by Patricia Fry
“And you thought Moose would be safe with us? You trusted us to board him?” Savannah asked.
“Well, when I asked you to keep him, I didn’t know about the suspected arson, but yes, we thought he’d be safe at your place.” Her gaze swept across the terrain. “Now I’m not so sure.”
“But you don’t know that those guys back there were after Moose,” Savannah reasoned. “Like I said, they were probably kids hiding their sins from their parents.”
Bonnie thought for a moment. “Yeah, you could be right. But Barney and I have a responsibility to our boarders and we take that seriously. If a client is concerned about their animal’s safety for whatever reason, I need to pay attention.” She faced Savannah. “Something has happened since I talked to you the other day. Someone has made it clear to Sandy that they want her to pull Moose from the competition.” She bit her lower lip and added, “Or else.”
“Wow,” Savannah muttered. “That’s harsh. So he really has an impressive reputation, does he?”
“Yes. He made a great showing on his first ride and got the attention of a lot of people. Interested parties came forward and offered Sandy large sums of money for Moose. That stopped when Moose was injured, but Sandy’s backers are excited to see Moose back in the running and they’ve been spreading the word—you know, trying to promote him.”
“So endurance competition is a big deal, huh?”
“Yes it is.” She weighed her words when she said, “Now Sandy doesn’t know if the potential buyers wanted Moose in order to compete or if they would retire him.”
“Why would they do that?” Savannah asked.
“To give their own entrants more of an edge.”
“Oh,” Savannah said, struggling to understand. “So the stakes must be high.” She looked confused. “But you indicated that there really isn’t much of a payoff other than the prestige of winning.”
“Sure, there’s money in it; serious riders will pay big bucks for a proven horse. A win or at least a great performance by a horse can raise the value of that animal by thousands of dollars. Like I told you the other day, some people breed and raise horses and mules for endurance.” She snickered. “So to have an unknown horse come from out of nowhere and start blowing the other animals out of the water, sure it’s going to worry and even rile some people.” She paused, then said, “Sandy and her backers knew it might be dangerous to announce Moose’s surprising recovery, which is actually why he had been staying at our place, below the radar, we thought.”
“But they found Moose.” Savannah chose her words carefully. “And you think that someone intentionally set that fire in an attempt to destroy him? That’s dreadful. How sure are you about that?”
Bonnie thought for a moment. “Well, we know that the fire was set on purpose. As for whether it was because of Moose—I’d say there’s probably a ninety-percent chance that it was. I guess Sandy’s injury could be a result of this mess.” She clenched her teeth. “I mean, how does a light bulb go missing all by itself?”
Savannah looked around the area again. “And now you think that whoever wants Moose out of the race has found him at our place?”
Bonnie raised her eyebrows. “I sure hope not, but it’s possible.” She grinned. “It’s also possible that I’m becoming as paranoid as Sandy seems to be.”
“Let’s hope that’s the case. We sure don’t want that beautiful animal harmed—especially on my watch.” Savannah cocked her head. “So you don’t know who might be after Moose—who could have set the fire?”
“Not yet, but you can bet there’s an investigation being launched as we speak. When the fire investigator determined it to be arson, and since there have been no other arson reports in this area in years, they think it could be someone with a vendetta, as opposed to it being some psycho pyromaniac out getting his jollies.” She faced Savannah. “Listen, after that scare on the trail and Sandy’s suspicious accident, I’m going to have Joe and Roy go on high alert. As it is, they’ve been instructed to work and stay out of your hair—you know, lunge and ride some of the horses, clean corrals, administer meds, check the horses over for any potential problems, and also keep an extra eye on Moose. But with these new incidents and very real suspicions, I’m going to promote them to security, as well. Do you mind? It would just be until we know the horse isn’t in any danger.”
Savannah took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she continued riding alongside Bonnie. “Well, yeah, that’s okay. Whatever will keep the horses safe.”
