by Jill Snow
He moved quicker, trying to force his concentration back to the job at hand. It looked like they would soon be done. He hoped so as he was tired and his body was aching, not that he would admit that to anyone.
“Right, saddle up. We’re done,” Ashley shouted finally.
They made their way slowly to the edge of the field without issue. They were almost safe when Tyler flicked his lighter in the face of one of the animals. The steer reacted and ran, causing the animals around it to also run.
“Get out. Go on, get.” Mack rode in on his horse, screaming at Adam and Ashley as he headed toward Tyler who stood transfixed, staring at the animals, a look of horror on his face. Adam turned to go, expecting Ashley to lead but instead, she went after Mack.
“I’ll get Tyler. You get the herd,” she shouted to Mack.
Adam couldn’t follow them, sensing he would only cause more trouble. Instead, he headed for where they had left their horses. Tyler had tied his horse to the tree against the advice of Ashley. Adam sprinted as fast as he could toward the horse, which was rearing now, its eyes rolling with fear. The other horses had already run away.
“It’s okay, buddy. I am just going to untie you. Shhh shhh,” Adam said to the horse and then started humming a tune with no idea whether it would work or not. But his voice seemed to calm the horse down. He untied it and let it run. The horse didn’t go too far—it seemed to sense the cattle had calmed down. Adam didn’t move from the trees, figuring if the stampede started up again, he would climb up rather than try to outrun the herd.
It took less than ten minutes for Mack and Ashley’s combined efforts to get Tyler out of the field and to calm the herd. Thankfully a full-on stampede was averted. Ashley and Tyler walked toward Adam. Well, Ashley walked, pushing Tyler who stumbled.
“That has to be the most irresponsible thing any idiot has ever done. What on earth were you thinking?” Ashley hissed at Tyler as Mack joined them.
Adam stared at Tyler, waiting for an apology at the very least. The other man stayed silent.
“You’re done. Nobody like you should be allowed within forty feet of any animal. What the heck did you do that for?” Mack shouted at Tyler.
“I thought it would be fun. I had no idea. I swear.”
“Fun? Are you serious? Have you any idea of the type of injuries inflicted in a stampede? You’re lucky if you die straight off. Most suffer agonizing injuries and die while waiting for rescue. Some make it to a hospital. Most don’t,” Mack snapped.
“Jeez, I said I was sorry. No harm was done.”
Mack looked as if he were going to explode. Ashley put her hand on his arm.
“Go, round up our horses. Please. I’ll wait with these two.”
Mack rode off. Then Ashley turned on Tyler.
“You are a self-centered excuse of a man. Mack is worth a hundred of you. His wife is in a wheelchair because her horse bolted. Someone like you thought it would be funny to see what setting off a firework would do. People like you just don’t care about anyone other than themselves, do you?”
Adam hung back, not wanting to get in the line of attack. Her eyes were like fire, her nostrils flaring as she gave Tyler the roasting he deserved.
“I said I was sorry. I shouldn’t be here in the first place. If my attorney hadn’t screwed up I would have gotten off.”
“Can you hear yourself? You were found guilty because you were guilty. The only person to blame is yourself.” Ashley gave him a withering look. Then she turned her focus to Adam. He took a step back, despite himself.
“That was brave of you. Irresponsible, but brave.”
“What?”
“The horse. I saw you sprint towards it to untie it. Greybird is a good horse but any animal that size in a state of panic should be avoided. She could have kicked you, killed you even.”
“I didn’t think about that. I just saw she was scared and thought she’d have a better chance if she was free.”
He thought her eyes softened as she looked at him. “She shouldn’t have been tied up in the first place. Most animals have better odds of outrunning a stampede than a human does. Why didn’t you run away?”
“I’ve never been a fast runner. I figured I could climb the tree if they came towards me.”
She smiled, but he got the sense that the trees wouldn’t have saved him. He was thankful she didn’t point that out. At least he had some dignity left.
