Until September

by Brenda Jernigan

  “Her,” Billy corrected. Spot was the only female he trusted.

  They entered the double doors and immediately smelled fresh hay and horses, a scent Billy was familiar with. Some things didn’t change whether in the country or the city.

  Spot had poked her head way over the half-door of the second stall, looking around with curiosity. Billy smiled as he neared the stall. Hell, Spot probably figured she’d died and gone to heaven. Neither of them had ever been in a place this fancy.

  Claire rubbed the horse’s muzzle. “She’s pretty. We don’t see many pintos this far East” She noted that the filly was all white except for the one brown shoulder and forefoot and one large brown spot across her rump. “What’s her name?”

  “Spot”

  Claire chuckled. “Surely you must be teasing me.”

  “Nope. Don’t you think it’s a good name?”

  Claire thought about it then nodded in agreement. “Yes, it definitely fits. And it is a simple name. My horse’s name is Run for Glory.”

  “That’s one hell of a name. What do you call her... Run?”

  “No.” Claire smiled. “I call her Glory. Would you like to see the mating barn?”

  Mating barn? Whoa! Billy’s thoughts were headed down the wrong path fast. “You have a special barn for that?” Hell, back home they put horses out in the pasture and let nature take its course.

  “Yes, we do.” Claire pointed. “Right over there. Come on, I’ll show you.”

  He followed her to the next building where several men were standing around and looking into a rather large stall.

  “Come on, Black Boy, get up there,” the man in the stall was saying as he held a lead rope, hoping to get the stallion to mount the mare.

  Billy watched for a few minutes before saying to Claire, “Let’s go back to the stable.”

  Once they were outside, Claire asked. “Is something wrong?”

  He stopped and looked at her as if weighing his answer. “Where I come from, you don’t have to encourage animals to mate. It comes naturally.”

  She looked at him with those pretty blue eyes, and Billy thought, Speaking of mating. . . Damn, he was doing it again.

  Finally she said, “We breed horses. People from all over bring their mares out here to breed with our stallions, and they want to see that they are getting their money’s worth. So it’s something that happens all the time. We can’t leave such things up to nature. There’s far too much at stake.”

  Billy stared at Claire. She talked about breeding so matter-of-factly. Where most women would be blushing, she looked as if it was an everyday conversation. He sensed a passion in her. And she was much too tempting. Her color was high, which made her just that much more attractive when she met his gaze.

  “I’m going riding,” she finally said. “Would you care to join me? You can take one of our horses since you rode yours in and she probably needs to rest”

  “Sure. Why not?”

  Once they were in the stable, Claire spoke to a short gentleman who nodded his capped head and then left “Who was that?”

  “Harvey. He’s our stableman.”

  The stableman and the young kid, Willie, who Billy had seen earlier, brought out two of the most magnificent horses Billy had ever seen. They were a chestnut color with black manes and tails. Their coats glistened.

  Harvey began to saddle the horses.

  “I can do that,” Billy said, feeling useless and in the way. He wasn’t used to having people do for him when he was perfectly capable of doing for himself.

  “Yes, sir,” the man said while he continued his task.

  Billy whispered to Claire, “Don’t you people do anything for yourselves?”

  Claire smiled and whispered back, “It’s his job.”

  “Whoa. What’s this thing?” Billy pointed at the rinky-dink saddle the man was putting on the horse.

  “It’s an English saddle,” Claire supplied.

  “I can’t ride on something so dinky. I’ll use my own saddle, if you don’t mind.” Billy grabbed his Hamley saddle off a sawhorse and tossed it to Harvey. “Now there’s a saddle,” he said to Harvey.

  “I agree, sir.”

  “I sure do like your horse, Mister,” Willie said. “She’s real pretty.”

  “Your name is Willie?” Billy asked.

  The child nodded his head, his green eyes dancing.

  “I tell you what, Willie. If you’d like, and your folks don’t mind, I’ll let you ride him before I leave.”

