CHAPTER SIX
GRAYSON
I can’t believe this year is half over. It’s already the middle of June, which means it’s time for cow branding. We do this every summer for the new calves and cows the ranch has bought. Branding is important because if our cows wander off, the locals will know who they belong to.
Today will include a lot of horseback riding, and it’s one of the times I feel like a real cowboy. Especially since it’s done just like those on the great frontier.
I’m supposed to meet Diesel on the far side of the ranch at the corrals built for this very thing. I make a quick cup of coffee, then head out. When I take the steps off the porch, I notice something unusual in the bed of my truck— there’s a high pile of rotting cow s**t, and it stinks.
“What the hell?” I curse aloud, searchin