Bonnie looked out over the horizon. “Here comes that wind they’ve been predicting. What do you say we get these guys home before it really kicks up?”
“Sounds good to me,” Savannah said, nudging Peaches into a brisk walk.
****
It was after midnight when Savannah donned her boots and windbreaker. She stood at the window for a moment and didn’t see evidence that the two security guards were on duty. She reasoned, Even if they have made their rounds already tonight, it can’t hurt to double-check everything. She wanted to make sure the horses still had shelter from the wind and also the predicted rain. She grabbed a flashlight and had started to open the door when she noticed Lexie dancing around her. “Do you need to go out?” she asked the dog. “Well, come on. I’ll put you in your run while I check the horses.” She ruffled the fur on Lexie’s head and smiled. “Don’t want to lose you in the gale, and don’t need you getting underfoot in the dark.” Once she’d secured the gate to Lexie’s outdoor pen, Savannah shined her flashlight toward the small trailer where Bonnie’s brothers were staying. She thought, I’m glad Bonnie suggested they keep watch over things. It gives me a greater sense of comfort. She shined the light toward the corrals and chuckled. Bonnie’s right, it’s not easy being responsible for eight horses. They’re probably just fine, unless one of the temporary shelters has cartwheeled away or the wind has frightened the ponies.
She’d just finished checking on each of the horses when something startled her. Before she could react, someone grabbed her from behind, pinning her arms to her sides and causing her to lose her grip on the flashlight. She struggled hard and screamed, hoping to be heard over the roar of the wind.
“Quiet down!” a man said, his breath warm against her cheek. “No one’s going to hear you with that wind howling.” Someone else tied a bandana around her mouth. She attempted to identify him in the dim light, but his face was shaded by a Western hat and distorted by a clear plastic mask.
The man behind her demanded, “Give me the key to that gate.” He fumed, “Who locks up horses, anyway? Don’t you know what could happen in case of a fire?” He jostled Savannah. “Where’s the key? I want the key.” He pushed her shoulders so she faced him. “Do you have it on you?”
The second man pulled her arms behind her and quickly wrapped a piece of rope tightly around her wrists. Savannah continued to struggle. She had the wherewithal, however, to study the first man’s face. He, too, wore a mask. The only features she could make out were his unusually thick, dark eyebrows. She tried to kick him, but he tightened his grip on her upper arms, and held her at a safe distance.
“Give me the key,” he demanded. He called to his partner, “Hey, Steve, check her pockets. She probably has it on her.”
Although Savannah fiercely resisted, the man managed to hold her steady enough so Steve could check her clothing for the key.
“Not on her,” he announced
The first man shook her and growled, “Where is it?” Suddenly distracted, he hissed to his partner, “Shut that yapping dog up, will you? He’s gonna wake the whole town.”
“Yeah, well, how am I gonna do that, Hank?”
“I don’t care how; just do it.” When Steve didn’t make a move, the apparent boss-man said impatiently, “Okay, come hold onto her. I’ll take care of the mutt.”
“What are you going to do?” Steve asked.
“What does it matter? Get over here and hold onto this wildcat.�
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In the meantime, Savannah yelled through the cloth and continued fighting against the man’s grip.
“Settle down,” he snarled.
But she wasn’t about to give in. When Hank eased up in order to let Steve take over, she lunged in an attempt to slip away from her attackers. But they were more cunning than she was, and stronger, and she ended up on the ground with a foot in the middle of her back.
“Don’t let her up,” Hank instructed.
“Yeah, yeah,” Steve snarked.
She lifted her head enough that she could see the outline of the man walking toward Lexie’s pen. In the dimness, she saw him open the gate and start to walk inside, when Lexie raced past him and tore around the yard, frantically barking. Savannah grinned at how agile Lexie was and how clumsy the man had become as he chased her with a length of pipe raised over his head.
Suddenly, Michael opened the door and called Lexie’s name. He shouted, “Savannah, are you out here?”
