Ring of Fire

by Hestand, Rita

  "I know it sounds strange, but I could have sworn I heard my father just now," she admitted.

  The old man turned away and finished his task. "That's not unusual to hear the voice of a loved one after they die. I heard tell it's a normal thing. Heard my missus for months after she died. Kinda spooky, huh?"

  "Yeah, kinda." Letty twisted her head. "How long ago did she die?"

  "Been over ten years now. Ever now and then I hear it again, but it don't spook me no more. I find it kinda comforting knowing she's about." He laughed.

  Letty smiled. "I guess it is…isn't it? Comforting, I mean. It just happens when I try to ride Thunder."

  "That horse is dangerous, Miss Letty, you shouldn't be trying to ride him."

  "So I've been told. But I rarely do what I am told. Besides, it's the most exciting thing on this ranch."

  "Exciting can kill, ya know?"

  "You really do sound like Dad now. He used to drive me nuts telling me I couldn't do something. I'd try to do it anyway, just to show him. The funny thing is, if I succeeded no one was happier than him…"

  Caleb cast her an amused glance over his shoulder and shrugged. "Sounds like you listened to him a lot. You recall a lot of conversation between ya? Well, I wouldn't worry about it. You must miss your father a lot. That's all."

  "I guess so, it just seems so strange to me. I mean, I don't believe in ghosts. But the voice…it was so clear, so close, as though he was right out there and trying to warn me. It distracts me so, I get thrown every time," Letty insisted, watching the old man work. "I shouldn't bother you with it, it's just that somehow I keep hearing him. It startles me. Father and I rode together many times; it was the only thing on the ranch I took an interest in. He seemed to indulge me. It was like our time together."

  Caleb reminded her of her father, but this man was more stooped and his voice sounded more coarse and deeper than her father's. Still she reasoned they probably would have had a lot in common with each other, especially the way Caleb spoiled the horses all the time.

  He took so much care with them. Obviously, Wade and Cade appreciated how well he handled his job though, and everyone on the ranch seemed to know and love Caleb.

  "Do you believe in ghosts?" she asked him.

  "Never thought about it. What is, is. Can't explain everything in life you know," Caleb insisted, sounding almost put out at her probing him.

  "Of course, you're right," Letty agreed and turned to leave. "I guess I just miss him a lot."

  The old man glanced at her again. "He thought a lot of you girls. He missed you too."

  "How do you know that?" Letty probed.

  "Bein' close to the same age, we talked a lot. He always told me and the boys how proud of his girls he was. Every one of you."

  "Yeah, I can see where you would talk a lot. I guess you and Dad had a lot in common."

  "Yeah, I reckon we did. He wanted only the best for you. But I think in his older age, he grew to realize that he couldn't completely control you and that you would have to learn about life by yourself. He said that was a hard lesson for him to learn."

  "Yeah, but me and Julie, we left, and we didn't come back. We didn't even visit. Julie has a good reason, but I…well, I was trying to make it on my own so to speak. I have an independent streak, and with Dad, well, independence wasn't possible. He controlled everything here."

  "Yep, I've heard he ruled with an iron thumb," Caleb remarked.

  "Yes, I have to agree with that. He did. He was the boss, the ramrod, the one you better listen to. I wanted to make him proud of me…but in the end, I'm not very proud of staying away so much. I loved him more than he knew. Now that I've quit school…well."

  "Quit school?" Caleb's voice raised and he shot her a frown over his shoulder. "That don't sound like a McKay. McKay's don't quit." Caleb turned to stare at her a moment, then turned away. "At least, I didn't think they did."

  "School doesn't interest me any longer. You know, I didn't even know he had a heart problem," Letty cried. "That's how much I knew about him in the last years."

  "Maybe the old man didn't want you to know," Caleb reasoned. "Strong men, and your dad was a strong man, don't always like showing their weaknesses."

  "Maybe…" She stared at him. "Sounds like something my father would have said. I guess that's why I like talking to you Caleb, you remind me of him so much."

