Forbidden Spirits

by Patricia Watters

  Tyler was dressed like a Roman soldier, in a tunic that came to just above his knees, a Roman helmet with a feather plume, leather wrist and shin guards, and what looked to be soft leather sandals that laced up his legs. He held six pairs of long reins in his hands while driving the horses as they raced around the arena.

  What surprised Rose most was that Tyler looked completely relaxed as he took the horses around at a full run. It seemed odd though, not seeing his long hair streaming out behind like it had when he was on the beach. She assumed he'd twisted it into a coil and stuffed it under the helmet, but she couldn't help thinking that, even though he looked amazingly impressive as a Roman soldier, he'd look even more impressive with his long hair streaming out behind, maybe as the representation of an Indian warrior, or dressed in white as the ghost of a famous Indian chief on his pearly-white ghost horses…

  "The Lusitano is one of the most ancient breeds," the announcer said, as Tyler continued around the perimeter of the arena. "Tyler uses them for his Roman riding act because they're good at the fast quick bursts of energy the sport requires, and they tend to be calm. They're also the stars of the show as you'll see as Tyler takes the team over several jumps..."

  As the announcer said the words, Tyler headed the horses toward three jumps that were positioned just off the outside track. A huge burst of applause erupted as the pair of horses in front sailed over the first jump, followed by the middle pair, and finally the pair in the rear, with Tyler holding his balance as if he were attached to the horses, when in fact there was nothing on the horses' backs. He took the team over the next two jumps, then around the arena and over the jumps again while the pumped up crowd cheered and applauded.

  Rose could not help feeling pure adulation on watching Tyler with his horses, balanced so perfectly on their backs, with one hand now holding six pairs of reins while the other was raised as he connected with the crowd, something that surprised her, being the recluse everyone claimed he was…

  "The sport of Roman riding hails back to Roman times when Roman generals stood on their horses to survey the battle field," the announcer continued. "It's a feat of balance and control that's taken to the limit when negotiating jumps like what you just saw Tyler do…"

  About that time Tyler guided the horses to the outer perimeter of the arena and again took them around at a fast gallop…

  "Tyler's standing on the backs of Selena and Celeste, the wheel team of his six-horse hitch. Those are the ones that have to each carry half of Tyler's weight while driving hard enough to stay up with the others. These two mares are full sisters so they're well matched for Tyler to stand on. In front of the wheel horses are the swing horses, Gypsy and Estelle, which are the horses in the middle of a Roman riding group, and the lead horses are Luna and Stardust, a pair of almost perfectly matched dapple grays..."

  Tyler guided the horses to the center of the arena and dismounted, and while the announcer continued to tell the crowd about the history of Roman riding, Tyler stripped off the tack. When the mares were free of restraints, the announcer said, "And now, Tyler will demonstrate some liberty work."

  With that, the announcer became silent and the music changed to a playful orchestral arrangement as Tyler jogged around the arena, much as he had in the meadow, with all six mares trailing after him and following him back and forth over a low jump. After that the horses moved into a circle, and single-file, trotted around Tyler like a living carousel. Then without obvious signal from Tyler, they moved into a line, six abreast. Tyler ended the performance with the horses in a row, bobbing their heads to the crowd on one side of the arena then turning like a pinwheel to face the opposite direction and bob their heads again.

  The crowd went wild, jumping to their feet and cheering, while Tyler launched himself onto the back of one of the horses and placed a foot on the back of another, and with the mares lined six abreast, directed them out of the arena…

  "What you're seeing is proof that a gentle bond between man and beast can be created, and all with a spirit of fun and joy," the announcer yelled. "Let's hear it for Tyler Hansen and his Moon Dancers…" The announcer's voice was drowned out with thundering applause as Tyler and his horses loped out of the arena.

  The video flicked off, and for a moment Rose sat silently staring at the blank screen while trying to absorb what she'd just seen…

  "I'm so relieved," Grace said, cutting into Rose's daze. "It went well, but I've been worried all week about Tyler working six horses, and his new horses maybe not being ready."

