Damaged Hearts (32 page)

“Yeah, you’re right.  The bandage is stuck to the wound.”  Angel said sadly, turning to leave the room.  “Let me go grab a basin of water and we can try to soak it off, little by little.”

Kat poked and prodded on the bandage but like her sister said, it was stuck.  A few minutes later, Angel returned with warm water and a sponge.  Setting it down, she soaked the sponge then gently applied it to the soiled dressing. 

Slowly, she worked at one corner then another, steadily moving inward until the entire bandage was loose.  “Well, it doesn’t look great Kat but I don’t think it’s infected.  The wound is having a hard time scabbing over though since it’s always covered and no air is getting to it.”

“Let’s leave it uncovered tonight then and I’ll see what I can do with it after I get moved it over at Rick’s.”

“That should help it along.”  Angel agreed, drying the back of Kat’s leg after closely inspecting the blistered skin.  “I think once it has time to breathe, it will heal up nicely.”  She set the pan and sponge outside the door and pulled the call rope to signal one of the maids.

“I could just lay here for days.”  Kat announced drowsily, face down in the cool linens.  “This bed is so soft.”

“You’d be bored after a day.  I know you better than that.  Inactivity makes you stir crazy.  You can’t even stand being cooped up in the house during a snowstorm.”

“I have to make sure the cattle are ok.  I just can’t wait out the storm.”  Kat protested.  “But you’re probably right.  One night will be enough.”  She yawned and scooted over, making room for Angel.

“Good night Sister.  Let’s hope our men make it back soon.”  She said sliding under the covers.

“’Night Angel.”

~XXXIV~

Kat stretched and yawned.  She couldn’t believe she had slept the entire night through.  “You awake?”  She nudged Angel who appeared to have had the same luck.

“Yeah” she sister replied with an answering yawn of her own.  “If our beds were this soft, we’d have never gotten any work done.”

“We’d better get up and get dressed if we want to get back to the ranch and start moving today.  It’s going to be a long one.”

The girls got up and because they would be doing quite a bit of riding, Kat bound her ribs again. 

“If we were staying out of the dirt, I’d say to leave your leg but with so much going on, I’d better dress it for you just to keep out infection.”  Angel offered, pulling the rope after she was dressed. 

In no time at all, the girls descended the stairs and went into the kitchen looking for coffee and breakfast.  Both took a slice of cake and Kat poured some cream into her coffee while Angel dumped in sugar before taking the pitcher from her sister.

“I thought that if it were ok with you, I’d get Brutus and the herd headed toward your ranch.”  Lilly said as she entered the kitchen.  “It won’t take you long to catch up and then you can show me where you want them.”

“Sounds like a good idea.”  Kat agreed.  “I’m about ready so; see ya at the edge of town?”

“I’ll be there.”  Lilly turned and left with Patrick at her side.

“I’ll be out later with the stuff you girls have here.  Jacob picked up everything from the hotel so you should be all set.”  Josephine told them.  “Morgan, Ali, and Emily will come with me and Frances and Anna will be out this evening.”

“I guess we better hit the road then.”  Kat grinned.  “See ya all out there.”

She and Angel set their dishes in the sink and each gave Josephine a hug before heading for the door.  “Thanks for everything Auntie.”  Angel called over her shoulder.  “See you soon.”

GoldDust and Star both stood saddled and waiting.  Kat, checked the cinch strap and did a quick once over of the horse’s hooves before swinging up into the saddle.  Each day the motion got easier and easier as her burn healed.

“Well, let’s go.” She said taking up the reins.  They backed their horses from the post and turned to head out of town.  “The weather is nice enough.”  Kat smiled.

They rode quite some time in silence before Angel spoke.  “I hope it doesn’t turn hot before we get everything moved.  What have you decided to do about the cattle?”

“I was hoping to get a chance to talk to you about that.”  Kat looked at her sister, impressed with how much she had grown up.  “Rick bought the Angus and Matt has been talking about cross breeding; and while I can’t deny that I’d love to get the opportunity to work and merge bloodlines with Lilly’s herd, I think I am going to focus on the horses and leave our cattle ranching to Rick.”

“But what about the cows we just brought home?”

