“We’ll be fine,” Gladys said.
* * *
FAMOUS LAST WORDS, Zane thought, wishing he could believe them. All the novices looked as if they could be blown off their mounts by a stiff wind. He didn’t usually allow for second-guessing, but he was about to make an exception. Deciding to go forward with the cattle drive had been about the stupidest idea he’d ever had.
“Ready to go, boss?” Frank asked as he rode up.
Zane let his gaze settle on the two kids, then he shook his head. “No, but we’re leaving anyway.”
Frank grinned. “Me and the boys are taking bets on who falls off their horse first. You’re gonna have to let us know who it is and when it happens for the pool.”
Zane pulled his hat down low. For the first time in years, he wanted to be somewhere other than the ranch. Greenhorns. The whole lot of them. Frank and the boys were right. Someone would be tumbling from a horse, and if Zane was lucky, that would be the least of his troubles.
“Have fun,” Frank said with an expression that announced “better you than me.”
Zane nodded. “I know you’re not much for praying, but you might want to put in a good word with the Almighty.”
“Sure thing, boss. You’re going to need all the help you can get.”
Zane nodded. “You’ll be able to reach me on my cell phone. We’ll be staying within range of the towers.”
“I’ll be here.”
Zane wished he would be, as well.
A sharp whistle warned him that his life was about to stampede out of control. Seconds later a dust-colored steer with a half bit-off ear appeared, followed by rows of cattle.
“Line ’em up,” Zane yelled.
He and Chase quickly moved the greenhorns into position. Zane trotted to the front and took off his hat.
“Move ’em out,” he yelled, and they headed east.
CHAPTER NINE
CHASE WOULD RATHER have his teeth pulled out by rusty pliers than admit the truth, but he was having second thoughts. It was only midmorning on the first day and while nothing had exactly gone wrong, he was getting a bad feeling about the whole cattle-drive experience. Fifty steers didn’t sound like many during a conversation at dinner, and most cattlemen could control three times that many without thinking twice. But their motley crew wasn’t exactly made up of average cattlemen.
There were kids and old ladies. Maybe, just maybe, he’d really been an asshole when he’d taken everyone’s money. Maybe he should have thought about the consequences of day-trading and then trying to get it all back based on a stock tip that had been as realistic as a steer siring twin calves. Maybe—
He coughed and tried to move out of the cloud of dust. It was a futile effort. Zane had positioned him at the rear of the herd, the worst place to be. No doubt he’d considered it fitting punishment for his screwup half brother.
Chase tugged his hat lower and thought about tying a bandanna over his nose and mouth. He had a clean square of cloth in his jeans pocket. But somehow using it felt like giving in or admitting he’d been wrong.
He had been wrong. Chase winced as the realization settled on him like too heavy a load. He’d been impulsive and arrogant and a fool. His insides felt all twisty and hard. Guilt, he acknowledged. Pure guilt.
The obvious solution was to admit he was wrong and apologize to Zane. Only that had never worked in the past. His brother didn’t care about apologies. Zane talked about not getting it wrong in the first place, which Chase was in favor of...if only he knew how. Zane seemed to always know the right thing to do. He never made a mistake. Good thing, because Chase made enough for both of them. And every time he got it wrong Zane would give him that look. Not the death-ray one—although it was bad enough—but the one that said he was disappointed. Again.
He slumped in the saddle, prepared to spend the rest of the morning feeling sorry for himself. Up ahead the cattle moved at their slow, steady pace. At least the weather was halfway decent, he thought. Plenty of sun. It would warm up during the day and—
A scream cut through the sound of steer hooves thudding on packed ground. Chase straightened, then swore as Andrea’s horse cut sharply to the left and headed directly into the thick trees on the side of the trail. The woman still clung to the saddle, but with all the low branches she was likely to encounter, that wouldn’t last for long.
