Chapter 8
“What are we going to do about him?” Marcel, Paul and Henri were all at the table and not one face held much glee. They all knew that Scott was on a road that he had been in before and no one wanted to see it. There was not much to be done though and Marcel was thinking that his brother needed some time away from the ranch. There was a cattle drive in their future and he thought it best that he and Scott went alone.
“I think we should go ahead and take the cows up to the north pasture a couple weeks early. It would get him out of town and away from the bars for a bit. I will go and try to talk to him.” Marcel felt like it was his responsibility as the older brother to help him through it. They had all thought that it would work out with Lisa and though Scott tried to pretend that he was okay with it, in reality he wasn’t.
Paul thought that they should all go, but Marcel argued that it should be him. Henri was under the impression that Scott just needed time alone because that is what he would want in that situation. There was talk for a while, but Marcel got his way as he usually did. He was everyone’s big brother and no one wanted to be the one against him.
“I just don’t like the idea of two people on a cattle drive. We have a lot of them to move this year. Tons of newborns and the Brazos River is ten feet higher than it is supposed to be. There is a reason that we wait till the end of the month. I don’t know if we should really be driving this early.” Paul said concerned. There had been a lot of rain that season and his mind was always on the logistics.
Marcel wasn’t thinking about any of that. He was worried about what Scott would do, and there was no way that staying in town and working it out was going to be an option. It never worked before and he was sure that the chances of it working again were slim. There was something more important than losing a calf. He didn’t want to lose his brother like they almost had before.
“I know that it will be a little higher. I was thinking we could cross a little higher up where it is not so wide. It will be stronger and deeper, but they should do fine.” He wasn’t sure of himself, but his face showed confidence in his plan.
“I am with Paul, Marcel. It is risky to go now, but I can see your point too. You guys just make sure you have a few extra supplies. There are some parts that don’t have any cell service out there. I don’t like the idea of you going alone, but I guess two is better than one.”
***
Scott was getting up about the time work was finished and Davina was over making dinner. She already knew what was going to happen and she had come over for some emotional support. Everyone liked Davina and they liked her cooking even more. Scott thought with his stomach and Marcel thought that it would be an easier way to ease him into it.
“Good evening sunshine!” Marcel was talking loud close to his ear. Scott pushed him back and grimaced. His head was pounding and he almost thanked Davina for the coffee that she slid to him. It was late in the evening and dark outside, but the warm cup was as close to pleasure as he had in days.
“That smells good, Davina.”
“I made your favorite.”
He smiled, but then knew that something was amiss. “Why?”
“Because I know you have been having a rough go of things.”
He shrugged. “Pity?”
“Yes, it’s pity food. Do you not want any?”
They both knew he did and no one said much else until he had eaten some of it. His senses were off because of the hang over and he was possibly still a little drunk, the alcohol still not out of his system. “So why is everyone looking at me like I am about to freak out?”
“Because I had to go get you at two in the afternoon stone drunk at a bar. What’s going on?”
Scott made a sneer. “It seems like everyone knows what is going on besides me. I told you before that I don’t need to talk about this. You know damn well what is going on with Lisa. I am just waiting for one of my brothers, to tell me who the hell it is.”
“Why?”
“You know why.”
Marcel knew that his brother had every intention on fighting. With older brothers, Scott had to get tough quick and had resorted to violence more than once. “That isn’t going to happen. We might not be able to bail you out this time.”
Scott shrugged and went back to the bowl of stew. If he had to listen to the crap, the least he could do was eat well. He was already starting to feel a little better, his stomach no longer sounding like it was trying to eat itself. “You guys can’t watch over me all the time. The town is small and I will find out what I need to know.”
His older brother sat down next to him at the large wooden table and put his hand on his shoulder. “I need you to help me with the drive. If you still feel like smashing his face in, I will give you his name.” Marcel would, but he hoped that he could get through to him before he tried to kill the poor boy. David was weak and while he wasn’t sure why Lisa went that way, he knew that his brother would make short work of him. Scott was the strongest and just most manic of the Callahan boys. He had taken down all of his older brothers at one time or another. Marcel’s jaw still hurt when he remembered the time they had gotten into it at the very bar he had picked him up from earlier in the day.
The smile that came across his face made Marcel realize that he was going to have his work cut out for him. There was something sinister in the way Scott was looking and the last thing that he wanted was to have to bail him out of jail again.
“So is it a deal?”
“I don’t want to wait weeks Marcel. The drive isn’t until the end of the month.”
“Not now. There is supposed to be flooding next week and we need to get them to the upper pasture or they will be stuck here and I don’t know how much hay is left. They need to get up there and then the Jerich twins are going to take over. There are already up there.”
Marcel was lying through his teeth, but it wasn’t as if his brother had been checking the weather lately and he was just so convincing. He almost had Henri and Paul convinced and they knew that it wasn’t true.
Scott was warming up to the idea with a second bowl and was soon ready to go. He knew that he needed a couple of days away, but was convinced that he would not have a change of heart. Marcel had been softened by marriage, but Scott knew that he wasn’t going to be softened and tamed like his brother.
He would go and then get the information he needed to take care of the man. There was no real thought of reasoning. It was just the idea that someone had even touched Lisa. It didn’t matter if they were together or not. Lisa was always going to be his.
“Fine, Marcel. You want to do the drive? We can leave in the morning. No sense in waiting if it has to be done. But when we get back, I am going to hold you to what you said.”
Marcel nodded, hoping that his idea didn’t backfire on him.