Page 30 of Wild Horses

“Alex?” Isaac said. His eyes widened when she looked up at him. “What in tarnation are you doing out here?”

“I’d like to know the answer to that myself,” Jesse said. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at her.

She climbed to her feet, dusted off her trousers and planted her hands on her hips. “What do you think I’m doing here? I wanted to ride with the cattle drive and pa said I couldn’t.”

“So you joined when he wasn’t looking?”

Isaac laughed and shook his head. “Not surprised at all.” He went back to the fire, stirring whatever he had cooking.

Jesse turned his attention back to Alex. She was glaring at him, her chin tilted up a notch in defiance. “How long did you think you could go without being found out?”

She shrugged. “I expected pa to find me the first day but I never saw him. I finally had to ask Owen where he was.”

“And found out he wasn’t even here?”

“Yes.” She blew out a breath and stared off into the distance. “Owen said he broke his leg.”

Jesse nodded when she looked back at him. “Not sure how bad. He wouldn’t let anyone touch it but Isaac. They got it splinted and him back on the horse. We hadn’t ridden but half a day when it happened.”

He looked toward the east trying to figure out how far they were from the next town. With the way his luck was going there wouldn’t be anything there but a mercantile and a few homesteads.

His eye was beginning to throb, along with his head. Lewis had managed to get a few lucky punches in. Taking off his hat, he ran a hand through his hair and blew out a breath. “I’m gonna go get cleaned up. Don’t move more than ten paces away from this wagon or so help me I’ll tie you to the thing and drag you to the next town.”

Her mouth flew open—to spew a few hateful words his way, he was sure—but he didn’t wait around to hear them. He turned on his heel and went in search for some cool water to soothe his burning face.

He forced himself not to look over his shoulder to where she stood. Knowing Alex, she ran the moment he turned his back. He headed toward his horse and noticed Lewis and the others had disappeared. He searched the area for them, then looked toward the herd. It wasn’t time for their shift but he imagined they were out there, away from the commotion they’d caused earlier.

He collected his horse and rode him back to the wagon. To his surprise, Alex was still there, her bottom planted on a fallen tree limb as she watched Isaac cook. Her chin rested in her hands, her elbows braced on her knees. She looked like a petulant child who’d been scolded. He grinned at the image. As if Alex had ever been sorry for any of the trouble she’d caused throughout her life.

Trying to ignore her, he climbed from the horse and washed his face, the water cooling the burn by his right eye. Lewis must have split the skin. The bleeding had stopped but it still hurt like hell.

Rejoining Alex and Isaac by the fire, he stared at her wondering what to do. She couldn’t stay, that much was a given. So how would he get her back home?

He propped a booted foot on the log she was resting on and stared down at her. “I can’t leave the herd to take you back home so I’ll send Ben with you. I’ll let him know as soon as he comes back to camp. Where’s your gear at?”

She raised up and looked at him. “I’m not going back home.”

Jesse laughed. “The hell you’re not. You’ll go back at first light.”

Alex stood, that stubborn chin raising again. “You’re not my boss, Jesse Samuels. I wanted to join the cattle drive for a reason and I’m not leaving until I’ve accomplished what I set out to do.”

“And what’s that? Prove, once again, that you don’t listen to a word your pa says?”

“Don't presume to know me.”

“I know you as well as you know yourself, darlin’.”

“Pfft.” She scoffed at him. “I highly doubt that. You’ve been gone ten years, Jesse. I’m not the same girl I used to be and don’t call me darlin’.”

He grinned. “From what I’ve seen since I came home, you’re exactly the same girl.” He added, “darlin’,” again just to aggravate her. It worked. Her face turned a pretty shade of red, her lips tightening into a thin white line as she stepped closer, her hands planted on her hips in an attempt to look menacing.

“And you’re the same immature horses—,”

“Enough already!”

Jesse bit the inside of his jaw to keep from laughing when Isaac interrupted them. He glared at them both, taking the time to look at each of them in turn before shaking his head. “You may be older but you’re both acting like the same pig-headed kids you used to be. Now stop your fussing. I’m too old to be getting in between you two like I used to do, so call a truce. You’re getting on my nerves.”

He turned away, mumbling under his breath.

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