Wilde Horses

by Jannine Gallant

  “Maybe as a temporary solution—”

  “Yeah, temporary.” Pris cut Eden off then produced a sweet smile. “Hopefully, I’ll find a man to take care of me before too long.”

  Eden refrained from shouting that Pris should have a little pride. The idea of living off a man grated across her last nerve. She clamped her lips together. Not my business. When she glanced over at Blake, he rolled his eyes.

  They rode on without much conversation until they reached the creek. Eden dismounted a short distance downstream from the other two. After letting Jezebel drink, she tied the horse to a low shrub near a patch of grass and hung her hat on a nearby tree branch then went to join Blake and Pris. Cookie and Cracker sprawled on the grass in the sun, sides rising and falling beneath their silky fur.

  “Jezebel will be more comfortable with a little space.” Eden nodded toward the horse. “We have that in common.”

  “Feel free to take a walk if you want some time to yourself.” Pris sat down by the creek and pulled off her boots. “You don’t have to entertain us. I think I’ll dip my feet in the water and relax in the shade. I’m not in the mood to hike up to those caves you were talking about.” She glanced over at Blake and patted the ground beside her. “Come join me.”

  Eden eyed her steadily. “Maybe I will go for a hike.”

  Pris smiled and pushed her hair behind her ear. “Have a good time.”

  Blake finished hobbling Bramble and Flint then wiped his hands down the sides of his jeans. “I think I’ll walk instead of sitting. I need to stretch if I don’t want my leg to stiffen up too much.”

  Pris’s eyes widened. “But—”

  “Kick back and take it easy, Pris.” He nodded toward the dozing dogs. “Cookie and Cracker will keep you company, and we won’t be gone long.” With a hand on Eden’s back, he propelled her upstream over rocks and around fallen logs.

  Glancing over, she raised a brow as she hustled along at his side. “Do you have a clue where you’re going?”

  “Nope. Don’t care much, either. Pris is driving me crazy.” He let out a long breath. “Today they were filming out at the tepee village the crew set up on the prairie. Since I wasn’t in the scene, Pris insisted on keeping me company all morning.”

  “I don’t think your old pal has much use for me, but I’m certain she’d do just about anything you want. The woman is crazy about you.”

  He rubbed the back of his neck. “I thought it was nothing more than a touch of hero worship. I figured she’d back off and start doing her own thing after she got here. Pris is wound tighter than your damn wild horses and needs to chill out.”

  “I’d have to agree.”

  He held back a branch for her to duck under as they turned away from the creek into a thick stand of trees to follow a narrow animal trail. “This isn’t exactly the way I pictured our tour of your ranch.”

  “Maybe having Pris along is for the best.” She stepped over a pile of day-old bear dung and hoped the animal responsible wasn’t still lingering in the vicinity.

  “Why would you say that?”

  Eden glanced back. “Because when we’re alone, I tend to forget you’re just a temporary fixture in my life. With Pris scowling at me like I’m Jezebel’s namesake, I won’t be tempted to roll around naked with you in the woods.”

  He made a strangling noise then laid a hand on her arm to stop her forward progress. “Are you sure? That’s a mental image I’d like to act out.”

  She released a shaky breath as she met his heated gaze. “As much as I enjoyed our timeout from reality in Boise, I’m not planning a repeat performance. We can be friends, but anything else is out of the question.” She gave her head a shake. “We’re from two different worlds, Blake, and I like the one I live in too much to give it up.”

  “But—”

  “No buts.” She pulled away. “Do you want to hike up to the caves, or will that stress your injury?”

  His sigh stirred the hair on the back of her neck before she put some distance between them. “Let’s see how it goes. Walking doesn’t seem to be bothering my stitches any.”

  She glanced over her shoulder. “It’s a ways from here. We could ride closer—”

  “I don’t want to go back. Even if we can’t have a quickie in the woods, I still need a break from Pris.”

