Kade looked at Alejandro. “Let me know if you think of anything else. In the meantime, just rest and take it easy.”

Turning, he started for the door, waited for Ellie, and followed her out, then fell in beside her as they walked back to the house and went in through the kitchen. Ellie forced herself not to glance at the oak table as they walked past.

“I’ve got some work to do on my computer before I start supper,” she said. “I’ll see you later.”

Kade’s golden-brown eyes sparked with heat. “I’m looking forward it.”

Ellie’s stomach curled.

* * *

A problem came up that afternoon. Roy rode in to say something seemed to be wrong with the waterhole up near Bear Tooth Ridge. With all the trouble they’d been having, Kade was afraid the water might have been poisoned. Grabbing a sample kit, he and Wyatt set out on ATVs to take a look. Slate joined them on his own ATV, pulling a small trailer with enough makeshift fencing to keep the cattle away from the drinking hole.

Unfortunately, by the time they got there, two of the cows were down, bawling in pain, alive, but clearly sick.

“Sonofabitch,” Kade said.

“We need to get that water sample, see what’s going on,” Wyatt said as they turned off their four-wheelers’ engines.

Kade pulled a pair of glass vials out of the kit he’d brought and knelt at the edge of the drinking hole. The surface was smooth and flat. The water was clear and looked clean, but there was no way to tell without testing it in a lab.

Kade filled the vials and put them back in the kit. “We need to get these two cows back to the barn so the vet can have a look at them.” If they stay alive that long, he thought, and silently cursed.

“I’ll go back and get a truck and trailer,” Slate said, “bring it around through the gate at the far end of the pasture.”

“Sounds good.” But it would take a while. In the meantime, there wasn’t much they could do for the animals without knowing what was wrong with them. They needed to keep the other cows away from the water until they found out what was going on.

While Slate headed back to the ranch, Kade and Wyatt unloaded the fencing and went to work erecting a barrier around the waterhole.

Wyatt smoothed his handlebar mustache and glanced over at Kade. “You think the guy who shot the steers poisoned the water?”

“Could be,” Kade said. “Other ways it could have happened too.” Using a post hole digger, he dug a hole, set one of the fence posts, shoveled the dirt back in, and tamped it down. “Won’t know for sure till we get the lab report.” Had Frank Keller poisoned the cows? Or was the man smart enough to be long gone from the area?