didn’t have to follow his gaze. “It’s worn-out, like everything else on the place. I’m going to have to order a new part.”
“Why didn’t you have Butch check it for you? Isn’t that why you have a hired man, to do some of the more physical work around here?”
Megan wanted to scream at him, but she didn’t. She held on to her temper, which wasn’t easy, but she had learned long ago that losing her temper gave the other person the edge. She needed all the advantages possible around Travis. He had an unerring ability to get under her skin.
In a carefully even tone, she said, “It’s not your business, but I’ll tell you anyway. I was up there because the ranch is my responsibility. If there are any risks to be taken, I’ll take them. Besides, Butch is too old to be climbing around up there.”
Travis returned his gaze to her. “Better not let Butch hear you say that. He doesn’t think there’s anything he can’t do.”
Megan knew that he was right. Butch was one tough bird. “Maybe so, but I happen to know that his rheumatism has been acting up. He has no business taking chances.”
“Neither do you.”
So, they were back to that. She turned Daisy’s head and started back down the track toward the barn. “Somebody has to do it.”
“Damn it, Megan, will you wait up for a moment? I’m serious. I want to talk—”
She pulled on the reins. “You? Serious? Don’t make me laugh. You’ve never been serious about anything a day in your life.”
She gave her horse a nudge in her ribs and leaned forward, a signal that she was ready to move. Daisy, like the sweetly trained animal she was, responded beautifully, leaving Travis behind in a cloud of dust.
It was all Megan could do not to laugh out loud, especially after she heard his muttered remarks between the sounds of his coughing.
However, the urge to laugh was quickly gone. There was no reason to be taking her bad mood out on Travis, despite her dislike of him. It wasn’t his fault that she felt like such a failure.
She couldn’t shake the sense of impending doom that was with her from the time she opened her eyes each morning until she fell asleep exhausted each night.
Whether she liked it or not, she and her sisters were going to lose the ranch. It was only a matter of a few weeks now before the mortgage was due. Despite all her efforts, she would have to tell the bank manager that she couldn’t make this year’s payment. The O’Briens of Agua Verde County, Texas, were going to lose the Circle B after the ranch had been in the family for four generations.
Megan had been in charge of the place for the past eight years. She’d done everything she could to pull them through this bad patch, but it was more than a patch. For the past three years everything had been going from bad to worse.
She’d done everything she could, but it wasn’t enough. It was never enough.
Butch was waiting for her when she arrived at the barn. “Did your company find ya?” he asked when she got off the horse. “I wasn’t sure what to tell him other than you’d taken off to the hills somewhere. Where ya been?”
“Yeah, he found me. I was checking the southeast pasture and discovered there was no water in the holding tank. The windmill’s frozen up. There’s no way to fix it without ordering a new part for it.”
“You want me to crawl up there and check it out, just in case something can be done?”
She shook her head. “I already did. The whole thing is worn-out. I need to replace the entire rig, but I can’t. A new part will get us through the worst of the heat. Maybe by fall I can—” She stopped because there was no use talking about the fall. By then, the ranch would no longer be theirs…unless she could somehow produce a miracle.
A sense of futility swept over her.
They both turned at the sound of an engine and watched as a late-model pickup with Travis behind the wheel appeared. He made a sweeping turn and stopped in front of the house.
“Somebody mentioned to me yesterday that Travis was back in town for a few days,” Butch said, rolling a handmade cigarette. “It kinda surprised me when he showed up, asking for you. I didn’t think the two of you were exactly on good speaking terms.”
She turned away from the house and led Daisy into the barn. Butch followed her, placing the newly formed cigarette behind his ear. “We’re not,” she said, leading Daisy into her stall, “but you know how Travis is. He just naturally thinks he’s God’s gift to us all and that we should feel honored that he decides to visit.”
Butch uncinched the saddle and lifted it off the horse while Megan wiped her down. “So what did he want?”
She shrugged without looking around. “He said he wanted to talk to me about something. I can’t imagine what.”
“Maybe he got wind of the trouble you’ve been having. You reckon he might want to buy this place from you?”
She poured some grain into the feed trough of the stall. “He’s not that stupid. Why would he want a place like this? He’s never home. Besides, the Kanes already own a large portion of the county. Why would Travis take on another spread?”
“’Cause his pappy’s young enough and healthy enough to be running their place for a long time, yet. Travis never was one to want to answer to anybody, not even his dad.” Butch grinned at the thought. “Most especially his dad, if you want to know the truth.” He stepped out of the stall and held the door open for her.
She motioned to the nearly empty feed storage bin as they retraced their steps to the barn door. “Did you remember to pick up the grain at the feed store today?” she asked, ignoring the fact that Travis now was leaning against the front fender of his pickup truck, watching, and making no effort to join them.
Butch took his time lighting his cigarette, then he removed his hat and carefully smoothed down his sparse and receding hair before replacing his battered hat. “Yeah, I got the feed. It’s still in the back end of my truck. Ol’ man Brogan said that unless you pay something on the account, he can’t give you any more credit after this.” He recited the message without inflection, studying the horizon.
“So what else is new?”
“It isn’t just you, you’ve got to know that. Everybody in the county’s been hit hard by this drought. It’s been rough. They’re all having to supplement the feed to keep the stock fed.”
“I know.”
“Ranching’s never been a way to get rich, missy. It’s a hard life.”
“You aren’t telling me anything I don’t already know, Butch.” Megan rubbed the back of her neck. “However, the ranch is my life. It’s the only one I know. It’s Mollie’s and Maribeth’s home.”
He awkwardly patted her shoulder. “You’ve done a fine job, missy. A fine job. You took on way too much responsibility trying to look after the girls and run this place all by yourself, but you showed everybody you could do it. Don’t feel bad if you have to give up now.”
She
