"We're here for you, honey. We'll do anything and everything we can to help, you know that."
"Indeed I do," sniffed Katie. She clasped Brenda's hand and gave it an affectionate squeeze. "And, I never mentioned it before - but I sure am happy to see you and Isaac back together again. It gladdens my old heart."
"It gladdens mine too," smiled Brenda. "We were estranged for far too long. We've both made personal adjustments, and the years apart have mellowed the pair of us. We're still good together - like you and Ed."
"Oh my poor Ed. I don't think he'll get over this easily. He's already talking about selling the land and going to live with Clint and Sarah Jane and the family in Dallas."
"Oh heavens. I hope it doesn't come to that, Katie. You both love it here. You can start over."
"Starting over at our age isn't necessarily the best option," said Katie wryly. "I'm 73 and Ed will be 78 in the fall. He likes to think he's a young man, but he isn't. He needs to take things easy. More I think about it, the more I realise we need to enjoy the time we have left to us, and if that means living in Dallas with our son and his wife and three lovely grandchildren, then that's not a bad idea."
"No, it's not," agreed Brenda. "Family is important. I'm sure you and Ed will do what's right for you both."
"My ears are burnin'," said Ed. He came into the lounge with Isaac and plonked himself down next to his wife. He put an arm around her shoulders. "We've lived to tell the tale Katie. That's what matters."
"I couldn't agree more, Edward Lynn. We have an awful lot to be thankful for."
At that moment the door opened and Kayla and Mary Lou came in from the kitchen, carrying trays of iced tea and plates piled high with cookies.
"Just to keep you topped up until supper," said Kayla setting her tray down on a coffee table.
"We have smoked beef brisket tonight, if that suits?" said Mary Lou.
"It sounds mighty fine to me," enthused Ed. "One of my favourites."
"That will be great, Mary Lou," agreed Kate. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. Oh - and Rebecca who looks after the housekeeping said she's set up a nice room for you round the back, overlooking the lake. If there's anything you need, just ask."
To Cindy's intense disappointment, Luke didn't stay to supper, saying he had something to attend to. When Cindy tried to pursue what could possibly be more important than sitting down next to her for supper, he just tweaked her nose, told her to be patient and that he would see her sometime tomorrow.
Cindy watched out of her window as Gabe brought Luke's stallion round. She frowned. Surely Luke wouldn't be going back to his shack? Or the cave? That didn't seem at all credible. So, where the hell are you goin', cowboy? she mused.
Patience was a virtue Cindy was not very familiar with.
---oOo---
"We got a rush job?" grunted Victor Smalley.
"Yup. Tonight, after midnight," replied Mario Machuta.
"Where's the boss?"
"Sizing the place up with Daniels. Should be here in less than an hour."
"May as well get me another beer then," said Victor. "Want one?"
"That's a dumb question, saphead."
The two men sat in a quiet corner of the bar. They talked in low voices as they drank, and if anyone so much as looked even remotely curiously in their direction, Machuta glared threateningly at them.
Jake Swain and Luke Daniels joined them later. They needed to fine tune the details for the operation later that night. An hour later the four men slipped unobtrusively away and melted into the night.
They made their way to a place where there waited two trailers, each with false licence plates. Jake got behind the wheel of one, with Mario sitting up front. Luke and Victor headed for the second, and Luke positioned himself behind the wheel.
Everything went according to plan. A couple miles short of the target ranch and Jake flicked off the headlights as he adjusted his night vision goggles. In due course, they pulled up on the edge of the Anderson property. Less than thirty minutes later, a gate lock had been cut, a horse trailer stolen, and a temporary pen erected. Cattle were herded efficiently into the pen, then on to the trailers. Two trucks and two trailers came in. And two trucks and three trailers left. Between them, they got away with 27 head of Longhorn cattle.
"Why take one or two cows when ya can get 27?" smirked Luke. "Just rattle a feed bucket and those cattle come. They'll fetch a good price when we sell them on."
"You bet. This lot ain't got no ID. Makes our life a lot easier," grinned Victor.
