A Pair of Second Chances (Ben Jensen Series Book 1) by Brian Gore Read Free Book Online Page A

seeming peace and stability of America, they remembered living in the apparent peace of Sarajevo.
    Hell, the Olympics had come there! Yet still, the place had descended into barbarism. They remembered the massacres... They remembered the lost, and they had sworn to each other; "Never Again".
    So, when they arrived in Chicago, one of their first tasks was to assemble a small cache of weapons, ammunition and gear, as their insurance policy against the expected unexpected.
    Mirza would bring those weapons. Zlatko and Juka would do the scouting to see where they needed to go.
    When all was ready... They would go find Sadik.
     
     
    Chapter 5
     
     
    The morning sun, coming through a dirty window found the cowboy still slumped in the chair he'd passed out in the night before. His supper was burnt to a cinder on the now cold stove. A.H. nuzzled Ben's chin trying to wake him. He needed to get outside, and waiting any longer really wasn't an option.
    Ben stirred, and slowly awoke to the slobbery licking of the big rangy mutt. "Ga'dam A.H.! quit slobberin' all over me ya bastard! You know I don't like it!" he growled at the dog... rubbing his calloused hand over his head, belying the curses. The dog just wagged his tail and kept slobbering.
    Ben finally struggled to his feet. "Ok, Ok, I'll let ya out... you must have to pee awful bad ya big, worthless, flea farm!" he growled as he opened the creaky cabin door. The dog raced outside and watered the weeds in the ranch yard.
    He left the door open to the morning air as A.H. got his relief, and went about his usual routine fixing breakfast.
    When he was done eating, he sat at the table just drinking his coffee and looking at the mountains through the open door. "Seventy-five thousand dollars, and six weeks to find it." was the thought that kept echoing in his mind. If he could somehow manage to catch that much it'd buy him another year, though he hadn't any idea what he'd actually live on.
    He had a couple over two dozen top broodmares up on the mountain... and just short of two dozen foals by their side. He thought he could get maybe three hundred dollars a piece for those colts running 'em through a sale and taking what he could get.
    Of the good year he'd started out on, with 100% foal and calf crops, the damn cougars and bears had him down to what he believed was twenty two foals and near as he could tell, something around 90 calves out of the 100 cows he had remaining in his small herd. He might get some compensation from the state for the depredation damage a rancher wasn't allowed to defend himself against... but that was a long, and iffy ordeal.
    No... he'd have to collect his foal and calf crop, get the best price he could, then cull either his mare or cow herds, or both, again, to try and make up the difference.
    He hated to cut his herd again. It'd sure make producing the mortgage payment next year a hard go... but what choice did he have? All he could do, was all he could do.
    A.H. came back in after his morning patrol of the ranch grounds to take up his spot beside the woodstove.
    Ben finished his coffee and with a "Well dog... only thing left is to catch 'em, and haul 'em!" he walked out of the cabin and headed toward the barn.
    He talked to his horses as he saddled up. "Well Toby, we gotta go catch those pack horses. We gotta ride up and set a camp up on the mountain. I'm needing to round up those mares. Haven't worked 'em in some lil' while. They're likely to be wild as deer. You up to it boss?"
    Not surprisingly, the horse just finished his grain in the nosebag hanging on his head, and didn't answer.
    With the horse saddled Ben swung up and called to A.H. as he rode out of the yard; "You know the drill flea bag... keep a close eye on this mansion, I'll be back this afternoon... I hope!"
    While he had moved his mares to graze higher up on the mountain with the spring thaw, his three pack horses were kept in a pasture lower down. He really didn't have any thought of having