  "Then you can start worrying a little more, Mom," Maddy said, "because now he wants to add two more mares to his team." She looked over at Jack and added, "Hang onto your wallet, Dad. I think he plans to hit you up for a loan."

  Jack grumbled and said nothing, to which Jack's mother, Maureen, responded by saying, "What Tyler does with his horses is a gift few can do, so if he needs money for another pair, I'm willing to loan it to him."

  Jack eyed his mother with concern. "I can't tell you what to do with your money, Mom, but before anyone invests in high-end horses, Tyler needs to prove that his six-horse team can continue to perform. He's on a roll right now with contracts lined up, but that could end with one injury. As it is, after he deducts all his expenses he barely makes ends meet. He needs a profession to fall back on if something happens, and he is capable of going to college."

  "He barely made it through high school," Maureen said. "He's finally at peace and he doesn't need that stress. Besides, his horses are his passion and he should stay focused on them."

  Rose found herself puzzling over the exchange, especially since Tyler seemed unusually intelligent, when Grace cut into her thoughts, while saying to Jack, "Honey, I know you have high hopes for Tyler, but right now he's single and free to travel with his horses, and he's in the process of making a name for himself. He's also too young to be thinking about marriage."

  "He turns twenty-three in a couple of months," Jack pointed out. "He could start thinking about marriage in an instant if he met the right woman."

  Maddy chuckled. "Tyler shouldn't think about marriage at all, ever. Heaven help any woman who might end up with him. She'd find herself sleeping in the pasture with the horses. Tyler spends half the summer doing that. Yep, he's definitely a centaur."

  What came to Rose's mind on hearing Maddy's words was the expression on Tyler's face when she announced that she loved sleeping under the stars. It had been a deep, thoughtful expression, and Tyler had stared at her for a prolonged period…

  Deciding she needed to snap out of her infatuation over the man, she reminded herself that, even though Tyler had an unusual rapport with horses, he was not a candidate for anything except maybe admiration from a distance when he was working his mares. It was becoming fairly clear that he belonged in his own isolated world, a very narrow world at that.

  CHAPTER 5

  Cody Stampede - Cody, Wyoming

  Tyler had just finished grooming and tending his mares after his final performance on the last day of the rodeo, and was waiting to see how Wild Card would do during the final bull riding competition, when he looked over to see the same rodeo bullfighter staring at him. The man had been around all three days of the rodeo, always dressed like a clown, but not once had he been in the arena during the bull riding.

  Walking over to where Josh stood with his arms propped on the top railing of the arena, Tyler said to him, "That rodeo clown just behind us and over your right shoulder. He's been staring at me for the past three days. Have you noticed anything odd about him?"

  Josh glanced over his shoulder momentarily, and replied, "Yeah, he just stands around dressed like a clown and does nothing. He's been staring at me too. I also noticed him with a woman with a little kid, not more than about a year old, over by the bull pens, mainly at Wild Card's pen. I started over a few times to see what they wanted and each time they walked off."

  "Then let's sort of make our way over to the guy and get a little closer look," Tyler sai
d. "Maybe he's got something to say to us and isn't ready to approach us yet."

  "Might as well," Josh replied. "It's still another forty-five minutes before the bull riding begins, and Wild Card's second to last."

  Tyler eyed the man again, who turned his face toward the arena as they started toward him, like he realized he was being talked about and didn't want to appear to be staring.

  Glancing down at a discarded program on the ground, Tyler scooped it up, and said, "Look at this with me and act like we're talking while we walk over there, then we can start up a conversation with the guy and ask him if he's a regular with the rodeo circuit. Maybe he'll give us an idea what this is all about."

  Josh nodded and they started walking together.

  As they approached, the man continued looking toward the arena. Tyler glanced beyond him, in the direction of the stock pens, and spotted a woman holding a child and standing near Wild Card's pen. Turning to Josh, he said, "Is that the woman you saw with the guy?"

  Josh looked over, and replied, "Yeah, she's the one."

  "She looks like Billy," Tyler said.

  Josh took a closer look at the woman, then immediately looked at the clown, as did Tyler, and when the clown looked directly at them, Tyler knew, about the same moment Josh did, that it was Jeremy. Breaking away from Tyler, Josh rushed up and threw his arms around his twin, and when Tyler joined in, Jeremy clapped his arm around Tyler's shoulders, and said, "We're breaking all WITSEC rules by being here, but you guys are really sights for sore eyes."

