by West, Cary
“That’s it baby, keep coming,” he said as he stroked her while he pounded her with his flesh.
He continued steadily giving her what she needed, what she craved most of all which was him claiming her, taking all of her beneath his male frame while penetrating her core.
“Oh, Jack!” She came again clinging to black iron with white knuckles.
He heard her sweet cries and he lost control, filling her deep with his seed. “Fuck yeah,” he growled, digging his fingers into her thigh feeling his release.
Jack collapsed on top of her, burying her beneath him as he wrapped his hands through her hair while kissing those tantalizing lips.
Kate released a satiated purr. Too tired and exhausted to move, her lids grew heavy and they fluttered closed. Jack knew the moment she was asleep as her breathing changed to slow escaped puffs of air.
“My poor confused Kate,” he whispered in her ear. “When are you going to learn that you’re at your best when you give me the control?” Her only answer was a slight snore. Jack laid his head on her chest and within minutes he was asleep too.
Thirty-Two
Broken Promises and Wounded Pride
His days weren’t the same without Kate. It felt odd not having her home and at his beck and call. No more long interludes of waking up in each other’s arms and savoring her sweet flesh, or mid-afternoon romps after enjoying the scrumptious lunch she’d prepared.
Now their mornings were spent with Kate rushing out the door heading for the classroom while Jack went to work on the ranch. He hated lunchtime now, having to spend it with his new housekeeper, who he couldn’t understand through her broken English, and he wasn’t fond of her cooking. It was easier to have lunch with his crew.
Even his ranch hands could tell that their boss seemed lost without the blonde haired woman who had stolen and tamed his heart. He seemed distracted while they ate lunch by the pavilion after grooming the mares now housed in the southern corral.
“You missing Kate today?” Dustin addressed his employer.
Jack didn’t answer staring out at the corral of mares.
“Jack!” Dustin called to him again.
“Huh-” Jack glanced at the young man then back at the horses.
“What’s wrong boss?” asked Rusty.
“Can’t put my finger on it,” Jack mumbled aloud. “There’s something just not right today. Don’t know what it is, but I can feel it.” Jack’s back arched when he felt a tiny speck of movement beneath his feet. He looked around, but saw nothing. He relaxed and picked up his sandwich and took a bite then made a god awful face. “How do you screw up a sandwich,” stated Jack as he picked up his jug of water and took a drink, ridding his mouth from the horrible taste.
“It sure isn’t like Kate’s sandwiches, that’s for sure,” observed Dustin.
“Hey Jack, maybe you should ask Kate to pack you a lunch before she heads off to school,” said another hired hand and he poked him in his ribs. That got a few laughs from his crew.
“Knock it off wise ass,” said Jack with a frown then his ears perked back as if he heard something but then relaxed.
“It’s been boring around here without listening to you two scrap about something,” said another.
The other men nodded in agreement. Jack hated to admit that his employee was right. He missed not having her around even with all of her interruptions. It left way too much time on his hands to think, and he hated all the idle time waiting for her to come home.
“Why don’t you go see her?” suggested Dustin.
“I can’t. She’s working.”
“She’s got to break for lunch too,” he added. “Why don’t you grab your lunch and go eat with her?”
“I don’t think her new boss would be right pleased to have some cowboy meandering the halls of his school,” said Jack. “Besides, I feel like I need to stick around here today.”
Jack couldn’t shake the feeling that there was going to be trouble. What it was, he didn’t know.
All through lunch he kept his eyes on the mares, occasionally scanning the foothills. He felt another slight rumble under his feet and heard an echo like whistle coming from the canyon.
“Shit!” Jack yelled and jumped to his feet. Suddenly he knew what the trouble was. “We got to get them mares back to the stables now!”
Jack wasted no time, he ran to the corral with his ranch hands close on his heels. He swung open the gate and started to gather the mares’ leads, handing them to his men.
The ground began to shake and he heard the sound of thunder bellowing out from the foothills. Clouds of dust spiraled along the path, and then he saw him emerging from the grey smoke like a dark demon.
Black Thunder, along with his herd, charged through the opening of the canyon heading straight toward Jack and the corral. His mares grew skittish, backing up and lifting their heads, hearing the black stallion’s cry.
“Get them out of here and back to the stables fast!” yelled Jack to his men, slapping the beasts on their backsides urging them from the corral. “Dustin, Rusty grab your ropes! We’re going to catch that son of a bitch once and for all!”
Jack swung his rope from his belt loop and ran to the east end of the corral ready to meet Black Thunder head on. He climbed onto the fence, locking his feet between the wooden boards. He motioned for Dustin and Rusty to position themselves on either side of him.
Black Thunder charged from the canyon, his head wildly bucking up and down, his black eyes glaring, and his nostrils spouting a mist of steam. His power was like that of a locomotive barreling toward the corral.
The great steed raised his hooves high in the air and came crashing down on the wooden planks. Rusty lost his footing and the wooden structure collapsed at his feet, falling back as his body hit the hard Nevada earth. As if by instinct, he rolled to get away from the overpowering hooves ready to crush him as they came crashing to the ground. The fence broke in two and the rest of the wild heard followed their leader into the corral.
