by Janet Dailey
'Pardon the pun, but how did Lije manage to "master" you, Mrs. Masters?' His engaging smile was easy to return.
'He just swept me off my feet,' Diana retorted mischievously, the glow lighting her eyes with jewel-like brilliance at how he had devastated her from the first moment of their meeting.
'I should say how lucky he was,' a rueful chuckle emphasizing Ty's words, 'but Lije Masters is a man who makes his own luck. Ever since I can remember he's always been king of the mountain. It was inevitable that he came home with a fair-haired queen.' His brown eyes flicked around the kitchen. 'I imagine you've already made all the plans to re-do your rather dismal castle.'
Diana glanced around the room with a stranger's eyes, remembering how vivid her distaste had been the first time she had seen it. Pride wouldn't allow her to say that they couldn't afford anything major in the way of redecorating, so she settled for a noncommittal agreement.
'You women have always amazed me. Give a woman a room, some paint and material and you inevitably turn it into a showplace, regardless of any shoestring budget.'
His casual statement gunned her. With new eyes she looked around the kitchen, trying to visualize how fresh paint and new curtains would transform the room. Before her assessment was complete, a discreet knock was heard at the door. When Diana recovered her wits enough to walk to the door, she was surprised to see Jim Two Pony standing outside. He never knocked. The question in his dark eyes puzzled her even more.
'Come in.' She stepped aside to enforce her unnecessary invitation.
'I noticed Mr. Spalding's car outside,' Jim said, venturing no further than just inside the door. His gaze moved from Diana to the man leaning back in his chair. 'I thought perhaps he wanted to discuss something about the drilling.'
'Actually I was on my way out to the site,' Ty smiled, in an unhurried and condescending manner, 'before Diana invited me in for coffee.' There was the slightest bristling in his gaze as he saw Jim glance at the empty cup on the table.
'I have to check on the herd near there. I'll follow you out.' Jim's face remained impassive despite the crackling tension that had suddenly risen.
'Why don't you have a cup of coffee, Jim?' Diana suggested, glancing from one to the other uncertain what had caused this friction.
'I have a great deal to do with Lije gone,' he declined. The barest softening in his gaze when it turned on her carried a polite but adamant refusal before it turned blandly back to Ty.
Diana could sense the reluctance and irritation that accompanied Ty's slowness in rising from his chair. He hadn't taken one step in the direction of the door as Jim reached out to hold it open for him.
'I'll be outside directly,' Ty told Jim, his hat still in his hand.
Jim nodded, glanced briefly at Diana, then walked out of the door, dosing only the screen door behind him. The smile now on Ty's face held a hint of anger as he looked at Diana.
'I might have known Lije wouldn't leave you here alone without instructing his faithful little watchdog to look after you,' he said with a cynical twist to his smile.
His patronizing tone towards Jim Two Pony left a sour taste in Diana's mouth. This was the second time Ty had made a disparaging remark about him. She hadn't like it the first time and she found herself being more repulsed this time. But Ty took no notice of the withdrawal in her expression.
'Thanks for the coffee, Diana.' He sat the hat firmly back on his head. 'I'll be seeing you.' A wink emphasized the promise in his voice, then he was through the door, walking briskly ahead of Jim.
In that last span of minutes, the golden aura of happiness that had surrounded her morning vanished. As Diana put the dirty coffee cups in the sink, she tried to fight back at the peculiar unsettled feeling. It hadn't just been Ty's offensive remarks towards Jim, although they had definitely taken the edge off her enjoyment of his company.
She turned, leaning her back against the sink, and let her pensive gaze wander over the kitchen. It had been Ty's offhand comment about a woman's re-decorating prowess on a limited budget. For the life of her, Diana couldn't see how fresh paint and new curtains would 'transform' this disreputable kitchen. The white enamel on the metal stove and cabinets was chipped, but not even repainting would change their appearance enough to make them more attractive to her eyes. As far as she could see, the answer was a new stove and custom-made wooden cabinets, which they could not afford.