Chase swore again as he turned his mount and headed after her. There was no reason for her horse to take off like that, not if she hadn’t done something she shouldn’t have. Zane had been real careful to choose calm horses for everyone. But regardless of the reason, the fool woman was his responsibility.
He ducked as his horse raced through the trees. Up ahead came the thrashing of something large moving at a fast speed, and without much regard for the potential danger.
“Help me!” Andrea screamed. “Oh, God, don’t you dare jump.”
The instruction was followed by a long, high-pitched yelp, then an awful silence that made Chase’s throat go dry.
He rounded a couple more trees, then saw Andrea barely clinging to her horse. She was more off the saddle than on, with her left leg flopping around and both hands holding on. Chase kicked his horse once and the animal moved closer. He had to duck under a low branch, and then he was able to lean low and grab the runaway’s reins.
The horse instantly slowed. Andrea continued to slip. She gave a cry of alarm, but Chase caught her arm before she slipped too far, and he helped her back into the saddle.
“You saved my life,” Andrea said as she pressed a hand to her chest. “I thought I was going to die for sure.”
“Are you all right?”
She shook her head, then drew in a deep breath. “I’m fine. That jump. It was so high and we were flying, then we came down with a thump, and I couldn’t stay in the saddle.”
Chase looked her over, but there didn’t seem to be anything wrong. She was a little shaken but still functioning.
“Your horse doesn’t usually take off like that,” he said. “What happened?”
Andrea smoothed her hair away from her face. “I’m not sure. I was just humming to myself and—” She broke off and stared at him. Her eyes widened. “Oh, my. I was humming and sort of bouncing to the music and I must have accidentally kicked him.”
She leaned forward and touched her mount’s neck. “I’m so sorry. I would never have kicked you on purpose.”
Her horse didn’t respond, but that didn’t seem to bother her. She returned her attention to Chase. “I don’t even know what to say. Really. You were great.”
Just then Zane rode up. “You all right?”
Andrea beamed. “Your brother saved my life. I think I accidentally kicked my horse, and then we were racing through the trees, and he jumped over a stump, and I was hanging from my saddle. I just knew I was going to fall, and then Chase was there.”
Zane didn’t spare him a glance. “So you’re not hurt?”
“Just my pride.” Andrea slowly turned her horse to face back the way they’d come. “No more humming for me.”
Zane took the reins and headed toward the trail. As he passed Chase, he gave him the death-ray look. Chase knew what he was thinking. If Chase hadn’t messed up in the first place, none of this would be happening.
It was just unfair, he grumbled to himself as he headed back to the dust cloud at the rear of the herd. He’d made a mistake, and now he was being punished. But was that enough for Zane? No. Nothing was ever enough.
He broke through the trees and found Maya waiting for him.
“Everyone all right?” she asked.
“Andrea’s fine,” he said. “Not that it matters. This sucks. I can’t make what I did right, and that’s what he can’t forgive me for. Saying I’m sorry doesn’t matter for shit. You know? Like it’s my fault that I can’t change the space-time continuum and rewrite the past. So sue me.”
Maya lowered her sunglasses and looked at him. “Are you about finished with the pity party or
should I go get some chips and drinks?”
“I’m just about done. Except that, no matter what, it’s not going to be right. At the end of this cattle drive Zane’s going to be just as mad at me as he is now. Punishing me won’t make him happy.”
“I’m not sure Zane is capable of being happy,” Maya said. “But that’s not the point. Everyone makes mistakes.”
“Not ever-perfect Zane.”
“Even Zane,” she insisted. “The difference is the whole world doesn’t know when he gets things wrong.”
“I wish they did. It would even the score.”
She nodded in sympathy. “I know it feels really unfair right now, Chase, but the truth is this time you—”
He cut her off with a flick of his hand. “I know. This time I went too far, even for me. I deserve to be punished. I am being punished, and when all this is over, do you think for one second, it’s going to be okay with Zane? Do you think he’ll ever let it go?”
“He won’t talk about it.”
