19

They stopped at Gilchrist for the rest of the day so they could make a fresh start in the morning.

This drive had been the longest, hardest and most intense three days Sarah had ever experienced.

Inez stood over a huge kettle and stirred.

Sarah didn’t feel like eating, but her body needed food.

Benito had one of the men rub down all their horses. The other was feeding and watering them. It wasn’t long before the crockery jug came out. They passed it around to each other and spoke loud and enthusiastically in Spanish.

Reinhardt had disappeared in the darkness.

Sarah just wanted a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow afternoon they would reach High Island. She could sell off the herd, get the money, and go home. No more cattle drives. No more Reinhardt…forever. She leaned her back against a large piece of driftwood. A long groan came from deep inside. It felt good to relax, with nothing but the salty air in her lungs, and the soft sound of waves crashing on the distant shore. She closed her eyes.

A foreign noise blasted.

“What was that?” She sat straight up.

Rex barked.

It sounded sort of like a foghorn, but they were miles away from the lighthouse. Sounds more like a goose. An engine? But no trains were coming.

Rex’s barking didn’t help in the confusion.

The cows became restless, their mooing and stamping of their hooves almost drowned out the other noises.

In a cloud of sand and dust the source of the cacophony came into view. A gloved hand reached outside the rolling menace and squeezed a big black bulb. A loud honk sounded with each squeeze.

Benito and his men ran around the herd trying to calm them.

A few steers crashed their horns together and snorted, ready to fight or flee.

“Who or what in tarnation is that?” Reinhardt yelled.

“Well, I’m not expecting anyone. Are you?”

“Oh, it’s one of them automobiles.” He released a long low whistle. “Ain’t never seen one of them before.”

Pedro left Inez to finish cooking and joined them. “What’s going on, Miss Sarah?”

“I don’t know. It’s some crazy fool, I’d say!”

Sarah and Pedro waved their arms in the air to get the driver’s attention. “Stop, stop, you idiot!”

The driver finally stopped honking. He drove up close to the herd, cut off the engine and jumped out.

The herd rustled around but began to settle as Benito and the others crooned at them.

The dust and dirt settled.

Lord, I can’t take much more. Has this…this person come to rob us?

The man wore a long, French riding coat, a tweed newsboy cap, goggles, and a smile the size of Texas. “Miss McKinney, I’ve found you.” Frederick Chessher exuded pride, shucking off the leather gloves.

He pulled the goggles off, revealing those emerald-green eyes that haunted her dreams. She scowled at him. “Frederick Chessher! What were you thinking?”

“Well, I…”

“You scared the cattle out of their wits!”

“I certainly didn’t…”

“Were you trying to start a stampede? Do you have any idea how bad that could have been?” Sarah stepped closer, indignation making her movements stiff.

“No!” Frederick raised his hands in defense. “I…I didn’t, I don’t! I mean…I’m sorry!” Every ounce of confidence seemed to melt out of the man.

He had no idea what he’d done. Sarah’s anger deflated. She glanced from Frederick to his automobile, and then back at him. “Frederick, what in the world are you doing here?”

“Why, I was looking for you, of course.”

“Looking for me? But why?”

“Why? Because I wanted to see you, that’s why.” Frederick took her hands in his. “I needed to know you were all right. I was concerned about you being out here…all alone.”

“As you can see, I’m far from being alone.” She swept her hand out toward the others. “I have all these people with me, not to mention all the cattle.”

“I suppose you’re right about that.” Frederick’s face became serious. “It was my hope to ride up on my steel horse and rescue you. I’d be the knight in shining armor, and you would be the damsel in distress.”

Sarah could feel her eyebrows pinching together as she stared at him. “Look, I do just fine all by myself. I don’t need anyone to rescue me. Besides, you have no business being here. Don’t you have a girlfriend back in Beaumont?”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong, I agree with absolutely everything you’re saying. But you simply must believe me when I tell you that I’ve tried desperately, diligently, with everything in my power, and still, I can’t get you out of my mind.”

The green abyss of his eyes rendered her speechless.

Frederick brushed her cheek with the back of his hand.

And every ounce of the hardcore exterior she’d built up blew away with the Gulf breeze.