Yet the conversation gnawed at her all the rest of the day. The reason why it bothered her remained out of reach, proving just as disconcerting as the conversation. The evening meal of meat loaf, baked potatoes, and baked beans was in the oven and the coleslaw and strawberry pie were in the refrigerator. The table was all set. The prospect of waiting until Jim arrived demanded more from her patience than Diana possessed.
There was no sign of his jeep outside, and with the memory of the previous night's delay to feed the horses still fresh in her mind, Diana slipped on her jacket and walked down to the stables. Questioning whinnies greeted her entrance as the horses stuck their heads out of the rows of stalls. There was something rather welcoming about the sound. With their graceful heads stretched out towards her, large luminous eyes watching her every move, Diana found them less formidable than before.
A soft, inquiring nicker from a sorrel horse nearest her brought her wandering gaze to it. Its ears were pricked forward in anticipation as it stretched its neck towards her. Hesitantly Diana stepped forward, her hand reaching out for the velvet soft nose to nuzzle. The strip of white that raced across the delicate, gazelle-shaped face accented the shimmering brilliance of its red-brown coat. The soft brown eyes blinked at her with incredible gentleness in their expression.
'You look like a little Bambi fawn,' she commented as she stroked the satiny smooth neck, then added with a quiet laugh, 'an overgrown fawn!'
She glanced at the storage bins where the grain was kept and wished she had paid closer attention last night when Jim had been measuring out the grain and supplements for each horse. There was really noting to feeding the horses, as she had discovered. With Lije away, it would have made one less chore for Jim to do.
Her gaze caught a glimpse of hay stacked near the entrance. There was something she could do that didn't require any measurements before feeding. All she had to do was toss some hay into the mangers. Before the decision was fully formed in her mind, she moved to carry it out. She had one side of the row of stalls completed when the sharp clamour of a bell shattered the contented sounds in the barn. It took a full second for Diana to remember the bell that Jim had hung at the house. She dropped the hay in her hands and raced to the open doorway of the barn.
'Jim, I'm down here!' she called, waving to the dark-haired man standing at the house. She waited in the doorway as he walked to meet her. 'Is anything wrong?' she asked as he drew nearer.
'I thought you might have gone for another one of your walks,' Jim said quietly with just a suggestion of a smile.
'Not after the last time.' She shook her head ruefully. She didn't want to remember that other walk and swiftly changed the subject. 'I was just giving the horses some hay. I would have given them grain, too, but I didn't know how much to give.'
'I'll show you.' Jim was already walking by her into the barn. 'The phone was ringing when I walked into the house,' he said over his shoulder. 'It was Lije calling to let you know he would be driving back in the morning.'
'When will he get here?' Diana asked eagerly, her heart dropping a bit at not being able to talk to him herself. In spite of the estrangement that marked their parting, she missed him terribly.
'The day after tomorrow, probably in the morning,' Jim answered.
'Did you mention that Ty was here to drill the new well?' Why did she ask that? Diana wondered.
'Yes.' Jim glanced at her briefly before opening the grain bins and instructing her in the amount of grain and vitamin and mineral supplements to feed the horses.
Diana was pleased to discover that there really wasn't
anything difficult about feeding them once she knew how much. And it was a satisfying experience as well. This time, secure in the knowledge that their meal wasn't burning up in the oven, she accompanied Jim Two Pony when he fed the big bay stallion Malpais.
He was a beautiful animal, sleek, muscular with graceful lines like a Greek statue come to life. Yet for all his size, the stallion was light on his feet, moving playfully around Jim when he entered the sturdy paddock. The full mane and tail and all four legs were jet black, but the rest of his body was the deepest, darkest shade of brown that was still not yet black.
'Where did he get his name Malpais?' Diana asked when Jim had emptied the grain and hay into the manger and walked over to stand beside her.
'Lije mentioned to you about the lava beds on the north border of the ranch, didn't he?'
Vaguely Diana remembered him making some comment about lava beds when they had first met, but she hadn't thought about it further.