“Sure. But it will still be there. We’ll both know it.”
She nodded. “You’re right. Zane doesn’t hold a grudge, but he’s not exactly forgiving, either. I’m sorry, Chase. You have to live with the fact that your brother is a hard-ass. Under normal circumstances I’d consider his tight butt one of his best features, but this time I mean it in a bad way.”
He winced. “Don’t talk about Zane that way. It grosses me out.”
“What? Zane and any woman or Zane and me?”
“Zane and you. You’re my sister.”
She grinned. “Don’t sweat it. Zane and I have never had even a flicker of interest between us.” She tilted her head. “Maybe Zane and a woman isn’t such a bad idea, though.”
“Ha. That would require him to have an actual conversation that wasn’t about business. I’m not sure he can.”
“I suspect that under the right circumstances Zane can be charming.”
Chase stared at her. Maya held up one hand. “Okay. I take it back. I can’t imagine him being anything but himself. Still, he must have needs. Doesn’t he get lonely?”
“Zane doesn’t have weaknesses, remember?”
“Not that he’ll let us see, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Is he seeing anyone?”
“No. There hasn’t been a steady woman since Sally.”
Maya looked surprised. “Does he date?”
“I don’t know. I guess. Maybe. When he goes to town or maybe on his business trips.”
“How often does he do that?”
“A couple times a year.”
“Maybe his bad temper comes from not getting laid,” she said.
“Another problem I can’t fix,” he grumbled.
Maya started to respond, then shook her head. “Hold on. Phoebe looks like she’s in trouble. I’ll be right back.”
He watched as she rode on ahead. About fifty feet in front of them, Phoebe was doing a piss-poor job of turning around her horse. Maya demonstrated how to tug on the reins, and Rocky slowly rotated in the direction Phoebe indicated. Chase urged his mount to trot forward so he could join them.
“What’s up?” he asked, mindful of Andrea’s close encounter with the forest.
Phoebe shifted on her saddle. “I was wondering about rest stops. When do we make them? And where? I haven’t seen any facilities. Is there a campsite or something?”
Chase stared at her. Maya’s mouth dropped open.
“What?” Phoebe looked from one to the other. “What did I say? Are you trying to tell me that real cowboys don’t go to the bathroom?”
Maya reached out and patted Phoebe’s arm. “I thought you knew.”
Phoebe’s eyes narrowed. “Knew what?”
“We use nature’s restroom.”
Chase knew it was rude to laugh, but he couldn’t keep himself from grinning as Phoebe’s eyes widened with horror.
“Outdoors? In the bushes? But what about sanitation? What about washing my hands?”
“What about back to nature?” Maya asked.
“I’m not sure I want the two of us to be that close.”
Chase shook his head. “You don’t get out much, do you?”
“Not like this.” Phoebe swallowed. “We’re not going to be showering, are we?”
“We have camp showers,” Chase said. “Big bags of water you hang in the sun so they get warm.”
She winced. “Sounds really great. I can’t wait.” She looked at Maya. “You didn’t say anything about this when you talked about an exciting vacation on a cattle drive.”
Maya didn’t look the least bit contrite. “I forgot.”
“Like I believe that.” Phoebe carefully turned her horse around again. “I need to get back to my place in the herd.”
When she was gone, Chase nudged Maya. “What about Phoebe?”
His former stepsister shook her head. “I considered it for a while, but I’d worry that Zane wouldn’t treat her right.”
“Hey. What about me? I deserve a break. Phoebe’s nice and I think Zane might like her. He talks to her more than to anyone, and I think I’ve seen him watching her. If he was distracted by her, he would get off my back. You should want to help me out here.”
“I’m not sure you’ve earned the privilege of having Zane off your back.”
“You have to help me.”
“Sorry, kid. You’re on your own with this one.”