“Once the calves have been weaned, I figure they will be a good group to use to start your cross-breeding.  Lilly has offered the use of Brutus in exchange for temporary grazing rights.”

Confused, Angel questioned, “But...What about...” 

“Hang on, I haven’t signed any contracts.  I told her we would talk about it but the ultimate decision will be left up to you and Matt.  It’s not my home anymore and it’s time to hand over the reins.”

“But Kat, how will I know?” 

“Just trust me; the two of you will be great at ranching.  I will miss this place and everything I worked for but it’s not like I’m throwing it away.”  Kat pulled up and sat for a moment to admire the view that stretched out in front of them.  “All of this is yours now.  I had Jacob draw up the paperwork.  My only request is that we share water rights in the dry seasons.”

Angel buried her face in her hands.  “This all seem...seems so sudden; so final.  Almost like you are leaving forever,” She sobbed. 

“Don’t look at it like that.  I am leaving forever, but I’m only moving to the next place over.  We will still see each other and I’ll be there whenever you need me.”  Kat said reassuringly.  “Things were bound to change; it just wasn’t like either of us thought.”

“I know.  It’s...It’s ju...just that I didn’t think it would happen so...so fast.”  Angel wiped her eyes on her shirttail. “I’m sorry.  It must be the baby.”

Kat smiled to herself.  “The men better get back before we make all the decisions without them.”

As they approached the house, Wolfe ran to meet them, only limping slightly from his injuries with George.  Sliding out of their saddles, Kat and Angel hugged and loved on the dog, ruffling his fur while telling him how much they missed him.  They rode the rest of the way in companionable silence, each lost on their own thoughts.  Angel was worried about being left to make the ranching decisions on her own while Kat was thinking about a Palomino-Paint cross.

“There’s Lilly with her herd.  What do you think about putting them in the paddock where I repaired the fence?  That would be my suggestion.”

“I have no argument there, might be easier to have her herd in a field adjacent to mine if we agree on the crossbreeding.”

“I’ll grab the gate then if you want to let her know.”  Kat wheeled GoldDust around and took off for the pasture gate, eager to do some actual work while Wolfe followed close at her heels.

~XXXV~

Kat unsaddled her horse, gave him a good rub down, and turned him loose in his corral.  After forking him out some hay and giving him a double scoop of oats, she hauled the tack to the barn.

She peeked into the vacant stall and was surprised to see Belle’s pups nosing an empty pan, their bellies round and full of food.  Belle raised her head from her spot in the corner, her tail wagged tentatively. 

“What’s up girl?  How you feeling?”  Kat knelt down and ran her hands through the dog’s fur, checking her injuries.

“Simmons and Cook have been taking care of the two dogs as well as putting mush out for the pups a couple times a day.”  James stuck his head in the stall.  “I think they will be a fine fit to help your sister and Matt.”

“I hope so James.”  Kat stood up and hugged the hand.  “I’ll have you and Consuela to help me and I was just a bit worried about leaving Angel here with no one to help her through this pregnancy.”

“You won’t be too far away.  I’d wager you will be right here beside her when the baby comes.”  He smiled to himself, and couldn’t believe how much these young people had come to mean to him.  He hoped the other men found Marie and that she came to her senses about Frank; he was a good kid and would love her no matter her shortcomings.

“I guess I don’t need to worry about feeding the dogs.”  Kat grinned.  “I should probably pick out a pup though; this is Wolfe and Belle’s home and although I’ll miss them, I think they will be happier here.”

She looked down at the roly-poly little balls of fur then sat down and waited.  Finally, a pitch-black pup put his nose in the air and cautiously approached her sniffing deeply, eliciting a chuckle from her as it scratched at her leg.  It growled a puppy growl as she picked it up and looked inside it mouth.  “Well Little Girl, you might just be the one.  Brave, feisty and your mouth says you’ll be a good dog.”

She set the pup back down and rather than returning to its littermates, it backed up barking at her before rushing forward again to sink her sharp little puppy teeth into her pant leg.  Growling savagely, she shook her head back and forth.  “You’ll do Little Girl.”  Kat laughed as she picked the pup back up again.  “I think I’ll call you Voodoo.  You’ll fit in great at my new home.”

She returned the pup to Belle and smiled as James gave her a hand up.  “Let’s go get some grub,” he told her.