They drove through the night, and the next morning, sold the lot for a healthy price at auction.
"Thanks boys," said Jake, handing each of his men their cut from the takings.
Luke pocketed his with a grin and tipped his Stetson. "Much appreciated, boss. When's the next run? The real big one?"
"Got a small local one planned for tonight first. Not big numbers, but all prime calves, unbranded. You can do that run yourself Luke, if you're interested?" Luke nodded. "You'll need Jed and his dog to help round 'em up."
"Jed? Don't think I've made his acquaintance yet."
"Jed Barns. He's on the inside - foreman at the Jackson ranch. He's always keen to earn a few bucks," winked Jake. "Spends the lot on booze, women and gambling. He always needs more money. He has his uses - passes me a fair amount of intelligence. I'll get him to call you."
"Sure thing, I'll do it," agreed Luke. "Thanks for the offer. Just let me have the location and I'll organise the rest with Jed." He paused, fingering the notes in his pocket. "I sure could use some more of these," he patted his wallet. "Want me to help you organise the big run?"
Jake Swain scrutinised Luke. The guy had been working with him for the best part of six months. He was tried and tested and reliable - sharp too, not like Mario the halfwit. He could be trusted with more. So he nodded.
"Fine. We'll talk day after tomorrow. Thursday. Meet me in Dingo's at three."
---oOo---
It was mid morning when Luke arrived at the Armstrong ranch.
"Willing hand reporting for duty," he told Isaac.
"Good. Take this," Isaac fished in his pocket and handed Luke a key. "This will unlock your cabin." If he was slightly irritated at Luke's late arrival, he didn't show it. "Breakfast is at 6.15, and we start work at 7.15."
"Got it," nodded Luke.
"Fine. Well, there's plenty of fencing to be mended up on the north pasture, so why don't you join Gabe and Connor and make a start on that. I'll see you at noon for lunch. You'll find that Hannah and her girls are mighty fine cooks."
So Luke worked hard until just before noon. He was tired, having had no sleep the previous night, but he didn't let up. He was glad when it was time for lunch and ate hungrily, much to Hannah's approval.
"Eat up. You need your strength for mendin' them fences," advised Hannah as she topped up Luke's bowl of spicy shrimp and rice.
"Thanks Hannah. You tryin' to fatten me up?" smiled Luke. "I'm not complaining. This is great."
"Looks like you could do with a bit of good home cooking. I'll fix you up something extra special for supper."
At this moment, Cindy poked her head around the door of the ranch kitchen. "Hey - looks like I have a rival. Hands off Hannah - I saw him first," she grinned. "Hi Luke. How's it going?"
"Hi yourself Cindy." He flashed her a bright smile, pleased to see her. "It's going good thanks." And you look good enough to eat, little lady.
"You'll be staying for supper tonight?"
"Sure will," he responded, delighted to see the radiant smile on her face.
"Great. I'm just off into town with Brenda. I'll catch you later. Have fun!" she waved gaily and blew Luke a kiss.
"You two got somethin' going on that's for sure," remarked Gabriel dryly.
"You could say so," nodded Luke. He grinned, flashing his white teeth. "I got me a good one there."
"A spunky one is Miss Cindy," said Gabriel. "Anyhow, I agree - she's
a good match for you."
Lunch over, Luke returned to work and worked like a demon, partly hoping to make a good impression, and partly because he felt bad at showing up late today. Not that Isaac had specified a time, but it was a fact that the Armstrong ranchers always started work nice and early. There were compensations... such as three meals a day and as many snacks as they could eat, and maybe an hour or so siesta later in the afternoon when the heat was fierce.
At 3pm, Luke downed a jug of iced tea and swallowed a couple of Hannah's cookies. He took himself off to his cabin and wearily lay down on the bed, willing himself to wake up in exactly one hour's time. It was an art he had perfected over the years and he always managed to wake on time no matter how tired he was.
He duly awoke precisely one hour later, but felt exhausted. One hours sleep was most definitely not enough to get by on - particularly as he had another job planned for later that night.
Yawning, he stretched, drank some water, and headed off again to join the others mending fences. It's damn hard work being a cattle rustler, he thought as he stifled a yawn.
