Chapter 5
The acrid stink of singed hair and hide stung Annemarie’s nose as the plaintive bawling of calves calling for their mothers drowned out the shouts and laughter of the men wrestling them down to be branded. She leaned against the corral fence with her arms folded on the top rail watching Gabe and his six brothers, eldest nephews, and brother-in-law work. Even at six feet tall, poor Andrew—the brother-in-law—was the smallest man in the crew. The Collins boys all stood between six-three and six-five. Even John, Gabe’s father, was taller, having shrunk from six-four to six-two after a series of back injuries.
She tugged her heavy coat closer around her to ward off the chill wind soaring down out of the Owl Creek and Absaroka Mountains. The damp bite in the gray afternoon promised t
