Chapter 5

C hapter F ive

Hazard didn’t sleep well, though he did drop off once Bryce was able to settle and relax. The sun shone around the edges of the curtains, and he slowly climbed out of bed and grabbed some clothes before quietly opening the door. He turned to where Bryce slept, the covers just below the curve of his shoulders. It looked like Bryce was in less pain, his features relaxed in sleep. Hazard closed the door silently and used the bathroom to dress. Once he was ready, he grabbed coffee and something to eat in the kitchen and headed out to start work.

He had plenty to do and got right to it. There was hay to get down and horses to check on. Since the weather looked beautiful, he let the few horses that had been in the barn overnight out into their paddocks. First thing he did was spot-clean the stalls and add fresh bedding to replace the soiled. He swept the stable where it needed it before joining the rest of the men to get their assignments for the day.

“I was wondering where you were,” Danny said, holding his clipboard.

“Got the stables cleaned and ready for the day,” he answered. “The farrier is supposed to come to change the shoes for a couple of the mares, and I think we have a few more horses he needs to look at.”

Danny nodded. “Good. Make sure those mounts stay in today.” He lifted his gaze. “We need to move part of the herd today. The west range has taken about all the grazing it can at the moment. So, we’ll move that section of the herd south for the time being.”

“Can we use ATVs?” Clyde asked, and Danny shook his head.

“That section is horse country—you know that. It’s too rocky for the ATVs. We need to make sure we don’t leave any strays behind, and it takes horses with that terrain. Check with Hazard first to make sure the horse you take doesn’t need the farrier. If your mount goes lame, you’re walking it back.” Danny handed out a few other instructions before sending the men off. They gathered their mounts, and after Hazard made sure they took the right horses, the group of cowboys was off across the land, leaving Hazard to hold down the fort.

“Did they leave you behind?” Bryce asked, before sipping coffee as he made his way over.

“It’s my job. I was hired to look after the horses.” He didn’t look away from the group of men as they disappeared over the slight rise to the west. “How’s your shoulder?”

“It aches, but the pills helped and so did some sleep. It’s going to be sore for a few days, I suppose.”

“Especially if you overuse it.” Hazard knew cowboys. They never did anything in moderation. “Did your parents say anything about you not coming home?”

Bryce shook his head. “Mom is too busy looking after my dad, and Willard doesn’t see anything other than what he wants. Where are the rest of the men going?”

“To move some of the cattle. Danny said the west range might be getting overgrazed.”

Bryce nodded. “I get it. But where was he going to move them to? It’s been so dry. The storm the other day is the first rain we’ve had in a month. We can keep the cattle watered, but I can’t irrigate the pastures. We don’t have the resources for that.” He bit his lower lip. “I wish I knew how my father did this shit.”

“Then ask him,” Hazard offered. “Oh, sorry, that was rhetorical.”

“Yeah. The one thing that would help is some rain.” They both instinctively looked up into the nearly cloudless sky. “Or maybe some fresh grazing land.” He turned toward the south. “I’d love to put some of the cattle over there, but that section of land has no water.”

“We could see about digging. If there was water there once, it’s possible there could be again. I mean, sometimes the plumbing gets gummed up.”

“But you’d think the water would find another way to the surface,” Bryce offered.

“Not necessarily. Water always runs downhill, and it will find the path of least resistance. So, if that’s a channel underground, that’s how it’s flowing now. But we could dig and maybe get it to flow back upward. I don’t know, but we can try.”

Bryce set his mug on the top fence rail. “Let me think about it. I can’t do anything until my shoulder feels better anyway.”

“Danny knows what he’s doing,” Hazard said. “And he and your father have worked together for a number of years. So, for now, I’d guess that he’s acting under some plans that your father gave him.”

“But that isn’t going to last very long,” Bryce said. “Not if it stays this dry.”

“Then gather as much information as you can and make plans of your own. I’d start with Danny and see what orders he’s operating under, make sure they’re solid. Then work with Mom to get a feel for the books.” It was easy enough to offer advice, but he wanted to try to help.

