On Common Ground

by Jansen Schmidt

  During lunch, Ketra seemed a little nervous about the deputy’s visit but she’d eventually relaxed and become more free-spirited. He liked the way her eyes lit up when she was excited and how her smile brightened the entire room, spreading warmth to even the coldest of hearts—his. The night of the storm his heart had darn near burst with empathy when she’d sought him out for comfort and protection. Her passion blossomed into shared bliss. She’d impressed upon him that she was the kind of woman who’d love deeply and give freely—to the right person. Was he the right person? Lord knows, he wanted to ignite that passion again.

  He shook his head, dislodging his wayward thoughts. Lusting after a beautiful woman wasn’t his mission. He needed to stay focused. His best course of action included staying away from her. Much easier said than done. After tasting her sweet, intoxicating nectar, he craved more. Damn. This wasn’t supposed to happen.

  “The mares should be settled down enough now.” He tossed his paper plate into the trash can. “I’ll bring Lucifer in for some excitement.”

  “You’d better let me do that,” Ketra cautioned.

  “You?”

  She wiped her mouth with a paper napkin. “I’ll be right out.”

  “Sweetheart, in case you haven’t noticed, you’re a tiny little thing and he’s a big brute. I’ll do it.” Trevor turned his back on the group. He snatched his hat from the sofa on his way out the door.

  Ketra ran to catch up with him. “I’m serious. I’ll get Lucifer.”

  “Look…” Trevor took several seconds to position the hat just right on his head. “That horse is mean and strong. I don’t want you to get hurt.” He placed his hands on her upper arms. “Please don’t argue with me about this.”

  Ketra’s shoulders slumped. “You know I work with barrel horses, right? You know their temperament?”

  He removed his hands and scratched his left temple.

  “I’m good at what I do. I can handle—”

  “I know you are. But that big guy out there isn’t a barrel horse. He’s a stud. Not the kind of horse you’re used to training. When he gets one whiff of those mares in heat, he’ll be even harder to handle.”

  She looked at him as though he were the dumbest man on the planet. “It is so obvious that you’ve never handled a barrel horse. They’re more high-strung than Lucifer will ever be.”

  After a brief stand-off, eyes locked, lips pursed in frustration, Ketra relented with an exaggerated flinging of arms. “Fine. Have it your way, asshole.”

  “I’m making sure you don’t get hurt. How does that make me an asshole?”

  “Because, you have no faith in me or my abilities.” She brushed past him, waving a greeting to the Latigers.

  “That is not—” When she didn’t stop, he clamped his jaw shut and stormed after her, catching up in three long strides. He grunted and sailed into the tack room for the stud chain and halter. How was it possible to want to kiss her senseless one minute and strangle the life out of her the next?

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Perry Latiger hooked a lead rope to the halter of a young paint filly and coaxed her out of the trailer.

  “Wow! She’s a beaut,” Ketra said.

  “This is our baby. It’s her first time in heat. I’m hoping it’ll take. If not, we’ll bring her back. I really want a full-blooded paint to start my own breeding program. I’ve seen some of Lucifer’s babies and they are a sight.”

  Rocky beamed at the compliment and took the lead rope. Perry went to unhitch the other horse, another small mare. Ketra hoped they wouldn’t get hurt in the chute.

  “I’ll take her.” Ketra relieved Perry of the second mare. “We’ll load her in first. Take some of the aggression out of ole Luce before we load the young one.”

  “Sounds good,” Perry concurred.

  Perry and Ketra led the mares through the barn and out the other side, toward the breeding stall. Kennedy and Marco sat atop the fence between the two barns laughing at Trevor chasing Lucifer around the field with the halter.

  “Not quite the beast slayer I imagined him to be,” Kennedy giggled.

  “It’s pathetic, if you ask me,” Ketra said with a smile.

  “How long you gonna let him chase Luce around down there?” Kennedy asked.

  “I’d like to say until tomorrow, but I’m pretty sure the Latigers have better things to do this afternoon than stand here and watch Luce lead Trevor around in circles.”