---oOo---
As there was a brief respite from paying guests who would normally eat in the communal dining room, it was decided that the family plus Ed, Katie and Cindy, would join the ranch hands for supper in the big kitchen. There was room for everyone at the long pine scrubbed table around which the ranch hands usually ate their meals. Hannah, Mary Lou and Kayla cooked up a fabulous supper starting with a tasty salad of snap pea and hearts of palm, followed by a lemon marinated chicken served with oregano pesto rice and portobello mushrooms.
Luke sat down next to Cindy and gave her thigh a little squeeze under the table. She wasn't expecting it and almost spat out her lemon chicken. But she got her own back. There was a choice of desserts including guava sorbet, Hannah's speciality home made ice cream, and a platter of fresh fruits. Cindy waited until Luke had taken a big spoonful of ice cream and then she sneaked her hand under the table and grabbed at his leg - except it wasn't his leg she caught hold of!
Luke's eyes bulged as he felt his cock being grabbed. He made a peculiar little choking sound.
"You ok bud?" Gabe patted him heavily on the back. "Cough it up!"
"Um - I guess I swallowed too much ice cream in one go," said Luke sheepishly.
Cindy giggled. She cast a sidelong glance at Luke and saw the corner of his mouth twitch as he fought back the laughter.
Later, as coffee was being poured, he leaned over and whispered in her ear. "Babe - you just earned yourself a very long spanking over my knee for that little trick."
Cindy merely smiled and looked very pleased with herself. The things a girl has to do to get herself a spanking. She had quickly worked out that Kayla and Connor had a thing going on. The pair sat together and gave each other meaningful looks, and when Kayla got up to fetch the tub of ice cream from the freezer, Connor playfully swatted her butt as she passed. Cindy blinked. Is that what couples did over here? It made her eager to experience it again.
In fact, since the encounter in the cave, she had relived the spanking over and over, remembering the way it had made her feel afterwards. She was keen to try it again. Which made her disappointment all the greater when Luke announced he was bushed and would be having an early night.
"I'm not surprised," said Connor. "You worked as hard as ten men today. You'll sure sleep well tonight."
"Thanks buddy. You're not kidding," agreed Luke.
He complemented the cooks' on their delicious meal and deposited a swift kiss on Cindy's cheek. "See you tomorrow, princess."
"'Night Luke," she smiled. "Sweet dreams."
"You bet," he winked at her and left.
Cindy, being Cindy, had already devised a plan. She decided that she would sneak out to his cabin later when everyone had gone to bed. The thought of such decadent behaviour thrilled her and she spent the remainder of the evening in a state of great excitement and anticipation. There was no way Luke Daniels was having an early night when Cindy Spencer was hankering for a spanking!
It wasn't just the spanking. Luke intrigued her. She was physically very attracted to him and felt a connection. She was looking forward to spending lots of time with him. That almost magical encounter in the cave had been cathartic in so many ways. She would never forget it.
People lingered at the table for another hour or so, chatting and having a few drinks. It was almost 10pm when folks began to disperse. Cindy said her good nights and went up to her room, but instead of getting into bed, she enjoyed a long hot soak in the tub, surrounded by a wall of silver scented bubbles.
She dried herself in a fluffy white towel and then put on her glamorous satin nightdress. It was pink, with black lace trim around the neckline and shoulder straps. She slipped her dressing gown over the top and sat down to dry her hair. Her skin glowed, her lovely brown hair shone. She paced the room, waiting until all sounds had died away. Glancing at her watch, she saw that it was 11 15. She decided to wait until 11 30, and then slip out of the ranch through the back door. The door was always locked every evening, and the key was always left in the lock. It would be easy to sneak out providing she didn't collide with anything in the dark and wake everyone up. I'd have some explaining to do then, she thought. I'll just tell them I was hungry and needed a midnight snack and a breath of fresh air.
Her plan worked well, as she slipped out of the ranch undetected. The dim light of the half-moon gave just enough glimmer to light her way over the winding path that led to the little cluster of log cabins that served as quarters for the ranch hands. They lay in darkness with no lights burning through chinks in the drapes.
