Page 73 of Deadly Evidence
At the kitchen sink, his arms buried in sudsy water, Vicente grunted.
“Okay—so you weren’t laid up,” Anna amended. “But the doc and I just thought you ought to take it easy for a while.”
“So what’s on tap for us here?”
“I’ve got to start bringing cows and calves up into the holding pens...it’s time to precondition the calves for weaning.”
“What’s your routine here?
“We vaccinate, castrate, and dehorn while they’re still with their moms, then wait a few weeks to wean them. It’s just too hard on them if we hit ’em with everything at once, and we’ve seen a lot less illness this way. Stress weakens the immune system, though some of the older ranchers don’t believe it.”
“Good plan.”
“I’ll start tomorrow when everyone is here. Our chute system works really slick, but it still takes a good four people to handle everything.”
Brady laughed. “So you don’t really have a buyer coming?”
“Honestly, you just never know.” She stood and gathered the remaining plates from the table and took them to the counter next to the sink. “Come on outside—I need to show you something.”
Out on the porch, she moved to one end and leaned a hip against the railing. “You said that you expect this entire operation to be over soon. Have you heard any more?”
Brady shook his head. “Why?”
“I was just thinking...you’re going to be gone soon. Is there anything you’d like to do while you’re still here? We work hard, and the days are never long enough. I can get along without you for a day, and it ought not affect your other job here—I don’t suppose anything dramatic is going to happen in broad daylight.”
He could think of quite a few things he’d like to do, but none of them involved being alone. “I’d like to spend the day with you.”
“I don’t mean ranch work—some people like to go down to the Big Bend area for fishing...or they go rock climbing. Some people—” she gave a little shudder “—like to come out here and hunt for snakes.”
“Come with me, then.”
Her brow furrowed. “I can’t. I mean, I’ve got cattle to move and colts to ride. I can’t just—”
“Yes, you can. What’s a single day out of three hundred and sixty-five?”
She cast a worried glance toward the barns. “I don’t know...”
“Please?” He held out his hands, palms up. “I might get lost out here without you along.”
She sputtered, then broke into laughter. “I really doubt that, but okay—as long as I’m here soon after Lacey gets home. Deal?”
He offered her his hand, but when she shook it, he held on. “Sounds like a good deal to me.”
In an hour, they were on the road with Brady at the wheel. “I’ll bet this is your first day off in years,” he said, sliding a sideways look at her.
She didn’t need long to think about it. “We even have chores on Christmas.”
“Then tell me where you want to go. Anywhere is fine with me.”
“Hmmm...there’s a reservoir about an hour south. It’s really pretty—there’s pine trees on the north side and a picnic area. I’ve heard there are some nice little restaurants down there, too.”
They made it in less than an hour and followed the narrow, winding road that skirted the lake until they reached the far side, where Brady stopped at a roadside stand to buy cappuccinos and deli sandwiches.
Then he continued driving until they reached a dense, cool stand of pines where a few dozen empty picnic tables rimmed the sparkling lake.
“This okay?”
“More than okay. It’s wonderful. I was afraid there might be lots of people here.”