Jack lifted his rope, circling it over his head. He had one shot before all chaos ensued and he lost control of the mares. Dustin lifted his rope and the two men created a symmetrical circle of eight as the steel black steed charged between the two men.
With great speed and expertise, Jack released the twirling circle and the rope landed around the stallion’s neck. The horse reared back, scratching the air and releasing an unearthly sound of dominance. Jack pulled back on the rope, tightening it against the animal’s neck. Dustin, with his rope circling in the air, lassoed the stallion too and pulled back. They jumped to the ground tightening their hold, capturing Black Thunder in the broken corral.
“Get the tranquilizer gun!” Jack shouted to Rusty.
The young hand raced to the stables while chaos erupted around them. The wild mares mingled with Jack’s. If he wasn’t careful, they could all be trampled to death if a stampede ensued.
“Move him further into the corral!” Jack yelled to Dustin.
The taught rope around Black Thunder trapped the steed and they moved him with great caution deeper inside the corral. Jack tied his rope to the far end of the fencing post as did Dustin, leaving the stallion no room to buck.
Black Thunder kicked his hind legs out in order to get free, but Jack lassoed them too and tightened the rope constricting the animal from creating further damage. He wrapped the remaining rope around his shoulder, holding strong against the force of the wild beast. Out of the corner of his eye, Jack spotted Rusty with tranquilizer gun in hand.
“Shoot him!” Jack yelled over the commotion.
“Where?” said Rusty, hands shaking.
“I don’t care where you shoot him!” Jack barked his orders. “Just shoot him!”
The boy hesitated, taking longer than Jack liked. If they didn’t get the animal sedated soon they would lose him. Jack noticed the rope around the animal’s neck begin to fray and it was only a matter of seconds before it snapped.
Jac
k grabbed the gun from his ranch hand and pointed it at Black Thunder. He pulled the trigger and the dart shot the black steed in its neck.
The animal went wild, thrashing in a desperate attempt for freedom. He fought with everything he had inside him and Jack couldn’t help but respect the steed’s willful determination. But slowly the magnificent stallion lost its fight as the sedative coursed through his blood, his need to struggle lessened, and his will gave way. The stealthy steed’s muscular legs grew heavy and one by one they bent toward the ground.
Black Thunder’s breathing came in short rasps and he collapsed. Unable to move, the creature lay there, no longer fighting to stay awake. The air grew quiet and still. The wild mares without their leader became docile.
“Get those mares!” Jack shouted his orders to his men.
Each ranch hand worked to gather the straggling horses and place them in the corral by the stables. Jack leaned back against the broken fence and removed his hat, running his fingers through his damp hair. He took a deep breath and exhaled. It was over. Dustin joined his employer as he rested against the wooden planks and wiped his brow.
“That was some mighty fine roping there son,” said Jack as he patted his ranch hand on the back.
“That plumb scared the shit out of me,” said Dustin.
“Me too.” The two men looked at each other and broke out laughing.
“What are we going to do with all those mares?” Dustin asked.
“I got me a feeling most of them are marked. I’m sure you’re going to find our neighbor’s brandings on them. Check them, then have Mark call the ranches and make arrangements for them to be picked up.”
“What about the horses that aren’t marked?”
“Tell Mark to call the horse preserve in Sparks,” instructed Jack. “They’ll probably want to auction them.”
“What are you going to do with Black Thunder?”
“Most likely going to have him put down,” sighed Jack knowing what Kate’s reaction would be. “I’ll call Charlie Townsen with the Bureau of Land Management. Can’t do nothing without his go ahead anyway.”
Dustin nodded, then left his employer alone in the corral with the black stallion. Jack walked over to the steed, feet stretched apart as he loomed over the silenced animal. He stared into his dark eyes, like black coal the animal stared up at him.
“You’re days of causing trouble are over,” Jack stated to the animal exuding his mastership over the beast.
Black Thunder lay quietly except for the sound of his slowed breath escaping his nostrils.
The rest of the day was spent securing Black Thunder, repairing the broken corral and returning the herd back to their rightful owners. Pick-up trucks with horse trailers hitched behind came and went on the McBride Ranch like a parade.
News traveled to the small town of Virginia City and everyone was a buzz that Jack McBride caught the black stallion. Jack headed to town to find Kate. He wanted to break the news to her first before she found out second hand. He knew she was going to be upset. It was killing him inside to have to be the one to tell her, but he didn’t want it coming from a stranger.
He arrived at the school just as the children were loading the buses to leave. He walked through the classroom halls, spurs clinking against the linoleum floor. He paused at her door and leaned against the doorway frame. He saw Kate by the reading nook straightening up.
“Kate,” he called to her.
She turned and a huge smile crossed her face. “What are you doing here?” She headed toward him. “I was just ready to head home.” She stopped when she suddenly realized he was covered in dirt.
“What’s wrong?” She said seeing rope burns streaking up his arms.
“We had a little trouble on the ranch today,” he said trying to find an easy way of telling her.
“What kind of trouble?” said Kate as she turned up his hands and saw the bloodied welts on his palms. “You’re hurt,” she gasped.