She tried to scream through the gag, but Michael couldn’t hear her muffled voice over the howling wind and Lexie’s incessant barking. Her heart sank when she heard Michael call out, “No, Rags! Rags, come back in here!”
That’s all we need, she thought is Rags in the mix. If only I could get Michael’s attention. I need to warn him. I don’t want those men hurting him or Rags or Lexie. Poor Lexie. What if he catches her?
Alarmed by Lexie’s behavior, Michael stepped back inside the kitchen and came out with a flashlight of his own. By then, the men had shuttered theirs and they were hiding in the shadows, one of them still holding Savannah pinned to the ground. “Lexie,” Michael called. “Lexie, come here, girl.” When the dog obediently approached Michael, he saw that she was agitated. “What’s wrong, girl?” he asked. He gazed out beyond the porch, shining his flashlight around where the portable corrals had been set up. He cupped one hand around his mouth and shouted again, “Savannah!”
Growing more and more frustrated, she twisted her body, trying to free herself from under the man’s boot. What if they have a gun or a knife? Michael could be in danger. She considered her thought process. Heck, what am I thinking? I could be in danger and certainly poor Moose is. Those guys are surely after the horse. I’ve got to find a way to stop them. She put all of her energy into flipping her body over, which caused the man called Steve to lose his balance. Before he could recover, she pulled one knee up to her chest and slammed her foot into his shin. She watched him stumble backward, and she knew she had to think fast. She scrambled to her feet and rubbed her cheek against a post on Peaches’s corral, sliding the gag down enough that she could scream out. “Michael, go get Roy and Joe!” Where are they, anyway? She wondered. They’re supposed to be protecting that horse. Suddenly she had a frightening thought. Her heart skipped a beat. What if those guys killed Roy and Joe?
She wasn’t sure what she’d do next, but all she could think of was keeping Moose safe. She made her way to his corral and realized she’d forgotten to lock the gate that evening. The men had seen the padlock, all right, but they didn’t know it wasn’t locked. She turned her back to the gate and had managed to push the shank into the padlock, when suddenly she became aware that one of the men was approaching her. She gasped and retreated in horror when she saw the metal rod Hank carried, but before he caught up to her, he tripped over something and fell hard on his face.
“Damn raccoon,” he muttered. He started to leap to his feet, but something stopped him. He hollered in pain. “Good God, it’s a cougar!” He shrieked, “Get that thing off me!” When he saw his partner running in the opposite direction, he yelled, “Come back here, you…”
Savannah stared in horror, not knowing what had happened, when the area was suddenly lit up. In the beam of a flashlight, she saw something leap off Hank’s back into one of the corrals. Who is that coming this way? she wondered. She recoiled and fought to free herself from the rope around her wrists, then relaxed a little when she saw that the man behind the light was Michael.
Hank saw him too. Now on his feet, he paused just long enough to locate his hat. He scooped it up, flashed a quick look at Moose, then turned and ran as fast as he could across the Iveys’ property and into a stand of trees.
Michael ran after him, calling, “Stop you creeps! Stop!” But the trespassers had a head start on him. He heard the sound of two car doors slam. All he could do was watch as the taillights disappeared into the distance.
“What happened?” Michael asked when he returned to Savannah. “Are you all right?”
She nodded. “I think so.” She turned her back to him. “Can you get this dang rope off me?” She glanced around. “Is Lexie okay?”
“Yeah, just upset,” he said, taking the steps up into the tack room and returning with a knife in a sheath. “Where’s your cat?”
“I’m not sure,” she said, removing the remnants of rope he’d cut off her. She rubbed her wrists. “I think he saved my life. That man thought he tripped over a raccoon and was attacked by a cougar.” She managed a strained grin. “I think it was Rags.” When they heard a faint meow, they looked in the direction of the sound and saw Rags sitting in Moose’s feed bin as the horse sniffed him and nickered softly.
“Did they do something to that horse?” Michael asked.
“I don’t think so.” She climbed through the rails into Moose’s corral. “But I want to remove any feed left in his bin and rake the hay out, just in case they tried to poison him or something.”
