Nothing But Trouble

by Lisa Mondello

  Turning away, she felt Stoney’s worried eyes on her back as she dug her boots into the gravel leading to the corral. As she drew closer, Dolly spotted her and pranced over to the side of the fence. “No apple chips for you today I’m afraid.” She gripped the dry wood rail with one hand and reached up to stroked the mare's coat with the other. “How are you doing, girl?” she murmured.

  As if answering, Dolly bobbed her head up and down, and stomped her front hoof into the ground.

  “She’s doing just fine.” Stoney brushed his hand on her back. She closed her eyes, taking his comfort. “How about you? Are you okay with all of this?”

  The last thing she wanted was for Stoney to feel sorry for her. She wasn’t exactly sure what she was going to do now. Maybe she’d take him up on his offer and stay a few days at the ranch to clear her head before returning to Long Island to face her father. But she couldn’t bear to see the pity on Stoney's face. She’d given it her best, and she’d failed. Her body failed. Now she had to pick herself up and figure out which direction to turn next.

  “I’ll be okay. I just need a few days to regroup.”

  He drew her into the circle of his arms and kissed her lightly on the forehead. “Stay here at Black Rock. With me,” he said softly. He was warm and hard, and in his strong arms Melanie felt safe. All the craziness of her life didn’t seem to matter as much when Stoney held her like this.

  “I have to face my father at some point.”

  “I know.”

  She smiled up at him. She didn't want to think of going back to Long Island just yet. She just wanted to feel this way, the way she felt in Stoney's arms.

  She rested her cheek against his iron chest. “The horses. How did they get home?”

  “The Park Rangers rode them back to the ranger station. Mitch drove the trailer out and picked them up there this morning.”

  “I’m glad they’re okay. I would have hated it if anything had happened to them.”

  “Mitch is taking a ride out in a bit. I’m going to go with him to check on things.”

  She'd given her opinion about the ranch. Now it was Stoney's decision to do what he thought was best. She didn't intend to say anything again, but she found herself going against her better judgment.

  “It might be a good time to talk to him about the ranch. It might help,” she said.

  He hesitated a second. “I don't know. I've got a dust my hat off and do some thinking before I can commit to something like selling part of the ranch. Right now I'm going to get on my horse and take a ride.”

  That’s what she needed to do, too, Melanie realized. She’d just taken one hell of a spill out in the wilderness and scraped herself up more than she ever had. That didn't mean she was a failure. Like Stoney, Melanie had to find a way pick herself up with all she had, get back on that horse and ride again.

  “I think I'll join you.”

  * * *

  Ranch business didn't waste any time encroaching on Stoney's homecoming. He sifted through the mail and found they’d received a letter from the bank while he'd been away, stating the loan request was denied. To make matters worse, Black Rock was to be put up for auction at the first of the month if the hospital didn't get their money. That alone should have been enough to keep Stoney’s mind occupied, but to his dismay, the only thing he could think of was Melanie and how much time they had left together. He'd asked her to stay, but she never gave him a definite answer.

  Melanie. He'd first taken her suggestion to ask Mitch for help lightly. As much as he respected Mitch, he couldn't think of Black Rock being owned by anyone without Buxton blood.

  But Melanie was right. He didn't have a choice anymore. He'd been to a dozen banks in the last two months only to be told the same thing. The amount of money they could qualify for to make the necessary repairs wasn’t going to be enough to bail them out with the hospital bills still pouring in. Now hospital collection had threatened to take the ranch to auction. With more than a few developers chomping at the bit for a chance at prime Wyoming Real Estate, they didn't have a chance of winning a bidding war, no matter who helped them out.

  Before he turned in, Stoney gathered his pride enough to talk to Mitch about Melanie's suggestion for him to buy into Black Rock. He wasn't surprised that Mitch jumped at the offer. Now all they had to do was convince Wally to buy into the idea, and figure out how to make the deal work to their advantage.