  Damn the man. His smile made her insides quiver in a way that wasn’t the least bit friend-like. Obviously she had to work on her resistance to his charm. Eden forced her gaze away from his. “All right, but tell me if your wound starts to hurt. You don’t want to rip your stitches.”

  “Definitely not. There’s a scene coming up where Kara gets thrown after her horse is spooked by a rattler, and my character has to lean down and scoop her off the ground while riding at a good clip. I’m sure Max could sub in for me, but the maneuver will take some skill, and I’d like to try it myself.”

  Eden frowned. “When are they filming that scene?”

  “Sunday. First thing tomorrow morning, we’re reshooting the aborted make-out session in the barn. Then later in the afternoon they’ll film Cavalry maneuvers out by the fort. John’s worried about staying on schedule, so we aren’t taking any time off this weekend.”

  “Interesting. The director told me to make myself available on Sunday. I have a feeling I’m the one who gets tossed off the horse, not Kara.” Eden let out a sigh. “Just what I need. More bruises.”

  His eyes brightened. “Cool. I’ll get to save you. On another positive note, it’ll be a fake snake, so you won’t be in danger of getting bitten. They’ll edit in footage of a real rattler later.”

  “Good to know. I’m not a huge fan of snakes.”

  “We have that in common.” He shot her a teasing glance. “We’re practically twins.”

  They walked side-by-side as the woods thinned, and a short time later they left the forest to approach the rock face of a cliff.

  Eden tilted her head back and pointed. “See those dark shadows against the rock about a hundred feet up?” When he nodded, she continued, “Those are the cave entrances. It’s a bit of a climb to get there. Probably a good thing my dogs stayed at the creek. Can you manage?”

  “As long as I don’t have to scale any walls, my leg shouldn’t give me any trouble. Let’s go check them out.”

  “There’s a path of sorts.” She stared down at her pointy-toed, tooled leather boots. “My boots aren’t exactly designed for clambering over slippery terrain, but hopefully I won’t add to my bruise collection on this little adventure.”

  “My guess is you’re as agile as a mountain goat, even in cowboy boots.”

  Eden grinned. “We’ll see about that. This way to the trail.” She pushed back a bush then held it for him to pass. “I haven’t been up to these caverns in a few years. When we were kids, we loved exploring in them.”

  “I bet. What able-bodied kid with an imagination wouldn’t?”

  “We had our very own Indiana Jones caves to play in…when my brothers didn’t leave me home alone.” She stepped carefully along a steep section with loose gravel. “Maybe that’s why I can relate to Pris and feel the need to cut her some slack. She was the younger, tagalong sister who wasn’t always welcome.”

  “That’s certainly true. Josie was nice about including Pris on casual dates, even when I would rather have ditched her.”

  “Josie sounds like she was a really sweet person.”

  He glanced back, his eyes sober. “She was. Pris…” He shrugged. “She always had a bit of an attitude, but she certainly stepped up when her sister needed care.”

  “Which is why you’re putting up with her right now, even if she does tend to cling?”

  “Exactly.” He stopped in front of the first cave and glanced inside. “It’s dark as hell in there. We should have brought a flashlight.”

  Eden pressed her hand against the warm rock near the gaping entrance and breathed in the cool, dank scent she remembered
from her childhood. A combination of damp earth and bat guano. “We can use the flashlights on our phones to keep from braining ourselves on the ceiling. It’s low in places toward the back.”

  “Good idea. Let’s check out those drawings.”

  Eden led the way into the cave, shining her phone on the damp walls. “The old Native American drawings are just up ahead. Since they aren’t prehistoric, the government never turned this area into a National Monument.”

  “Very cool.” Blake stopped to rest a hand on her shoulder and pointed with the one holding his cell. “Looks like the big picture in the center is of a bear chasing a deer or elk. What’s that down below?”

  “A hunter with a bow.” Her voice sounded breathless to her own ears as he leaned in closer, and his warmth encompassed her.