Chapter 10
Mack came back with the horses, but his bad mood was still evident.
“You go on, Mack. Check on Henry and Bill—see what type of day they had. I’ll bring in these two.”
“Thanks, Ashley. I don’t think I’m trustworthy around that idiot. I might just shoot him.”
Ashley caught the look on Tyler’s face. He looked the color of Loretta’s freshly laundered sheets. It wouldn’t do him any harm to believe Mack would shoot him.
She sent her boss off and then counted backward from twenty, trying to cool her own temper. When she saw the horse tied to the tree, she had nearly been sick. Not just because it was a valuable animal and her hide would be on the line if anything happened to it, but the way it was struggling it could have injured itself. She’d been amazed by Adam’s bravery. The last thing she expected was a drug suspect to think of anyone but themselves, least of all an animal. She’d been impressed, too, by his ability to calm Greybird so quickly. She made a mental note to ask him later how he had done it.
She rode quietly back, thankful Tyler decided to keep his mouth shut. One word from him and she’d shoot him herself.
They reached the stables in silence. Dismounting, she outlined to both of them what they needed to do. Tyler, rather predictably, refused.
“I told you, I’m nobody’s servant. Get someone else to work out the horse. I’m starving, sore and tired.”
She was tempted to insist but in reality, it was better he disappear. Tempers would run high when word spread among the ranch hands. One thing they all shared was a deep love for the animals in their care. None of them could afford to lose their jobs if they were caught giving one of their guests a lesson he wouldn’t forget in a hurry.
Sighing, she grabbed Greybird’s reins and led her into the stables. Adam followed in silence. He listened to what she’d said. She knew he was watching her so she deliberately moved slower than usual. She liked spending time with the horses. They calmed her down. They were trustworthy. They wouldn’t turn on you like a person.
“You love them, don’t you?” he asked.
She looked at him to find he was staring at her. It didn’t make her uncomfortable, the way it always did when the other guests looked at her.
“Yes, I do. They’re beautiful animals. Strong, loyal and caring. Everything you could want.”
She waited a couple of seconds for him to say something but he didn’t.
“What did you say to Greybird to make her trust you? You know, at the tree?” To her amazement, he blushed.
“I sang to her.”
“Really? I didn’t expect that.”
“Why? You don’t think men can sing?”
“No. Not at all. It’s just you don’t look like a singer,” she said.
“What do I look like?” he asked, smiling.
Why had she started this? He looked like a movie star. But she wasn’t about to admit that.
“I don’t know. A fashioner designer or model or something.”
He laughed a nice sound. It was rather infectious.
“Don’t let my sister hear you say that. She thinks I’m the least fashionable person around.”
“That’s families for you,” she said, trying to concentrate on the job at hand, but it was difficult. His nearness did funny things to her stomach.
“You got a sister, too?”
Her heart dropped as Kayleigh’s picture popped into her head. She rubbed Devil down gently, trying to resist the urge to cry. She refused to show weakness.
“Sorry, did I say something
wrong?”
“I had. A sister. She died a few years back.”
“Oh, I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“You didn’t know. Don’t worry about it. We best hurry up. Loretta isn’t happy if we turn up late for meals.” She had to get a grip. Nobody was allowed to see her cry.
“You eat here, too?”
“Yes, all hands eat together in the kitchen. Loretta is strict about timekeeping and grooming. She expects us to wash up before setting foot in her kitchen.”
“Sure thing. I’ll grab a shower.”
“You won’t have time. Dinner is in ten minutes. Wash your hands and face at the sink.”
He looked so bemused she was tempted to laugh, but she didn’t.
Adam walked over to the sink where the water was even colder than expected. He washed quickly, his thoughts on Ashley. The face she had made when she mentioned her sister…he really had stuck his foot in his mouth. He hated causing pain to other people. Which was rich, given what he had inflicted on his family over the last year.