'He did mention it once,' she nodded. 'I have to admit that I wasn't curious about them until now. But what have they got to do with Malpais?'
'"Malpais" is the Spanish word for badlands,' Jim explained. 'A most descriptive term for the twisting, black river of rock that stretches for miles. The rock is black or like the stallion, nearly black.'
'I had no idea there were volcanoes here,' she murmured.
'These lava flows come from the eruptions of Mount Taylor and El Tintero. Their liquid fire spread southward, killing every living thing in its path and destroying anything else. Occasionally the river of lava would split into two streams and leave an oasis of green trees and grass, puny island remnants of productive land. Eventually the lava hardened, but usually from the outside, leaving the lava flowing within to create caverns and ice caves. In places, the roofs of these caves are paper-thin. One step on top and a man could fall through with never a way out. The human eye cannot detect the difference between the solid rock and the treacherous roofs.'
Diana shuddered expressively at the picture he painted.
'Still, it is only one small patch in the whole of New Mexico.' There was quiet amusement in his voice. 'Just a few miles from the malpais is Acoma, the Sky City. Not far from that is El Morro National Monument. There you can see Inscription Rock where the early Spanish explorers carved their names. I suppose you could call it an early form of graffiti.'
Laughter rolled easily from Diana's lips and with more freedom when Jim Two Pony joined in with her. Her blue eyes registered their pleasure when she met his dark gaze. This new camaraderie was a welcome change and one that she enjoyed very much.
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Chapter Eleven
THE barrier had been lowered. The first tentative steps towards friendship and respect had been taken between Diana and Jim Two Pony, though the reserve was still there. The final commitment by either one had not yet been made, but for the first time things looked hopeful to Diana. Her smile was infused with the growing warmth she felt towards the black-haired Navajo as he turned the ignition key in the jeep.
'I'll feed the horses for you tonight if you don't mind,' she offered, raising her voice to make sure it would carry over the noise of the motor.
'You can leave Malpais for me,' Jim nodded, a finger touching his broad-brimmed hat in a farewell salute before he put the jeep in gear and it sprang away.
After watching the jeep disappear, followed by slowly dissipating clouds of dust, Diana turned her gaze in the opposite direction towards the rutted lane that would soon be bringing her husband home. How she was looking forward to that!
Late that afternoon Diana left the stillness of the house for the more companionable sounds of the stables. She had had enough of her own company and the anticipation of Lije's arrival made the minutes spent alone drag interminably.
An ecstatic whinny greeted her as she paused at the end of the individual enclosures that extended from the outside stall doors. A faint smile of surprise curved her mouth as she saw a sorrel head with a white stripe stretch inquiringly over the rails. There appeared to be a welcoming eagerness in the horse's face that Diana had to laugh.
'Hello to you, too, Bambi, if that's really what you were saying.' She climbed the main fence and made her way down the path to the sorrel's pen. The horse lowered its head for her caress, blowing gently against Diana's bare arm in what seemed like contentment. 'If I were really sure that you're as gentle as you seem, I might be persuaded to learn to ride. Not that I'm afraid of horses,' stroking the shiny neck, 'but you must admit, Bambi, that you're awfully far away from the ground!'
The perked ears of the horse swivelled alertly to catch every nuance of Diana's crooning voice. She perched herself on the fence rail while the sorrel explored her arms and legs and face with its nose, inhaling deeply as if memorizing her scent for future reference. Diana continued talking to the horse, unmindful of what she was saying. It didn't seem to matter to the horse either as long as her soft voice was heard.
When Diana glanced at her watch nearly an hour and a half later, she was stunned that the time had passed so swiftly. The hour had arrived to feed the horses as she had promised Jim she would do. The sorrel whickered forlornly when Diana climbed down from the top rail.
'It's time to eat, Bambi.' She laughed as the horse pushed its head against her chest and kept it there for more gentle caresses. She gave the silken neck one last hug before retracting her steps to the main fence, then on to the barn.
