Buckled (Trails of Sin 2)

I stand and pace behind the guys. They intend to drag this terrified baby kicking and screaming down the creek, only to sell him off and turn him into hamburger.

My chest constricts. “If I rope him, can I keep him?”

“Jarret or the calf?” Jake arches a questioning brow.

I roll my eyes and point at the calf.

“First off,” Jarret says. “He is a she. Secondly, you don’t know how to rope cattle.”

I hold out my hand for the rope. “Challenge accepted.”

He laughs and tosses me the bundle. “This’ll be fun.”

Jake steps back and folds his arms across his chest, wearing a bored expression.

I coil the rope into a wide circle and drape it across my body. A dead tree clings to the edge a few feet away, its thick roots dangling midway down the creek wall. I make my way there and step on a low branch. Seems sturdy enough.

“Maybe…” Jarret shakes his head.

“It’ll hold her weight,” Jake says, as if my demise has suddenly made this more interesting.

“You’ll get covered in mud.” Jarret prowls toward me.

“Are the boots waterproof?” I edge onto the trunk and rappel down a few feet, gripping slimy roots and knocking away spiderwebs.

“I don’t care about the boots. That calf weighs more than you do, and there are snakes—”

My handhold slips, and I make an ungraceful plunge down the muddy wall, landing in the creek with a splash.

The calf skitters back, screaming in fear. Shit.

“What kind of snakes?” I clamor to my feet and frantically search the water.

“The kind that bite.” Jarret squats at the ledge fifteen-feet above me. “You okay?”

My ass throbs where I landed on a rock. I’m soaked head to toe and standing in brown, snake-infested water. “Yep, just dandy. Are we talking poisonous snakes? I really don’t want to die today.”

“I got bit by a water rattler and survived.” Jake grins from the safety of his perch.

“That makes me feel so much better.” I turn toward the splashing frenzy behind me.

The calf scrambles in and out of the water against the opposite embankment, determined to scale that wall.

“It’s okay, baby.” I make shushing noises and slowly wade through the water. “I’m here to help you.”

The calf goes still, and those huge brown eyes own me instantly, completely. Yep, I’m a goner.

With careful movements, I lift the rope over my head and hold the knotted end like a hoop.

This will be just like the ring toss game I played when I was a kid. Except the target is a scrambling, spinning ball of cuteness.

Movement sounds above me, followed by Jarret’s voice. “You don’t have to do this, Maybe.”

My boots are so full of water a snake could slither in. I’m going to flip the fuck out if that happens. But I have to save her. She and I just need to get over our fears and work together.

A few feet away, I toss the rope and lasso her neck. My sigh of relief is short-lived when she jerks free and snorts at me.

“Don’t be such a chicken.” I move closer. “I won’t hurt you.”

She arches her back with her butt in the air, looking all fierce and brave, like she’s going to charge me.

I throw the rope, catch her around the ears, and she shakes it off.

Laughter sounds from the ledge, only fueling my determination.

Five more attempts and I finally toss a ring that sticks. I move quickly, scrambling toward her while pulling tight on the rope. The wrestling match that ensues submerges us to our necks in filthy water, but I have her in my arms, both of us bellowing like crazy.

I manage to loop the rope around her shoulders like a harness. Then I slump against the muddy cliff, winded and worn out.

“Well done.” Jarret stands on the edge and smiles down at me.

“Thanks.” I smile back with pride and climb to my feet, gathering the rope. “Now what?”

“Can you climb back up those roots?”

“No way. I can’t even reach them.”

“You’ll have to walk out with her.” He motions to the right. “The creek levels out about a mile down. Throw me the rope.”

“I’m sorry? Did you say a mile?”

“Yep.”

Fuck me sideways.

The soggy jeans slide down my hips, and I yank them back up.

“Looks like you two have this under control. I’ll leave you to it.” Jake mounts his horse and trots off.

“All right, Chicken.” I adjust the rope around her squirming body. “We can do this.”

“Did you just call her Chicken?” Jarret squints at me.

“That’s her name.” I toss the wet rope up to him.

He catches it and removes the slack. “Rule number one on the ranch. Never name cattle you plan to sell for slaughter.”

Panic grips my lungs. “You can’t sell her!”

I know I’m being irrational. It’s not like I can keep her. I don’t even have a place to live.