Chapter 11
Dinner was noisy with nine guests and the working ranch hands, Henry, Bill, Mack, and Ashley. Thankfully, the other guests seemed relatively normal. Tyler was conspicuous by his absence. But Adam wasn’t about to ask where the guy was. He didn’t want anyone getting the idea they were friends.
“So how did today work out? Sore?”
“Yes, Loretta, but it was a good day. The horses are beautiful,” Adam said, taking the dishes from her hands.
“They sure are. Heard what you did. That took guts.” She moved back to the stove to get the potatoes.
“Thanks. I think!”
She smiled as she gave him another helping of potatoes.
“Watch out, son. Loretta will fill you up if you let her. We’ll be rolling you out of here by the end of your sentence.” The ranch hand laughed at his own joke.
Adam just smiled. The thought of three months with no contact with his family would be hard but he was lucky. He knew that. It could have been so much worse.
“Anyone up for a game of cards after?” one of the men asked.
“Rob, you know gambling’s against the rules,” Charlie said.
“Aw man, it wasn’t for money. Only matches. A small game won’t hurt, will it?”
Rob turned to Adam. He didn’t want to get on anyone’s bad side.
“I don’t know how you can think about cards. I just want my bed.”
The other guests laughed at Adam’s remark.
“Forgot it was your first week. Man, I remember how sore I was those first days after I arrived. I thought I would never walk straight again. I had a real John Wayne look about me for a few days.”
“Charlie, if by that you mean you were bowlegged, you certainly were.”
“Rob, you weren’t much better, pretty boy. I can still hear you moaning about how muscles you didn’t know you had were hurting,” Charlie retorted.
“Come on, boys. You’ll scare Adam right off,” Loretta said.
“Hey, Adam, you look familiar. Have we met?” Rob asked. “I’ve been meaning to ask you since you arrived.”
Adam’s heart sank. He had hoped nobody would recognize him. It was easier that way.
“No, don’t think so. I just have one of those faces. Everyone seems to think they met me before.”
“No, it’s not that. I know I’ve seen you before. You an actor?”
Adam shook his head.
“Oh, I got it now. You’re the drummer guy from that Irish band. Oh, what’s the name of it?” Charlie asked.
“The Dublin Lads,” Bill offered.
“You got caught for drug trafficking, right? But your fancy lawyer got it down to three months here. It’s amazing what money can do,” Henry sneered.
“I didn’t have a fancy lawyer. The court appointed one. It was my first offense and it was only a small amount of coke.” Even as he protested, he knew he should have kept his mouth shut. It was worse defending his actions even if it was a lie. He caught Ashley’s glance of disdain. It cut right through him. He couldn’t remember there ever being a time when he wanted to just tell everyone the truth. He was sick of being found wanting.
“You mean it was your first time getting caught. Nobody ever gets caught the first time they break the rules.” Henry didn’t hide his disgust.
Adam wanted to protest but it was pointless. Anyway, he didn’t care what these guys thought of him. They weren’t here for a vacation. But he caught the look on Ashley’s face. Disgust and disappointment were written all over it.
He pushed away the rest of his food and stood up, taking his plate over to the sink. “Reckon I’ll turn in. What time do I meet you in the morning?”
“Six. We need to get an early start. The rest of the herd need checking and they’re in the far range,” Ashley said.
“See you then.” He turned and walked away from the group, leaving them discussing who had heard of him and what their favorite songs were. Any hopes of being liked and accepted for who he was, not just the person portrayed in the media, had vanished.
Chapter 12
The next few days passed uneventfully. His muscles were getting used to the physical work. Thankfully Tyler had left, picked up by the police the day after the stampede incident. The rest of the guests seemed okay. They weren’t super friendly, but that was all right. He wasn’t there to make friends.
“Adam, you want to do a bit of sightseeing tomorrow? I’m sending Bill, Henry and some of the other guests to search for stragglers. Want to go with them? It will be a long ride,” Mack asked.
