Jaded Warriors book 2 (Jade Series)

Chapter 16

Chapter 16


I gasped as I sat up quickly from my sleep while my heart pounded out of my chest. Dazed and a bit disoriented I glanced around the room to figure out where I was. The sun filtered gently through the sheer white curtains as dust particles floated, undisturbed through the ribbon of morning light. The bedroom door remained opened and the lamp on the bedside table looked untouched. Pictures hung in their usual places on the wall. I was in my room and everything looked the same as it always had. Why did I wake up so suddenly?


I startled again as a knock at the door echoed through the airy ceilings. I looked at my watch. Seven thirty. I moved with stiffened muscles out of bed and stretched as I remembered, Gage left to go back early before dawn.


I grabbed his mother’s ultra-soft robe that I adopted as my own and wondered who could be here this early in the morning. I grew nervous as I neared the front door. I paused briefly as I peeked through the peephole and drew in a sharp breath then with caution, opened the door. I shuddered at the cold, shielded by the door as a brisk breeze rushed inside and I looked at the man in front of me. I knew I had to face him eventually. I just hoped it would have been later, much later.


“Hi Raύl.”


“Jade,” he paused briefly as he eyed me with concern, “I’ve left notes on your door for you to get a hold of me when I couldn’t reach you, did you see them?”


“Yeah, sorry.”


“It’s okay. I just worried when I couldn’t find you. Are you doing okay?”


“Yeah… I’m doing okay.”


“I was hoping I could get your help with the cows for the next few weeks while they’re caving?”


“Oh… um, sure.”


“Why don’t you ride over to the farm after you get ready? I could really use your help. Half of the calves are sick along with some of the heifers and Jorge is down with the flu. I don’t want to bother Kane with it unless I have to. He has enough to worry about but I’m worried we’re going to lose the herd.”


“I’ll be about an hour.”


“I’ll let the guards know you’ll be coming through so they will let you by,” he said, my surprise evident with a raise of my brows. “They’re on every corner between here and the farm.”


“Okay,” I said, then shut the door. I dressed quickly and grabbed a glass of milk and a slice of toast on my way out to the barn. Fire welcomed me with a nicker as I pushed the heavy barn door open. I saddled her quickly. Fire must have sensed my urgency because she moved off in fluid motion before I secured my position in the saddle, which was fine by me. The sooner we got to the farm, the better.


A cold wind blew from the north and I pulled my coat tighter around me as I rounded the driveway. I blew in my hands to warm them as I noticed Raύl in the south corrals, his black rubber boots, ankle deep in muck. Even with the constant freezing temperatures, the ground remained thawed due to the number of cows sloshing through their own manure. I looked toward the north corrals, they didn’t fare much better.


“Why aren’t they out on winter pasture?”


“It’s too close to the front line. I had to bring them in, we’ve lost too many to Morrison. Anything out there on that land has become fair game.”


“But that’s our land.”


“Tell that to Morrison.”


Winter pasture was southwest of the freeway and stretched for about five miles of the twenty-mile frontage road. The men’s camp sat on the far end of it, closest to town. There wasn’t anything out past the frontage road, just empty open fields and about three thousand acres of it was ours. Plenty of pasture for cows to graze on, but if someone wanted to cut down a fence line, no one was out there to know about it unless Raύl placed a twenty-four hour watch. We did not have the manpower.


“Where do we start?”


“Well,” Raύl paused involuntarily, as he started to cough. A puff of cloudy air billowed from his lips due to the cold. He pulled out a red bandana that he used for a handkerchief and held it to his mouth. He turned against the railroad-tie fence post for support as his body heaved with each effort to clear his lungs. “Sorry… We have fifteen calves in the barn sick with scours that need to be treated and another fifty that needs vaccinated. We’ve already had five die.”


“We only have seventy new calves?”


“We’re expecting another hundred to drop in the next month. They’re in the north corral.”


“They can’t calve in there Raύl, it’s filthy.”


“I know… our options are limited, Jade. I don’t have the manpower to watch them twenty-four seven. Morrison isn’t making it easy. Not to mention, we are running out of feed,” Raύl said, as he went into another coughing spell. With his skin a dusky grey and his lips an ugly, mottled shade of blue. At first, I thought it was from the cold, but as I became more aware of his condition, I knew it was more than that.


