Colt and me. We knew other ways to stay dry and warm and wanted to exhibit that on the drive. Our tents were still sitting in the bunkhouse with the rest of our gear, in case we needed them.
“Get the horses and go back to the bunkhouse and close the doors and listen for the horses,” I said. My eyes locked on Jane, who looked concerned.
She looked back at her tiny tent as if to question if it would keep her safe. The truth was, if the wolves came, it wouldn’t. That was why I wanted them all to go to the bunkhouse that was nearby. But they would have to be awful stupid and starving to come up where a group of humans and horses were. Not that she needed to know any of that.
Walter was finally up and came to me. “Are we in any danger?” he asked under his breath.
I sighed and looked back at the collection of horses, tied all circled around each other for warmth not too far away. “No, but keep an ear out for your horses. If they get spooked, bring them in, but they don’t like being inside there without a stall. But you won’t need to do that. You’re safe.”
He nodded and went back to the rest of the group, his hands held in the air. “Everybody calm down,” he said. “Sawyer and Colt have got this.”
“Do you need someone to help?” Rubin asked from behind us.
“No,” Colt said rather forcefully, then took off toward the sound.
I didn’t know what to say to him, but he looked crestfallen and confused all at the same time. I contemplated not saying anything and just riding off after Colt, but then an idea popped into my mind. “Rubin, I need you to take charge.”
“Yes, sir,” he said, suddenly serious and pulling himself to stand as tall as possible. “What do you need me to do?”
“I need you to be in charge of the horses,” I said. “You seem to have a knack for them, and they trust you.” It was true. While he couldn’t seem to ride during the drive for a damn, the horses did seem to respond well to him. Some people were just born with that. “Don’t bring them in the bunkhouse unless you hear them getting spooked. If you can stay out with them and keep an eye, that would be best, but above all else, keep you and your family safe.”
“I can do that,” he said.
I nodded. “I know you can. Just keep everyone calm and prepare for the worst but expect nothing. The sounds are coming from way down there, and if they go anywhere, they will go for the woods. You guys are safe. Just be ready, just in case.”
It was overly cautious. The idea of the wolves running toward more humans after Colt went after them was really low. They would have to be sick themselves to make a decision like that. Still, anything was possible, and giving Rubin this little bit of responsibility likely glossed over any bad feelings he might have had because of Colt’s bluntness and his struggles at getting things together.
I nodded and he saluted for some reason before I took off. It was bitterly cold, riding fast this early in the morning. Wind whipped at my cheeks and forced me to mostly close my eyes. I wished I had my bandana ready to put over my nose and mouth to help mitigate some of the cold, but I had forgotten. I just had to deal with the pain as Smoke galloped toward the herd and where I saw Colt pulled up.
“It’s in the center,” he said when I got there. “Something is going on in the middle. You see it?”
I looked at the huddled herd, and from the vantage point we had just above them on a hill, I could see something was happening in the center. Something violent. Without thinking any more about it or trying to make a plan, Colt and I took off for it. We were going to do something when we got there, but we didn’t know what, though taking a few shots at those damn wolves was likely on the menu.
As we made it into the herd, we had to slow down for a multitude of reasons. One, we didn’t want to stir them up and get them stampeding. Two, we had to get around them anyway, and maneuvering around those heifers was hard as