Colorado Hope(145)

His friend had doffed his hat and party coat, and his sleeves were rolled up. He carried his vet bag in one hand and a Colt pistol in the other.

Lucas blew out a hard breath as he stopped ten feet from LeRoy and assessed the situation. LeRoy saw the heartache in Lucas’s eyes. Lucas loved horses more than anyone LeRoy had ever known, and that was saying a lot. So he knew what the man was feeling when he lifted his gun with a pained frown on his face, took aim at the last living mare lying on the ground, and shot the suffering animal in the head. His aim was steady and true.

The mare’s head thumped dead on the grass, and her legs stopped paddling. LeRoy swallowed.

“What do ya think?” he asked Lucas in an almost whisper, making Lucas pull his gaze away from the dead mare. LeRoy nodded for him to come over as he kept up the gentle patting and stroking of the mare’s neck, saying soothing words to her.

Lucas looked her over, then glanced at the other injured horse. He took a slow walk around the both, and the men watching grew quiet. LeRoy spotted his ma hurrying across the pasture, carrying a satchel. Upon Lucas’s arrival, the ranch hands climbed up on the fence to watch in silence. Further back, dozens of party guests stood in a crowd just off the porch. No doubt Whitcomb had told them to stay put. LeRoy grunted. He could just imagine what grief Eli was giving his host—and his new bride. He was sure Clare had Eli nailed to the floor by now with him doing his own brand of squealing. Eli was not one to stand back and let anyone else jump headfirst into danger. At least not without him by their side. But it wouldn’t be proper for the groom to get all dirty and bloody on his wedding day, would it?

“That one’s got some surface bruises and scratches,” Lucas said, coming alongside LeRoy and rubbing a hand on the mare’s rump. “More’n likely hurt when the horses panicked.” He pulled a halter and lead rope out of his bag. “Let’s get her back to the barn. She’ll probably be fine once I stitch her up, although”—he took a good look at the exposed muscle in her shoulder without touching it—“that bear tore her somethin’ deep. She may end up with a limp.”

“She may be bad hurt, but at least she’s got her life.” LeRoy looked sorrowfully at the three dead horses and thought about the one the grizzly had hauled easily over the split-rail fence. He’d encountered grizzlies on occasion—thankfully never close up—and they were fearsome creatures. They could wrench off the side of a barn in one swoop. Plenty of tales were told about men who’d faced a grizzly and barely lived to tell about it. He hoped Whitcomb’s men had killed this one, but it wasn’t easily done. Some bears had dozens of bullets in their pelt and flesh and kept on going. And killing. And there were few things more dangerous than an injured and suffering grizzly.

LeRoy took the halter from Lucas and gently slipped it over the mare’s head. With a quiet clucking, he got her to take a few steps. Lucas crouched down and took a jar from his bag.

“You go on ahead; I’ll meet you at the barn.” He dabbed some ointment on the other mare’s leg. She stood still, eyeing Lucas suspiciously, but she gave no indication she was about to bolt.

Lucas added, “Tell Emma where I am. I disappeared on her, and she’ll be worried.”

See, pardner, that’s what happens when you marry. You end up with someone worrying about you all the time. And ya gotta answer for everything you do.

LeRoy snorted as he led the mare back across the pasture at a slow walk, the scattered horses now taking a cautious step or two away from the fence. Calm once more drifted into the valley, as if the bear had never attacked.

LeRoy glanced back and saw men gathered along the back fence line. He made out Andy and two of the men who had gone off after the bear. He’d heard no more shots. Well, the bear was either dead or had run off. It could have been worse. LeRoy exhaled hard as his ma walked toward him. He stopped and looked at the deerskin satchel she held out to him. It was one of her medicine pouches. Why was she giving this to him?

“You want me to give this to Lucas?” He figured she had some special ointments or tinctures in here. Maybe something to calm the horses. Not like Lucas needed anything though. He kept his own medical bag well stocked. And the barn had all the typical ranch supplies—for both animal and human injuries and illnesses.

“No,” she said, an intense look flaring in her eyes.

LeRoy’s nerves jangled. His pulse quickened, and he swallowed hard. He knew just what that look meant. It was the same look she’d given him and Eli the night those murderous ranchers had attacked them and ended up dead—when she put the everlasting powder on them to prepare them for battle. And it was the same look as when she’d told them to go to Fort Collins to offer to help Sheriff Eph Love track those outlaws. She urged them to be careful, that blood was going to spill.