Hard 5 by Stephanie Brother

26

It's my first day accompanying the Bradfords after breakfast. The dishes that are left dirty in the sink will have to wait until lunchtime. The sandwiches are all prepared for when we return in a few hours.

I'm on top of the world, all the memories of the previous night filling my mind like a smoldering fire on a cold day. I'm a little tender between my thighs, and riding a horse just brings everything to the forefront of my mind. All of the boys have been loving today, kissing me in the morning, tugging me against well-worn shirts for rough cuddles that made me blush. Even Scott was affectionate, much to his brothers’ amusement.

And now I'm out riding with my men. Things just couldn't get better.

The sun is just beginning to creep over the horizon, turning the sky a perfect burnished golden color, and my heart is soaring. Lady is holding her own, following the larger horses and their male riders. Cash is up ahead, leading his brothers and me to check the fences and move the cattle. I grip the reins tightly, feeling empowered. This is the life I love, breathing in the damp scent of the morning and sensing the power of the animal beneath me. Cash even bought me a new hat. "Got to look the part in order to be the part," he said before we left, placing it on my head and adjusting it until it met with his approval.

As we get closer to where the huge herd of cattle is grouped together, something spooks Cash. He digs his heels in, and his horse surges forward. Colt and Scott follow, arriving at the gate as Cash is opening it. "Shit," I hear Scott shout, and then I see what's got them bothered. Three animals are down, and even from a distance, I can see that they're stiff with death.

Death in a herd is bad news. It could be something infectious that would wipe out hundreds of animals, and with it, thousands of dollars. The cattle start to disperse as Scott and Colt take their horses closer. "Call the vet," Scott shouts to his twin. "We need him down here fast."

"What is it?" Cary calls.

"I don't know, but it doesn't look good."

"Stay back," Cash tells me, taking hold of Lady's reins as we get close to the gate.

"I can help," I say.

"Some diseases that kill cattle can be transmitted to humans. I'm not taking that risk with you, Melanie."

"What about your brothers?" As I say it, Scott is sliding off his horse and leaning it closer.

"They know what they're doing."

Scott circles the bodies, shaking his head. He rubs his hand over the bristles of his beard, taking a thoughtful stance. Then he glances over to the fence.

We're at the edge of the Bradfords' land here. What's he thinking about?

"Their eyes are bulging, and their tongues are dangling. We need to get the others away but keep them separate from any other animals who aren't in this field right now."

"Do you think it could be infectious?" Cash asks.

Scott glances back at the animals, then the fence. "I don't know. I've got a bad feeling. These fences here are strong, but they're designed to keep animals in, not humans out."

"You think they've been poisoned?"

"You know what Flint said," Scott puts his foot into the stirrup and pulls himself onto the horse with perfect finesse.

"That was years ago," Cash says.

"Hatred can outlast pretty much anything," Scott replies.

"What did Flint say?" I think about the man I caught staring the night we left the diner, and unease stirs in my belly.

"He said he would make us regret stealing his farm."

Colt snorts. "We didn't steal shit from that man. He lost it all by himself and can't face the fact."

"Doesn't matter what really happened," Sawyer says. "What matters is what he thinks happened."

"Well, he's still angry with you," I say and then bite my lip, wondering if telling them will stir things up. I know how men can be, and we don't have any evidence of anything yet. Jethro Flint could have been spouting off a lot of hot air.

Five sets of eyes switch to focus on me. "What do you know about it?" Scott asks, his dark eyes already brewing suspicion.

I turn to Cash, seeking the reassuring softness of his gaze that is still present despite the terrible circumstances. "Jethro, he talked to me in the store. He told me that you are vultures who need to be taught a lesson."

"He approached you in the store?" Cash's brows form a deep frown as he contemplates my words.

I nod. "It was the first day you gave me the truck to drive…"

Scott shakes the reins, urging his horse to trot closer. "That was weeks ago. Why didn't you tell us what he said then?"

Cash shoots his brother a warning look. "Is that everything he said?"

My heart begins to race as five men who trust me realize that I've been keeping secrets from them. The connection between Scott and me is built on shaky ground, and something like this could bring it all crashing down. I have to be honest and tell them everything now. It's the only way I have a chance of them trusting me. "He told me you were treating me like a slave. He told me I didn't have to stay with you. He offered to take care of me with his brother."

Cash's usually even expression darkens immediately, jealousy creasing his brown and narrowing his eyes. Lady steps back as though she's in tune with me and senses danger. "He wanted you?"

"It was as though he thought he was going to save me from you."

"And he said the words 'need to be taught a lesson'?"

I nod. "He said it twice. He made me feel really uncomfortable."

"Not uncomfortable enough to tell us, though," Scott hisses.

"ENOUGH." Cash mounts his horse and steers it through the gate. "Let's concentrate on getting these animals away. The rest we can deal with later."

Despite Scott's scowl, he listens to his brother, and the four Bradfords not currently seeking out the vet begin to herd the live cattle through the gate. I pull Lady away, waiting to the side, my eyes darting from where the poor dead animals are lying to where the living ones are moving slowly forward. Did Jethro and his brother really kill these animals? It seems far-fetched that they'd only bother with three but who knows. Maybe they planned to kill more, but something went wrong. It's odd to hope that they were killed in such sinister circumstances because the alternative could be so much worse. If they died from something infectious, the rest of the herd could be at risk.

Guilt prickles my skin as Scott's anger sinks in. He's right. I should have told them what Jethro said immediately. It was an overt threat to not only their business but them too. Why didn't I? The truth is hard to swallow.

It was back when I blamed them for my own misfortune. I didn't trust them, and as much as Jethro's appearance and manner made my skin crawl, the small resentful part of me liked that someone else felt the same about the Bradfords as me. I liked that the Flints felt the same resentment about something that really wasn't the Bradfords' fault because it made me feel less vindictive and petty. We were allies in our bitterness, and I put that before any loyalty I should have had to the men who were housing and employing me. It makes me feel sick to my stomach.

"You should go back to the house," Cash says to me. "This isn't the place for you…not today."

I know he's right. They have so much to figure out, and I'm only getting in the way, but that doesn't stop me from experiencing the sting of rejection. It doesn't stop me from building his actions and Scott's harsh words and expressions into something else.

The fear that this could change everything.

As I nod and pull Lady's reins to steer her back to the Flint House, my heart aches with panic.

And just like that, my heart that was soaring like an eagle comes crashing back down to land.