The clanging of the metal buckets as Diana prepared to measure the grain into them was a sufficient signal to the rest of the horses that feeding time had arrived. Instantly they were in their stalls, heads hanging over in anticipation of their evening meal. She didn't have the efficiency of experience that Jim had and it took her longer to complete the filling of the buckets. But soon they were all contentedly munching the grain while Diana went in search of the bales of hay to top off their meal.
Usually there was a stack of bales near the door, but it had been depleted to only two, not enough to feed all the horses. Diana had just placed a foot on the first rung of the ladder leading to the loft when a horn sounded in the yard followed by 'Hello! Is anybody here?'
She walked quickly to the open barn door, brushing away the wisps of loose hay that clung to her wheat tan slacks. Ty Spalding was standing beside the driver's side of his car, his gaze searching the house and yard before spotting Diana standing in the open double doors of the barn.
'Hi, beautiful!' he called, his lithe stride quickly carrying him towards her. 'Hello, Ty,' she answered calmly, deliberately not matching his familiar enthusiasm. 'What brings you here so late in the day?'
'I was just out at the drilling site.' He stopped in front of her, his thoughtful eyes taking in her reserved expression. 'I thought I'd stop by and let you know we hit water.'
'Lije will be glad to hear that.' A partial smile curved her lips.
'Yes.' But there was an uncaring sound in his affirmative response. 'I stopped up at the house first. When you weren't there, I was about ready to decide that these wide open spaces had finally got to you.'
'They can be daunting at times to a city girl.' Her gaze shifted from his smiling face to the unending spread of country, remembering the isolated feeling that often attacked her, but for some reason didn't this time.
'East is east and west is west and the wrong one I have chose, as the saying goes.' He watched her reaction closely. His comment had found its mark. It was a thought that she had often considered unconsciously and discarded just as often when offset by her love for Lije. 'You wouldn't be the first woman to loathe this land or this life,' he added.
'What makes you think I do?' she asked noncommittally.
'Instinct. Or maybe,' his brown eyes slowly travelled the length of her slender but curvaceous frame, 'it's just that you seem out of place here. A woman like you should have a more glamorous setting. A classy home in the best section of town with furs and jewels and satin gowns, instead of this.' His ha
nd moved in a dismissive gesture to encompass the buildings and land.
'A hybrid rose among yucca plants,' Diana concluded for him with a bitter laugh, the analogy of Jim Two Pony's springing quickly to mind.
'Something like that, yes.' There was the barest lifting of one eyebrow. 'What made you say that?'
'Oh, it was just a comment I heard someone say once,' she shrugged.
'About you?'
'I don't recall.' The coolness in her voice indicated that it was time for the subject to be changed.
'Well, in my opinion, you're very much like a rose. A pale yellow tea rose, fragile and delicate and velvety soft to the touch. Not at all like a yucca plant,' a wide grin spreading over his face, 'with its spindly stalk and greenish-white flowers.'
'I don't know. It might be apt. After all, I am a greenhorn to this part of the country,' she said coolly, more in an effort to disprove his statement than dismiss his compliment.
'That may be, but somehow I could never imagine anyone as lovely as you are compared with something as commonplace as a yucca bush.'
'It's nice to be considered functional as well as ornamental, like a yucca plant is,' Diana replied.
'What do you mean? How is a yucca plant functional?' Ty asked with a derisive chuckle.
'I understood its leaves were used to make baskets and clothes.'
'By Indians,' he said contemptuously. 'Not by white people.'
'I didn't realize it made any difference. Your prejudice is showing, Ty,' she mocked.
'I've never met an Indian yet that was worth anything.' A flush of red spread up from his neck at her biting retort. 'They're mostly a bunch of drunken bums, an untrustworthy pack of thieves.'
'The same thing could apply to some white men I've met,' she retorted icily, sickened by his unreasonable bias. 'Your description certainly doesn't fit Jim. Lije couldn't have found a more loyal friend than he is.'
