Page 56 of Isla by Any Other Name

“He’s not in the picture,” Allison said, frowning. “When I told him I was pregnant, he up and transferred colleges without me knowing. But my family is all the family we need. Well anyway, here you go,” she said as she handed him the reins. “Do you know where you’re going?”

“I thought I’d ride out to that outcrop straight ahead. Your dad said there’s a small lake out there. I’d like to check it out.”

“Well, since you were a SEAL, I’m sure you can get there without getting lost. Have a nice ride.”

“Thanks, Allison. It was nice talking to you.” He tipped his hat in the cowboy way and cantered off.

Mitch headed in the direction of the outcrop. Allison said it would take about an hour to get there on horseback. The sun was warm, but the air was cold. Riding on the open range was soothing. The air was crisp. Soon, it could snow.

He rode until he came upon the small lake Cal had told him about. It was nestled in a band of trees, like an oasis in the desert. Isla would have loved it here. He lay on a flat rock next to the water, which reminded him of the waterfall on Curt’s property. The memory of their time there would have to sustain him.

He could almost feel her lying next to him in the dappled sun. Her warm, sweet breath on his neck as she tucked her head under his chin. He could almost smell her vanilla scent on the gentle breeze that ruffled the leaves over his head. He hoped that the sensation of her being by his side never went away.

Well—enough wallowing in his thoughts. Tonight was the night that would hopefully bring down the rustlers, and then he could head home.

He realized home wasn’t the right word. He didn’t have one anymore.

The team had a great dinner on the patio of the log home that night. Cal, Allison, little Liam, and Brice made for an enjoyable evening. Mitch watched as Curt’s eyes followed Allison’s every move.

After dinner, they solidified their plans for that evening. They headed to their rendezvous point just before dark. They didn’t want their headlights to give them away. Curt was staying back at the house just in case they needed the chopper. Cal’s pilot was ready to go.

Jax and Brice were in one truck and Nick and Mitch in the other. They had chosen this spot because of the two stands of trees on either side of the pasture. The herd was just where they wanted them, between the two of them. The sun had just set, and Nick had himself all set up for a long wait. He pulled out a bag of snacks from behind the seat.

“What could you have possibly brought?” Mitch asked. “We just finished dinner.”

“Mary made us a care package,” Nick said as he looked into the bag. “Chocolate chip cookies, sandwiches, and soda. We have it made. We won’t starve while we wait, that’s for sure.”

“Brice said to leave the windows open and listen for any restlessness in the herd. That’ll be our cue that something’s happening,” Mitch said as he let out a long yawn.

“Makes sense. Boy, it’s quiet out here. I can’t imagine how anyone can round up a hundred head of cattle and herd them into trucks and get away with it. How do they do it? Do they bring in four-wheelers, horses, what?”

“Cal said they use both when rounding up the herd. But four-wheelers make a lot of noise. They’re probably bringing in their horses and maybe dogs.”

“It’s quite the operation, that’s for sure. But they can say goodbye to the wide-open spaces and hello to an eight-by-ten cell.”

It was two o’clock in the morning when they noticed the cattle getting restless. Mitch perked up and put his night goggles on to assess the situation. Sure enough, six men on horseback came into view. The roundup had begun. Mitch and Nick waited with bated breath. These guys weren’t getting away this time.

Mitch pulled out his cell phone and called Curt and Cal. “Game’s on. Get ready, boys. The fun’s about to begin.”

Curt said, “I’ll give the sheriff a call and let them know we’re on the move. They have deputies in the area, but they’re about thirty minutes out. Can you wait it out?”

“We can,” said Mitch. “We haven’t seen any trucks yet. The drones are in the air. We’ll keep you posted. We’re just going to sit tight and see what goes down. I don’t want any of these guys getting away,” Mitch said. He felt his excitement build. He was ready for whatever happened.

They sat and waited, tension thickening the air between them. “Hey, Mitch—listen. You hear something other than the cattle?”

Mitch strained to hear what Nick had heard, and sure enough, trucks could be heard in the distance. Noise carried out here.

Jax tapped in from his location. “Three semis, double trailers, about three miles west of our location. Probably can take half the herd from the looks of it, if they squeeze them in. The sheriff’s five minutes out, coming from the east. They’ve got five vehicles on the way.”

“Thanks, Jax,” said Mitch.

Soon, Curt and Cal were in the air, staying back and out of earshot until Mitch gave them the go-ahead. “Two minutes out. Get ready to move!” instructed Mitch.

Jax broke in, “Sheriff’s holding back and waiting for our direction, Mitch.”

“Tell them it’s a go! Cal and Curt, bring those birds in.” He and Brice put the truck’s lights on and headed toward the men on horseback.

Mitch shouted out the window, “Game’s over, fellas. We can make this easy. Get off your horses now!”