Cowboy Cried Wolf

To Hell Or High Water Part 1

June’s POV

It was quiet and dark in the barn, a couple of horses the only company I had as I hid in the top loft amongst the hay. I hoped that Hank wouldn’t be too long and that I could walk freely soon around town without having to worry about anyone seeing me in my night dress.

I should probably stop by the bank while we’re here too and get some money out. I was down to a few dollars at the house anyway and a new horse. The animals whinnied under me, as if sensing my intentions with them. I hoped that at least some of the animals survived the fire, me not wanting to have to buy new ones to replace them.

I cuddled down further into the hay, enjoying how warm it made me feel for a moment; the feeling of being on edge melting away after a minute or two. I wonder how long Hank’ll be. I mused after a while. Just as I was readjusting myself I the hay though, I heard a few horses whinny outside the barn. Please go past, please go past. I wished that the riders were not entering here. I really could not risk discovery right now.

“…And then I said, ‘who let the b***h out of the kitchen!’” A chorus of cackles followed the voice as a group of men entered the building, my heart catching in my throat at the sound of them.

Fucking no… it was Fredrick O’Shea, his voice making my heart fill with dread. Please don’t find me, please don’t find me… I repeated in my head like a mantra, dreading the idea of them finding me. My heart was beating a million miles a minute, sounding like a stampede of cows across the plains.

“Did any of you catch sight of the stranger that killed Peter?” Fredrick asked out loud, their voices low in the barn. “Bert said it was a demon who attacked them, letting my June get away last night.”

“No, but we have our eyes out for him. If I had to guess, he was either a hunter, a rogue, or a lone wolf. My money is leaning more to lone wolf though, especially if he took down Peter so easily.” I could recognize Fredrick’s right hand man, Garth, speaking up. His nasally voice making even the horses in the stalls uneasy.

“If it’s a lone wolf; run him off like all the others. I can’t very well have them sniffing around here and trying to start up a pack on the Crawford ranch. I need that land; f**k, I need June Crawford too. That tight little body is just begging for a real man to take it.” Fredrick was all but drooling when he said that, making my skin crawl. I had found a slight gap in the boards underneath me, letting me see down below me in the main area of the barn.

“As soon as I have her, I’m not letting her go again. Damnit, even if I have to mark her against her will; she’ll submit to me.” He spit on the ground, the large glob making a dark spot in the dirt.

“But who would want to mark a human?! Vile scum as they are.” One of the other lackey’s spoke up, Garth hitting him on the back of the head.

“I have my reasonings, June is more than meats the eye, especially with the bit of information I got from the Indian.” Fredrick growled, tying his horse to a post. Then all of the sudden he paused, sniffing the air. “Speaking of… I think we may have found where little Miss June has been hiding.”

Fuck… I backed away my face from the hole, my heart picking up its already frantic beat. There was no way they’d heard me, so how in f*****g hell did he know I was here?! I looked around me in the loft and wanted to cuss. There weren’t any hiding places for me here, and rustling into the hay would just draw even more attention.

“Oh, Miss June, my bride; come out here now.” Fredrick’s voice carried a musical quality to it, mocking me from below. “You can’t escape our wedding forever. Now come be a good b***h and let your Papi Fredrick take care of you.” He began walking around, sniffing the air like a bloodhound.

I dared put my face back to the hole again and looked down, seeing Frederick direct his men to fan out in the barn, one going to the door to look out, the other going to the back. Garth and Fredrick sniffing the air like a pair of bloodhounds in search of raccoons. “If you come out now, I’ll make your punishment for hiding less severe.” He cooed, the growl in his undertones sounding animalistic.

I heard a creak in wood then as someone grabbed hold of the ladder, starting to pull themselves up to the loft. I looked around one last time for something, anything, to protect myself with. Aha! There, three feet to my right, was the handle of a pitchfork just barely poking out of the pile of straw. I reached out and grabbed it, holding it tightly in my fingers as the creaking got louder.

I dared not pull the pitchfork yet, in fear of giving away my position; but at least now I had a grip on it to make everything faster. I could see a stock of hair poking up then, the red of it catching in the little bit of light the barn had. Garth, Fredric’s second, put his head up all of the way, taking in the loft and looking for a disturbance. He pulled himself up and dusted himself off slightly, stopping when his eyes alighted on something near me. My eyes tracked his gaze, looking down to where his eyes had stopped, seeing a little bit of my ruined dress poking out. f**k…

“Hello June.” Garth grinned, his movements going directly to my hiding spot..