  “Go down there and get Lucifer,” Rocky said, a hint of warning in his voice.

  “I tried to tell him, but he insisted he—”

  “Ketra,” Rocky seethed for her ears only, “You’re embarrassing me. And him. Stop gloating and get that horse.”

  “Sorry.” She grumbled the apology but she wasn’t the least bit sorry for Trevor’s embarrassment. He asked for it. She jogged to the pasture and laughed at Trevor’s cursing. When she opened the gate, he shouted for her to stay out of the pasture.

  “Give me the halter,” she demanded when she stood at his side. They glared at each other. “Will you puh-leez give me the halter?” Again, a stand-off. “Damn it, Trevor, will you trust me for once.”

  The unexpected hurt in her voice must have struck a chord in his conscience. He relented with a disgruntled sigh but didn’t leave the pasture.

  “Stay here.” She walked toward the middle of the enclosure clucking and kissing at the horse. Lucifer pranced back and forth along the fence line dividing the pastures. Thank God, Trevor didn’t follow her.

  When a considerable distance separated her from Trevor, she sat in the grass. With an extended palm she beckoned the horse to approach. Lucifer stopped prancing, turned his head in her direction and snorted. He lowered his head and took a tentative step. Trevor prepared to launch himself in front of her. She kissed again and encouraged Lucifer onward by wiggling her fingers.

  Lucifer picked up speed. His cinnamon colored mane fanned around his eyes. Even though Trevor remained poised to bolt, he stayed put. Maybe he trusted her after all. Or maybe he was afraid of Lucifer. She smiled.

  Lucifer charged toward her, stopping to sniff her outstretched hand. She rubbed his nose, inviting him closer. When Lucifer nuzzled the top of her head, she petted his face with both hands and rose to her knees to kiss the horse’s forehead. She extended her arms up and over his ears and along his neck, then stood, and with one hand under Lucifer’s jaw, walked toward the gate. She draped the stud collar and halter over her shoulder. Lucifer plodded along beside her.

  She smiled at a dumbstruck Trevor. “I suggest you climb to the other side of the fence. He doesn’t seem to like you very much.”

  His eyes narrowed. “You made a fool out of me.”

  “You sort of had it coming.”

  With a growl he turned and walked to the gate.

  She slipped the halter and chain over the horse’s head before traversing the remaining distance to the gate. Waiting until Trevor was a good distance away before opening it, she rubbed Lucifer’s face and kissed his nose. “Come on, big guy. There’s a pretty lady I want you to meet.”

  The stallion walked obediently at her side until he caught scent of the mares. She tightened her grip on the rope and walked him into the barn. Rocky led the stud into the stall to mount the readied mare.

  Ketra joined Kennedy and Marco perched atop the fence. She climbed to sit next to them on the top rail. Trevor observed them from the doorway.

  When Rocky opened the chute to unload Lucifer, Trevor shot forward and yanked on the lead rope. He tugged Lucifer out of the chute while Perry and Rocky soothed the nervous mare inside. Outside the chute, the stallion pranced and reared up. Trevor yanked hard on the rope until he got his hand on the stud chain. Lucifer calmed when Ketra approached.

  “Give him to me.”

  “Have you been watching? He’s a little excited
right now. I doubt you’ll be able to hold him.”

  “He doesn’t like you. Let me have him. He’ll calm down. I promise.” Ketra struggled to remove the lead rope from his hands. When he refused to let go, she changed tactics. She wrapped her arms around Lucifer’s thick neck, rubbing her hands across his sweaty body. An aromatic cocktail of sweating horse, alfalfa and fresh manure wafted around them.

  Ketra massaged her way up to the horse’s ears, encouraging him to bow his head so she could rub between them. The horse protested at first, but when the tension loosened, the animal quieted beneath her ministrations. Grazing one hand across the stallion’s face, she slid it to the halter and down the lead rope until her hand connected with Trevor’s. Maintaining contact with the horse with one hand, her gaze implored Trevor to release his hold on the rope.