“Sure.”
“Great. It will be an early start in the morning. Now, are you coming with us to church?” Mack gestured toward his truck.
Adam shook his head. Almost anything was better than spending Sunday moping around, but he wasn’t ready for church. He wasn’t on good terms with God at the moment. He’d spent the time cleaning his room, changing his bed and performing other random tasks around his living quarters. Loretta had been surprised when she returned to find the kitchen table laid for lunch and some food on the stove.
“I didn’t know you cooked.”
“Mam made sure all of us were self-sufficient. She didn’t want any of us being a burden, as she called it, on our wives.”
“I would like to meet your mom. She sounds like a very sensible lady.”
Adam didn’t respond. They’d argued about Camilla. When Mam suggested Camilla might just be using him for his wallet, he’d told her Camilla had her own money. That wasn’t strictly true. She had a trust fund, but it was tightly controlled by her father. At least that’s what she had said, but who knew if that was the truth.
“Adam, those eggs will burn if you just stare at them. Want me to take over?”
“Oh yeah, sorry. I was miles away.”
“Why don’t you go round everyone up? Ring the triangle. They’ll come soon enough.”
“Why do you use the triangle?”
“That’s what the women used in the old days to call in the workers. Worked as well back then as it does today. Why change?”
Lunch passed quickly with the ranch hands teasing him over the food.
“Could have used you in the chuck wagon back in the day,” Mack commented despite his mouth being full.
“What’s a chuck wagon?” Adam asked.
“Never watched a western? The cook went with the wranglers on a cattle drive. His wagon was the chuck wagon. Doubt they ever got anything like this to eat. Certainly, don’t remember good food from the few times I went out with my pa.”
“You lived around here all your life?” Adam asked.
“Yeah, my pa had a place fairly close to here. It went to my older brother. He sold out to one of those fancy dude ranches where the ladies go looking for a spa. Think they want to meet a real cowboy or something.”
“Wouldn’t mind being a ranch hand on one of those ranches.” Henry’s expression was enough to p
ut Adam off his food.
“Put your mind back on the food, Henry.”
Everyone laughed at the reprimand from Loretta, including Adam.
“It’s a shame the kids couldn’t come yesterday,” Loretta added.
“Why weren’t they allowed?” Bill asked, bits of food falling out of his overfull mouth.
“Some bug going around the school or something. Anyway, they’ll be here next week,” Loretta confirmed. Children on the ranch? Adam wasn’t sure what he had missed.
Before he could ask, Charlie asked, “How’s your wife feeling today, Mack? It’s not like you to eat with us on a Sunday.”
Mack’s stiffened shoulders suggested she wasn’t doing too well but he didn’t seem to want to talk about it.
“Do you guys ever get ghosts up here?” Adam asked. It was the first thing that hit his mind as he tried to change the subject.
“Ghosts? You’ll be asking about leprechauns next,” Henry sneered.
“Don’t be nasty, Henry. Actually, yes. Some say the old mining towns up in the hills are haunted,” Loretta answered.
“That’s a load of baloney. Who’d believe that?” Henry’s tone suggested anyone who believed in ghosts were a bunch of idiots.
“The tourists who shell out all those dollars to come see. You believe in ghosts, Malone?” Bill commented.
“No. Not at all.”
“Not even banshees?” Loretta asked.
“Mam believes in them, but not me. A cousin said she heard one the night my granddad died. She lives out in the middle of the country so insisted it couldn’t have been a neighbor. I reckon it was a cow making noises or maybe the wind.”
“What’s a banshee?” Bill asked.
“It’s supposed to be a spirit of a wailing woman who calls to you to tell you a member of your family is about to die,” Adam answered.
“All right, ladies.” Henry’s glare at Adam told everyone who he was talking about. “Enough of this talk. We have some chores to do and then I want to catch the game.” Henry stood up.