She patted Wolfe on the head as she passed him.  “I’m going to miss a lot of things about this place James.  Can you imagine what it’s like to build something up only to leave it behind?”

“I can at that, Kat.  I haven’t told you about my previous life but I was married.  Beautiful woman she was; had a little boy too.  Had everything taken away from me all in one swipe.  George killed them like he wanted to do to you.  I spent a long time working my way to George.  Planned on killing him, dragging it out, and making him suffer for all he did.  Instead, you offered me a job and a new start.  I’m glad I took the offer too.  Never would have met Consuela if I hadn’t.  Never would have come to love you like a daughter either.  Yup, I figure you gave me a new chance at everything.  For that, I’m eternally grateful.”

“Oh James, I’m so sorry about your family.  I wish I had known.”

“Why?  It wouldn’t have changed anything.”

“I suppose you’re right.  I am glad I’ve gotten this chance to know you though and I’m sure Consuela is too.”  She grinned impishly.  “Last one to the house has to wash dishes.”  She nudged him as she broke into an ungraceful trot.

By the time they reached the house, they were out of breath from laughter.  “Sure smells good.”  James announced. 

Consuela turned and swatted him with a towel.  “It’s about time you two showed up.”  She scolded.  “We were about to eat without you.”

Angel hopped up and grabbed another chair.  “Here, sit here Kat.  James, there’s an open spot right next to Consuela”

Kat sat where she was instructed; her mouth watered at the sight of the tamales and taco fixings.  “Sure glad you waited.  Looks great.”

Consuela quickly said Grace and the only sound was everyone scraping bowls as they loaded their plates.  “Sure is tasty Ma’am” Lilly offered.  “A mite better than camp chow for sure.”

Kat savored the spicy pork of a tamale before sampling the beans and fragrant rice.  Before long, the plates were empty and people moved to the living area to make plans.

“I am just grateful to all of you for your offer to help us out.”  Kat started.  “There isn’t much that will need to be moved.  I don’t have a lot of furniture or belongings, not even enough to warrant a wagon really.”

“How much stock do you plan on moving?”  Willie and Jacob looked at her expectantly. 

“Only some horses.  I’m leaving the cattle here for Matt and Angel.  Once Rick and Matt get back home, there might be more cattle to move too but I’m just taking my brood mares for now.”

“How many are you looking at?”  James asked.

Kat looked at Angel asking an unspoken question.  After a barely discernible nod, Kat answered, “I’ll be taking eight mares and 3 fillies.  I’ll leave the geldings here for Angel to keep or sell depending on what she and Matt decide.  Coal is still at Rick’s and for now we will leave him there until we see how the Brangus breeding goes.”

“Why don’t you girls gather up the things you want to send to the other house and I will take it with me to get everything ready for you.”  Consuela volunteered. “The girls should be home this evening.”

Willie nodded.  “And I’ll head over to the other place myself and make sure things are ready for the horses.  Adam is with the men but surely I can figure out some temporary space.”

“I’ll need barn space for three mares and a large area up close, to hold the mares with foals.”  Kat requested.

“I’ll make sure everything is ready.”  Willie assured her.

“We will head out shortly.  There isn’t much in here that I’m taking so I won’t be long packing.”

“I’ll go saddle the horses.”  James said quietly as he ducked out.

Kat went down the short hallway to her bedroom then turned in a small circle; lost in a moment of sadness.  She and Angel had built this place with their bare hands.  They scavenged and bought wood a little at a time making their home larger as they went.  The original shack would have fit inside one room.

“Would you like any help?”  Angel asked quietly from the doorway.

Kat folded a worn quilt and took the two shirts and pants she owned from the peg on the wall.  After folding them and setting them on the quilt, she looked up; tears in her eyes.  “I never cry.  This is got to be caused by this baby.”  She indicated her still flat tummy.

“What?”  Angel screamed.  “Where?  When?  Why am I just hearing about it?”

“I didn’t even know.  I’m still not sure myself.”  Kat told her.  “James told me he suspected it when I was sick right before the wedding.”

“So that’s where you went.  I wondered.”

“I promise to be here though when your baby comes.  I won’t be far away and we can visit each other whenever we want.  Plus, I’ll be over in a few weeks to pick up the little black pup of Belle’s.  Voodoo should be old enough to wean by then.  I’m leaving Belle and Wolfe here, they’ll be happier I think.”

