten, but he’s changed so much in the last year I don’t even know who he is any more.”
“You and me both, and he’s my brother. How do you think I feel?” Carly looked on the verge of tears.
“I can’t even imagine. I feel like I’ve lost one of my best friends. You guys are like family. If he hasn’t said anything to your Dad by now, let’s hope it’ll stay that way. I wonder where Joey and Coll are? I haven’t seen him since just before supper. You wait here so nobody will think you’re part of the plan. I need to find them and tell them the latest on the cull.” Laurel got to her feet and gathered up her plate and empty pop can.
“Laurel! Come help with the clean-up, you too Carly.” Anna Rowan’s voice halted Laurel in her tracks.
“Damn,” she muttered. “Coming, Mom,” she replied in a normal voice. Finding Joey would have to wait, she supposed. Carly stood as well, and the two girls joined their mothers and the other women clearing up the leftovers.
“Why don’t you girls take a garbage bag and go pick up the paper plates and anything else that needs to go in the trash? That would be a bit help,” Sally Cullen suggested.
“Sure, Mom.” Carly took the wad of black bags her mother handed her. “You want us to sort out the recycle stuff?”
“That would make things easier later. Good idea, Carly.” Laurel’s mom gave her daughter a five-gallon plastic pail for the bottles and cans.
“Maybe we’ll run into Joey and Coll,” Laurel said under her breath as the girls moved away.
“Maybe,” Carly agreed.
In the end they didn’t come across the boys until they were almost finished picking up the garbage. The girls went to the bonfire to throw some of the paper plates in only to find the area taken over by the older hands. Laurel hesitated on the edge of the group. Her dad wasn’t in the group and there were a number of beer bottles and can strewn around the men’s feet. Carly hovered by her shoulder for a minute before shoving her forward.
“Hey!” Laurel hissed at her friend.
“It’s okay, look…Joey and Coll are over there.” Carly pointed to the far side of the fire. “C’mon.” She strode up to the fire and tossed in the plates. Laurel followed her lead.
Coll scrambled to his feet and came around the fire pit to join them. “I wondered where you were, I’ve been looking for you,” he said. “Last place I saw you was by the fire here.”
“We’ve been helping clean up,” Carly said. “Hey, Joey.”
“Hey, Carly. You girls need any help with the clean up?”
Laurel noticed he sidled closer to Carly, she grinned and refrained from commenting. She glanced up at Coll, relieved to find he didn’t stink of anything more than wood smoke. She thrust the full garbage bag which they’d dumped the bucket of empties into at him. “Here, you can carry this for me.” Catching his eye, she tipped her head away from men.
“Sure, should I throw these in the back of your dad’s pickup?” Coll moved toward the parked vehicles.
“Yeah, I’ll come with you.” Taking his free hand, she pulled him into the flickering shadows under the yard light near the trucks. Once they were out of hearing range of the men, she slowed her pace. “I’ve got stuff to tell you. Let’s get rid of the empties first.” Laurel glanced over her shoulder. “Where’s Carly and Joey? I need him to hear this too.”
“I thought they were right behind us,” Coll looked behind in surprise.
Laurel shrugged. “Maybe they went back to where Mom is.” She stood back while Coll tossed the bag into the bed of the pickup.
“What’s the big news?” Coll leaned against the fender of the truck. Laurel tucked herself beside him and sighed when his arm came around her shoulder.
“I overheard Mr. Cullen and some of the men talking. The cull is on and set for the second last week of August. That’s only the week after next. We need to make a plan and get the horses out of there.”
“Okay…but where do you want to take them? And how?” Coll pushed his hat back off his forehead.
“I don’t know yet. We need to find Joey and see if he talked to his dad yet. If we can get an adult on our side it will sure help our cause.”
“What about your dad? Is he on our side?”
Laurel bit her lip. “I think he’ll side with the ranchers. I mean, it’s not like he hates the wildies or anything, but he’s a rancher at heart, I guess. Mom says sometimes men don’t see things the same way we do. No offence.” She grinned up at him.
“Huh.” Coll gave a short laugh. “Does that mean I should go over to the other side?”
“Don’t you dare!” Laurel slapped his arm. “I think she meant grown up men. Ones who think more about money and the bottom line than they do about what’s fair for the wild animals who share the range.”
