Page 3 of Head Above Water
“You should come,” he said flatly.
Bryce went right into his brother’s space. “You’re the one who needs religion. I found what your latest conquest dropped in the tack room last night.” He grinned as Willard paled. “So go ask God to forgive you, and stop acting like an ass.” He strode out to the barn. Mystic and Custer were already saddled and ready to go.
“Is there anything else you need?” Danny asked as he made his morning check of the stables and got a head shake as an answer. “Don’t be out too long. The weather report is calling for the possibility of storms, which probably means we’ll get lightning and noise, but not a drop of rain.” It had been dry for weeks, and without some sort of moisture soon, they were going to have to begin supplementing the cattle, and that could get costly.
“We’ll keep an eye on the sky,” Bryce said as Hazard joined him in the yard. “And thanks for saddling the horses.”
“That was Hazard,” Danny informed him, and stepped back as he mounted. Hazard did the same, and Bryce led the way toward the south.
“Is there someplace special you wanted to go?” Hazard asked as they rode alongside one of the pastures. All the grass was yellow and scrubby. The usual summer storms seemed to be passing them by this year, and it was getting very frustrating. Not only did it stress the cattle, but it also increased the chances of wildfires and brought wolves and other predators closer to the herds.
“I haven’t been this way in a while.” Bryce paused, and Hazard drew his horse next to his. “There used to be a watering hole out there in my grandfather’s time, but it’s gone now. So part of the year, we can’t use that section of land. I used to dream about finding it again, but my father says that if it were still there to be found, it would show itself.”
“Why did it dry up?”
“The Calvins dug deep wells, and it must have changed the aquifer. At least that’s what my father thinks. But the government made him pull those wells a few years ago because they hadn’t been approved in the first place.”
“Do you know where it was?”
Bryce nodded. “See those old trees? That’s it.” He nudged Mystic, and she took off. Hazard urged Custer on, and soon, both of them were flying across the pasture, the horses’ hooves thumping as they hit the ground, making Bryce’s heart race. There were few things as invigorating as a good gallop, unless it was the sight of Hazard on horseback, his entire body moving in tune with Custer, muscles undulating and flowing in beautiful concert between man and horse.
“Can’t keep up?” Hazard called as Custer picked up more speed. His laughter carried out over the land, and Bryce smiled. He could count on one hand the number of times he had trulyseen Hazard this happy or willing to let himself go. He was always so under control and careful, and seeing him so free and fun-loving, almost joyous, was amazing.
He urged Mystic to go faster, and she responded, closing the distance with Custer, but Hazard was a better rider than just about anyone on the ranch. He crouched down low and gave Custer his head, eating up the distance between the ranch house and the old watering hole quickly.
They pulled their horses to a stop as they approached the small, wooded area in the middle of a sea of grassland. Hazard guided his horse into the shade and climbed down, Custer’s coat glistening with sweat. Bryce did the same, and they tied up the horses. “There must be water here somewhere. Otherwise, these trees wouldn’t be doing as well as they are.” He turned to Bryce. “I mean, you’d think they’d have dried up after all this time.”
“I’d have thought so too.” Bryce led the way into the copse of trees. “But the land doesn’t seem damp, and other than the trees, there’s no sign of any other water.” He made his way to a depression in the ground that was largely filled with leaves and other debris.
“Someone was digging,” Hazard said as he kicked aside some of the underbrush.
“I used to come out here when I was a kid. I’d dig down and see if I could find anything. But I never did. The ground was just as dry as ever.” Bryce turned, looking up into the canopy over their heads while Hazard picked up a stick and used it to push aside some of the collected debris.
“There isn’t any dampness under the leaves, and they hold moisture for a long time.” He continued poking around and then crouched down. “Look at this….”
“What is it?”
“Water scale. It’s dried up now, but there’s been water here.” He moved more of the leaves aside.
“It could have been from the last rain. Water would collect here.” Bryce didn’t see the relevance. But Hazard was smiling and shaking his head.
“Nope. These minerals would come from underground, dissolved into the water and then left behind when it dried up. It’s hard to know how long ago they were left, but there was something here.”
“How do you know?” Bryce asked.
“Because remember when we had to use some of the ranch well water for the horses last year? One of the buckets had water in it, and when it dried, it looked like that. We have minerals in our water here.” Hazard drew closer, testing the white powder between his fingers. “Of course, I don’t know how long this has been here since everything is dry, but I’d guess it hasn’t been too long. A good rain would likely wash it away.” He scratched his head slightly.
“So there’s been water in this area in the last few months.”
“I’d say so. But I could be wrong. I’m not a geologist or anything.” He climbed out of the depression. “One thing is for sure—it’s bone-dry now.” He raised his eyes skyward. “It looks like some clouds are rolling in.”
“Yeah. But storms aren’t likely until the afternoon heat builds up.” Bryce wandered through the area with Hazard following along behind him. A low rumble sounded in the distance, and Bryce turned toward the west as the clouds darkened.
“I guess things have decided to happen early today. We should get back to the horses.”
“I agree,” he added as more thunder rolled over the land. “I hope there’s some moisture in those clouds.” He strode to Mystic and climbed on as Hazard did the same with Custer. Then they started the ride home as the last of the sun disappeared behind the thick clouds. It was like a shadow rolling over the land as theworld darkened around them. Thunder cracked, and Bryce gave Mystic her head, letting her have full rein as they hurried back toward the ranch compound.
The wind picked up, blowing around them as the first large drops hit the ground, sending up small clouds of dust. “We have to get back now,” Hazard called as they raced homeward, the ranch buildings getting closer as lightning split the sky, followed immediately by a clap of thunder that Bryce felt as well as heard.