“Raύl, you’re sick.”


“No, I’m fine.”


“No you’re not,” I said, as I jumped off Fire and took a closer look. His arms shook from the weight of his body as he climbed over the fence to meet me. I tied Fire to the post then followed Raύl to the barn. With a trembling hand, Raύl reached for the door then collapsed to his knees as he gasped for air.


“Raύl!” I cried. I knelt next to him. His chest heaved as he struggled to breathe. I heard his wheezy breaths as I moved under his shoulder in an attempt to help him up. “You are going to the house, Raύl.”


“No… The calves.”


“No, you first. You need to be treated first.”


The rusty springs creaked as I opened the old, wooden-framed screen door. It shut loudly with a bang behind us as I helped Raύl into the kitchen. He found a chair at the table and lowered himself into it as he tried to settle another coughing spell.


“Why didn’t you tell me you were sick too?”


“I don’t have time to be sick. Jorge is worse off than me, someone needs to get the work done,” Raύl wheezed through his breathlessness.


“Where is Jorge?”


“In the back spare bedroom, I take the other.”


“Okay, well, go get into bed.”


“I’m not going to bed, Jade. I just need a minute.”


“You can take that minute in bed,” I said, as I gave him a stern look then searched the cupboards for some tea, “and then you are going to stay there until you are better.” I filled the teapot with water and placed it on the wood burning stove then threw a few logs on the dying orange coals. I expected Raύl to put up more of a fight, but he stood and with a trembling hand against the wall, made his way to the back bedroom.


I peeked into the doorway of Jorge's room to see him sound asleep nestled under the blankets, and then headed to the next room as I brought Raύl a cup of hot tea. “I’m going to find Marge. She’ll know what you need, and then I’ll worry about the calves, okay.”


“I guess.”


“Stay in bed, Raύl.”


***


Casey opened the front door as I knocked. “Is Marge here?” I asked anxiously.


“Yeah, come in.”


“My feet are dirty.”


Casey gave me a funny look but I stayed where I stood, just outside the door. “That’s okay. What’s up?”


“I'll stay right here. Jorge and Raύl are sick… So are some of the calves.”


“Marge is in the back room, I’ll go get her.”


Casey left the front room and after a minute, returned with Marge not far behind him. She rushed around for her things then headed for the door as she put on her coat.


“I don’t want to pull you from Megan,” I said.


“Deanna’s with her,” she said, then gave me a fleeting smile. I instantly felt better.


“I’m going to run home with Casey to grab a few things.”


“I’ll meet you there.”


I took the pathway in the snow alongside of the road as I headed to the farm. Mr. Taggart caught my eye from his front door as he moved slowly onto the porch as I neared his home. I slowed Fire as he signaled me with a wave of his hand and moved up his snow-covered drive as I wondered what he needed. He moved stiff and slow, decrepit-like as he grasped the flimsy metal railing with both hands for support. I worried it wouldn’t support him and breathed a sigh of relief as I met him at the base of his stairs.


“Jade, isn’t it?” He asked. His voice trembled with age as he talked. He had thin white patches of tousled hair on the sides and back with an almost bald cap. He stood hunched with his thin lanky body, a permanent condition.


“Yeah Mr. Taggart, it’s me, Jade.”


He wore a thick, red and blue plaid flannel shirt with old wrangler jeans and worn cowboy boots. The same attire he always wore whether it was spring, summer, winter, or fall. He always dressed as if it was fifty degrees outside. “It’s near freezing, where is your coat?”


“Oh, if I stopped to put on my coat, I would have missed you all together.”


I smiled inside. He did move rather slowly, even if he was a spry eighty five-year-old. His house was a distant two houses from ours and ever since I could remember, he would be out in his garden from sun-up to sundown. His wife died about five years ago and since then, my mom made it a point to make sure we checked in on him from time to time. A kind, gentle old man, a retired farmer, as my grandpa was. He sold most of his land, some to my uncle, the rest to developers, and only owned the five acres around his home.


