Page 26 of When I Forgot Us (Blue River #1)

They only crossed the road twice a year, this being the first of two for this season. He preferred not to have to deal with the threat of traffic, even though they lived in a rural community and everyone around knew to anticipate the possibility of a cattle crossing.

“To the valley.” Chuck fist-pumped the air and rode alongside Chase. “Been kind of quiet out here without you. I think the boys are afraid you’re going to stop riding.”

“No way.” He loved every minute of being in the saddle.

Chuck clapped him on the shoulder. “Good. They always work better when you’re around. Being the boss and all.”

“I heard that,” Don called back. “If anyone’s slacking, it’s you.”

“Hey. I resent that.” Chuck twisted his face into a contrite expression.

Don harrumphed and slapped a hand to his thigh. “Don’t let him fool you. Kid’s mouth never stops moving.”

“Yeah, that’s true.” Chuck shrugged and grinned. “But I can still ride circles around you, old man.”

“Call me old one more time.” A thick, twisted finger pointed at the impudent young cowboy. “I’ve told you what’s going to happen.”

Their banter put Chase at ease. They always snapped and barked at each other. Most newcomers worried the cowboys hated each other because they never stopped launching verbal pot shots at each other.

They’d all probably explode if they didn’t harass each other. Most other days, he’d be right in the middle, picking fights and calling Chuck names.

“Coming up on the cattle.” Don’s attention shifted from play to work mode quicker than a lightning strike.

Chase cut to the left. “I’ll take the far side and push them toward the herd.

” He tucked his legs tight around Coral’s ribs, and they splashed across the creek.

Water dappled his jeans and covered Coral’s legs.

She picked her way across the loose river rock and heaved them up the shallow bank on the other side.

Her ears swiveled forward, and her excited dancing brought joy threading through him. His horses loved to work. Coral more than most. “Go get ‘em.” He aimed her at the first cow, a four-year old with a calf at her side, and the known leader of the rebellion.

The cow tossed her head, slinging a stream of snot in a wide arc.

“We’re not afraid of you, mama. Go on. Take that baby and hit the road.” He raised his hand and slapped it to his thigh, making a shh-shh sound to get her turned and moving.

The remaining cows lumbered to their hooves, lowing and shuffling around as they turned.

Don cut his horse into the middle of the river to keep the cows from trying to break that way. Most of the time, they took the easy way, but there was always that one time when they decided to be troublesome.

This was where he belonged. He’d always known that. When Michelle left, he didn’t fight to go with her. He’d never survive in the city. They’d both known that, and she hadn’t even asked him to try. He needed space to breathe, a horse to ride, and a job that kept him busy.

Letting her go hadn’t been easy, but it had been necessary for them to both find joy.

“She’s going to charge.” Don’s warning almost came too late.

Coral reacted with the instinct and training she’d been bred for. In a flash, she threw her head out and nipped the cow in the flank just as the cow lowered her head and pawed the ground.

Blowing, the cow turned and kicked, sending Coral into a quick sidestep. She snaked her head out and nipped again, ears flat to her skull. That was why he picked her anytime he could. She knew her job and never backed down.

“Sometimes I’d like to pin my ears back and bite whatever’s bothering me.” Chuck snorted a laugh.

Chase smacked his thigh again and pushed the cattle toward the river. “You’d end up biting yourself since you’re the problem.”

“Har har.” Chuck pretended to be annoyed, but he never stopped smiling.

Don followed alongside the cows, keeping them in a line while Chase pushed from the back. Once they started moving, they didn’t put up much of a fight, but he kept an eye on the lead cow in case she changed her mind.

The calves bellowed and trotted to keep up. They’d all slow down once the stragglers joined the main herd.

“Ride on ahead and get the rest on their feet.” Chase waved them on. “We want this bunch moving slow but we don’t want them to stop and lay down again.”

Slow and steady always worked best. He applied the same philosophy to Michelle. If they were going to pursue a relationship this time, it had to be with a cautious approach. He’d gone all in last time with no thought or preparation and she left.

He didn’t dare make that same mistake again.

Coral crow-hopped sideways, cutting off a cow trying to break back toward the river. Only his years of riding kept him in the saddle.

“I saw that.” Chuck wagged a finger at him.

He flushed beneath his hat but kept his expression innocent. “Don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m not the one who fell in a cow patty last month.”

“One, that wasn’t my fault. My horse slipped.” He pushed his hat back and squinted up at the sun. “And two, it was funny. Which means it was worth it.”

“Well, I’m not falling out of my saddle to make you laugh.” He guided Coral to the right, pushing the stragglers until they mingled with the herd.

Two hundred head of cattle pressed tight together.

“Keep ‘em going.” Don whirled his arm in the air in a circular motion and called out that same shh-shh sound the cattle recognized as a signal to get moving.

Chase fell in beside Chuck.

Don took the left side, Brian the right. Tom stayed toward the front, ready to run ahead and open gates when they needed him to.

“Like clockwork.” Chuck scratched his palm on the saddle horn.

Chase sighed. “Well, you’ve done it now.”

“What?” Chuck dragged the word out, all innocence and misdirection.

“That’s like walking into the hospital and saying, ‘Sure is quiet around here.” You’d get flogged for that.

” He’d heard horror stories from friends who worked in the ER.

You never said anything like that to a nurse or doctor.

They swore chaos broke loose afterward. Might all be superstitions, but he’d seen the same thing happen on cattle drives.

“If they make a break for it on the road, I’m blaming you. ”

Chuck snorted. “They won’t. This bunch knows what to do, they just like to be ornery and go off on their own sometimes.”

“Sounds like some people I know,” Brian quipped.

He slapped his leg, and his horse darted over to drive a cow back into the herd.

“They’ll settle down soon,” Chase said.

Chase had every reason to think so, but he kept an eye on them.

If anything went wrong, the responsibility landed on him.

It was easy to fall into the routine of the ride and miss the small details.

Like the sparrow that landed on the fence post ahead of him and watched with tilted head and beady eyes.

It hopped onto the fence and flapped brown wings, twittering loudly before taking off.

The sound of leather creaking and cows shuffling had been his lullaby for so long he often heard it just before falling asleep.

“Sometimes I think we were born in the wrong era.” Chuck turned serious. “Can you imagine this being your whole job? Just taking cows across the country?”

“You had to stop sometime,” Chase reminded him. “Even the old cowboys didn’t drive cattle forever. The goal was to find a place to build a ranch.”

“You’re ruining it.” Chuck’s expression soured. “I mean one of the cowboys who didn’t ever want to settle down. They took job after job, riding back and forth across the country their whole lives.”

“No thanks. I like having a place to call home.” He shoved Chuck’s shoulder, rocking his friend off balance. “But if that’s the life you want, you can always pitch a tent out in the pasture and cook over a campfire.”

“Forgot about that part.” He pushed Chase back with a chuckle. “I’ll stick to this century. As long as I get to ride every day.”

“Done.” He held out his hand and Chuck shook it like they were strangers making a deal.

They rode through the first open gate.

Tom nodded at them in passing. “Road’s next. I’m going to ride ahead.”

“Thanks, Tom.” Chuck nudged Chase. “Go with him and help block the road. The three of us can push them through.”

“Sure.” Chase took off after Tom, his horse enjoying the run enough to offer a small buck when he slowed.

He concentrated his attention on getting the cattle safely across the road and into the pasture.

Thoughts of Michelle and what he needed to do lingered in the back of his mind.

As much as it pained him to be away from her, it might be better for them both that he’d taken this step back to evaluate.

If he was going to lose her again, it was better not to let his heart get so invested in a future together.