When Love's Gone Country

Chapter Fifteen



Jacob watched as six ranch hands discussed the symptoms the cows were experiencing. An older man with a black duffel bag was with them. He had a stethoscope and was putting something in the animals’ butt.

“Hey, Jacob,” Red said, joining him at the fence.

“What’s goin’ on?”

“Doc Williams is checkin’ their temperatures.”

“Does he have any idea what’s wrong with ‘em?”

“Not yet. Near as he can tell, it was something they ate, since all the cows were affected.”

“Could it be something in the water?”

“I don’t think so. We use the same water source for all the animals and none of the other ones are sick.”

“You said last night that you thought you saw someone down here at the paddock. Maybe whoever it was did something to ‘em.”

“I thought you were the person I saw down here last night.”

Jacob knew it was the moment of truth. If he told Red what happened, Purity and the baby might get hurt, but if he didn’t tell, and there was something in the water that could harm someone, the baby might catch it.

He felt trapped. Which decision would be the right one?

“Did you see someone down here last night?” Red asked.

Jacob made a fist with his right hand, trying to will himself to make a choice.

“Well?”

His lips felt dry, like they were made of dust.

“Did you?”

He glanced at his family and friends back at the gazebo.

“Yeah. I saw two guys. They put something in the water. I don’t know what.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this last night?”

“I didn’t think it was important.”

“You knew damn well it was important.” Red scowled, then headed toward the doctor. When he glanced back over at Jacob and pointed toward him, he felt about two inches tall.

The group walked over to Jacob.

“Tell me everything you saw and heard,” the doctor said.

“There wasn’t much. Just two tall guys. They were older than me.”

“How old?”

“I don’t know. They had families.”

“How’d you know that?”

“They said something about it later.”

“Did you have an entire conversation with these guys?”

“Sort of. Later. I mean, I saw them and heard them and then Red and Bart came down the path. The guys took off just before that. They said they heard someone comin’. Bart started countin’ cows and Red took off to look around. I headed down to the orchard. They caught up with me there and warned me not to say anything or they’d hurt my friends and family.

I ain’t proud of keepin’ quiet, but I felt I had to. You ain’t gonna tell my family, are you?”

“No,” Red said. “But you are.”

Red headed for the gazebo with Jacob following behind him at a slower pace. He wasn’t quite sure why he followed him. He could just as easily have headed the other direction and ran back to the barracks.

He respected Red. He had a quiet way about him that demanded it.

Red reached the gazebo first, then waited for Jacob without saying a word.

“What’s going on?” Bobby asked.

Red looked at Jacob.

Jacob met Bobby’s gaze directly. “I saw two guys puttin’ something in the water trough at the cow paddock last night and didn’t tell no one.”

“Jacob,” Meg said, disappointment encircling his name as she said it.

“Tell ‘em the rest,” Red said.

“That’s all there is.”

“Tell ‘em why you didn’t say nothin’.”

Jacob looked at the ground, their boot and shoe prints had left tracks in the dirt. “They warned me not to. Said they’d hurt you if I told anyone.”

“Oh, Jacob.” Meg flew from her spot in the gazebo and hugged him tightly. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that. You did the right thing by telling about what happened.”

Bobby stood next to Meg. “You know how people say that you’re only as strong as your weakest link?”

Jacob nodded. He really didn’t want to hear about how he was the weakest link, but he took a deep breath and braced himself for his Dad’s words.

“You’re the strongest link in this chain.”

“What?” Jacob said.

“Yeah, what?” Courtney said.

“The fact that you couldn’t come to one of us, any of us, and tell us what was going on, that’s our weakness, not yours. If you felt like we would listen to you and take you seriously, you would have taken one of us aside and told us last night. I’m sorry we let you down. It won’t happen again.”

“He’s right,” Meg said. “We should be able to talk about anything – good, bad or ugly. I’m sorry you didn’t believe we would have your back.”

“I get what you’re saying, but it’s a two-way street,” Courtney said. “I’ve tried a bunch of times to talk with you and you just shut me down. You’re one of my favorite people in the world, Jacob, but sometimes you look at me like I’m your worst enemy. I’m not. And I don’t want to be. I love you.” She felt the tears prick her eyes. “Damn it! You know how I hate to cry!” Court got up from the gazebo steps and wrapped her arms around Jacob. “I’ll always be here for you. Always.”

“That goes double for us,” Purity said.

Alex nodded.

“We’re in this together,” Brad said. “All for one…”

“And one for all,” they all said together.

It was Jeremy who noticed Jacob hadn’t joined in with the others.

Later that afternoon Jacob and Jeremy were paired together to ride the fences looking for repairs that needed to be made. It wasn’t a horse they were riding, though. It was a golf cart that whisked them down the dirt path parallel to the fence.

“Who’d have thought they’d use a golf cart on a ranch?” Jeremy said. “This is awesome!”

“Faster, too,” Jacob said.

The pace was a bit slow, but necessary, as they were looking for signs of wear and tear as well as places where the wood was rotting away or a post had become unsteady.

“You still plannin’ on leavin’?” Jeremy asked.

“I don’t know.”

“You didn’t say it.”

“What?”

“And one for all. You mouthed the words. I don’t think nobody else saw, but I did.”

“I don’t expect you to understand.”

“I get more than you think I do. I grew up in that house, too, you know.”

“It was different for you. You had me to protect you. I didn’t have nobody.”

“If I’d a been older, I would have protected you.”

“I know. I ain’t blamin’ you. I’m glad things weren’t as bad for you.”

“Don’t make it no easier on you, though, does it?”

“I wish it did.”

“I know you got a gun.”

Jacob glared at Jeremy, then nodded his head toward the two ranch hands in the front seat.

“I ain’t gonna tell nobody. I just want you to know that I know. Does it make you feel better, stronger?”

“In a way. No one is ever gonna hurt me again.”

Jeremy nodded his head and chewed on the inside of his cheek.

“You boys look over to the right,” TJ said.

“It’s a bird,” Jeremy said.

“It’s an eagle,” Jacob said. “Look at that wing span!”

“He’s a beauty all right,” Bart said. “There’s a couple of nests here at the ranch. I never get tired of seein’ ‘em fly across the sky.”

“Is that water I hear?” Jeremy asked.

“Yep. Got ourselves a waterfall ‘bout half a mile up ahead.”

“Must be a big one to hear the water from here.”

“It is. Downstream is good for fishin’, too.”

“Do you think we could go fishin’?” Jeremy asked.

“Don’t see why not. Swimmin’, too.”

“You don’t have a swing, do you?”

“Now how could we be country and not have a swimmin’ hole with a swing?”

Jeremy nudged Jacob. “Did ya hear that? We get to go swimmin’ and swingin’ and fishin’. This is the best vacation ever!”