  He’d held off as long as he could. Pride be damned, but he had to call Delia to see if there was some way Paul could rework the numbers so that, with Mitch's partnership, they could save Black Rock. Maybe Paul could work some magic and a miracle.

  He waited until the next day to call Delia, making certain his Dad was busy with Mitch. There’d be hellfire to pay when Wally Buxton found out what Stoney had planned, but he’d deal with that when the time came. He wasn’t surprised when Delia bawled him out for waiting so long to make the call.

  “I can’t believe you’ve kept this from me this long. If you were in trouble, why didn’t you come to me from the start?” she said.

  Stoney could almost picture his sister scowling as she tapped her fingers on the jade and cream marble table she kept by the telephone.

  “You know how it is, Dee.”

  “Yeah, it’s that stupid cowboy pride you men are famous for. Just because Paul disagreed with you on the ranch's expansion, doesn’t mean he felt smug about it when things went to pot. You’re my family. Did you think he wouldn’t try to help?”

  Paul took good care of Delia and their infant son, Brandon. Although they were far from wealthy themselves, Paul made a good living as a financial advisor so that Delia and Brandon wanted for nothing. He was a good business man. He'd been wrong not to listen to Paul's advice to begin with and left the ranch wide open for failure by going his own route. He wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

  “It’s not that.” He knew it was useless. Delia was dead center on the bull's eye. Damned cowboy pride. And he alone had enough of it for all the cowboys stretching across Wyoming. “Look, I've got an idea that might help save us. I just want to make sure we do it right this time. Maybe Paul can think of some way to maximize the deal and put us up front again.”

  He heard her heavy breath carry over the phone line. “I sure hope so, Stoney. I don't know how much more Mom and Pop can take.”

  He didn't respond and wondered if deep down Delia blamed him for the state Black Rock was in now.

  “I’ll have him call you,” she finally said.

  “No. I haven't talked to Pop about it yet.”

  “When were you planning on telling him? When we're on your doorstep? He’s going to find out some time.”

  “Just tell Paul I’ll call him with the details. I'll deal with Pop.”

  “Well, do it soon because I don’t want to be around to hear that famous Buxton temper. I see it enough every day in my son.” Her heavy sigh carried through the phone line. “We’ll be by bright and early Sunday morning after church. Tell Mom I’ll bring some peach cobbler.”

  “Okay. And Dee?”

  “Yeah?”

  He swallowed hard. Pride was a hard lump going down your throat. “Tell Paul I appreciate it.”

  He hung up the phone feeling like more of a failure than he had before he called. He leaned the kitchen chair he was sitting in back on two legs and rubbed his face with his hand. He heard a car driving up and pushed the lace curtain back to see his truck pulling into the driveway. Melanie had mentioned having some errands and asked to borrow the truck that morning. Something about seeing her climb out of the driver's seat of his truck made Stoney feel that this was where she belonged. On this ranch and in his life forever. How long would he be able to enjoy having her here with him?

  His gaze was drawn to her through the open window as she dropped the tailgate of the truck and awkwardly hoisted up a saddle from the bed.

  “Now what'd she go and do?” he said, already spinning through the kitchen door.


  * * *

  “You've been gone practically all day,” Stoney said, relieving Melanie of the heavy saddle with little effort. “We've got enough saddles. What did you need this one for?”

  She couldn't keep the smile from spreading across her cheeks. She'd spent most of the morning with the cobbler and she couldn't wait to see if her plan would work.

  “It's a surprise.”

  Stoney quirked an eyebrow.

  “Not for you, for your father,” she said, pulling him by the hand. “Where is he? I can't wait to show it to him.”

  Stoney silently inspected the newly sewn leather straps Melanie had customized the saddle with and threw her a suspicious glance that turned slightly weary. His voice echoed what his expression had already told her.

  “At the feed store with Mitch.”

  “That gives me some time to test it out.”

  “What are you-”

  “Give it a chance before you go off on me about how I should have talk to you first.”

