Cowboy on the Run Read Free Page B

full circle. And he couldn’t stand it.
    The itch under his skin returned with a fury, and he clenched his fists. He had to get out of there, away from the memories, from the stench of his father’s presence...even in death.
    ****
    Jessie, making her usual early morning rounds, hesitated as she neared the shadowed mound interrupting the straight planes of the landscape. Her heart skipped a beat. Another one of her cattle.
    She spurred forward, pushing her horse closer to the kill. The animal resisted, snorting and pawing at the ground in response, smelling death in the air. The needless destruction of a life was undeniable. The steer was dead. Had been for some time, killed during the night.
    Killed? Crucified is a better description . Jumping off Lilly’s back, she recognized the wild look of fear in her horse’s eyes and calmed her mount before releasing the reins. She was scared, too. This was the third steer found like this, belly split wide open, guts seeping into the hard ground.
    She circled the animal’s remains. A slow, cruel way to die, bleeding out. Like the other two kills, the steer was not cut into ribbons as if victim of an animal attack. If the Long Horn had been prey, his flesh would have been torn from his body, at least some of his meat missing.
    The steer, however, was in one piece, other than the large, ugly laceration down its middle. Only a man could have done this.
    Jessie stepped closer as the disheartening realization overcame her, chilling her to the bone. But why?
    She whirled around, surveying her land, then back to the unmoving carcass. The steer would have sold high at the fair. An unsettling ball of guilt burned her stomach, and she berated herself, ashamed her thoughts had drifted toward monetary gain. Or if this continued, possible financial ruin.
    It wasn’t just about the money. A life had been taken. Sighing, she said a quiet prayer. Living on the farm had made her somewhat callous to seeing an animal slain. Although, slaughtering animals for food on the table was different. This was just so...unnecessary. A blatant disrespect for a living creature.
    The hair stood on her neck as she sensed she was no longer alone. The feeling pulled at her as she squinted against the light of the early morning sun, scanning the field. Nothing . She shook her head, only endless pasture, and a dead steer. Jessie glanced back down at the corpse, giving herself a break. Was it any wonder she was a little freaked out?
    Unable to shake the sensation of being watched, Jessie made her way to Lilly. A little vulnerable, she stroked the cold steel of her rifle, her gaze exploring the open field.
    She refused to be scared off her own land. The thought echoed in her head as she mounted her horse, intent on searching every inch of the Calhoun land before returning home to tell her foreman, William, about the newest casualty.
    Ten minutes into their quest, Lilly became agitated again, ears pricked and the steady swishing of her long tail alerting Jessie something wasn’t right. The eerie, cold chill returned, sweeping through her as she tried to soothe the animal. The horse snorted in response, warning her of an intruder in the distance.
    Jessie pulled on the reins to stop their slow canter and saw the dark outline of a man along her property line. She unfastened her rifle, placing the weapon in silent warning across her lap. Her finger lingered on the biting steel of the trigger as her mind raced, and she went over her options. She still had time to return home for help, but by then, another steer could be slaughtered.
    She couldn’t afford to lose even one more, not now, not when she was so close. The future of the Calhoun ranch depended on her success at the fair this year, and every one of her cows counted.
    The murderer will have to kill me first , she thought as pride got the best of her. She’d be damned if she lost another of her precious stock.
    Urging Lilly into a full gallop, Jessie slowed down when