  After the initial shock of the reunion was over, Jeremy turned toward Billy and motioned with a sweep of his arm for her to come over.

  Bundling the child in both arms, Billy started jogging over to where they stood, and by the time she got there, tears had filled her eyes. Jeremy put his arm around her and pulled her against him, and said, "So much for remaining incognito while we're here, honey, but these two guys won't say anything to anyone, right?" He looked from Tyler to Josh and waited.

  "No one?" Tyler said. "Not even Mom and Dad?"

  Jeremy shook his head. "Mario Moretti's off somewhere right now, which is why Billy and I took a chance coming here. Normally he tags along when we leave for any distance."

  "Then you don't live around Cody?" Tyler asked.

  "We can't say," Jeremy replied. "Just keep it quiet. We don't want to be moved again, and if Mario finds out we connected with you he'll be obligated to move us, whether he wants to or not. Where we're staying is perfect for us, and Roberta, who it turns out is Mario's sister, is great. She's like Amy's grandmother. And speaking of Amy…" Shifting the little girl out of Billy's arms and holding her against him, Jeremy said to his brothers, "This is your niece, Amy."

  Amy tucked her head beneath Jeremy's chin and peered out at Tyler with wide brown eyes. The sweet, innocent look on her face caught Tyler off guard, stirring in him an odd longing that was alien to him, so he dismissed it as a touch of homesickness, brought on by seeing Jeremy again after almost two years. Still, he reached out and touched Amy's cheek, allowing his finger to linger there for a moment. "She's cute," he said.

  "Uh oh, kid," Jeremy replied. "That's the first sign of domestication in males, noticing other people's children."

  "You'd better not call him kid," Josh said. "If you haven't noticed, he taller than both of us."

  "I noticed. So then," Jeremy said to Tyler, "is your socialization still limited to mares, or have you finally started socializing with human females?"

  Tyler didn't answer right away, finding himself distracted momentarily by images of Rose standing in the meadow with her hair blowing gently, and little points of light in her big brown eyes as she held his gaze while telling him that she loved sleeping under the stars. And there were other things that came to mind at odd times, like the golden glow of her shoulders and bare back and small waist as she sat in the hot spring pool, and the way she toyed with her hair when she was talking to him, like she might be a little nervous, distractions he didn't need, he reminded himself. "I'll stick with mares," he at last replied.

  Looking at Tyler in curiosity, Josh said, "You took a while to answer. I'm betting a female of the human species has caught your attention. Marc said he hired a woman from the reservation, and Kit claims if anyone could catch your eye she'd be the one."

  Jeremy gave Tyler a little fist to his shoulder, while saying, "It's bound to happen sooner or later, little brother. A man can be a free spirit only so long before he finds himself thinking it would be a lot more fun to snuggle up to a warm female body at night than a pillow." He tightened his arm around Billy and she responded by smiling up at him.

  Tyler let out a feigned laugh, because he'd had those same thoughts recently. Not wanting his brothers to have any fodder for teasing, he said, "I have six mares to snuggle up with and they don't give me any guff." Again, Rose came to mind, but this time he visualized the way her eyes sparked with anger as she went off on a tangent about his chiseling into the mountain...

  "Mares won't give you any kids," Jeremy pointed out. "Here, hold Amy for a few minutes and see what it's like to be the uncle of Amy… Sullivan."

  Tyler took Amy into his arms and found her staring at him with wide curious eyes. He couldn't help smiling at the way she seemed to be puzzling over him, and when she saw him smile, she smiled too, the sweetest little smile he'd ever seen, which tugged at his heart. "Are you okay with the name Sullivan now?" he asked Jeremy, while continuing to look at Amy. It was a new experience, holding a small child the way he was. Sophie and Rick had a slew of kids, Marc and Kit had Lizzy, Adam and Emily had Jesse and Gracie, Josh and Genie had Levi, and Ryan and Annie had Cody, but he'd never paid much attention to any of them. In fact, he made a point of disappearing whenever the house filled with kids because he got mind clutter and verbal overload from everyone speaking at once...