Cindy smiled in satisfaction and crept quietly towards Luke's cabin. The night was cool and calm; quiet save for the vocal calls of the Great Horned Owls, and the rapid whistling cries of the Whip-Poor-Will. It was a magical time of night, and she determined that the magic would become even stronger when she slipped into bed beside Luke.
Not wanting to disturb any of the other men, Cindy decided not to knock on Luke's door. She fervently hoped he had not locked it for the night; if that were the case she would tap quietly on the windowpane of his sleeping quarters.
Turning the door handle, it opened, and Cindy stepped inside, trembling with excitement and a sense of naughtiness... which quickly evaporated when she discovered the cabin was empty. Luke was not there.
Switching on a bedside lamp, Cindy stared at the bed. There was a depression on the top where he had lain. She ran her fingers over the crumpled surface. It was still warm. He hadn't been gone long then. So where the hell was he? Frowning, Cindy sat on the bed. A few moments later, she lay down, determined to wait and confront him on return. Casting away her doubts, she tried to reassure herself that maybe he had difficulty sleeping and had stepped out for a walk in the night air.
Then she spotted the note. Scrawled on a scrap of paper it read: Monday - Jackson's north pasture. Cindy frowned. She had heard some of the ranch hands mention Jackson's pasture. Seth Jackson kept a large heard and like many other ranch owners in the county, he had some of his stock stolen over the recent months.
What does this mean, mused Cindy. Why would Luke go to Jackson's pasture in the middle of the night?... Unless he's stealing cows! Once the thought had taken shape, Cindy dismissed it. There was no way - no way at all that Luke could be involved in cattle rustling. Or could he? She resolved to find out, and there was no time to lose.
Stripping off the glamorous nightdress, she grabbed a sweater and a pair of jeans from the closet. The jeans were far too big, but she turned them over at the ankle, and cinched them in at the waist with a leather belt. Then she left the cabin and headed for the stable. Entreating Savannah to be quiet, she deftly saddled her up and rode out into the night.
Up in the heavens, the canopy of twinkling stars and the dim light of the rustler's moon lit her way.
---oOo---
This was an easy job for Luke and one that was accomplished quick
ly with the help of Jake and his cow dog. The dog was an experienced herder, and there was little for Luke to do save sit on horseback and watch as the dog did its work driving the selected cattle into the loading pen.
Luke had called on another of Jake's contacts - known as King - who had turned up with an 18-foot cattle trailer. King would dispose of the animals in the morning at an auction ring.
The three men were so intent on what they were doing, that none of them saw or heard the lone rider that approached from the east; the rider who watched silently, sheltered within the embrace of a copse of trees.
Cindy was too far away to see his face clearly. But she was sure it was him - his build - the way he sat on a horse. She watched as the cattle were herded onto the trailer. She had seen enough. She realised she would have to leave know, to be sure she got back to the ranch before Luke did - otherwise they may bump into each other in the stable block. And that wouldn't do. It wouldn't do at all.
Grim-faced, Cindy hurried back to the Armstrong ranch. Her emotions were in a whirl. Disappointment, shock and anger bubbled up within her.
It wasn't until she got back to the sanctuary of her room that the tears began to fall.
---oOo---
When Luke arrived back at his cabin, he drank thirstily from a bottle of water and then headed for the bedroom. The first thing he saw when he switched on the light was a pink satin nightdress decorated with bits of black lace. Puzzled and somewhat alarmed, he picked it up. It had a faint whiff of a familiar perfume. Cindy.
Pursing his lips, Luke sat down on the end of the bed. She had clearly been here, intent on some amorous adventure... only to find he wasn't there. He sighed heavily and began to think of excuses, including the obvious - that he couldn't sleep and had stepped out for a walk in the night air. It sounded pretty pathetic, even to himself and he wasn't sure whether she would swallow it or not.
As he sat there, thinking things through, he caught sight of the closet door. It was ajar. He had left it closed.
Love on a Ranch Box Set Page 18
