Oregon Outback by Elizabeth Goddard Page B

near a water source.”
    “Good idea,” Sheridan said. “At the risk of showing my ignorance, what exactly are we looking for? How can you tell if the cows we see are yours?”
    “Mine will be white-faced, for starters. I’m hoping I’ll have a sense of whether or not this is my stolen herd. If we get a reaction at all from men on horseback, that could tell us if they’re the rustlers.” Carver’s spirits sagged. This seemed like an impossible task, but he couldn’t give up. “On the other hand, if we spook them, they’ll move again.”
    He recalled Sheridan’s words that she didn’t think he was the kind of man to give up. The way she’d said it almost sounded like a compliment. He liked that.
    A half hour passed and they saw nothing suspicious. “Over there, to your far left corner. I see something,” Sheridan said.
    Carver looked through the binoculars. “We don’t want to alert them we’re looking for them. Just want to act like we’re out for a nice Sunday drive.”
    At least twenty white-faced cows and their calves grazed on a foothill. Kevin flew the plane close enough for a good look and continued on in the same direction.
    Two men on horseback were heading into a gulch. They didn’t look up at the plane. Carver’s pulse throbbed against his collar.
    “Did we find them?” Kevin asked.
    “Maybe. I don’t know. I’m afraid to fly around and take another look. We might scare them off.”
    “And then they’d be gone by the time you got there.” Sheridan slid over into the opposite seat to look out the other side. “What do you think, Carver? It’s your call.”
    “I don’t have an answer for you yet. Let’s cover as much area as we can to make sure those aren’t the only cattle I need to check out.”
    “Sure thing,” Kevin said. “This is a big region to cover, but what you’ve got on your side is that it’s got a small population. Someone has to know something.”

    Kevin’s words resonated with Sheridan. “I put my deputies to work on that after we talked this morning, Carver.”
    He didn’t say anything, making her wonder if he approved. Not that it mattered.
    Sheridan glanced at her watch. She’d known this could take all day, or at least until Kevin’s fuel ran low.
    “What about those men on horseback? Wouldn’t we have seen them react to the plane if they were rustlers?” Kevin asked.
    “I don’t know. Maybe.” Carver lowered his binoculars and squeezed the bridge of his nose.
    The man had a reputation of being determined and hardheaded, but she’d never known him to be indecisive.
    She leaned forward in her seat. “No. That’s wrong. If they were regular guys out there, they would have glanced up at the plane. It’s the only thing happening for miles around. It’s a reflexive reaction. Curiosity. The fact they didn’t glance up says they could be up to no good, didn’t want us to see anything we could identify them with.”
    “Good point,” Carver said.
    Had Carver just agreed with her? This was going better than she expected. Still, it was a guess at best.
    By lunch, Kevin had brought the plane back and taxied off the runway to park. Sheridan climbed out, her jacket flapping in the gusty wind. She waited for Carver to get out, too.
    They thanked Kevin, then Carver made arrangements to pay the man for his time, trouble, and fuel.
    “Uh, Carver, that won’t be necessary,” she said. “The sheriff’s department has funds allotted from the BLM law enforcement contract for aircraft time. I’ll make sure Kevin gets paid.”
    “This is why I didn’t want you along. These are my cattle. I’ll deal with this in my own way.” The creases etching Carver’s eyes conveyed his stress.
    “Carver, I don’t want you going after these men alone.” How could she get it through his head this could be dangerous?
    “I know how to handle rustlers,” he said.
    “All the same, someone will be over to the ranch. We pay you a fee to board horses for mounted