“I’m fine, baby,” he laughed in spite of everything. “We need to talk. Why don’t you sit down?”
Despite her objections, she took a seat at her desk. Jack moved over some papers and leaned against it.
“There ain’t no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to say it straight,” said Jack.
Kate gripped the arms of her chair, digging her nails into the upholstery knowing whatever he was going to tell her was bad.
“Black Thunder was captured today,” Jack inhaled. “And he’s most likely going to be put down.”
Kate blinked and slowly his words sunk in. “No,” she said shaking her head as tears began to well in her eyes. “Jack, you can’t let them kill him!”
“I don’t have much choice in this, baby.” He leaned over and took her hand. “It ain’t up to me to decide.”
“Well if it isn’t up to you than who is it up to?” she asked her voice frantic. “If it’s Moses, I can talk to him. He’ll gladly give me Black Thunder.”
“Kate, Moses doesn’t have Black Thunder,” he said sadly. “I do.”
Kate looked at Jack as his meaning sunk in. “No, you won’t kill him,” She shook her head from side to side. “Not after everything he has done for me.”
“Kate, he’s wild and unpredictable,” Jack needed her to understand. “Look at me. I almost got killed out there today. That blasted animal went for the mares. He busted up the corral pretty good.”
“You can fix the corral.” She tried to reason with him. “Please Jack, you can’t kill him.”
“He’s a menace,” he raised his voice. “He ain’t good for auctioning, and he’s already stirring up the mares that are penned. I don’t see that I have a choice.”
“You do have a choice,” snapped Kate as she pulled her hand away from his. “I’ll never forgive you if you kill him.”
“Do you think I want to do this? Christ, Kate!” Jack ran his fingers through his hair. “But we can’t keep him. It would be worse on him to try to break him. He’d probably rather die than to be trapped, or worse beaten into submission.”
“You wouldn’t beat him?” Kate gasped thinking she didn’t know Jack McBride at all.
“Of course not, but he can’t stay at the ranch,” he sighed. “He’ll disrupt the mares.”
“Then let him go,” Kate started to cry. “Please Jack, just let him go, for me! Let him run wild.”
“I wish I could, but then we’d be back where we started, him busting up the ranches finding mares again.”
“So you’re going to shoot him like it was nothing,” she said angrily. “Who are you, Jack? Because this man standing before me I don’t know or like.” Kate stood from the chair and grabbed her purse then headed for the door. Within three strides he was upon her, swinging her around to face him.
“I am the same man you’ve always known,” he shouted at her. “Sometimes being a man you have to do things you don’t want to do. I don’t like it any more than you, but it’s what happens around here. I’m a rancher. I work hard, my hands are covered in dirt, and I know nature. It’s survival baby, of the elements, of the adversities, and of the land.”
“Well, now your hands are going to be covered in blood, and I want no part of it or your damn cowboy code!” She fumed.
“That’s who I am, Kate,” he grabbed her by the arms and made her look at him. “I fight for what is mine, and I fight hard. And if it means I have to put down an animal that is destroying what I have worked hard to protect, I will. I’ve done it before and I’ll do it again, and I’ll be damned if I will make apologies to you or anyone else. Do I make myself clear?”
“I hate you,” she glared at him.
“I’m sure you do at this moment,” he said with sadness in his voice. “But it doesn’t change my mind.”
“I want to see Black Thunder.”
“He’s back at the ranch,” said Jack as he released her. “But I don’t want you going near him right now. He’s all riled up and dangerous.”
“I’ll
be the judge of that.” She stormed past him and marched through the halls of the school with Jack close on her heels.
“What are you going to do?” he called after her as she made her way into the parking lot and to his truck.
“Give me your keys, Jack,” said Kate as she stopped abruptly and he almost ran into her.
“Why?” he gave her a questioning look like she was up to no good.
“Just give them to me.” She held out her hand and waited. Jack sighed seeing how stubborn she was. He reached in his pocket and placed them in her hand.
“Now what?” he asked.
“Go get ‘em-” she said as she flung her arm back and threw the keys across the parking lot.
“Shit Kate, why the hell did you go and do that?” his temper flared.
“For spite!”
“Damn, now stay put,” yelled Jack as he hustled across the gravel to retrieve his keys.
“And to give me a head start,” said Kate under her breath as she darted for her car.
As Jack bent down to pick up his keys, he heard her car start up and its tires screech against the pavement, watching her take off through the parking lot and onto the street.
“Son of a bitch,” he growled as he made a line straight for his truck.
He knew she was going to disobey his orders. He needed to stop her before she got hurt. She had a short lead, but it was long enough for Kate to get herself in trouble. Jack stepped on the gas pedal and roared toward the ranch.
Once at the ranch, Kate went in search of the great stallion. She didn’t have to go far seeing him tethered and bridled in the corral by the stables. It nearly broke her heart.
Kate opened the gate and entered as tears streamed down her face witnessing the humiliating captivity of a beast who was meant to roam free. She placed her hand alongside the animal’s face, and stroked him tenderly, soothing him with her soft voice.
