Chapter 2

C hapter T wo

“I’m going out for a ride,” Bryce told his father.

“It’s Sunday morning, and the entire family is going to town to church.” His father glared at him like he did each week.

Bryce shrugged and then shook his head. “I’m not going. You and Mom do what you need to, but I’m not going. I don’t think the same way you do, and I don’t believe all the stuff Reverend Mathers harps on during his sermons.” He left his father’s office, passing Willard as he approached, dressed in a suit. The little hypocrite.

“You should come,” he said flatly.

Bryce went right into his brother’s space. “You’re the one who needs religion. I found what your latest conquest dropped in the tack room last night.” He grinned as Willard paled. “So go ask God to forgive you, and stop acting like an ass.” He strode out to the barn. Mystic and Custer were already saddled and ready to go.

“Is there anything else you need?” Danny asked as he made his morning check of the stables and got a head shake as an answer. “Don’t be out too long. The weather report is calling for the possibility of storms, which probably means we’ll get lightning and noise, but not a drop of rain.” It had been dry for weeks, and without some sort of moisture soon, they were going to have to begin supplementing the cattle, and that could get costly.

“We’ll keep an eye on the sky,” Bryce said as Hazard joined him in the yard. “And thanks for saddling the horses.”

“That was Hazard,” Danny informed him, and stepped back as he mounted. Hazard did the same, and Bryce led the way toward the south.

“Is there someplace special you wanted to go?” Hazard asked as they rode alongside one of the pastures. All the grass was yellow and scrubby. The usual summer storms seemed to be passing them by this year, and it was getting very frustrating. Not only did it stress the cattle, but it also increased the chances of wildfires and brought wolves and other predators closer to the herds.

“I haven’t been this way in a while.” Bryce paused, and Hazard drew his horse next to his. “There used to be a watering hole out there in my grandfather’s time, but it’s gone now. So part of the year, we can’t use that section of land. I used to dream about finding it again, but my father says that if it were still there to be found, it would show itself.”

“Why did it dry up?”

“The Calvins dug deep wells, and it must have changed the aquifer. At least that’s what my father thinks. But the government made him pull those wells a few years ago because they hadn’t been approved in the first place.”

“Do you know where it was?”

Bryce nodded. “See those old trees? That’s it.” He nudged Mystic, and she took off. Hazard urged Custer on, and soon, both of them were flying across the pasture, the horses’ hooves thumping as they hit the ground, making Bryce’s heart race. There were few things as invigorating as a good gallop, unless it was the sight of Hazard on horseback, his entire body moving in tune with Custer, muscles undulating and flowing in beautiful concert between man and horse.

“Can’t keep up?” Hazard called as Custer picked up more speed. His laughter carried out over the land, and Bryce smiled. He could count on one hand the number of times he had truly seen Hazard this happy or willing to let himself go. He was always so under control and careful, and seeing him so free and fun-loving, almost joyous, was amazing.

He urged Mystic to go faster, and she responded, closing the distance with Custer, but Hazard was a better rider than just about anyone on the ranch. He crouched down low and gave Custer his head, eating up the distance between the ranch house and the old watering hole quickly.

They pulled their horses to a stop as they approached the small, wooded area in the middle of a sea of grassland. Hazard guided his horse into the shade and climbed down, Custer’s coat glistening with sweat. Bryce did the same, and they tied up the horses. “There must be water here somewhere. Otherwise, these trees wouldn’t be doing as well as they are.” He turned to Bryce. “I mean, you’d think they’d have dried up after all this time.”

“I’d have thought so too.” Bryce led the way into the copse of trees. “But the land doesn’t seem damp, and other than the trees, there’s no sign of any other water.” He made his way to a depression in the ground that was largely filled with leaves and other debris.

“Someone was digging,” Hazard said as he kicked aside some of the underbrush.

“I used to come out here when I was a kid. I’d dig down and see if I could find anything. But I never did. The ground was just as dry as ever.” Bryce turned, looking up into the canopy over their heads while Hazard picked up a stick and used it to push aside some of the collected debris.

“There isn’t any dampness under the leaves, and they hold moisture for a long time.” He continued poking around and then crouched down. “Look at this….”

“What is it?”

“Water scale. It’s dried up now, but there’s been water here.” He moved more of the leaves aside.

“It could have been from the last rain. Water would collect here.” Bryce didn’t see the relevance. But Hazard was smiling and shaking his head.