“That’s solid.” He looked out over the land, and Hazard followed his gaze. “I do love this place, and I’m sorry I was so whiny last night. This land is home, and….”

Hazard could understand that. “You can love a place and still wish it wasn’t your whole life. This is home for all of us. But every single person here would be happy to see it through the rearview mirror every once in a while. Maybe you could take a vacation and go away for a few weeks a year. See some places that you always wanted to see. You have good people to watch over things, and once you have a plan in place and a feel for things, you could take the time to recharge. The ranch doesn’t have to be your whole life if you don’t want it to be.”

Bryce shrugged. “It’s going to be for a long time.”

Hazard didn’t know what to say, and just when he thought he might have found the words, the farrier pulled in. He greeted him and showed him where to set up while he got the first horse for him to work on.

The guys were back, and all the cattle were where they should be. “How did it go?”

“It took us the last two hours to find the stragglers,” Danny said grumpily. “But we got them all where they need to go. But dammit, what we really need is some more rain. Otherwise, we’re going to have to move them again to avoid overgrazing.” He too looked to the south. “We may need to open that range land and haul in water. God, that is going to cost a fortune.”

“Would it be okay if I borrowed a four-wheeler? My work is done for the day, and I can make sure the horses are bedded down in a few hours.”

“Sure, go,” Danny agreed, his mind probably on another task already. Hazard fueled one with a rack on the back and loaded a shovel and a rake before heading out to the south. He floored the pedal, eating up the distance between the house and the stand of trees that indicated the old watering hole.

Once he arrived, he grabbed the rake and shovel, heading into the old depression. First, he raked away the leaves and debris to get to the ground. Then he found the lowest spot and sank the shovel into the dirt. It was bone-dry, like the rest of the area. Still, he dug, tossing the dirt up around the side of the depression.

The breeze was cooling in the shade, but it took only ten minutes before he was coated in sweat. He continued digging, hoping to find any sign of water. But even two feet down, it was still dry.

“It isn’t going to be as easy as just digging a hole,” he told himself before widening the hole and then going deeper, digging out rocks that he tossed aside. After digging for almost two hours, he had a sizable hole, but nothing more. The ground was dry and hard packed. There was no sign of clay or anything. Maybe he had been wrong the other day about signs of water.

“What are you doing?” Bryce asked when he peered over the side of the hole.

“I thought I’d see if I could reach the center of the earth. What does it look like I’m doing?” He leaned on the shovel. “What are you doing out here instead of letting your shoulder rest?” If Bryce could ask dumb questions, so could he.

“Anything?” Bryce asked, avoiding the question.

“Just dry earth,” he answered, and went back to digging. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he snapped as Bryce made his way down. “Getting out isn’t going to be as easy, and with your shoulder… do you think I’m going to carry you out?” The idea of getting his hands on Bryce wasn’t all bad. In fact, he got a zing just thinking about it.

“I’m fine.” Bryce began poking around as Hazard went back to digging.

“I keep wondering…,” he muttered as his digging came to an abrupt halt. He tapped around and managed to get the shovel around a large rock. It was at least two feet across, but using the shovel as a lever, he was able to lift it slightly before it settled back into place. He tried again, scooting the shovel under it farther. He raised it about three inches and ran out of leverage. “I want to get this out.”

“I’ll help.” Bryce was already trying to get into position.

“No. I’ll bring some of the guys over tomorrow to help.” He set the shovel aside and climbed out of the deepest section of the hole to where Bryce stood. “Let’s go back. I can’t do any more today.”

“Is there any sign of water?” Bryce asked, and Hazard shook his head. “Then maybe it’s useless.”

“But if there was water here once, there can be again. Those wells they capped drew down the aquifer, but now that they have stopped, it should recover. It’s probably just deeper than it was in the past. I’m hoping to go down twenty feet or so.” He helped Bryce out and put the tools on the back of the four-wheeler. “How did you get out here?”