“Can I help you with something, Mr. Taggart?”


“Well, I just wanted to warn you... Were you out on that trail along the river this morning?”


“Yeah,” I hesitated, “why?”


“I thought I saw you through the trees. My eyesight isn’t so good anymore, but I’ve seen someone out there the last three days, other than you.”


"Was it Raύl?”


"No… I'd know if it was him."


I felt the color seep from my cheeks with dread as my heart froze suddenly in my chest. My gaze dropped from his wrinkled face to binoculars that dangled from a leather strap, looped around his neck. He glanced down at them as he saw my gaze shift.


“If he comes back around, I’ll be prepared to spot him next time. I just want you to be careful. I thought you should know.”


I smiled at his thoughtfulness. Even at his age, he was a man with a purpose. Set on making himself useful, even if he did go unnoticed. “Thank you,” I paused, I would have to talk to Raύl to see if he saw anyone around. “Are you getting by okay? Can I bring you anything?”


“No, I’m fine. I haven’t seen you around these parts for a while, what brings you this way?”


“Raύl is sick. I’m helping him with the calves.”


“Oh, well, maybe I could help. I used to raise cattle you know.”


“Yeah, I know,” I said, as I laughed quiet under my breath. “It’s okay. I think we’ll be fine.”


“You go on ahead,” he said, his hands on the railing as he took a step up. “I’ll grab my coat and my cane and I’ll meet you down there.”


“No, really, Mr. Taggart, you don’t need to.”


“I got nothing better to do, except peep out my back window with a set of binoculars.”


He chuckled under his breath and I laughed at his humor as he made fun of himself. “Go on, I’ll be a while. It’s my knees… arthritis. They’ll loosen up after a while. I tell ya, never get old.”


“Stay in your warm house, Mr. Taggart.”


He almost looked hurt as he looked back at me and I felt bad I refused his help. I gave a sympathetic smile as I turned Fire out of the drive.


I let the wooden screen shut loudly behind me as I ran through the back door. I expected to see Raύl with his stubbornness up in the kitchen, but he wasn’t and I realized he must be sicker than I thought, so I walked down the hall to the back bedrooms to check on him and Jorge.


I couldn’t remember the last time I walked through my grandparents’ old farmhouse. It looked just like I remembered, except not so cluttered. The two men desperately needed a maid.


The classic green shag carpet from the seventies still flowed down the hallway from the front room and the bedrooms still had the fluffy shag orange. Floral wallpaper adorned the walls.


“Hey Raύl,” I said, as I tried to hide my worry. With much effort, his eyes opened. I couldn’t get over how grey his face looked. He gave a weak smile. “Where do you want me to start?”


“You can’t do it alone, Jade.”


“Casey is on his way, he’ll help.”


Relief swept slightly across Raύl’s face. “Move the cows in the north corral to the far pasture. It’s been eaten down so you’ll have to roll straw out first over the snow, then lay out the hay. As long as it stays cold, the pasture will do fine. If it thaws, we’ll need to bring them in until it dries out.”


“Okay.”


“Weed out the sick ones in the south corral then tend to the calves in the barn.”


“Hello…” I heard Marge through the back door and I walked into the kitchen to meet her. Surprise registered on my face to see Mr. Taggart walk in behind Casey. “I found him wandering down the road. He said he was coming to help with the cows.”


“Oh…” I said, as Marge made her way to the back room. She took one look at Raύl, the shock on her face caused my worry to increase exponentially as my heart dropped into the pit of my stomach. “He needs oxygen.”


“Where do we get oxygen?”


“We have to find someone who has a concentrator. That could take a while.”


“I have a concentrator,” Mr. Taggart hollered from the kitchen. My desperation switched to relief. I turned back to see Marge return from the back bedroom.


“Can we bring it over for a while?”


“Sure, I’m not using it… it was my wife’s.”


“Jorge isn’t as sick as Raύl,” Marge paused as she walked into the kitchen. “Jade, you help me get lunch on while Mr. Taggart and Casey get the concentrator. We’ll eat, and then you guys can attend to the cows while I worry about these two.”


***


“Something wrong?” Casey asked, as I slammed another cupboard in the barn.


