Page 11 of Jonathan

They had gone out to dinner at one of her favorite restaurants and as usual, she had been given the VIP treatment, which had not gone down well with Brian.

The owner had come over to them personally and recommended the choice of meal and wine. Even though she was not working, she had obliged him by sampling the wine and giving her opinion.

Brian had been furious at being ignored as he had called it.

“I don’t appreciate it!” He had stormed as they made their way back to her place. “It was as if I was invisible. Do you have to bring your work everywhere?”

She had tried to soothe his temper, but it had only gotten worse. Sick and tired of his pettiness, she had ordered him to leave and never come back.

He had stormed out and told her he would give her a few days ‘to come to her senses’.

Finishing the wine, she put the glass away and stretched languidly. The bedrooms were inviting and cozy, but she just might spend the night right here.

*****

The rain continued throughout the next day, just as Jon had feared and it had increased in its intensity, leaving no doubt that there would be flooding.

His mother was already up and in the kitchen issuing orders and instructing the kitchen staff to fill thermoses of coffee. Without a word, she handed him one as he strode into the room.

“Any news?” He asked briefly, grabbing a cup of the steaming brew and taking a sip.

“Bully has already been in and reported that there is flooding in the east section. A fence gave way under the pressure and several cattle are missing.”

He nodded grimly and finishing his coffee, jammed on his hat and turned to leave the room.

“Darling, please be careful.”

“I will try and get word to you as soon as I can.”

She watched him leave and tried to ease the worry around her heart. Squaring her slender shoulders, she beckoned to Helen. “We need to prepare something filling for when the men get back here. It is too wet for any cooking to take place outdoors.”

*****

It was bad, but he was used to it. The rain felt like pellets driving through the rain jacket he had on and as soon as he stepped outside, his hat was soaked. Some of the men were already heading out and he got a full report on what was going on.

Mounting his horse, he headed towards the broken fence, issuing instructions as he rode off. There was flooding of course, and he had expected it. They found the cattle wandering out on the street.

The place was a ghost town, with businesses closed for the day and schools out. Rounding up the cattle took some doing, but finally, they had then back where they belonged.

He thought fleetingly of the woman in the cabin and almost went to check on her. Gritting his teeth at how solidly she was lodged inside his brain, he turned his attention to urgent matters.

“Hey, boss!”

Turning his horse towards the sound of his foreman’s voice, he rode to meet him.

“Problems?”

“Yeah. The main barn is flooded. We’re going to have to move the horses.”

“Then let’s get to it. What about the cottages along the main road?” He asked, referring to the lodging where most of the men and their families resided.

“A few of them, have leaking roofs. McCleary, herded his wife and kids over to the ranch house as per your mother’s instruction. We might have to get more of them moving over there until the rain has stopped and repairs can be done.”

With a nod, Jon wheeled his horse and made his careful way along the grounds. The place was soft and muddy, making navigation a tricky business. Ebony was surefooted and knew his way around and had an uncanny knack of sensing where there was danger, making it easy for Jon to scan the area and look for stray animals.

Nudging the animal forward, he headed for the barn to see to the horses there.

*****

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