“I asked Dusty to bring me out. Danny told me where you’d gone, and I figured I could return with you.” Hazard hopped into the driver’s seat, and Bryce got on behind, put his arms around him, and leaned in toward his back. “I think I like this.”

“What?”

He rubbed his hands up and down Hazard’s belly. “Copping a feel.”

“Is that what this is?”

“You did it last night, so why can’t it be my turn?” Bryce held on a little tighter, as Hazard turned them around, driving back toward the main house.

“Who said you couldn’t?” he teased, and went slowly, wanting to prolong their time together. He leaned back slightly, and Bryce pressed to him more closely as they rode across the rangeland.

The sun was drawing lower in the sky as they reached the yard. Bryce got off, and Hazard put the four-wheeler and the tools away.

“What the hell do you think you were doing?” Bryce’s father asked as he stormed up to Bryce. He looked like he was going to fall over at any minute, with only his anger holding him up. “I’m the one who runs things here, and….”

“Stop, Lyle,” Mrs. Maverick pleaded from behind him as she took her husband’s arm. “You need to rest.”

“What I need…,” he began, and then the steam seemed to go out of him as he coughed.

“What you need is to rest and to let Bryce run things. You need to save your strength,” Mrs. Maverick said, motioning to two of the men, who approached and each took an arm to help keep Mr. Maverick upright. “Bryce can handle things.” She led the way inside, and Hazard turned to Bryce, who was as pale as a sheet.

“Everyone get back to work,” Danny called, and the guys melted away.

“He doesn’t think I can do it,” Bryce groused. “So why should I bother?”

Hazard wished he had answers for him. Mr. Maverick was a stubborn but proud man. “Maybe this doesn’t have anything to do with you. It’s possible that your dad is lashing out because he can’t do the things he used to. I mean, he needs to be the center of things, because if he’s not, then he doesn’t feel like he’s important.”

Bryce stood taller, and his eyes grew harder. “My father can think what he wants, but that doesn’t change the fact that someone has to run the ranch until he’s able to.”

“Exactly,” he agreed. “So, what do we do?” He didn’t want Bryce to feel as though he was alone in this.

“You talk to your father once he’s up to it,” Mrs. Maverick said. Hazard hadn’t even realized she had come back out. She rested her hand on Bryce’s shoulder. “He’s scared, and you know your father has never shown fear in his life. And now it seems like the ranch, the thing he’s spent his life building and nurturing, is slipping away from him.”

“I was planning to talk to him as soon as he had the energy,” Bryce explained.

“Then make that sooner rather than later,” his mother said, before going back inside the house.

“Do you think…?” Bryce asked. “I mean….” His voice trailed off, becoming rougher every time he tried to speak.

Hazard swallowed hard. “Your mom knows your father better than anyone else. They’ve been together through God knows what over decades.” He found himself worrying as he looked toward where she’d gone. “Maybe she can see what’s coming better than the doctors or anyone else. But I don’t know.”

“I don’t either,” Bryce agreed. “But there’s plenty to do, and I need to catch up with Danny to see where he’s at and what things he and my father had planned.” He sighed and then strode to where Danny had gone. Hazard figured there was nothing he could do and went to the barn to make sure the horses had enough hay and that they were bedded down for the night.

“Why are you so distracted?” Hazard’s mother asked after they had dinner at the main house that night. It had been quiet, with Mrs. Maverick eating very little and then excusing herself. Bryce ate, but seemed drawn inward, and Hazard watched them both, wondering what he could do and realizing that everything was out of his hands.

“I’m fine, Mom.”

She shook her head. “No, you’re not.” She sat in her chair, and Hazard got up to leave the room. The last thing he wanted was for her to begin analyzing him. “You’re worried about something, and all during dinner, you kept watching Bryce. So, you might as well tell me. Did you boys finally get together?”

Hazard coughed. “Mom….”