"Nothing, why?"


I didn’t realize my edginess became that obvious. I felt my mood alter as the afternoon crept upon us, but I tried to mask it. A weary ache seeped from my bones from our day that seemed to continue without end as a pounding grew in my head. It seemed to be one thing after another with fat stubborn cows on the verge of becoming mama’s but still very capable of charging and landing me in the muck. Casey and Mr. Taggart tried not to laugh and if I wasn’t so exhausted and distracted, I might have laughed myself but I couldn’t find it in me. Two calves dropped just after we moved them, but that wasn't the only reason for my mood.


I glanced over my shoulder to see a somber Casey, with worn, tired eyes that leaked worry. I suddenly felt bad he came to help, when he should be at home helping Megan, or at the very least, sleeping.


“You should be home, Casey… enjoying your new baby and getting sleep.”


“Don't change the subject,” he said, as he shrugged off my concern, his hazel eyes continued to prod for information. “You’ve been stuck in your head all afternoon, what’s up?”


“I don’t know, just thinking,” I sighed, a reluctant expression evident on my face.


“I didn’t spook you did I,” Mr. Taggart questioned, with the cattle prod still in his hand, he poked it at the air in the direction of the trail. “By telling you about the man out on the trail earlier?” I guess it was obvious to him as well.


“What man?"


“I’m just frustrated. We usually have tons of antibiotics stocked, what happened to them?” I said, as I cut Casey off in an attempt to change the subject. One thing about Mr. Taggart was his short-term memory wasn’t what it used to be and if I got him off the subject long enough, he might forget about it. I knew Casey wouldn’t but I wasn’t in the mood to talk to him about it. I needed to focus on the calves. Casey gave me a brooding glare but didn’t pursue the question. He would later though.


“Just give’em a shot of bourbon and a raw egg. An electrolyte wash of water, baking soda, salt and dextrose, along with the bourbon egg mixture works most of the time if you keep them separated and their stalls clean.”


I gave him a dubious look, unsure if he was serious or not. From the look on Casey’s face, he wondered the same.


“You have eggs don’t you?” I couldn’t contain my sudden smile. My spirits lifted instantly as I giggled at his suggestion.


“Ya, we have eggs.”


“I have enough bourbon to last a lifetime. Well, my lifetime. You are welcome to some of it.” He gave me a stern look that caused me to laugh again. "As long as you only use it for the calves, I don't want to contribute to a minor."


“Me?”


“I think you're the only minor here… am I right?”


I looked at Casey with fluffed annoyance as he laughed, apparently humored with Mr. Taggart's conclusions.


"I won't drink it, Mr. Taggart, if that's what you're worried about," I said, as I mused at his concern. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try it, for the calves, I mean." Casey shrugged his shoulders. We had nothing better to try. "Casey, why don't you run Mr. Taggart home and grab the bourbon, I'll start on the stalls."


"I think you should come with us."


"Why?"


"You know why."


Mr. Taggart interrupted, "you two work it out, and I’ll meet ya in the car." I watched him move with his stiff, aged walk as he made his way up the drive. He had to be exhausted. He moved slowly, but he kept up with Casey and me all day. He offered advice and gave orders at times when I didn't know what to do. His expertise was invaluable to me and I was so thankful he showed up in spite of my insistence for him to stay home. 


"Wait, Mr. Taggart," I paused, then ran to catch up to him and gave him a hug. Casey followed. "Thank you, for everything. We couldn't have done it without you."


"I don't know, I think I get in the way more than anything."


"No, you don't. I was glad to have your help."


"Well, you're welcome. I think I'll call it a night. See you tomorrow?" He asked, as he looked hopeful at me.


"Yeah," I smiled, "I'll see you tomorrow."


I glanced at Casey, only to catch his stern glare. "I’m muddy… I'll be fine," I said, as I rolled my eyes, "you'll be all of two seconds, he just lives down the street."


"I’m just as muddy as you and it will take more than two seconds."


"Okay, five minutes then."


"That's all it takes for something to happen," Casey said, as he lowered himself into the driver's side of Marge's car. I cringed as I hoped it wouldn’t smell like manure later.