  “I wonder if our producers know about these caverns. Seems like they’d add a powerful element if we incorporated them into the movie. There’s a scene where I find Kara hiding in the woods during a rainstorm after we’ve had a huge fight over whether she’s going to stay with me or go back to her tribe. Seems like the cave would be a more dramatic venue.”

  With an effort she focused on what he was saying instead of his hard chest pressed up against her back. “Uh, filming in here might be kind of tough. There’s all the equipment to haul up the cliff, and the lighting sucks.” She shifted to put a little distance between them. The last thing she needed was the butterflies he stirred inside her without even trying.

  “True, but I think I’ll mention it to John, all the same. Let him make the call.” He stooped to avoid smacking his head as he moved deeper into the cave. “What’s that odor?”

  “Bats. They hang out in the rear of the cave during the day, or at least they used to. Smells even worse than I remember, though, like something died.”

  He grinned, his teeth flashing in the dim light from his phone. “I can picture Kara’s reaction to bats flapping around her head. That would certainly add a new ambience to the film, the kind you find in horror flicks where the heroine runs screaming into the darkness.”

  “Since I’m not too interested in bats swarming me, either, I say we head outside instead of deeper into the cave.”

  “Sure. I—” He stopped. “What was that?”

  The hair stood up on the back of Eden’s neck as a low rumble sounded from deep in the cave. She grabbed Blake’s arm and pulled him toward the entrance as a second growl followed the first. Louder and closer.

  When they burst out into the light, Eden blinked in the blinding glare. “This way.” She kept her voice low and tugged him down the ledge and into the second cave.

  “If that cat finds us in here, we’re toast.” His breath touched her ear as he wrapped his arms around her. “Shouldn’t we—”

  “If we run, its instinct will be to attack.” Her voice was just above a whisper. “If it comes near us, yell and wave your arms.”

  He nodded, his cheek brushing against her hair. Outside the cave, a flash of movement caught her eye. She drew in a breath and flattened against the wall as the mountain lion stalked into view. Raising its head, the cat sniffed the air and twitched its tail. Blake’s arms tightened like a vise around her. After what felt like an eternity but was probably only a few seconds, the mountain lion leaped down from the ledge, muscles flexing beneath golden fur, and disappeared from sight.

  Blake let out a long breath. “Holy shit.”

  “Yeah.” She slumped against him.

  “You’d think it would have smelled us.”

  “The wind is blowing from the opposite direction, but yeah, I agree.” A shudder worked through her, and she couldn’t stop shaking. “Maybe the cat wasn’t hungry. The rank odor we smelled in the cave might have been something it killed for a meal, not just bat guano.” She pressed her face against his chest as his heart thumped wildly beneath her ear. “We were lucky.”

  “I’ll say. You don’t think it’ll go after the horses, do you? Pris is there with only the dogs…”

  “The cat went in the opposite direction, but I’ve lost any desire to explore the other caves. Let’s go back.”

  He turned her in his arms then nodded. “Eden?”

  She glanced up into blue eyes shadowed with emotion. “What?”

  “Just this.” Dipping his head, he kissed her. The pressure was hard, almost desperate.

  She raised her arms to wrap them around his neck and buried her fingers in his hair as she kissed him back. Relief flowed through her along with a need to connect with life on a visceral level. The low growl deep in his throat was reminiscent of the big cat as she pressed closer. Finally, they both came up for air.

  “We have to go.” Her words came out on a gasp.

  “I know, but I needed that.”

  She kissed the side of his neck where his pulse thrummed. “Me, too. Blake?”

  “What?”

  “It’s great to be alive.”

  Chapter 11

  The sun—a fiery ball coloring the sky in shades of yellow, orange and red—sank beneath the western mountains. Blake leaned on the fence railing and wished he had someone to share the moment with. Not just any someone. Eden. Over the last couple of weeks, the woman had gotten under his skin. But since the mountain lion encounter the day before, she’d been avoiding him. The harder he pushed to discuss their undeniable mutual attraction, the faster she backed away. He let out a long, frustrated breath.

  “Want some company?”

