Chapter 17.1

Noon came and went, lunch was eaten on the trail as they continued driving the cattle into the higher ranges. Jessie alternated riding drag and pushing stragglers back to the herd and riding up front with Jack and Lisa. It was starting to get chilly, a slight drizzle of rain was falling but they continued on.

Warrior snorted, bringing Jessie back to reality as a steer tried to break from the herd and they quickly sent him back where he belonged without much trouble. She glanced around again, looking for Jake who had relieved her of fetching the stragglers a couple times. She smiled as she saw him riding towards her again. 'What's the news from up front?'

'Mr. Bartlett sent me to get you. There's a river we need to go over and he was hoping you'd be able to go ahead and scout out for a place to cross. I'll take over here again.'

'Alright, thanks for letting me know Jake. Watch that black and white steer, he's bound and determined to get away from the bunch.'

'Don't worry, I've got it under control.'

'Okay.' She nudged Warrior's sides, leaning over his neck. 'Let's go boy.'

They turned away from the herd a little then she let him fly, the stallion relishing in the gallop he'd been anxious to have all day. Jack and Lisa came into view and she slowed him down to a trot as she came up behind them. 'Jake said you wanted me.'

'Yep. I was wondering if you wanted to go ahead and find a place for the cattle to cross the river.'

'Sure.' She smiled, happy that he was entrusting her with some responsibility. 'How far is it to the river?'

'About half a mile to the south east, straight ahead.'

'Okay. Consider it taken care of.' Warrior tossed his head again as she let him run, the noise of the lowing cattle soon left behind as they traveled further from the herd. She lent down low over his neck, urging him on. There was nothing she loved more than riding him at a gallop. The wind stung her eyes, making her cry as the river came into view and she began to slow him down. Warrior bucked, protesting, but she sat through it and patted his shoulder once he had finally halted. 'Good boy.'

She looked at the river, looking for a suitable place to try crossing. It was flowing kind of fast but it didn't look like it was too deep. 'What do you think boy?' She asked, urging him on closer to the water with her heels. Warrior stopped at the edge, sniffing the ground then backed away, snorting. 'Somewhere else hey? Alright then. Let's go down stream a little.'

Warrior swished his tail, tossing his head as they trotted through the pine trees alongside the river. She looked around, seeing a wider place to cross but it looked like it was flowing slower and was shallower then the first place they'd stopped at. She halted him, giving the landscape a through looking over. 'What do you think? Here?' Warrior sniffed the ground again then stepped carefully into the water. She let him have his head, letting him decide the best way to cross. He followed the river downstream a little, the water just up past his knees before he decided that it was safe to cross. He snorted as they came out the other side, trotting up the bank a little ways then halted. 'Good boy.' She patted his shoulder. 'We'll bring the cattle across here.'

She turned him back into the water, the stallion making his way across the same way he had before then cantered alongside the riverbank back towards where they'd first reached the river. In the distance she could hear the cows approaching and turned him towards the sound, letting the stallion have his head. Coming out of the trees she could see the herd filtering into the valley below and she rode him down to meet them.

'How'd you go?'

'Good. Found a place that's not too deep and not flowing too fast.' Jessie replied, turning Warrior around and settling him down to a walk again alongside Jack. 'The water only came up to my stirrups. I think the cattle will cross no problem.'

'Good work.' Jack nodded, glancing back at the herd. 'We're making good time, I think we'll make the campsite by three.'

'How are you going Jess?' Lisa looked over at the girl, noticing that the girl was sitting slightly stiff in the saddle. 'You want to take a break?'

'I'm okay.' She smiled. 'But I'll be glad when we reach camp. I think Warrior will be happy to have me off his back too.' She chuckled, scratching his withers. Warrior snorted, stretching his neck out as he enjoyed the scratch. 'He had his run, I think he'll be happy when this is over too.'

'If you need to have a break Jessie, just say so. I don't want you pushing yourself.'

'Don't worry Lisa, I will.' They rode on in relative silence towards the river, the girl absorbed in her own thoughts as Jack and Lisa talked quietly amongst themselves. The trees lining the riverbank came into view and she pointed towards where she'd gotten to the river too. 'I went through there then downstream a bit before I could cross.'

'Alright, we'll stop the herd and you can show me where you crossed.' He stopped Paint, turning back to the people driving the herd behind them. 'Okay, we're going to stop and rest here for a minute.' He shouted above the sound of the cattle. 'We're nearing a river that we have to cross so I'll be going ahead to scout. Have something to eat, hop off and stretch your legs. If we continue to make good time we'll be at the campsite just after three.' He glanced at Lisa. 'You want to stay here or come with us?'

'I'll come with you two.'

'Shouldn't Tim come too?' Jessie asked as the herd came to a stop. 'He is the trail boss after all.'