“Nope. These minerals would come from underground, dissolved into the water and then left behind when it dried up. It’s hard to know how long ago they were left, but there was something here.”

“How do you know?” Bryce asked.

“Because remember when we had to use some of the ranch well water for the horses last year? One of the buckets had water in it, and when it dried, it looked like that. We have minerals in our water here.” Hazard drew closer, testing the white powder between his fingers. “Of course, I don’t know how long this has been here since everything is dry, but I’d guess it hasn’t been too long. A good rain would likely wash it away.” He scratched his head slightly.

“So there’s been water in this area in the last few months.”

“I’d say so. But I could be wrong. I’m not a geologist or anything.” He climbed out of the depression. “One thing is for sure—it’s bone-dry now.” He raised his eyes skyward. “It looks like some clouds are rolling in.”

“Yeah. But storms aren’t likely until the afternoon heat builds up.” Bryce wandered through the area with Hazard following along behind him. A low rumble sounded in the distance, and Bryce turned toward the west as the clouds darkened.

“I guess things have decided to happen early today. We should get back to the horses.”

“I agree,” he added as more thunder rolled over the land. “I hope there’s some moisture in those clouds.” He strode to Mystic and climbed on as Hazard did the same with Custer. Then they started the ride home as the last of the sun disappeared behind the thick clouds. It was like a shadow rolling over the land as the world darkened around them. Thunder cracked, and Bryce gave Mystic her head, letting her have full rein as they hurried back toward the ranch compound.

The wind picked up, blowing around them as the first large drops hit the ground, sending up small clouds of dust. “We have to get back now,” Hazard called as they raced homeward, the ranch buildings getting closer as lightning split the sky, followed immediately by a clap of thunder that Bryce felt as well as heard.

“Jesus,” he cried, the hair on his arms standing up. That was damned close. More drops of rain fell around them just as they arrived at the compound. Henry and Dusty, two of the ranch hands, hurried out of the barn as they arrived, leading the horses inside as the sky opened up, pelting the earth with a torrent of rain.

“Thanks,” Bryce said to the men.

“Yeah. Thank you,” Hazard said.

“Do you want us to brush them down?” Henry asked, but Bryce shook his head.

“Hazard and I will take care of them,” he said as the lights flickered out, leaving the interior of the barn in shadow. The storm seemed closer in the dark. Henry and Dusty sat on bales of straw while he and Hazard unsaddled the horses and put away the tack.

“It’s wild out there,” Hazard said, looking out the window toward the west. “I can’t see anything but rain.”

“It probably won’t last very long,” Bryce explained. Storms like this blew up and then passed through quickly, especially this time of year. Hopefully, once the storm did pass, the power would come back on quickly. There had been times when it was out for a few days. He hoped that wasn’t the case this time.

“I hope you’re right,” Hazard agreed softly and continued looking out the window before turning away. Bryce watched as he grabbed a curry comb and left the room. Bryce did the same, following Hazard to where the horses were now munching away. They quickly combed down their mounts.

“Where are the guys?”

“I think they made a run for the bunkhouse,” Hazard answered from the stall across the way. Then there was quiet, with just the sound of rain on the roof filling the space.

As expected, the rain began letting up and settled into something less frantic before tapering off all together. By the time they were done, and Bryce closed the stall door, the sun was trying to peek through the clouds.

“What do you have to do for the rest of the day?”

“I have some chores I need to finish, but this afternoon is free. The guys are going into town and will probably be kicking up their heels at the Six Shooter. They asked me to go along, but I don’t think it’s something I want to do.”

“I see. You don’t go to the bar with the guys?” Bryce asked, watching Hazard, who shrugged. “Why not?” Come to think of it, he hadn’t seen Hazard there the times he went.

“Don’t drink very much, and if I want a beer, I can get one of my own at the store. I don’t need to pay a bunch of money to drink.” He turned away, and Bryce figured there was a story there, but it was none of his business. Men out here tended to have secrets, and they were theirs to share or to keep to themselves. His father had told him a number of times that a man’s past was his own, and that as long as he did his work and abided by the rules, then the rest was none of their concern.

Bryce stared at Hazard, wishing he had a way to continue the conversation. Their ride had been nice, and things had been so easy between them, but now Hazard seemed to shift his weight, and Bryce tried to think of something to say, but nothing came to mind. “Well, I’ll let you be.” The last thing he wanted was to bother him. So he turned and went inside the quiet, dark house. There was nothing for him to do at the moment, so Bryce was at loose ends. Sunday was the one day of the week when everyone tended to relax. There was always work to be done, but this was the day to rest. The chores would all be there in the morning.