  Stoney dropped the saddle on a patch of grass just outside the corral. Melanie climbed between the rails before turning back to him, excitement whirling inside her.

  “It's going to be great. You'll see.”

  By the time Mitch and Wally came rolling into the driveway, Melanie was finished demonstating the possibilities the new saddle could give Wally. Stoney had already sawn off the railing on the highest point of the porch to allow Wally's wheelchair to roll up to the opening and enable Stoney to help Wally mount his horse.

  Wally looked at their project with as skeptical an eye as she'd seen in Stoney. For a few agonizingly long minutes under his scrutiny, Melanie doubted the wisdom of her grand plan.

  “How's it doing to keep me from falling off?

  “Why don't you give him a show, Melanie?” Stoney said. At least she'd managed to win him over during the last half hour. She'd seen him go from downright cynicism to anticipation. No one wanted his dad to ride again more than Stoney.

  Melanie lifted her leg over the saddle and waited as Stoney quickly buckled all the newly added straps around her legs and thighs.

  “I noticed that you still have good upper body strength and you sit well in the chair without support,” she said. Wally rewarded her compliment with a deep dimpled smile.

  “The straps will keep your legs secured to he side of your horse and give you enough stability to sit upright.”

  “How am I going to kick his ribs if I can't control my feet?”

  Melanie could see the same glint of cautious excitement in Wally as she'd seen in Stoney when he finally bought into the idea of riding with the modified saddle. Her own heart beat faster with the thrill of what was to come.

  “This strap here will allow you to pull the stirrup out,” Melanie said as she demonstrated. “When you let go of the strap go, your heel a nudge into your mounts ribs and...you're riding.”

  All eyes were glued to Wally, who sat perched in his wheelchair, nervously rubbing his jowls with his fingers as he watched Melanie ride.

  There wasn't one person among them who wasn't holding their breath. Melanie walked Thunder around in a circle, guiding the horse back to the edge of the porch.

  “So, what do you say, Pop?” Stoney said, unbuckling the straps with Melanie.

  Adele stood beside Wally, patting his shoulder, her expression unreadable. “And if he loses his balance? Is he going to hurt himself more?”

  “I imagine it wouldn't do any more harm than anyone else falling from the saddle,” Mitch said.

  Wally heaved a long sigh and peered up at Adele, taking her by the hand. Hope shined in their eyes as they gazed at each other with love and warmth.

  Wally's lips curled up into a smile. “Let's see if there's something still left in the old man.”

  The air around them broke into giddy excitement, like they were all about to ride the roller coaster at a theme park. When Wally took his first ride on the horse in more than a year, there wasn't a dry eye among them.

  Adele stood beside Melanie, watching as Wally rode thunder around the paddock with Stoney and Mitch to either side, just in case he ran into trouble. She let her tears spill freely, laughing and crying at the same time.

  She took Melanie by the hand. “Thank you for this.”

  Tightness squeezed Melanie's chest. She knew she'd been the one to bring it about, but still felt blessed to share the joy with Stoney's family. They didn't have money and may face losing everything they had, but they had the one thing money couldn't buy. They had a deep love for one another that Melanie had never known.

  She knew her parents loved her, but their fear of diabetes had always kept them from allowing her to be what she could. They didn't allow their fear to hold them back the way her parents had. Somehow, Melanie knew Stoney and his family were richer than she'd ever been in her life.

  Stoney stole a glance in her direction. He'd been afraid she'd get into trouble while they were out in the mountains, but he'd given her the freedom to make her own mistakes. That wasn't the only thing that made her love Stoney. It was just part of who he was.

  “It's been a long time since I've seen him this happy,” Adele said, breaking into her thoughts of Stoney.

  But Melanie didn't mind. She'd never seen Stoney this happy before. And if she'd been responsible for giving him an ounce of what he'd given her, then that was enough. At the same time, she couldn't help but wonder what the future held for them. Would they some day have a love that rivaled what Adele and Wally had?

  Melanie wanted that more than anything. But would Stoney?