“I’ve seen the way you’ve watched him for years. I’m your mother, and I see things. You never said or did anything, but I know something has changed, just like I’m well aware that Bryce stayed the night with you.”

“He was injured and didn’t want to worry his mother.”

Mom rolled her eyes. “He hurt his shoulder. It wasn’t like he was covered in blood. That boy stayed here because it was what he wanted to do. And I swear it had very little to do with being hurt.”

“Look, Mom. He’s overwhelmed right now. His dad is a mess and causing trouble. He needs a chance to think and to make good decisions. He doesn’t need me hanging around him like some lovesick puppy.” Shit, he should not have said that. “What’s important now is for me to let him get his feet under him.”

“You may be right.” She put her feet up and sat back. “But you also might not be. Going through all these changes is hard, really hard, and figuring out the course of your life under these circumstances is even tougher. Do you think he wants to go through that alone?”

“But he has his family and everyone on the ranch for that.” Hazard stared down at the old rug on the floor. It had always been there, and he knew it was one of the things his parents bought together, along with the pair of plaid-upholstered chairs, one of which his mother sat in.

“He has his mother, who is taking care of his father right now, and he has his brother, who seems to do nothing but cause trouble and stir things up.”

Hazard raised his gaze.

“You heard me. Willard wants to be the big man and run everything.”

“He could never run this place. It would fall apart because none of the men respect him that way.” His belly hurt, and his heart ached for Bryce. “What do I do?”

“I’d be his friend. Start with that. If anything else comes of it, then fine… but first and foremost, do that. He needs to know that someone is there for him.” She put her feet down and leaned over, placing her hand on his cheek. “I raised you to be a good person. So be that man. And know that I’ll be there no matter what.” She smiled and sat back once more, raising her feet and turning on the television. Hazard knew she’d be asleep in less than an hour.

Willard answered the door when Hazard knocked softly a little later. “What do you need?”

“To see Bryce,” Hazard answered.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Willard said, and since he had no right to argue with him, Hazard took a step back. Willard closed the door, and Hazard took another step back before turning.

The door opened behind him. “That’s enough of your crap, Willard,” Bryce said softly, but with authority. “Hazard, sorry for him. He’s being a dick.” Bryce stepped outside. “What is it you need?”

“I just wanted to be here.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Maybe I’m being dumb, and I should just go. After what your father said….”

“Bryce, what’s going on?” Mr. Maverick said, poking his head out. “What’s going on, Hazard? Is something wrong?”

“No, sir. I was just talking to Bryce,” he said gently. “I should be going now.”

“You do that.”

“Stop it, Lyle,” Bryce’s mother scolded as she guided her husband back inside. “You can’t run the ranch until you are feeling better. You feel like you have energy now, and you’re being your usual pain in the ass self, but in an hour, you’ll be worn out and too tired to do anything.”

“I know my own body,” he complained, but went with her. Bryce motioned inside, and Hazard followed him. Mr. Maverick sat in his chair, breathing rapidly.

“I run this ranch,” he said.

“Then tell me what you want done,” Bryce pressed.

“It’s been hot and dry, and we could run out of viable grazing land of we don’t get more rain—and soon. I think we need to start looking into thinning the herd and sending some of the head to market. Take the ones that are closest to being up to weight. I know it’s early, and we were hoping for another few months of growth, but we may not have that kind of time.”

“I know,” Bryce said. “I was looking into the possibility of leasing some fresh grazing areas, but everyone is in the same boat, and the few parcels that are available would be too expensive for us to lease.”

Mr. Maverick nodded his head and then closed his eyes. “I already did that.”

“Then you need to tell me,” Bryce said as he sat near his dad. “I don’t want to be spinning my wheels going over what we already know. At least most of the acreage has sufficient water.”

“I could just kill old man Calvin for digging those damned wells. I took him to court at the time, but he had a lot more money than I did, and I couldn’t afford to keep fighting the old bastard. We’d be able to use the acreage to the south if he hadn’t pumped all the water away.”