Michael lifted Rags out of the feeder. He gathered the last of the hay and grain into a bucket. Before carrying it away, he looked at her, “How’d you get so dirty? Looks like they really did a number on you.” He asked more tenderly, “Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Yeah, they were kind of rough. That one jerk held me down on the ground with his big boot,” she complained. She took a raspy breath. “I’m going to be sore tomorrow, but nothing’s broken or anything.” When she realized Michael was waiting to hear more, she said, “Just a few scrapes, and probably I’ll have some bruises. I’m okay.” She picked up Rags.
“So they want that horse, do they?” Michael asked a few minutes later as they walked toward the house. He stopped and glanced around. “What do you think is up with those guards? Where are they, anyway?”
“Good question,” she said. “Did you go over there and rattle their cage?”
“No. When I saw that you were in trouble, I…”
“Do you think they slept through all that? The wind is howling tonight.” She stared toward the small RV that was parked near their orchard. “Why don’t you go out there and let them know what happened. I think they should stay close to that horse tonight, in case those guys come back.”
“Good idea, but first, I want you safely inside.” He held the door open and watched as Lexie ambled in. Savannah followed with Rags in her arms. “Lock it,” he instructed.
When he returned, Savannah asked, “So, what were they doing; sleeping soundly?”
“I guess. Only one of them was there. Joe evidently slept someplace else tonight. I told Roy what happened and suggested rather strongly that he stake himself out near the corrals, at least until daylight.”
“Good.” She stared out the window for a moment. “Someone must really be serious about hurting that horse—or maybe stealing him. I mean, do they want him or do they just want to put him out of commission?”
“Those two thugs were pulling a horse trailer, so I’d say they were going to take him.” Michael double-locked the door, poured a glass of water, and yawned. “Well, I’m serious about getting some sleep. Come on. I doubt they’ll try anything else tonight, but if they do, Roy’s on it.”
“I’ll be there in a minute,” Savannah said. “I want to make sure Rags and Lexie are okay.” She pushed her hair away from her face and grimaced. “Then I really need a shower.
Michael stared at her for a few seconds and said, “Okay. By the way, do you think we shou
ld call the sheriff’s office?”
“Can you identify the vehicle?”
“No. Not with any certainty. It looked like a dark-colored pickup towing a white or silver two-horse trailer.” He huffed, “That probably describes at least a quarter of the rugs owned by rangers out this way.”
She shook her head. “Then no. I couldn’t see their faces at all. We scared them off. Let’s get some rest; we can deal with this tomorrow.” She picked up Rags and placed him on the kitchen counter, murmuring, “Are you okay, buddy? You really dug into that guy, didn’t you?” After checking Rags over, she petted Lexie. “You two did a good job out there tonight. Yes, you’re quite a team.”
****
After a sleepless night, Savannah got up early. She looked in on the children, who were still sleeping, then put on her boots and took Lexie outside to check on the horses. All looked calm. Even the wind had died down and it appeared as though the rain had bypassed them. Might as well feed them, she thought as she gazed out across the expanse of corrals. She heard a few whinnies and she smiled, then she saw someone move. She stopped, her heart in her throat. Oh, it’s Roy, she realized, relaxing a little.
“Hi,” she called as she approached him. “How’s he doing?”
“He’s fine,” Roy said. “He sure likes company. I climbed into my sleeping bag out here where I could keep an eye on him, and he kept nibbling at my hair.” He gestured, “That horse has a long reach; I had to move a couple of times to keep him from slobbering on me.”
Savannah laughed. “He is a character.”
“Yeah,” Roy agreed. “After I got far enough away from him that he couldn’t bother me, he began stomping the ground every few minutes and nickering. Neither one of us got much sleep.” He stared into her face. “Mr. Michael told me that some guys roughed you up last night. I’m so sorry, ma’am. I didn’t hear a thing with that wind and all. Are you okay?”