  “Really, mister?”

  “Sure thing. And the name is Billy.”

  “Just tell me when.”

  “You need to ask your folks first.”

  He looked down at his feet and sighed. “Don’t have any.”

  “Willie, don’t you have some chores to do?” Harvey called sharply.

  The child took off, running. “Don’t forget,” he called over his shoulder.

  Billy felt a strange connection with the child as he watched him run down the walkway and disappear into a stall.

  Soon he and Claire were cantering over green rolling hills, the likes of which Billy had never seen. This is paradise, Billy thought.

  The horse Billy rode was magnificent, overflowing with energy and spirit His black silky mane bounced along his neck. How Billy would love to own a horse like this one.

  He glanced at Claire and admired how well she rode. Who would have thought such a frail thing could handle a horse so well, especially from that lop-sided sidesaddle she used. Maybe there was more to the little lady than he’d thought.

  Watching her, he gave a nod of approval. “I’m impressed. You don’t look big enough to handle such a large horse.”

  Claire gave him a sassy smile. “Looks can be deceiving. It’s not so much strength as it is control.”

  “You’re right You know your horses.” And then he thought about the question that had bothered him since they left the stable. “Who does the kid belong to?”

  “Willie?”

  Billy nodded.

  “He doesn’t belong to anyone. Willie is an orphan. One of the many orphans who roam the streets of New York. I found him sitting on the steps of my office building one afternoon.”

  “Your office building. You own an office?”

  “No. No. I write articles for Harper’s Weekly. It was their office building where I found him.”

  “I see.”

  “Anyway, I was leaving work and there was Willie, sitting on the steps, all bent over, his head resting on his knees. I touched his forehead, and he was burning up with fever. Like you, I asked him where his parents were, and he said he didn’t have any,” she said.

  They reached a split-wood fence, Claire didn’t hesitate. She nudged her horse and they sailed over the fence.

  Billy was amazed, but he couldn’t let her outdo him, even if he’d never jumped before. He leaned down and whispered in the horse’s ear, “It’s up to you, boy.” Billy kicked the horse with his heels.

  They dashed toward the fence, clearing it with ease. Damn good horse, he thought as they galloped at full speed to catch up with Claire.

  “I just couldn’t leave him,” she continued with her story when Billy had caught up with her.

  “Most folks would.”

  “Well, I’m not most folks. I don’t turn my back on people, so I brought Willie home and nursed him back to health. We gave him a job in the stables so he’d at least have a roof over his head.”

  Billy nodded. He understood Exactly where the boy stood. He’d been dependent on the kindness of strangers when he was a child. And Billy hadn’t been nearly as lucky as Willie. He’d make sure he took the boy riding before he left.

  “I’ll race you to the top of the hill,” Claire challenged. She didn’t bother to wait for Billy’s answer as she and Glory took off.

  The wind whipped at Claire’s hair, loosening half the pins, but she didn’t care. It felt good to feel the breeze all around her. She’d been cooped
up in the house much too long, she thought while heading for the elm tree that stood on a small rise.

  She glanced back at Billy, who seemed to be gaining ground, but she knew with her lead that he’d never catch her. Run for Glory was one of the fastest horses in the stable. She reached the hill first. “I won,” she proudly proclaimed, her cheeks burning with excitement as Billy came in second.

  “You cheated.”

  Claire laughed. “Well, perhaps a little. Let’s give the horses a chance to rest before we start back. We can enjoy some of this lovely weather. We’ve had a long cold winter, so I’ve missed the chance to get out and breathe in the fresh air.”

  Billy dismounted and tied his horse to a small tree.

  “I’ll need some help getting down,” she said.

  Billy turned and lifted his hands to her. “Ready?”

  Claire nodded.

  He slipped his hands around her waist and lifted her off the small saddle as though she weighed nothing, Claire thought. She grabbed his shoulders, feeling the hard muscles beneath his cotton shirt and wondering at their strength.