“Like when we went out and removed the meat laced with strychnine they put out for the coyotes?” Coll grimaced.
“Exactly! It’s a horrible way to die, and then everything else in the food chain gets affected. Eagles, hawks, cougars, even the magpies and ravens. Mom says she can’t understand why the Alberta government promotes the use of such a toxic poison.”
“It’s like the badger cull back home, a lot of people are opposed to it, but the officials still sanction it.” Coll shook his head. “Sarie has a couple of badger sets on her property and she won’t let anyone touch them.”
“Good for her.” Laurel pushed away from the truck and caught Coll’s hand in hers. “C’mon, let’s go see if we can find Joey and Carly.” She stopped as a thought struck her. “You don’t think they’re hooking up, do you?”
“I don’t know. Joey, he doesn’t share what he’s thinking much. Not with me, anyway.” Coll shrugged. “Why, did Carly say she liked him?”
Laurel shook her head. “No…God, if they did Mr. Cullen would have a cat fit.” She shuddered.
“Laurie, I was just going to look for you,” Colt Rowan appeared out of the darkness. “Your mom’s ready to go, so hop in the truck.” He opened the driver side door and stepped in. “I’m gonna drive over and load up the stuff, you might as well ride along. Hurry up, Mom’s tired and I don’t want her to get overtired.”
“I was going to look for Carly…” Laurel stalled.
“Not now. She’s up at the house helping her mom with the last bit of clean up. Let’s go.” The throaty diesel engine purred to life.
Laurel clenched her jaw in frustration and yanked the back door open. Coll followed her and closed the door behind them.
“We’ll catch up with them tomorrow,” he whispered his breath stirring the short hairs by her ear.
Laurel wriggled closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. Colt cleared his throat loudly in the front seat and let the clutch out with a bit more force than was strictly necessary. She straightened up and pushed her hair out of her face. “It’ll have to wait I guess,” she whispered.
Her mind refused to quit formulating plans and rejecting them as quickly as she thought of them. There has to be a way to save Coal and the others. I just need to figure out what the hell it is.
The truck halted by the brick BBQ and interrupted her thoughts. Coll jumped down and helped Colt store the boxes in the truck bed. They were almost done by the time Laurel could join them. Mom stood a little way apart watching.
“Lordy, I’m tired,” she said when Laurel joined her.
“You should have said something, Mom. I would hav
e come and helped more.” Laurel slid her arm around her mom’s waist.
“You were working too, and if I had a choice I’d rather be horseback moving cattle than BBQing.” Anna smiled down at her daughter.
“All done, let’s go,” Colt called.
“Thank God,” Anna muttered and climbed into the truck.
Laurel and Coll got in the back seat while Colt checked the back gate of the trailer to be sure the horses were secure. Anna leaned her head against the head rest and closed her eyes. Her skin looked almost translucent sending spirals of worry to knot in Laurel’s stomach.
“You feeling okay, Mom,” she leaned forward.
“I’m fine, honey. It’s just been a long day.”
“All set,” Colt said closing his door and putting the truck in gear. He reached across the seat and twined his fingers with Anna’s. “Tired?”
“I am, but I’m fine. You and Laurel need to quit worrying about me so much.”
“Can’t help it, darlin’. Might as well tell me to quit breathing.” Colt released her hand and turned out of the lane.
Laurel moved so her thigh touched Coll’s. In response, he curled his fingers around hers.
Chapter Ten
“Great, we’ll meet you down by the river then.” Laurel ended the call and slid down off the saddle.
Coll halted beside her and stepped down off the young horse he was riding. “What’s up?”
“We’re done working the young ones for Dad. Joey just called and we’re gonna meet him and Carly by the river.”
“Does he know about the cull and what you found out last night?”
“I didn’t tell him, but Carly might have by now.”
“She’s in on helping us, right?” Coll opened the round pen gate and led his mount toward the barn.
“She knows what we’re planning to do, but I’m not sure she’ll actually come with us.” Laurel was glad to enter the shade of the barn out of the relentless sun.
“Why not?” Coll paused in untacking and met her gaze over the horse’s back.
“She scared of what her dad would do if she defied him and tried to do something he didn’t like.” Laurel slipped the one-ear bridle off her horse and replaced it with a halter. “He’s got a rotten temper, you never know what’s gonna make him lose it.”