  "We were from the same time, growin' up and all. What we had in common was horses. He was too busy a man though. Could have led him to his ill health. Miss Letty, you can't change the past, but you can work on the future."

  Letty nodded. "I guess you are right. And you might say I've changed my future, to some extent." When he didn't say anything, she added, "Guess I ought to go inside now."

  The old man half turned to look at her. "You've changed your future? You mean by moving home for a year?"

  "No, I mean I quit law school."

  "Why?" The old man's voice sounded incredulously loud again.

  "It's not the direction I want to go any more. I've lost my passion for it."

  "Because of the inheritance?" the old man questioned as though he had every right to ask.

  "It's not like I thought it would be. It's too political. So much pressure, competition. There's no pressure here, just life. And I'm ready for a little life, and another future."

  "Ain't that kinda fickle?"

  "Maybe, but it's also very me."

  He nodded and fell silent. "Forgive me, Miss Letty. I don't have much education, cain't imagine someone just stopping. Some would give their eye teeth for a chance to go to college."

  "Sometimes, education is just living."

  Letty pondered her conversation with Caleb and wondered why the old man reacted to her quitting law so strangely. What difference did it make to him? She shrugged as she walked back to the house. Several had responded with shock when she told them, even her family; she guessed Caleb would be shocked too. Not a lot of people went to college to learn law and then quit.

  She had been shooting for a week with Mike and was exhausted. Although it looked easy, the job of modeling was anything but. Still, she had to admit, she enjoyed it. The work that demanded concentration, and gracefulness and neither of those things bothered Letty. Some things came natural and modeling was one of them. Letty had always been comfortable with it, even though the camera was constantly in her face, she treated it like a man, and seduced it like a woman. Although she knew she would never be a top model, she didn't want that either.

  She wanted a nice peaceful life, with small pressures, not big ones. She wanted to go to sleep at night and not worry all night over a client that might or might not be innocent. Law was a good thing, it had taught her a lot about life and people, but she'd had enough. Funny how her quitting upset some people though, Wendy and Caleb for example. But neither of them had been there, and they just didn't know what it was like.

  She thought about what Caleb said and believed he was right about her father. They must have been good friends or her father would never have confided so much in Caleb. Somehow that knowledge comforted Letty.

  She laid on top of her bed and reflected on the past few days. She'd only been home a few months but every day there was change.

  The minute she closed her eyes, Hank's face and body came to life before her and covered her. She could feel the weight of him on her bed, the cowboy smells of him, fresh hay, leather, and that manly sweat that reeked from a hard day's work. She even felt the pressure of his kisses and the urgency of his body. Drowning in his love-making she didn't want to wake up.

  She sighed heavily as Wendy passed by. "Wow, that must be a good dream…" Wendy chuckled.

  Letty woke, reddened and glanced up to see Wendy standing in the doorway.

  "What's got you hot and bothered?" Wendy giggled.

  "Wouldn't you like to know…?" Letty got up off her bed and straightened it, ignoring the guilty feeling Wendy evoked, after all she was entitled to dream. Still, his i
nsinuation into her life puzzled her. He hadn't done the insinuating, she had. He attracted her without effort.

  She wanted to know more about Hank Silver!

  Chapter Four

  Julie's wedding was held outside on the property, the guest list held 500 names, half from Cade's family and friends, and half from Julie's. Kellie was so excited about being a bridesmaid and walking down the aisle with Aiden, her new friend. Aiden was twelve, a little older, and the first boy Kellie had ever liked that much. He was in her class and Kellie would come home talking about him every day. So he was not only invited for the wedding, but at Kellie's insistence invited to be in the wedding. After all, he'd been to the ranch on numerous occasions already to ride with Kellie.

  Kellie was beaming that beautiful morning as she checked on the flowers that covered the beautiful archway where her parents would take their vows. Almost eleven now, she wanted to make sure everything was perfect for this day.

  "So were the flowers alright?" Letty asked her as she bounced up the stairs.

  "They are perfect. The cake's arriving soon. Daddy's folks are coming and a lot of his friends. Which means half the town will be here."

