Alma looked back from Jude’s face to her sister, weaving in and out of the cattle and always pointing her steer toward the base of the hill. Her heart laughed and cried and sang and danced all at once in her chest.
Here was her new husband, the man who so recently snubbed Allegra for her appearance, speaking so highly of her. He might not be friends with her, but he couldn’t help but notice her skill and her value to the ranch.
Poor Allegra! Would she ever find happiness? Would she ever overcome her pain to find love? Or would she flounder in agony and unfulfilled dreams for the rest of her life? Would she grow old on the Goodkind ranch, driving cattle down to the river and back, without love, without companionship, and without any hope for anything different?
In the end, Alma lifted her face in silent thanks to heaven that she’d gotten herself married. As much as she loved Allegra, she dreaded living the way her younger sister did. Alma shuddered to think of herself growing old in her father’s house with nothing to look forward to but one day after another just like the one she just finished.
She stole a sidelong glance at Amelia. Did she think about these things? Did she cherish any secret dreams for her future? Did she long for the love of a man in the silent darkness of their house after her father and her sisters went to sleep?
Just then, an exceptionally shrill whistle along with a shout echoed up from the bottom of the hill. Alma snapped out of her reverie to see Allegra waving her hat over her head and calling up to them. They couldn’t make out her words at that distance.
But Amelia understood. “That’s it. That’s the signal. Let’s go.” She spurred her horse forward and charged down the hill.
Jude stretched out his legs to follow her, but Alma caught him by the sleeve. “This way. Allegra’s coming from behind, and Amelia’s going to the right. Come with me to the left, and we’ll drive him into the box.”
“The box?” Jude asked. “What’s that?”
“There.” Alma pointed down to the bottom of the hill, to a large rock near the gulley leading toward the river. “That’s what we call the box.”
“What is it?” Jude asked.
“It’s a false canyon,” Alma replied. “It looks like a canyon or a gulley running down to the river, and the cattle go into it thinking they can get away from us. Then it closes off, and they get trapped. That’s the way we cut cattle from the herd. They fall for it every time.”
Jude grinned. “Sneaky. You and your sisters really have thought of everything, haven’t you?”
Alma laughed. “When you’ve worked a ranch as long as we have, you get to know all the little secret ways that make it work.”
“I know that,” Jude replied. “I guess I should have listened to you from the beginning. I was stupid to think I could just waltz in and start telling you how to do things. I guess I just thought a bunch of women couldn’t possibly know how to run a cattle ranch. I didn’t know you would all be as good as you are. I should have listened to you. I won’t make that mistake again.”
Alma laughed again, but tears welled up in her eyes. “Forget about it. You didn’t know, and it was a natural reaction to being in a new place with new people. None of us will hold it against you. Now, come on. They’ll be counting on us to cut off his last avenue of escape.” Alma spurred her horse, and they rocketed away together down the hill.
Halfway down, Alma veered off the trail and broke through the scrubby bushes. Jude followed right on her heels, matching her move for move. Near the bottom of the hill, Alma burst back through the line of cover into the open, just in time to head off the steer.
The big animal wheeled away when he saw the two riders heading toward him. He jumped first to his left, only to find Allegra behind him. Then he tried to retreat the way he came, but found the way blocked by Amelia. He lowered his head as though he’d like to charge, but at the last moment, he changed his mind and ran to his right, straight into the chute the sisters intended him to enter.
As soon as his tail disappeared into the box, the three sisters kicked their horses forward to close the steer into his natural pen. Jude and Alma went in first. Then came Amelia, with Allegra bringing up the rear, smiling happily at them.
Once inside the canyon, they slowed to a trot, letting the steer box himself in at the end of it. They didn’t see him beyond the twists and turns between the steep walls of the canyon, but pretty soon, the walls opened out into a natural enclosure.
There stood the steer, neatly boxed in on all sides. He loped around the enclosed space, tossing his head and snorting at the four riders lining up across the only available line of escape. Jude, Alma, and her sisters stopped with the horses shoulder to shoulder across the canyon as the steer sized them up and evaluated his options.
In the end, he stopped in the middle of the enclosure, rolling his eyes in defiance and bellowing.
“You take him, Jude,” Allegra said.
“No way!” Jude shot back. “I wouldn’t dream of taking him, not after all your hard work getting him in here. He’s yours.”
“Let’s do it together,” Allegra suggested. “That way, we’ll be sure to get him without too much fuss.”
“All right,” Jude agreed. “You take the right and I’ll take the left. We can’t miss him when he’s standing still like that.”
Jude and Allegra each untied the lariats from their saddles and uncoiled their long loops of rope. First Allegra, then Jude, began slowly swinging the wide circles of rope above their heads. The lassoes sailed through the air almost of their own accord.
With one swift flick of her wrist, Allegra sent her lasso flying toward the steer. He tossed his head and leapt to one side, but too late. The great circle of rope fell around his horns, and when he jumped sideways, Allegra pulled the rope tight. When the steer tossed his head, he jerked the noose tight and found himself caught fast.
Then Jude let his lasso go. This time, when the ring fell over the steer’s head and he jerked away, Allegra backed her horse up a few steps. Her rope pulled taut, holding the steer motionless as Jude’s noose fell into place around the animal’s horns. Jude pulled back on his own reins to back up his horse. His own rope jerked tight, and the steer could move no further. Jude and Allegra tied their ropes around their saddle horns, and their horses stood still.
Alma laughed out loud at their triumph, and Amelia let out a loud whoop. Allegra tossed her head back with an elated smile up to the sky. But the noise of Amelia’s shout startled the steer. He tugged on the ropes one last time. The strength of that desperate tug caught Jude’s horse by surprise, and he lost his footing in the powdery soil of the canyon floor.
Sensing some weakness among his captors, the steer tossed his head again and succeeded in pulling Jude’s horse even further off balance. A terrible tug-of-war followed between the steer and the horse. With every success by the steer, the horse became more frightened and unsteady, no matter how Jude held back on the reins or tried to calm him with his voice.
At last, with one final effort, the steer reared onto his back legs and the horse toppled. Jude called out one alarmed, “Whoa!” but the horse didn’t hear him. The animal let out a terrified scream as it tried to rear back in response.
Alma watched the scene unfold with excruciating slowness. Jude glanced wildly from one side to the other as his horse teetered and fell with the rope still tying him to the steer’s horns. Jude must have seen the outcome approaching in slow motion, as well. At the last possible moment, he jumped free from his saddle. He landed on his side and rolled on the ground in a cloud of dust.
The horse, on the other hand, crumpled with his legs underneath him. When he hit the ground, he let out another ear-splitting shriek that sent shivers up Alma’s spine. The horse thrashed helplessly, tangling himself up in the rope still hooked around the steer’s horns. With every kick of his legs, he only succeeded in tying himself up more firmly than before.
The steer pressed his advantage by yanking the rope tighter on his end. The horse screamed until
it was utterly exhausted. Only after he lay still with his tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth did the dust settle enough for Alma to see that his hind leg was broken.
Chapter 29