  Like a sleep walker, he obeyed, releasing the rope and stepping away. Lucifer lowered his head the moment Trevor backed away. Ketra walked him away from the barn while Perry loaded the first mare back into the trailer. Rocky secured the younger mare in the breeding chute.

  Several minutes later, Ketra led the calm stallion back into the barn and again handed the rope to Rocky who walked him into the chute. Ketra left the barn and joined her sister and Marco on the fence.

  This time Trevor joined them. “How often does Lucifer perform this service?”

  “Not often enough if you ask him?” Kennedy quipped.

  Marco smiled, but Ketra remained stone-faced, staring at Trevor until he looked away.

  “He’s a lot more gentle in that chute than I expected,” Trevor said.

  “He’s a good horse,” Ketra said.

  “I’ll bet Dominic wouldn’t say that,” he countered.

  “Dominic doesn’t understand him.”

  “Well, you certainly have him figured out.” Despite the obvious frustration, Ketra also thought she detected admiration in his voice.

  Leaping off the fence, she sprinted toward the barn to whisk the frenzied stallion away from the mares. Perry and Sue reloaded the jittery young mare into their trailer.

  “Show’s over.” Kennedy jumped off the fence. “Marco and I are gonna go pack. We’re leaving early tomorrow morning for the Canyon.”

  Marco jumped to the ground and stood next to Kennedy as the Latigers maneuvered the trailer around. Ketra walked Lucifer into the main barn and secured him to a hitching post. When she returned to the horse with a grooming kit, Trevor leaned against the doorframe, chewing his lower lip.

  “You need help?” Kennedy asked as she and Marco walked hand in hand toward the house.

  “Nope. Just gonna give Luce some lovin’ for all his hard work.”

  Rocky joined the group from the other side of the barn with a heavy-duty hose. “Thanks for your help, Ket. After I get that chute cleaned up I’ll be in my office catching up on paperwork.”

  “I can clean the chute,” Trevor volunteered.

  “I’ll do it. I’ve got the crew cutting firewood out on the east side.” He waved to the row of conifers gracing the hillside behind the bunkhouses. “I’d rather you ride out there and see how they’re getting along.”

  “All right.”

  Rocky paused on his way to the small barn, his attention diverted to a white sedan bouncing up the gravel driveway. Like always, when a stranger came to the ranch, Ketra’s pulse quickened.

  Trevor took a couple of steps toward the arena fence. “What the hell?”

  The car stopped on the other side of the barn. Kennedy and Marco greeted the new arrival. “Can I help you?”

  “I hope I’m at the right place,” a female voice cooed. “I’m looking for Trevor Donaldson.”

  “And you are?”

  “His wife.”

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  A tremendous pressure built inside Ketra’s chest.

  “Shit,” Trevor swore under his breath.

  “His…wife?” Kennedy asked the newcomer.

  The earth canted, voices distorted, her vision blurred. The curry comb slipped from her fingers. Even Lucifer stood motionless. His wife? Trevor has a wife? She closed her eyes and gulped a huge breath of air. Untying the rope restraining Lucifer, she grabbed a handful of mane and hurled herself onto his back. With no heed to safety or destination, she charged away from the barn and five pair of concerned eyes.

  “Ketra!” Trevor bellowed as Lucifer tore up the ground between the barns. She ran full gallop to the fence, stopping only long enough to stoop and unlatch the gate. Through grazing cattle she sped, her sole need to distance herself from the ranch, the people, and Trevor’s wife.

  She rode with reckless abandon until Lucifer tired. Easing her death grip on his mane, she sat a little taller, relaxing her legs. He slowed to a walk. When he stopped altogether beneath an ancient gnarled oak, she slid from his back and leaned her forehead against his side. Like a runaway locomotive, her pulse chugged in her ears.

  After several deep breaths she swatted Lucifer on the rump. The horse wandered, munching sweet grass. Dropping on to her back, she flung an arm across her eyes. Funny how tears came so easily when she didn’t want them, but now, she couldn’t summon a single salty drop.