“I may be over there a lot; I have lots of questions about these cattle.”  Angel warned.

“And you’ll always be welcome.”  Kat hugged her sister tight then turned and picked up her small stack and headed for the kitchen.  “We better head out.”

“If I find anything that I think you might want, I’ll bring it out.”  Angel promised as she followed behind.

“Well, I think this is about all of it.”  Kat announced as she set her armload on the countertop.  “We’d best get moving.”

She stepped out onto the porch and looked out across the fields before striding purposely towards the barn.  “Angel, I’m leaving your mare too.  She’s yours and even if I needed the stock, I wouldn’t take her from you.  I’ll be back in about a month to pick up the two in here that are ready to foal.  Moving them wouldn’t be good right now.”

She grabbed some lead ropes and went out into the corral.  “As long as the mare comes with us, the foal will follow along.  After I catch them, lead them out and tie them to the fence until we are ready to leave.  Each one of you can take one horse, and I’ll take the three two year olds.”

Kat made quick work of catching the horses and before long; everyone was mounted with at least one horse in tow.  Just as she said, the foals followed right along behind their dams, docile as could be.

The short ride to Dark Magic Ranch was uneventful and they pulled up their horses near the barn, dismounted and waited for further direction. 

Aunt Josephine’s carriage was next to the barn so the girls had made it along with Frances and Emily.  Willie emerged from the barn.  “The three stalls you asked for are ready and I emptied this corral for the rest, at least for now.  You all can rearrange later.”  He offered.

“Thank you Willie.  I appreciate all your help.  James; you, Jacob, and Angel can take your mares into the barn, they are closest to delivering.  The rest of you, let’s turn them out in here.”  Kat pushed the gate open before unclipping the leads from her three two-year-old fillies.  They kicked up their heels as they wheeled away and ran the confines of the corral.

Kat checked water levels and to make sure fresh hay was available before she headed inside the barn to check on her mares.  “Looks like they made the trip just fine.”  She announced as she ran her hand over the last horse.  “Thank you all for your help.  Let’s rub down our horses and see if foods ready.”

Kat loosened the cinch and swung the saddle off Dusty before James came up and took it from her.  “Let me get this.  Enjoy the help while you can.”  He grinned when she started to argue.

Kat opened a small single paddock and released the stallion; the rest of the horses stood, tied to hitching posts with troughs full of water located beneath them.  Most everyone would be leaving after dinner, heading back to their respective homes. 

Angel might stay the night and head home in the morning but Kat wasn’t sure.  Simmons and Cook were settled in at the ranch and Anna and Jacob offered to stay with Angel until Matt came back.  James was going to move into the bunkhouse with Adam, and once Frank made it back, he would be staying out at Gold Dust Ranch.

Inside the house, Kat stopped to wash up in the washroom while she inhaled the delicious scents of enchiladas and sopapillas.  At this rate, she’d have to be careful that her belly didn’t outgrow the baby.

“Smells great!”  She announced.  “Now I know why Rick is always raving about eating at home.”

“It’s a good thing Cook and Simmons moved to my place.  Otherwise, Matt might starve from my cooking.”  Angel laughed as she joined the room.

“Mama Kat!”  Ali entered the kitchen at a gallop, throwing herself into Kat’s arms.  “I’m glad you came to live with us.”

Kat kissed her on top of her head before setting her on the floor.  “I’m glad too.  Maybe tomorrow we’ll have time to check out the horses and see what we can find for you girls to ride.”

“That will be fun.”  Morgan agreed from the doorway.  “Papa was always too busy to take us riding.  He said he wanted us to learn but something always happened before we could get started.  How did you teach Angel when you were so busy?”

“I learned from necessity.”  Angel said.  “Kat showed me the basics and put me up on an experienced horse and I went to work.  I fell off once or twice but Kat used to say I was a natural.  Maybe you girls are too.”

“Maybe after dinner we could go see what we have to pick from.  As long as we stay close, it should be ok.”  Kat said thoughtfully.

“How long have you been here?”  Josephine asked as she entered the kitchen.  “The girls just got done putting their things away and I put your things in Rick’s bedroom on the bed.”