Page 10 of Whiskey and Wildfire

“He’ll pull his weight,” I sighed, staring toward his tent. “Whether he likes it or not.”

As the night wore on, the storm intensified. Rain lashed against my face as I rode along the perimeter of the herd, my horse skittish beneath me. The cattle were restless, their eyes wide with fear as lightning split the sky. I could barely make out our tent’s silhouette on the other side of the herd, all embers from the fire long dead in the rain.

A particularly loud crack of thunder sent a ripple of panic through the cattle. I tensed, ready for the worst, but by no small amount of luck, they stayed put. I let out a sigh of relief, reaching up to wipe the rain from my eyes. My clothes were soaked through, clinging to my skin as I shivered in the saddle.

Just as I was about to head back to camp to wake Logan for his shift, I heard a commotion from the far side of the herd. A flash of lightning illuminated the scene - a group of cattle breaking away, spooked by the thunder. With a kick and a yell, I sent Sogwili into a full gallop. We thundered past the camp, nearly bowling down one of the tents in the process in an attempt to cut the cattle off.

Rounding them on the far side, I managed to steer them back toward the herd. However, I miscalculated slightly and one of steers collided with a tent, tearing right through it in a heartbeat.They were dehorned thankfully, so nobody was getting gored. But that didn’t mean they were safe from the hooves of a nearly one-ton animal.

“Shit!” I heard Logan’s voice cry out from the collapsed tent. My heart leapt into my throat as I saw him scramble out from under the canvas, narrowly avoiding being trampled by another cow that decided to take the same route.

“Logan!” I shouted over the storm, steering Sogwili towards him. “You alright?”

He stumbled to his feet wearing only his underwear. He was soaked and muddy from head to toe, but seemingly unharmed. “What the hell is going on?” he yelled back, his eyes wide with panic.

“Storm’s spookin’ the cattle,” I explained quickly, extending my hand to him. “We need to get them under control before we lose the whole herd. Come on!”

For once, Logan didn’t argue. He grabbed my hand and I hauled him up behind me onto Sogwili. I could feel him shivering against my back as we galloped over to the other two horses tied up under a tree a ways off. As soon as we were there, Logan was already out of the saddle and swinging himself up onto his own horse bareback.

The rain pelted us mercilessly as Logan and I raced to contain the panicked cattle. Lightning flashed, illuminating the chaos before us. Cows bellowed in fear, their eyes wild as they scattered in all directions.

“Head them off to the left!” I shouted over the howling wind, gesturing wildly. Logan nodded, his wet hair plastered to his forehead as he urged his horse forward.

We worked in tandem, weaving back and forth to guide the frightened animals back towards the main herd. My heart pounded in my chest, adrenaline coursing through my veins. Despite the dire situation, I couldn’t help but feel a spark ofadmiration for Logan. He rode with skill and determination, all traces of his earlier sullenness gone.

A flash of movement caught my eye. Beau had joined us, materializing out of the darkness on Willow.

Beau’s presence was a welcome sight. He expertly maneuvered Willow, cutting off a group of strays and herding them back towards the main group. His hat was pulled low over his eyes, shielding them from the driving rain as he worked.

“We need to get them to lower ground!” Beau shouted over the storm. “There’s a small valley about half a mile east. It’ll provide some shelter!”

I nodded, relaying the information to Logan with a series of hand signals we’d learned as kids. He understood immediately, changing course to help guide the herd in the right direction.

The next hour was a blur of rain, mud, and frightened cattle. We pushed ourselves and our horses to the limit, working tirelessly to keep the herd together and moving towards safety. My muscles ached, and I could feel Sogwili’s labored breathing beneath me.

As we neared the valley Beau had mentioned, the storm began to ease at last. The rain softened to a steady drizzle, and the thunder rumbled more distantly. The cattle, sensing the relative calm, began to settle.

We guided them into the shallow depression, where the surrounding hills offered some protection from the wind. Exhausted but relieved, we circled the herd one last time to ensure they were all accounted for.

“That was too close,” I panted, wiping rain from my face as we regrouped.

Logan nodded, his chest heaving. “Yeah,” he agreed, surprising me with the lack of sarcasm in his voice. “Good call on the valley, Beau.”

Beau tipped his hat in acknowledgment, a ghost of a smile on his lips. “Just doin’ my job.”

As the adrenaline wore off, I finally had a chance to realize that Logan was not only still riding without a saddle, but without any clothing except his underwear. The rain had washed away most of the mud, but now he was wet, his chest hair running in rivulets down to his soaked boxer briefs. And they, thanks to the rain, clung to his body in the most sensual way, leaving almost nothing to the imagination. Despite the cold rain soaking through my clothes, I suddenly felt very warm.

I quickly averted my eyes, feeling a blush creep up my neck. He was the boss’s son, and this was not the time or place for those kinds of thoughts. We still had work to do.

“We should set up a watch rotation,” I said, keeping my gaze fixed on the herd. “Make sure none of them try to wander off again.”

“Agreed,” Beau nodded. “I’ll take first watch. You two go get some rest.”

Logan opened his mouth as if to argue but then closed it again. He looked exhausted, the adrenaline clearly wearing off. “Fine,” he muttered, sliding off his horse with a wince.

As we made our way back to what remained of our camp, I couldn’t help but sneak glances at Logan. His skin glistened in the moonlight that now peeked through the dispersing clouds. I forced myself to look away more than once, but my eyes kept coming back to him despite myself.

We trudged back to camp in silence, the squelch of our boots in the mud and the occasional distant rumble of thunder the only sounds. As we approached the remains of our campsite, the full extent of the damage became clear. Two of our three tents were completely flattened, their contents strewn about and soaked through. Logan’s tent, the first to get hit, wasn’t only flattened, but in pieces.

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