  How could he use and humiliate me like this? At least Kyle hadn’t lied to her. Even Brooks had been honest in expressing his feelings. Granted both had hurt her, but she could heal from the physical pain. This betrayal was different. Deeper. This rent a hole in her soul. This was unforgiveable.

  She lay under the tree berating herself, wishing the earth would open up and swallow her. A horse nickered in the distance. Lucifer snorted and trotted farther away. She leaned back on her elbows, doing her best to perfect a scowl sure to frighten anyone away. Rocky stopped a few feet from her, dismounted and secure the reins to a low-hanging branch.

  “Mind if I join you?”

  “Do I have a choice?”

  He sighed and sat next to her, leaning his back against the solid trunk. He laid his hat on the ground and looked up at the blue-gray sky, rife with gray clouds. “Looks like we’re in for more rain.”

  “You came out here to talk about the weather?”

  “Watch your tone, young lady. I’m here because there’s a bunch of worried folks back at the ranch.”

  “Yeah. I’m sure Trevor’s wife is real worried.”

  “You’re jumping to conclusions.”

  She rolled on to her stomach and braced herself on her elbows, facing Rocky. “How exactly am I jumping to conclusions? What else could ‘I’m his wife’ possibly mean?”

  “Ex-wife.”

  “That’s not what she said, she said—”

  “I heard what she said. But they’ve been separated for quite a while and it wasn’t a pretty break-up.”

  “He’s been here all this and no one’s seen fit to mention it?”

  “It’s not something he likes to talk about. Just like you don’t like to talk about Kyle.” Rocky studied her face for a few seconds. “I told him—just like I told you when you came here—that I wouldn’t bring up his past unless he wanted to. He doesn’t want to.”

  “I thought his little secret was that he didn’t want anyone to know he’s a cop. What he really doesn’t want anyone to know is that he’s married. He’s such a liar.”

  Rocky let his head fall forward. He rubbed the heel of his palm across his forehead. “When you asked him if he was a cop, did he deny it?”

  She toyed with the blades of grass beneath her forearms.

  “Ask him about his marriage. He’ll tell you the truth.” Rocky ran a wrinkled hand through his thinning hair. When he spoke again, his voice had taken on a faraway tone. “Most men are proud, Ketra. There’s things they don’t want to admit. There’s things they don’t want to talk about. His pride has taken quite a few blows lately. If you ask me, the one thing that hurts a man the most is shatterin
g his pride.”

  “That’s stupid.”

  “Is it?”

  “Well, yeah. Lots of people are divorced. What’s the big deal?”

  “It’s a lot deeper than that for him. It’s about needing to protect his masculinity.”

  She shook her head in confusion. “What?”

  Rocky sighed again, a long deep sigh that made her nervous with its intensity.

  “I’m gonna tell you something that I’ve never told anyone before. And I want to you listen. Carefully. Because this is what’s going on with Trevor. His failed marriage isn’t about two people not getting along, or fighting all the time, or growing apart. His divorce is about hurt pride and betrayal. He’s questioning his virility, his judgment, his trust. His career depends on his psychological health. His wife screwed that all up.”

  He heaved another gut-deep sigh. His facial muscles tightened and his voice lowered in decibel and volume. Ketra did her best to mentally prepare for the important information he was about to reveal.

  “When I found Theresa in bed with another man, I was devastated. But to be honest with you, I understood why she did it. She wanted something from me that I couldn’t give her. That hurt me more than anything ever could.”

  “What? You gave that bitch everything.”

  “No, Ket. I didn’t. I couldn’t. I couldn’t give her the one thing she wanted more than anything else in the whole world.” His voice cracked and he cleared his throat before rushing on. “Theresa wanted a baby and I couldn’t give her one.”

  Ketra couldn’t stop the gasp from escaping. All these years her uncle suffered a silent agony. He’d always been strong, determined, the rock of her family.

  “I went to the fertility clinics and dozens of specialists. It wasn’t going to happen for us.”

  “You could have adopted.”

  “That’s what I wanted to do. But Theresa wanted her own baby, a baby she gave birth to, her own flesh and blood.”