  Billy set her on her feet and, just for a brief second, she was very much aware of every inch of Billy’s body. She forgot that she’d just met him and that she was much too close.

  “Th-thank you,” she stammered, stepping away from him. For a moment she felt his power. It made her feel giddy. Billy was much too attractive. The line of his jaw was almost startling, and there seemed to be a tic in his cheek. She wanted to reach up and touch his face, but knew it would be forward to do so.

  “Let me tie my horse.” She needed a moment to collect herself.

  “These are some fine horses. You should be proud,” Billy said.

  “I am.” Claire smiled. “Let me show you something.” Taking his hand, she pulled him to the very top of the rise. She shouldn’t be holding his hand, but she didn’t want to be rude, so she kept it clasped. “Look as far as you can see in all directions.”

  She watched him, noting his strong profile as he carefully surveyed the countryside.

  “It’s beautiful,” Billy said approvingly. “Lush green pastures and plenty of trees.”

  “And it’s all mine,” Claire said with a smile.

  “Why do you want to leave when you have all this?” Billy swept his hand to encompass the wide vista before them.

  “I have many reasons,” Claire admitted but, of course, she couldn’t tell him any of them. It probably would be best not to answer any of his questions directly. “Would you believe that I’ve never been anywhere? Except an occasional trip to New York, but that doesn’t count because it’s right here.”

  “That is hard to believe,” Billy agreed. “I was just the opposite. There was a time when I never thought I’d quit traveling.” He studied Claire’s face before he asked, “Are you sure you want to go and leave all this? It will not be easy.”

  “Wouldn’t you want to go?”

  She had a good point, Billy thought. Would he want to stay on all this beautiful land and never get to see any of the country? He’d probably stay, since he’d traveled so much, but if he were like Claire, he could see what she meant. “Since you’ve put it that way, I guess I’d want to go, but you see, my traveling was a little different from yours.”

  “Let’s sit under the big shade tree and you can tell me about it.” She pointed to a nearby tree. “How was it different?”

  They sat down and leaned against the thick tree trunk. “I had to travel,” Billy said, shrugging. “I never had a home to leave.”

  “I don’t understand,” Claire said, and Billy noticed the softness in her eyes. “Everybody has someplace they come from.”

  “I was an orphan, pretty much like Willie,” Billy said, picking up a blade of grass.

  She sat up and looked at him. “That’s awful. And very sad.”

  “It would be hard for someone like you to understand.”

  Claire shifted and looked at him. “I resent that remark. I can imagine what it would be like.”

  “The key word there is imagine. Here you sit in the middle of paradise with die finest horseflesh money can buy, with your fine clothes and a staff that does everything for you, and you’re going to tell me you know what it’s like to have absolutely no one? And you’re going to tell me, you know what it’s like to be so hungry that there is a constant gnawing pain in your stomach?” He wrapped the blade of grass around his finger.

  Claire opened her mouth but no words came forth. Billy was right She couldn’t possibly know, but neither was she the uncaring creature Billy seemed to think. Before she could come up with the words to defend herself, Billy jumped to his feet

  “Jesus Christ!” Billy swore and drew his gun from the holster strapped down to his leg, so fast that Claire didn’t have time to scream.

  He was going to shoot her!

  Chapter Five

  Everything happened so fast Claire didn’t have time to scream.

  She started to jump out of the way, but before she could, Billy reached down and jerked her up toward him. Then he fired his gun.

  Scared to death, she wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him.

  But why was she hanging on to the person with the gun?

  It took a moment before Claire realized that the gun had gone off, and she hadn’t been hit. If he wasn’t shooting at her ... then what?

  Slowly, she leaned back. Was Billy trying to frighten her? If so, he’d done a good job.

  “You can let go anytime, sweetheart. You’re safe,” Billy said with a half grin.