'I think he's a little preoccupied.' He replied, glancing over at Tim who was talking to Callie. 'Okay, lets go have a look.'

Jessie let Warrior into a canter, leading the way towards the river. Once they came through the trees she turned the stallion to go alongside the water then led them downstream to where they had crossed. 'We went across here.' She pointed as she halted her horse on the bank. 'We went into the water downstream a little then crossed, coming out on the bank there.'

'Alright, I'll give it a shot.'

She and Lisa sat back as Jack rode Paint across the river to make sure it was safe for the cattle, stretching in the saddle as Warrior got himself a quick drink. 'Having fun yet Lisa?'

'It's not so bad.' She chuckled, letting her mare have a drink too. 'Not quite the high life activities I'm used to but I don't mind hard work and getting my hands dirty.'

'You'll be grateful for your bed tomorrow though.'

'And proper bathrooms.' The two of them giggled, Jessie patting Warrior's neck as he took a drink from the river. 'I got used to not having a proper bathroom when I lived out here but let me just say that I'll take even the outhouse over no amenities.'

'Looks like it's a good place to cross.' Jack remarked as he and Paint reached the bank he'd left Jessie and Lisa on. 'Good work Jessie.'

'Thanks.' She blushed slightly. 'Where do you want me crossing the cattle?'

'Maybe at the back so you and Warrior can drive any cattle that don't want to cooperate across.'

'Sure. Sounds like a good plan.' They headed back towards the herd, Jack leading the way back.

'Alright, let's get them moving again.' Jack announced as they returned to the herd, halting Paint out front. They got in their positions again, urging the cattle to start moving.

'I'll go back to the back now.' The girl remarked and he nodded as she rode off on Warrior back to where she had left Jake. The cattle were moving again now and she gave them a wide berth so she didn't spook them as she circled around. Jake nodded at her as she rode back and she smiled. 'Thanks for staying back here.'

'No problem. You were right about that steer though. He's an ornery one.'

She chuckled. 'Some steers just like trying to see how many times they get turned back to the herd. He's one of them.' She glanced around for Mallory. 'I've got things under control here if you want to ride with Mallory again.'

'Thanks.' He nodded, urging his pony on. 'Good luck with that steer.'

The cattle were mostly well behaved as they drove them towards the river, only a couple of steers drifted slightly from the main group and they quickly pushed them back where they belonged. She patted Warrior as they started down the slope to the river, always on the lookout for any cattle that were thinking about escaping.

'Get them in the water.' Jack announced as he led the way that Jessie had shown him, glancing back to see where the cattle were. Some of them were already in the water, following him and Lisa as the other riders took their positions to keep them moving. 'Here we go.'

Jessie stayed back with a couple other people, keeping the cattle at the back from turning around and pushing them towards the river. Warrior snorted, eyeing off a steer that was thinking about breaking away from the herd, daring him to try. The steer thought for a moment then decided it would take too much effort and headed after the rest of the herd. She glanced over at Tim and Callie as they crossed the river, Callie riding on Tim's horse. She chuckled. Someone was definitely a city slicker.

She kept Warrior moving back and forth behind the cattle, continuing to drive them towards the river where the other riders kept them going on across to the bank on the other side. She glanced over at Ty who seemed to be having some trouble getting his mare to go through the water, wondering if she should go help. She was needed with the cattle though, she was the only rider still left on this side of the river to keep the cattle at the back moving forward. Everyone else had already crossed or were in the river. She saw Amy turn back and head for Ty, turning her attention back to the cattle once she saw that she was leading the mare across.

Finally the last of the herd had gone into the water and she glanced around one last time to see if there were any stragglers she'd missed. She didn't see any so she urged Warrior on but the stallion refused point blank to move. She tried again, clicking her tongue and nudging him with her heels but still he wouldn't move. 'What's wrong boy?' She patted his shoulder, cueing him to go forward again but he took two steps back. She frowned, the sound of the cattle getting fainter in the distance as they were driven on towards the campsite. 'What is it?'

He snorted, backing away another step then looked towards a bush. A steer called out and he carefully approached it. Coming around the bush she could see what was the matter. A steer had managed to get himself stuck in a bit of a muddy bog. 'Good work boy. I'd have missed him if it wasn't for you.'

Grabbing her lasso off her saddle she made a loop and quickly caught the steers horns, wrapping the rope around the saddle horn. 'Okay Warri, back up.' Slowly he began to back up, taking up the slack on the rope. The steer bellowed, fighting the rope but not realising that they were trying to get him out. 'Back boy.' She asked again, the steer almost out. Warrior snorted, taking another couple of steps and finally the steer was out. 'Good boy.' She patted his shoulder, pulling the steer towards her so she could get her lasso off from around its horns. The steer shook its head once it was free and she dropped the reins to let Warrior take over as she rolled her lasso up again.