  “Look at him, Stoney, you're daddy sitting so tall in that saddle,” Adele was saying. “You look just as handsome as the day I met you thirty years ago at the Frontier Days Rodeo.”

  Wally's pride was evident. It was if he'd come alive again. “If y'all don't mind, I think I'll take my best girl for a ride.”

  Adele laughed, her face beaming with laugh lines that transformed her whole expression. “The pleasure is all mine, cowboy.”

  It was nearly midnight when Melanie heard the faint knock on her bedroom door. Within seconds, Stoney was inside her room, coming toward the bed. She noticed his quiet step was due to him having taken off his boots.

  “What are you doing in here at this time of the night?” Melanie lifted the blanket up to her chin in a futile attempt to hide from Stoney.

  He ignored her by sitting on the bed next to her and pulling at the blanket teasingly. “I should think it’s obvious.”

  She threw a plump, feathered pillow at him. “With your parents just down the hall? What will your mother think of me?” She giggled as he nuzzled the soft flesh beneath her ear. The warm, musky scent of his skin immediately triggered sweet memories of their love making in the mountains.

  “Could we please not talk about my mother right now? In fact, let’s not talk at all.” He waggled his eyebrows and pulled her into the circle of his arms, pressing his mouth over hers. He kissed her sweetly, not like the hard passionate kisses they’d share before. But it was just as wonderful as the rest.

  “If I didn't say it before, thanks,” he said.

  Melanie snuggled deeper into his arms. “For what?”

  “For everything. It's been a long time since I've seen my folks this happy.”

  “I have to admit I was in a panic. I didn't think Wally was ever going to get in that saddle.”

  Stoney chuckled softly. “There's going to be no keeping him out of it now. That's for sure.”

  “I'm glad for him.”

  “I took your suggestion and talked to Mitch.”

  She sat up and looked at him, startled. “About buying the ranch?”

  He shrugged. “Yeah. Well, buying a share of it.”

  “He's open to the idea?”

  Stoney turned to his side and propped his head up with his hand. He fiddled with Melanie's long brown curls hanging over her chest. “I think it's going to work out.”

  Melanie couldn't help but sm
ile. “This calls for a celebration.”

  He kissed her soundly. “That's what I'm doing here, Sunshine.”

  “No, I mean a real celebration.”

  He rolled over on her, covering her body completely. She could feel his hard arousal pressing against her thigh as his tongue traced her lips. “Tomorrow. After the rodeo. There'll be plenty of time for celebrating then. Right now, I think a private celebration is in order.”

  Stoney stayed, making love with her into the night, holding her until the early morning. Melanie wondered how life could ever be anything better that how it was right then. He'd asked her to stay with him at Black Rock. But he never once told her he loved her. Without love, what did their future hold? As wonderful as today had been, tomorow seemed so uncertain.

  * * *

  Stoney finished his early chores of feeding the horses and cleaning the stalls before he had to get ready for the Frontier Days Rodeo. Even with this deal with Mitch pending, any money he could pull in for the ranch was going to be a big help. He had his sights set high for a first place win today.

  Melanie was in the kitchen helping his mother with some baking when he heard the phone ring. He went about his business of getting ready for the rodeo as he listened to her talking on the phone, wondering if she'd finally decided to call her folks and tell them what happened. A minute later, he heard footsteps in the hallway coming toward the dining room.

  Melanie stood straight and hard as nails. Her arms were knotted across her chest, and she was breathing heavy, just glaring at him. Stoney knew he was in trouble for something, he just couldn’t figure out what.

  He continued loading his spurs and chaps in his duffel bag, pulling away from her stare. “What’s on your mind, Sunshine?”

  “I just got a very interesting phone call,” she said hotly.

  “You parents?”

  “Ivan Collins.” Her voice was low, he noticed, but had an edge that belied her control.

  Damn, Stoney swore silently. He’d hoped he didn’t have to deal with this now. Not before a rodeo. He knew that Ivan Collins would call eventually. He just didn’t think it would be this soon.