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The first roll of thunder came snarling across the prairie. Storms rarely gave much warning and she was grateful for what little this one had offered. Kate Morrison lifted her head from the corral fence and squinted toward the far ridge, where storm clouds were piling high and black as coal. The air had gone moist, pressing down on the land until every sound was muffled, as if it were wrapped in cloth and stuffed in a box.
“Jake!” she called.
He was out in the pasture, tightening the cinch on a chestnut gelding. He glanced skyward and gave a sharp whistle. A handful of cowhands looked up and moved into motion without a word.
The storm rolled closer, quick and mean. Lightning split the horizon, and the wind rose with that wild scent of rain and mud that made Kate’s heart race. She swung into her saddle, reins tight n her hands, and shouted, “Get the herd off the low ground!”
They rode hard, moving the cattle toward the shelter off the lower pasture and toward higher ground. The thunder followed, a deep, unbroken growl. Wind tore her hat loose and plastered her braid against her neck. Beside her, Jake drove the stragglers forward, his voice carrying above the wind, calm and commanding.
The rain broke all at once, drumming the earth into mud. The herd balked at a flash of lightning, and one steer bolted. Kate spurred after it, closing the distance in the slanting downpour. The ground was slick, but she leaned low and swung her rope. It caught clean around the animal’s horns. Her mare braced, muscles bunching, holding fast.
The steer stopped fighting, sides heaving. Kate exhaled hard, rainwater running into her mouth. When she turned, Jake was grinning at her through the storm, soaked to the bone.
“Still got it,” he hollered.
“Somebody around here has to!” she shot back, winking.
By the time the worst of the storm passed, the herd was safe and the men were wringing out their coats under the shed roof. The land steamed in the returning sunlight, and the smell of wet grass filled the air. Kate stood in the doorway of the barn, watching her children, Sammy, three, and little Rose, barely two, dash barefoot through puddles, chasing the rainbow that broke across the eastern sky.
“Best rain we’ve had all year,” Jake said, stepping up beside her, his arm slipping around her waist.
Kate smiled. “Circle M needed it.”
Five years had turned the ranch into one of the most prosperous in the county. New fences stretched for miles, and the big red barn gleamed with fresh paint. But for Kate, it wasn’t the money or the size that mattered, it was the stability. Home was here. She never had to worry about going without it again.
She heard hooves on the trail before she saw the rider. A single horse, gaited, coming up from the south road. When the rider lifted a hand in greeting, the sunlight caught on the brim of his hat, and she felt her smile widen.
“Sam,” she murmured.
Jake grinned. “Right on time.”
Sam dismounted with a grin. His hair was starting to gray now, the worry for the first year catching up to all of them. He clasped Jake’s hand, then turned to Kate and pulled her into a hug that smelled of horses and tobacco.
“Brought you something,” he said, holding up a small tin-wrapped bundle.
Kate laughed. “If that’s your wife’s lemon bread again, I might just keep it for myself.”
“Figured you’d say that,” he replied, smiling. “So she sent double, one for you and one for Jake and the kids.”
They ate together under the porch, swapping stories while the children perched nearby, hanging on every word. Sam told of the new school his wife had opened in town, and of the young riders he’d been training for the next cattle drive. He listened as Kate talked about the spring foals and the expansion out west. The time between them felt lighter than the air after rain.
When the conversation turned quiet, Sam gazed out across the pasture. “Billy’s doing well with his place?”
“Better than well,” Jake said. “He’s got more horses and cattle than he knows what to do with.”
Kate nodded. “He’s coming into town tomorrow. Wants you to see his new stock.”
Sam’s gaze softened. “Then I’d better go see how far he’s come.”
The next morning dawned clear. Kate rode out with Sam to Billy’s spread, the world fresh and glittering from the storm. They found Billy near the corrals, wrestling a half-broke stallion that wasn’t taking kindly to the saddle.
“Easy now!” Billy barked, muscles straining as the horse bucked. The animal lunged, but Billy held steady, voice low, patient, calm. The stallion finally stilled, sides shivering, and Billy rubbed its neck with quiet confidence.
When he spotted them, his grin flashed wide and genuine. “You’re just in time to meet this new feller”
Sam laughed, dismounting. “You call that breaking a horse? I’ve seen gentler bar fights.”
Billy came forward, shaking hands, the lines around his eyes deeper but his spirit unchanged. His ranch stretched half as wide as the Circle M, a great place for a younger man. The boy who’d once looked to them for direction had become a man others followed.
“I couldn’t have done it without you both,” Billy said.
Kate smiled. “You’d have found your way. We just lit the trail.”
They rode home late that afternoon, pausing at the edge of the valley. Off in the distance, two riders were shouting near a fence line, anger sharp and loud enough to carry on the wind.
“Another land dispute,” Sam said quietly.
“James’ll handle it,” Kate replied, though she nudged her horse that way, curious.
They found James already there, standing between the two ranchers. His arms were crossed as he shook his head.
“No man wins by pushing another into the dirt,” he was saying. “You both remember the war. You know what pride costs.”
The men shifted, muttered, and finally backed their horses off, grudging but chastened. James tipped his hat to them, then turned toward Kate and Sam with a faint smile.
“Seems folks listen to me now,” he said.
Kate returned the smile. “You’ve earned it.”
He chuckled softly. “Funny thing. Took me half my life to figure out peace ain’t worth fightin’ for. You gotta bring it up like a garden.”
They spoke for a few minutes, Kate’s shoulders relaxing as they often did around her father. There were times when she was simply glad he’d decided to stay and others when she was just happy to see him. When they rode away, the sun was setting low and red behind the hills.
That evening, after supper and the laughter of children had faded to the soft hush of night, Kate walked down the path beyond the barn. Fireflies winked in the tall grass. She carried a lantern and a small bundle of wildflowers, the same way she did every year.
The small cemetery sat on a gentle rise overlooking the pasture. The wooden crosses had weathered silver with time, but the names carved there were still legible. Their crew. The ones who’d given everything for a ranch they’d never gotten to enjoy.
Sam was already there, hat in hand. He’d left a small horseshoe on one of the graves.
Kate knelt and set her flowers down, her fingers brushing the damp earth. For a moment neither of them spoke. The night was full of sound. They didn’t need to interrupt it.
Then Sam took a breath.
“They’d be proud,” Sam said softly.
Kate looked up at the starry sky. “They should be. We only got here because of them.”
He nodded, eyes glinting in the lantern light. “Second chances like this don’t come easy.”
Kate smiled faintly. “That’s why we take care of what we’re given.”
They stood there a long while, the wind tugging at their coats, the night vast and peaceful around them. When at last they turned back toward the ranch, the lights of the Circle M glowed warm in the distance. Kate gave her brother a nod when their paths split, him going back to his wife and children. And Kate?
Kate went home.
OFFER: A BRAND NEW SERIES AND 2 FREEBIES FOR YOU!
Grab my new series, "Grit and Glory on the Frontier", and get 2 FREE novels as a gift! Have a look here!
Hello there, I really hope you liked my new western adventure story and the extended epilogue! I would be very happy to read your thoughts below.