  "Your father is a popular man in these parts." Letty smiled at Kellie. "And I would say that was partly because he knows how to handle his men fairly, and is an all-around good guy, wouldn't you?"

  "Most definitely. I know everyone likes him. He used to go into town a lot and spend time talking to people, he says. Mom's friends from work are coming, too; I'll know a lot of them. This is going to be one of the best days of my life," Kellie explained with a huge smile on her face.

  "Yes darling, it is. I'm so happy for all of you," Letty cried, grabbing Kellie for a hug.

  "I'm just glad Grandpa made us come back here. I know he's watching and smiling too. I've seen a lot of pictures of him lately and I can just imagine him smiling." Kellie looked into Letty's eyes. "I wonder if he knew this would happen?"

  "That's an interesting thought, isn't it? I'm sure he's watching too," Letty said and moved away to brush a tear from her eye.

  "You miss him a lot, don't you Aunt Letty?" Kellie asked, following her into her room.

  "I didn't know it showed so much…" Letty wiped at her eye.

  "So does Mom. I catch her crying every now and then, and I know it's Grandpa she's crying about. But I think he's very happy today."

  Letty smiled at her. "Is your dress pressed? If not, I can press it when I do mine." Letty tried to change the subject. Talking about her father had become somewhat painful and this was a good day; she wouldn't spend it crying.

  Kellie nodded. "Thanks…"

  "Okay, it'll be in here when you want to change." Letty let her know as she set up the ironing board.

  "I love you, Aunt Letty," Kellie cried and went to hug her again. "Thanks for helping Mom get this set up."

  "What are sisters for?" Letty smiled.

  Moved by Kellie's affection, Letty hugged her back and then insisted she check on her mom to see if she needed anything pressed too.

  Letty glanced out the window and saw that Hank was working in the corral and Caleb was helping him. She watched them for a few minutes, both men moving about the corral with the ease of a woman cleaning her house.

  She wondered if Hank would be in the wedding, but she wasn't about to ask. Then she wondered if Caleb would be around.

  There was entirely too much to be done though to worry about such matters.

  Julie burst into her room with a smile on her face. "I don't need a thing pressed, the dress has been hanging in the closet for a month, and looks great. But thanks for asking, honey." Julie smiled.

  "Okay, well, I was pressing Kellie's dress and thought I'd check with you. No use all of us ironing at once." Letty laughed. "So, are you ready for this?"

  "Oh yes, more than ready. I can't believe you helped me get this going so quickly. I couldn't have done it alone, you know. I mean, all the phone calls you made to make sure everyone got their invitations, all the arrangements you made that takes a lot of time. Oh Letty, I'm so on cloud nine right now, I can't even think straight. I'm nervous, but not because of anyone else, just giddy from all the excitement of it, and how quickly it came together. A lot of my friends from work will be here thanks to you and a lot of Cade's family and friends too."

  "You aren't supposed to think on days like this, just feel, and be happy." Letty laughed.

  "I am…and I wish this for you too." Julie smiled, holding Letty's hand for a second as they reached out to each other.

  "Maybe someday!" Letty asked, "Have you had your bath yet?"

  "Yeah, everyone's been in there but you…" Julie cried.

  "Good, hope you all left me a little hot water." Letty nodded.

  "I wouldn't bet on that. Oh Letty, I'm going to be married today. I'm going to be Mrs. Cade Weston. A few months ago, my life was so different…So many things have changed."

  "Do you miss that life?" Letty asked.

  "Not one bit." Julie laughed.

  "Good. Now…have you eaten?" Letty asked.

  "No, but I'm about to go grab a bite, can I bring something up for you?"

  "No, I had a bite of sausage earlier. I'm going to finish this ironing then jump in the tub."

  Julie nodded and went downstairs.

  Letty smiled at how happy Julie and Kellie were. She wished them so much.

  She glanced at her Navy dress that Julie helped design for the bridesmaids and smiled. Julie had picked Navy and white as her colors with blood red roses and white baby's breath for her bouquet. The design was unique and lovelier than most bridesmaid dresses but this wasn't her day to shine, it belonged to her sister and she'd do everything she could to make it as wonderful as Julie hoped it would be.