  Blake turned as Kara approached from the direction of the encampment. The skin beneath her deep brown eyes was puffy, and lines bracketed lips that trembled slightly. In the face of her obvious misery, there was only one possible response unless he wanted to be a total ass.

  “Sure. Are you okay?”

  “I imagine I will be.” A sigh wracked her slim body as she propped her arms on the rail beside him. “Hayden and I had another fight. I thought getting away from L.A. and all the pressure of life in the city to focus on this film would help our relationship, but instead, I feel like our marriage is unraveling even faster.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” Blake opened his mouth then closed it. Considering his lack of meaningful romantic relationships over the last decade or more, he certainly wasn’t qualified to give Kara advice on the subject. Nor did he care to.

  “He has a jealous streak that really pisses me off, especially since I’ve done nothing to earn his distrust.” The sadness on her face transformed to a scowl. “Okay, maybe a little harmless flirting, but good God, that’s practically part of my job description. I’ve never acted on it, so why is he all bent out of shape?”

  Blake clamped his lips together even tighter. Saying what he was thinking, that Kara was asking for trouble, wouldn’t help the situation. “Uh, maybe you should talk to a professional counselor.”

  Her frown deepened. “I suggested that, but Hayden doesn’t want to air our dirty laundry in public.” She slammed her hand down on the rail. “He’s old school about marriage and thinks his word should be law. I told him he didn’t marry a doormat, and he said his life would be a hell of a lot more harmonious if he had.” Tears slid down her cheeks, and she wiped them away. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to dump on you.”

  Blake patted her shoulder. “No problem.”

  “I guess I should go back. I kind of stomped out in the middle of our argument.” She took a ragged breath. “It’d be easier if I didn’t love him, but I’m not going to change who I am for any man.”

  “Telling him that might be a good place to start.”

  Kara glanced up and produced a watery smile. “You could be right.” Standing on her toes, she kissed his cheek. “Thanks for listening.”

  “Sure.”

  Some of her normal sparkle returned as she stepped back. “By the way, you were dynamite in the hay today.”

  “Right back at you. That barn scene should make for a few eye-catching movie trailers.”

  “John w
as practically cackling with glee.” Her eyes darkened. “Hayden accused me of getting a little too enthusiastic about my performance.”

  “If he has a problem with me, I’m willing to set him straight.”

  Kara nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind. See you, Blake.”

  Turning, she headed back the way she’d come. Her stride faltered when her husband stepped out from the shadows near their bus. The older man didn’t say a word, just motioned her inside, then gave Blake a long, cool look.

  He turned away, not willing to get into a silent stare-off with Hayden, and his gaze locked on Pris. She stood near the barn, talking to one of the hands, but every now and then she glanced his way. After a minute, she broke off her conversation and hurried toward the encampment.

  A little out of breath, she spoke in a rush when she reached him. “Is she the reason you said you wouldn’t be free this evening?”

  His brows shot up. “Huh? She who?”

  “Kara Fox.”

  “Kara? No, she just wanted to talk for a minute. I have a script to read tonight. I was taking a break to watch the sun set.”

  “Oh, yeah?” She stopped next to him and leaned against the fence. “Is the script for your next project?”

  “I haven’t decided yet. If I take the part, I won’t get a break between films, and I’m beginning to think I need one.”

  She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Why’s that?”

  His gaze strayed to Eden as she walked in from the pasture where a couple of the Pintos were grazing and headed toward the main house. The evening shadows cast her figure in silhouette but couldn’t disguise the lithe beauty of her movement. Sometimes she reminded him of her wild horses, regal yet skittish, and more than a little standoffish.

  “Earth to Blake.”

  He dragged his attention back to Pris and tried to remember what they’d been talking about. Right, my hectic schedule. He shrugged. “Maybe it’s time I focused on my personal life for a change. I’m certainly not getting any younger, and there are a few goals I’d like to accomplish that don’t involve a director shouting, ‘Take it from the top!’ at me.”