  "We don't intend to stay Sullivan forever," Billy said. "The trials are ongoing in Las Vegas right now, and if the jury believes the testimony of my brother-in-law, it will be over for the mafia boss and his crime family, and by this time next year we could be home."

  "And if they don't believe your brother-in-law?" Tyler asked.

  Billy shrugged. "I'll be called to Las Vegas to testify and we'll be here longer."

  "Here?" Tyler asked.

  Billy looked askance at Jeremy, who stared blankly and said nothing, and for a few moments neither spoke. Tyler didn't press them, but he suspected that somewhere in the vicinity of Cody, Wyoming, was Jeremy and Billy's witness protection hideout.

  "Never mind, don't answer that," Josh said. "But if we get back this way we'll let you know. Maybe both of you could dress like clowns and meet us at McDonald's."

  "Not going to happen," Jeremy said. "This face paint you clowns wear is a mess. Are you still bullfighting?"

  Josh chuckled. "Genie gave me my marching orders and marched me right out of the arena, but that's fine with me. Levi and Abby need an intact dad, and raising bucking bulls and kids is a lot more satisfying than dodging bulls that are intent on running me through. Speaking of which, I have to get Wild Card ready. We'll meet in my rig right afterwards. Do you know where it's parked?"

  "Sure," Jeremy replied. "I've been watching you guys for three days now."

  After Josh left, Jeremy said to Tyler, "Incidentally, your act is world class. Keep it up."

  Tyler laughed. "It will be even classier if I can find the money for two mares I've located that I want to add to the team."

  "You're planning on driving eight horses?" Jeremy said.

  "Hopefully," Tyler replied. "I like to think I have backup for my six-horse-hitch. I'll show all eight when they're ready, and I'll do more liberty work. The crowd seems to like it."

  Jeremy gave Tyler's arm a squeeze, and said, "If anyone makes it happen, you will. You've been at this from as far back as I can remember and I never once questioned your ability to do exactly what you're doing. You must be getting some good contracts by now."

&nbs
p; "I am," Tyler replied. "Stock transportation was included in this one, but eventually I'll need my own eighteen wheeler and an assistant or two."

  "You'll make it happen, and I'll be even prouder of you when you do."

  Tyler smiled because, all the time he was growing up, he had nothing to feel proud about, and hearing Jeremy's words felt good because he knew they were coming from his heart. But his smile brought another smile from Amy, who giggled and tangled her hands in his hair and tugged, making him laugh too.

  Billy looked askance at Tyler, and said, "Do you want me to take her now?"

  "She's not fussing so I'll hold her until she does," Tyler replied. "Besides, I think she's stuck." Amy's fingers, which remained tangled in his hair, had him thinking about other fingers tangling in his hair, long slender fingers he could imagine moving down his neck, and across his shoulders, and over his back, and he could also imagine running his fingers over the smooth golden skin he'd seen when he stepped into the cavern and saw Rose sitting in the pool…

  "What's her name?" Jeremy asked.

  "Rose," Tyler replied before he could catch himself. He looked at Josh with a start. "Why did you ask that?"

  "Why did you answer Rose?" A wide grin spread across Jeremy's face.

  "Okay," Tyler said, "she's the woman Marc hired, and no, I'm not involved with her and don't intend to complicate my life that way, so you can wipe that stupid grin off your face."

  Billy raised her hand in protest, then stepping between them, took both men by the arms, and said, "Come on, you guys. Let's go watch Wild Card kick butt."

  As Tyler walked with Billy and Jeremy toward the arena, it came to him that, even though he was excited to see Jeremy again and know where he and his family were living, he also wanted to be back at the ranch. He wasn't sure when he'd started having thoughts about getting something going with Rose—maybe when she was standing in the meadow with her golden-eyed wolfdog, and the realization came that the dog wasn't reacting to him, but instead to Rose's response to him—but once the idea took hold that his presence affected Rose he couldn't shake it, because her presence affected him too. He even imagined having her beside him at night, maybe in a double sleeping bag under the stars.