  Claire frowned. Evidently, he thought the whole thing was funny. Well, she didn’t. Her heart was still pounding like a drum. “I thought you were going to shoot me,” she snapped, then realized that his arm was still around her waist, and she was pressed intimately to him.

  “I’ll probably want to shoot you several times before the trip is over,” he said slowly. Then he took her face gently and turned her head around. “Look behind you.”

  A rather large snake—or what was left of it—lay on the ground right where she’d been sitting. Apparently, the thing had been behind her, and she hadn’t seen it

  Billy had just saved her life!

  “Thank you,” she reached up and placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

  Finally, he let her go and lazily drawled, “And that’s why I wear a gun.”

  “And I’m so glad that you do.” The snake twitched and Claire gasped. A tingle started in the back of her throat and she began to cough and cough. She tried to stop, but she couldn’t. This time the coughs were deep and close together; she could feel the air supply leaving her lungs. Gasping, she fumbled for the bottle in her pocket, but before she could successfully reach it, she fell over in a dead faint

  Billy jumped and managed to grab her as she keeled over. Damn, he hadn’t meant to cause all this. Now what was he going to do? The gunfire had scared the horses and they had managed to break the branches they’d been tethered to. Now, they were nowhere to be seen. He should have brought his own damned horse instead of these skittish creatures.

  He checked Claire’s pulse and breathed a sigh of relief when it felt strong. Billy lifted her up into his arms.

  Now what?

  He sure as hell couldn’t carry her back to the barn, so he propped her up against the tree. Then he disposed of the snake.

  Billy sat down beside Claire and tried to figure out what he was going to do. He couldn’t just sit here and stare at her, lying there with her chin resting on her chest, so he pulled her into his arms and patted her face. “Are you all right?”

  She didn’t respond.

  Billy blew out a disgusted sigh. He knew how to take care of cuts and wounds, but swooning females were beyond him. If she fainted often, this journey could prove to be very long. He remembered her terrible cough and wondered if that could be the cause for her fainting.

  He patted her cheeks again. Still no response. Summoning patience, he leaned back and
waited.

  Looking down at the woman he held, Billy noticed what a fascinating creature she was. She had long sooty black lashes and her cheeks were creamy and soft He raised his hand to her cheek and brushed a stray strand of black hair off her face. It felt silky slipping through his fingers.

  She seemed to have everything in the world, yet he sensed Claire wasn’t completely happy, and he wondered why. He had a feeling she probably wouldn’t tell him if he asked, so he wouldn’t bother just now. But it didn’t keep him from wondering what deep, dark secrets she was hiding from him.

  Her beauty was one of those things she tried to hide with her pale skin and hair twisted up into a spinsterish knot. He much preferred her hair down as it was now, hanging softly around her shoulders. As she slept, the worry lines had disappeared from her forehead. He liked that

  Claire was much too young to worry about anything. Hell, she had her whole life before her. All right, Billy thought He’d admit that he was attracted to this woman. Running a finger down the side of her face, he noted her flushed cheeks, and reached down and unbuttoned the first two buttons of her blouse to give her a little more air.

  This was a first, Billy thought Stopping after only two buttons.

  He glanced out at the rolling hills. What would he have been like if he’d grown up in Claire’s family? Would he be a better person? Would he be happier to have what he now worked his ass off for?

  He sighed. That would be something he’d never know. One thing for sure, if he’d had that life he would dress differently and be wealthy beyond his imagination. But, if given the choice to switch lives, Billy figured he’d stick with the life he had.

  True it wasn’t much fun at times when he was growing up. Some of it had been downright awful, but he realized that all the orphans had become stronger having survived their personal ordeals. When you started at the bottom die only way to go was up. Rattlesnake had always given Billy his words of wisdom, “Son, it ain’t worth having if you don’t have to work for it”

  Claire moaned, and Billy looked back down at her, seeing the dark circles under her eyes that shouldn’t be there. “Are you all right?”