The Answer by L.L. Buck

Author:L.L. Buck [Buck, L.L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2016-05-03T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

After calling the fire in, Aunt La wasted no time following the men. She was never one to miss action, especially when it came to her husband and the ranch. Bustling up to the barn, still wearing her red gingham apron, she found all the horses and Elmer’s mule saddled and ready to go.

“She’s ready to go, dear.” Aunt La thanked her husband and wasted no time jumping on her black mare. Out of the barn all five of them flew as if the fire was right on their tails—covering the desert ground quickly in search for the cattle.

The ranch was expansive stretching for miles upon miles. The house and a large portion of green land would most likely be protected from fire since it sat under the canal line that wrapped around in a protective circle with its rapid moving water. Above the canal was a different story. The dry land made up a good portion of the ranch, and the barn and large corral system was a part of that dry land—unprotected.

But even with the risk of fire reaching the barn, the goal was to move the large herd of cattle to that location. With help from the well trained firefighters, protecting the barn area and the precautions Uncle Reid had already taken to protect the area, his cattle would have the best chance of survival there.

Uncle Reid made sure every year he was ready for the fire season by digging a large line separating the dry land from the barn area as a firebreak. The lack of vegetation in that area should play a large part in slowing or stopping the fire—if all went to plan. Which everyone knew was not always the case, but the ranch and cows were Reid's livelihood and he would take drastic measures to see them safe and protected.

As the horses thundered across the land they could see the fire spreading at a rapid pace in the distance. The sound of fire trucks began to progressively get louder. Lightning would strike and with no time in between the thunder would pound shaking the ground and the security of all who dared to be out in it.

Perched high on top of their horses in the open fields, Grady, Myles, Elmer, Uncle Reid and Aunt La all posed as targets for the frighteningly close lightning, but that did not matter to anyone at the moment. The only thing on everyone’s mind was to see the cows to safety.

Reaching the large herd of cattle, in which were already running the opposite direction from the fire, but not altogether, the cows were frightened causing them to scatter every which way headed in all directions. Uncle Reid calmly threw out orders to the others from the top of his favorite horse, Duke. He sat as straight as a sergeant passing the orders to his army, as he looked on at his enemy—the fire, sizing up the best plan of attack.

Grady took the orders from his highly

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