  Sandy and Wendy were bouncing around the place, doing little things to help.

  "Wow, Cade and Julie," Wendy murmured.

  "Isn't it wonderful?" Letty snickered.

  Sandy wandered into the room. "Yeah, just a few months ago, Julie was about as removed from this ranch and the people on it, as she could be. Now look! And Cade, honestly, the man never went out with anyone. In fact, Wade seemed worried about him."

  Letty's brow twitched. "Yeah, but underneath it all, through all those years, there must have been something going on."

  "They hadn't even dated, until she came home…" Wendy protested.

  "No…" Letty eyed her. "But they had a daughter together."

  Wendy's expression changed and nodded. "Yes, they did…"

  Hours later, as the wedding march played, Letty kept looking for her father for some reason to pop out of the bushes and take Julie's hand down the aisle, but that never happened. Instead, a cousin did the honors.

  Julie almost shook standing up there by the altar with Cade, and Cade's face was washed with happiness as he spoke the words, "I do."

  Letty glanced around for the first time during the wedding to see who all had come and where everyone was, not realizing she was looking for Hank. Her sisters were bridesmaids, and there were cousins everywhere. Wade had been Cade's best man, as Letty expected. A few of the ranch hands had been groomsmen. Back in the back, she saw Hank and her eyes followed him as he moved to sit at the back. When he sat down she saw that Caleb was there too, both looked very nice and despite everything Letty's heart jumped for joy.

  Afterwards, there was dancing and eating and Letty kept a close eye on her niece as she headed for Hank and Caleb.

  "I'm so glad you came…" She grabbed Hank's arm.

  "Wouldn't miss the boss's wedding for anything. They looked very happy." Hank smiled.

  "My sister was on cloud nine." Letty laughed.

  "She looked lovely," Caleb added.

  "Wasn't she gorgeous?"

  "Guess you'll be finding someone soon too," Caleb added.

  "Oh…I don't know. Maybe…" Letty let that drift away slowly as her shy glance found Hank's.

  "You know, from what your dad told me, I didn
't think you would be the marrying kind." Caleb shifted his weight and pulled at the tie as though uncomfortable.

  "Every woman is the marrying kind, Caleb. It's just that some shop around longer…" Letty laughed.

  Hank's glance slid up and down her.

  "You certainly look beautiful today," he managed.

  "Thank you. And I gotta say, I've never seen either of you two looking better."

  "You know, if I had a pretty woman standing here holding onto me, I'd be asking her to dance." Caleb jabbed at Hank.

  Hank looked down at Letty. "That's a good idea…Would you do me the honor?"

  "Thought you'd never ask…" Letty chuckled.

  Caleb nodded and smiled.

  Hank's hold on her was light, as though he might be afraid of hurting her.

  "So why'd you really quit law?" he asked as though making sure the conversation didn't become personal.

  Letty riveted with shock. "Everyone asks me that."

  "And your answer is?"

  "I don't know for sure. It's just when I came home, I realized I was happy here. I missed being here. It was like my life changed the moment I packed my bags and said goodbye to the University."

  "How can you pass such an education up?" he asked.

  "I haven't exactly passed it up. I can finish if I want to. It just won't be on a time schedule," Letty insisted. "Did you always want to be a cowboy?"

  "Yep. Always!"

  "Wow, such a positive answer."

  He shrugged and pulled her closer, relaxing against her. "My folks weren't too happy about it. But my grandmother understood. We were from a long line of cowboys. Most of my family though didn't want any part of it. They thought I was nuts for settling as they called it."

  "Do you have brothers and sisters?" she asked liking the way he cradled her in his arms and relaxed as though talking about the weather.

  "One brother, one sister, both out of state now with big careers and families," Hank informed her.

  "And your folks, have they gotten over the fact that this was your chosen profession?"

  "My folks died in an car accident, together. I was the youngest. Since my siblings were already grown and moved away, I decided to make my home here."