* * *
WHEN THEY STOPPED for lunch, Phoebe walked around in an attempt to get feeling back into her butt. She wasn’t too keen on “nature’s restroom,” and the tingling in her fanny was kind of strange; but aside from that, she found she was starting to like her time in the outdoors.
Although Rocky still scared her a little, she didn’t think he would try to bite her or throw her, which was a step in the right direction. She tried to be considerate and not flop around too much in the saddle. When she’d dismounted, she’d been careful to pat Rocky’s neck and thank him for the ride, although she wasn’t 100 percent sure he’d understood what she was saying. Still, it had been a start to what she hoped would be a pleasant working relationship.
She walked along the edge of the grove of trees where they’d stopped. The air was just warm enough for comfort, the blue sky seemed to stretch on forever, and there were mountains not that far away.
Phoebe had never much thought about being away from the city. She’d lived in Los Angeles her whole life, and her idea of back to nature was new plants for her patio. Her various foster parents hadn’t been big on camping trips or hiking in the foothills, and as an adult, she’d never considered the option of getting away. But now that she was here, in the wilderness, she found that she liked it.
If she’d thought about it ahead of time, she would have expected silence, but it wasn’t quiet at all. There were all kinds of birds flitting around, along with small creatures making rustly noises in the bushes. The cattle had a symphony of their own—the rhythm of their hooves, the grunts and occasional moos. She wished she knew more about this part of the country. She would like to be able to name the trees and the small yellow flowers. Maya knew as little as she did, and when she’d asked Chase, he’d rolled his eyes and reminded her that he was seventeen. His interests lay more in the direction of computers and girls than flora and fauna. Since she hadn’t brought her cell phone along on this stroll, that left only Zane, but she couldn’t actually bring herself to ask him to give her a botany lesson.
So she contented herself with admiring the leaves and walking around small bushes until some feeling returned to her butt. Then she walked toward the stream they’d passed a few minutes before stopping.
Cookie had provided everyone with a hand towel and some kind of soap that was supposed to be ecologically safe to use in the wilderness. The nature-friendly cleanser had made Andrea and Martin happy.
The brush seemed to get sparser the closer she got to the stream. She found a dry spot at the end and crouched in front of the rapidly f
lowing water.
For a minute or so she simply watched the bubbling and gurgling progress of the stream. The air smelled fresh and damp, with a hint of coolness that teased at her cheeks. She unfastened her watch and set it on a flat rock, then squeezed the soap over her hands and rubbed until there was a thin lather. Then she plunged her hands into the stream.
A fish brushed her, and she jerked her hands out of the water with a little shriek. Unfortunately her hands were still slick and she had to drop them into the stream again to clean them.
Ew.
She reached for her towel. As she picked it up, she heard a slight rustling from behind her.
Standing quickly, she turned, but there wasn’t anyone there. No animals, either, at least not any she could see. If some furry resident had been spying on her, she’d probably scared him off with her scream about the fish. Even if she hadn’t, nothing around here was big enough to be a problem, right? She rubbed her hands on her towel. It wasn’t as if there were bears or anything. Or snakes.
She shivered and took a step back. A sudden loud rustling on her left made her jump again. She whirled around and covered her mouth with her hand as something very big lunged toward her. Something huge and scary and—
“I heard you scream,” Zane said as he stepped out from behind a tree. “What happened?”
Her first instinct was to throw herself at him and beg him to protect her. Good sense intervened, and she settled for taking a step toward him and offering a shaky smile.
“Nothing. I’m fine.”
“Uh-huh.”
She cleared her throat and went for the casual smile. Her attempt at nonchalance wasn’t helped by her instant and oh-so-familiar physical response to the man’s nearness. It was the usual list of reactions—faster heart rate, weaker thighs and knees, dilated blood vessels and hormones performing bits from the balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet.
“I might have called out in surprise,” she admitted when it became apparent he wasn’t budging without some kind of an explanation. “A fish touched my hand.”
Kiss Me (Fool's Gold series) Page 11