I walked backwards towards the barn as I kept my eyes on Casey. "Marge is here, I'll be fine, just hurry back."


I watched Casey back the car out of the drive then I walked back to the barn, glad for a moment to myself despite of the underlying fear I felt. The shadows seemed to grow from the corners and left me with an eerie feeling as I proceeded to place clean straw into each of the stalls.


Drawn to the window, I set the pitchfork to the side and rested my arms on the split stall door. I watched the sky turn iron grey with the onset of dusk and I strained my eyes as I looked towards the tree line. It was difficult to make anything out since everything took on a grayish blue hue.


"You okay?"


"Yeah," I drew in a quick breath and sighed, then looked back to see Casey in the doorway of the stall. "Do you think its Damian who's out there?"


"I don't know," he said, as he walked up next to me. I heard him pull up moments before and was relieved he returned so quickly. My attempt at a moment of solitude left me anxious to know who hid in the trees. Even the usual calmness that the barn offered with its earthen smells of livestock, old dusty leather, and the sweet scent of straw, I couldn't relax.


"You know him better than anybody. Why is he the way he is?"


"He wasn't always like this. I guess he saw too much as a kid."


"Didn't you?"


"Yeah," he hesitated with a sigh, "but after a while he started to like it. I never did understand it, but he thrived on it, him and Quinn both."


"Were you ever angry with me over what happened to Quinn?"


"No, never Jade," Casey paused, and looked at me closely, "you did me a favor. He didn't have a decent bone in his body. He was too much like the old man. The day Quinn died… my life changed for the better. My dad… my brothers… we’re related by blood, but they aren’t my family. Not anymore."


I watched Casey as he turned his gaze from me to the outside. His eyes squinted as he strained to look out into the ever-increasing darkness. I wondered about his past life but he let his words lie so I dropped it.


"Well, anyway. Should we go gather eggs? Let's see if this really works," Casey said, with a smile as he changed the subject. He swooshed a bottle of bourbon in front of me. The amber liquid sloshed against the insides of the bottle. He unscrewed the cap and surprised me as he took a swig.


"Save it for the cows, Casey," I laughed, a little stunned.


"Just checking to make sure it was the real stuff."


"Whatever… Is it?"


Casey chuckled as he screwed the cap back on. "Yeah, and you can't have any."


"I don't want any. I spent enough time in an altered state to last a lifetime."


"Yeah, I guess you probably did."


I grabbed the bottle from his hands and dangled it in front of his eyes as I walked backwards towards the penned up calves in the back of the barn. "No more for you either."


Casey playfully lunged after me and I squealed as I ran. I passed the second, third and fourth stalls in a blur as I gained speed and I heard Casey decrease the distance between us. I reached the calves and stopped abruptly as I spotted a shadow and watched the backside of a man duck out the back door.


"Casey!" I gasped, as he ran up behind me. He grabbed my shoulders to prevent knocking me over as he tried to stop his forward momentum. "There was someone there. Did you see him?"


"No," Casey paused, as he walked over to the door and peered out. I peeked around behind him to see a dark figure enter the trees. "Was it Damian?" He asked.


"I don't know. I barely saw him."


"I don't want you to go anywhere by yourself," he said, his brows pinned together in stern insistence over his hazel eyes. “Enough of this, ‘I’ll be fine’, or ‘you’ll only be gone a minute’ crap. Who knows how long he was in here or how close he was at getting to you.”


"Do you think it's him? Gage and Kane both said, their contact said Damian was in Colorado."


"I don't know, but I'm not going to take any chances if it’s him. You are sleeping at our house from now on. You can't sleep at Gage's alone anymore."


Chills ran across my skin as if someone poured a bucket of ice water over me. I felt the color drain from my cheeks as my stare remained fixed on the distant trees. I stood unchanged, unable to move then sighed, discouraged. I knew before, Damian wouldn't let this go and I knew it was only a matter of time before he showed up again. For some reason, I didn't imagine him making his appearance in a less than conspicuous way. Damian wanted the attention, would go out of his way, and would wait even for the right time to strike, as long as he knew he would gain the credit for the act. I startled slightly as Casey broke the silence.


"Let's finish up here and get home."