“Did you get caught in the storm?” his mother asked when they returned from town. “The lights went out halfway through church, and the Reverend dismissed everyone because he couldn’t shout over the sound of rain on the roof.” She sat down. “I see things are out here too.”

“Yes, and the generator didn’t kick in the way it’s supposed to,” Bryce told her. “I looked at it, and apparently there’s no fuel for it.” He turned to Willard, who had been tasked with making sure the propane tank had been filled. “Maybe he’s been too busy luring girls into the barn lately to be bothered.”

His mother narrowed her gaze. “I hate it when you two fight.”

“Then make sure Willard does what he’s supposed to.” He glared at both his parents before leaving the room to let them talk. He had had more than enough of the way they coddled Willard all the time.

The sun had come out and was drying the ground, so he hopped on one of the four-wheelers, figuring he’d check on the herds. They were probably just fine, but it gave him something to do. As he approached the equipment shed, he ran into Danny.

“I made a call to a friend at Western Gas, and they’re sending someone out to fill the tank. Do you want me to keep on eye on it in the future?” The foreman was a good man.

“Thanks. It seems that my brother isn’t capable of doing it.” He looked upward toward the clearing sky, a constant breeze making sure that whatever humidity there was didn’t hang around for very long.

“I sent a group of the men out to check the cattle and to check on a report of a tree down over one of the fences.” Bryce should have known that Danny was on top of things.

“I’m surprised my father isn’t out here directing everything and issuing orders right and left,” he said, but Danny returned his gaze in a strange way. “Am I missing something?”

“You should ask your parents,” Danny said softly, before hurrying away to get things done while Bryce paused in his task and returned inside, where his mother was explaining the lay of the land to Willard. His father, on the other hand, was nowhere to be found.

“Mom,” he said, interrupting her dressing down. “Danny said that a truck is on its way to fill the tank. So hopefully everything will be okay in the next hour or so.” He continued looking around the room while Willard took the opportunity to escape. “Where’s Dad?”

“He wasn’t feeling well, so I told him to lie down.” She seemed pale and fidgety, which she never was. “Your father didn’t sleep well last night, and it seems like Danny has things well in hand.” She bit her lower lip.

“What’s going on? Dad is never sick.”

She looked seconds from crying but pulled herself back. “We don’t know.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? Does Willard know?” The questions came quickly, but he stifled them as he tried to keep from upsetting his mother. “What does ‘we don’t know’ mean?”

She went into the kitchen, and Bryce followed her. She sat at the table, and he poured two cups of coffee from the pot that was always going. It was a ranch, after all, and it ran on coffee, lots of it. “He’s been really tired lately, losing weight, and his stomach has been bothering him, but you know your father—he didn’t want to go to the doctor. I made him an appointment anyway. I took him two weeks ago, and then last week, they did a scope down his throat and found nothing. But the blood tests didn’t come back good. So I took him last Friday….”

“When you said you were going to town for lunch?” he pressed, and she nodded. “You should have been honest with us.” Now wonder Dad had been giving Bryce more and more freedom to run the ranch. Bryce should have known that his father was ill when he started stepping back. This land had been in his father’s family for generations, and his father would never just give up control unless he had to.

“The doctor ordered some more imaging and a bunch of additional blood tests,” she added.

“Mom.” He set down his mug and took her hands. “What are they afraid of?”

She lowered her gaze. “They think he might have pancreatic cancer.” She said the words really softly, and Bryce gasped. “He’s been slowing down a lot lately. They aren’t sure, and we didn’t want to upset you boys for nothing….”

“Mom, this has been going on for weeks.”

She nodded, and tears ran down her cheeks. “I’ve been trying to figure out how to tell you and Willard, and I thought it would be easier if I had some real answers. But we don’t… not yet.” She sighed and pushed the mug away.

Bryce could understand what she was saying, but he still felt he deserved to know. “Mom, Dad can’t keep doing the things he was, and someone is going to need to step up and run this place. Danny is a great foreman, but….” Bryce knew exactly what this meant, and he could already feel some of the weight of the land and history falling onto his shoulders. He had always figured that he would need to take over running the business at some point, but his father was still young, and Bryce thought he’d have more time.

“You are going to have to do more and more of what your father did. I can help you with that part of things, but I can’t run the cattle operation and take care of your father.”

“I know,” Bryce said. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of everything.”

Which was a lot easier said than done.