The steer headed towards the water and she tied her lasso to her saddle again, picking up the reins. 'Right, let's get you back to the herd.'

The rain was falling harder again as they drove the cattle on towards the campsite, Jack and Lisa still at the front to keep the cattle on track. Lisa glanced around, looking for Jessie. The girl wasn't at the back of the herd and she hadn't come to ride with them for almost a good hour. 'Jack, do you see Jessie?'

He glanced back, going over the identities of the riders with the cattle. He frowned. 'No. She's not here.' He looked over at Tim, shouting over the calls of the herd. 'Tim, you seen Jessie?'

'Not since we crossed the river.'

Lisa looked at Jack, a worried expression on her face. 'We should go back.'

'Normally I'd say she'd be fine but I agree with you. Come on.' He turned Paint around, urging him on into a canter back towards the direction they'd just come from. 'She's probably stuck with a couple of stragglers or something.'

'But better safe than sorry.' After the last time Jessie had disappeared there was no way she wasn't going to go back to check and make sure she was okay. The girl had almost died in that blizzard. She would have too if they didn't go looking for her. 'I think there's something going on between her and Mallory?'

'What do you mean?'

'I mean Mallory might be jealous of Jessie.'

'Jealous?'

'Jack, before Jessie came to Heartland Mallory practically had you all to herself. She didn't have to share you with another twelve year old girl.'

What Lisa was saying began to dawn on him. 'I have been spending a lot of time with her lately but she's needed it Lisa.'

'I know. I'm not saying that has been wrong all I'm saying is you might need to have a talk to Mallory. If I was in her shoes I wouldn't be able to help being a little jealous of Jessie.'

'I'll talk to her.' He nodded. 'Thinking of it, she has kind of been pushed to the side since Jessie's arrival.'

'And the last thing Jessie wants, or needs-' She added, looking around to see if Jessie was anywhere around. 'Is to feel like she's causing problems and being a burden. She's trying really hard to fit in Jack, I can tell she would like to be friends with Mallory too but she's not making it easy for her.'

'Once Mallory gets an idea in her head it can be pretty hard to change it.' Jack sighed. 'I'll try talking to her the first chance I get.'

'Good idea.'

He was about to reply when he saw Jessie and Warrior emerge from the trees, driving a steer down towards them. 'There she is.'

Lisa sighed in relief seeing the girl, for a moment she'd been worried that something had happened to her. 'One got away did he?'

'Got stuck in a mud bog more like.' Jessie replied as she joined them, her gloves still wet and dirty from getting the soppy mud off her lasso. 'He'd have been left behind if Warrior didn't stop so I could find him.' They turned their horses around, driving the steer ahead of them. 'Have either of you got a spare pair of gloves? These ones are wet and freezing.'

'I think I might have a pair.' She glanced down at the saddlebags, trying to open one of them. 'Yes, I do.'

'Brilliant.' The girl exclaimed in relief, taking off her pair and replacing them with Lisa's. She shoved them in her saddle bag, picking up her reins again. 'How much further to the campsite?'

'Probably another hour and a half at least.' Jack glanced up at the sky as it continued to rain. 'Hopefully this will pass soon, it's going to make camping an absolute joy if it continues.'

'There's nothing quite like camping in rain.' She continued the sarcasm while they rode on back to the herd. 'Absolute best time of my life. Actually, no. Surviving in the mountains in the winter was the best. That was so much fun. I'll take my nice warm bed at Heartland over that any day of the week.

'I would too.' Lisa agreed. 'I'm not a fan of camping the best of times but I certainly wouldn't want to live out here.'

'One thing for certain is I'll never complain about cleaning my room again. Not that I do, but you get my drift.' The herd came into view and she urged the steer on faster. 'I'll get this guy back with the rest of them.'

Jack and Lisa continued on their way to the herd at a walk, letting Josie go on ahead with the steer. It started raining slightly harder, slowing the riders down with the cattle a little as the ground started to get a little harder going.

'Are you sure you don't want to take a break?' Lisa finally broke the silence as they led the way out front of the herd again.

'What's the point of the fancy saddle if you got to keep taking breaks?'

'We could go right there.' She pointed to a small grove of trees to just off to their left in the distance. 'Get out of this driving rain for a moment. You know you've got trail mix and water in your saddle.'

'I don't need a break. I don't need a rest. I don't need nuts or berries. I still got lots of miles in me.'

'Okay. I don't.' Lisa finally admitted in slight exasperation. 'I need a bathroom.'

'Well why didn't you say so?'

'I did. But ever since I gave you that saddle you hear what you want to hear.'

'Oh I get it. Now I'm hard of hearing?'

'Oh dear lord.'