by Delta James
Sierra turned Joker toward the last place she’d seen the herd and started to lead the band of rescuers to the roan stallion and his mares.
* * *
Charlie led John’s big gelding, Mouse, out of his stall. On their way down to the barn, Ryder had stopped and retrieved his saddle from his truck.
“This here is Mouse.”
Ryder looked at the huge gruella gelding. “Mouse?”
“Named for his color, not his size.”
Ryder laughed. He took hold of the lead and let the big horse take a look at him. He dropped his head so that he was eye to eye with Ryder. “I’ve always loved gruellas. Such a unique color.”
“He’s a good one. He may give you a little grief at first to see if you know how to ride and he hasn’t been ridden since before John took a turn for the worse. We’ve kept him lunged and given him plenty of pasture time, but you know how they can be when they’re used to being a working horse. One other thing, he’s smooth as silk to ride. John said you could ride him all day and never get saddle sore.” Charlie leaned in closer. “And he and Sierra’s horse, Joker, are buddies.”
“Well, that can’t hurt. Maybe I can convince Mouse and Joker to take up my cause.” The two men laughed.
“Son, if you could get Ruth on your side, anything is possible.”
Ryder saddled Mouse and stepped up on the big horse. Mouse had a little bit of a hump in his back like he was thinking about bucking, but suddenly turned around, sniffed Ryder’s boot, and then relaxed. Ryder reached down and rubbed his neck and then leaned back and petted his strong hindquarters. “I think Mouse and I are going to get along just fine.”
The two men rode out and Charlie showed him the Flying M. Ryder knew it was one of the most successful and profitable ranches in the country. Taking a tour with the foreman of twenty years explained why. The Flying M used a combination of the latest in technology with what Charlie called the best cowboy crew ever. Watching the men work and seeing how well the Flying M functioned, Ryder was inclined to believe that.
They were headed back to the house when Ryder asked him, “Charlie, when you’re over at Crooked Creek, really evaluate the men. Like I said, most of the men are pretty green, but they have a lot of try and natural ability.”
“Maybe we should look at pulling some of your weakest links over here to the Flying M and I’ll take some of our guys over there.”
Ryder laughed. “I was sort of hoping you’d say that.”
Charlie laughed as well. “You know, Ryder, I think John may have started something that’ll turn out pretty special.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Look, Charlie, I was thinking just the other day that I was going to be needing a foreman. Everybody and his brother knows there is nobody better at being the foreman than you. When I put things right with Sierra…”
“When? Not if?”
“When. I don’t mean to let the arrogance and stupidity of our youths define our future. And when we combine the two ranches, we’ll be bigger together than we ever were individually. I’ve got some contacts in Europe looking both for breeding stock and for rodeo stock. That’s going to mean Sierra and I can’t always be here.”
“So, I take it you plan to take her along?”
“Even if I have to do it with her kicking and screaming. Once I get her back in my bed, I’m never spending another night without her.” Both men laughed. “The combined operation is going to be too big for just one foreman. I want you to start looking at all the ranch hands and see who we can groom to be a foreman at each ranch.”
“If you think I’m too old to take something like that on…”
“Not at all. I think you could do anything you set your mind to. But think about it, each of the ranches needs a foreman. Then someone needs to be around all the time to oversee them and that someone is going to have to have more experience than anyone. I thought you could be the general manager and take on that overall oversight role. I’ve also got some other dealings with some of the larger rodeos. They saw what I did with EquiBlues and are looking to update and expand what they provide to the ticket-buying public. I mean to have the ranch front and center on providing stock.”
“So, the Flying M will become Crooked Creek. The end of an era.”
“Oh, hell, no. Flying M is the one with the sterling reputation and the long and storied history. Crooked Creek will be phased out. I’ve got some other plans as well. Things I think will really appeal to Sierra.”
Charlie stopped his horse, causing Ryder to do the same. “You’ve really given this a whole lot of thought.”
Ryder nodded.
Charlie shook his head. “I gotta tell you that I’ve been pretty impressed by the changes you’ve made at Crooked Creek. And I liked what you had to say this morning and how honest you were about your own shortcomings. I wasn’t quite sure that you hadn’t flipped the timing of John coming to see you and you deciding to come back for all that’s yours, including Sierra, but now I don’t doubt you for a minute. I still think you’ve got a long, hard road ahead of you with Sierra, but I’m beginning to like your odds.”
Ryder smiled at him and held out his hand. “So, I’ve got my general manager on board?”
Charlie reached across and shook Ryder’s outstretched hand. “You do indeed. And once you get Sierra won over, she’ll be able to help a lot. She’s the one responsible for all the technological upgrades. And wait until you see one of our line shacks… they’re downright luxurious. If you end up having to stay in one, it’s no longer a hardship. Warm in the winter and cool in the summer. She talked at one point about offering to rent them out to folks with horses.”
Ryder grinned. “I was thinking the same thing. Back when we were together, she talked about that and about setting up a place at the ranch itself for weddings and receptions. If that’s still something she wants to do, I think it’s a really viable revenue stream.”
Charlie whistled low. “Oh, my God, it looks like the Flying M is going to take the twenty-first century by storm.”
Ryder laughed. “Now, to get our freckle-faced girl on board.”
“You do know she hates those freckles.”
“I know, but I always loved them.”
“You mind me asking how you think you’re going to break that wild filly you’re so set on?”
“Not break; never break. Part of what I’ve always loved was her independent spirit. It never surprised me that she identified so strongly with the mustangs. She’s just like one of them. She wants to run free. I’ve just got to find a way to convince her that yielding to a guiding rein will give her all the freedom she needs within a structure of loving boundaries.”
Charlie laughed again, really enjoying getting to know the man that Ryder had become. “That’s all fine and dandy, son, but what are you going to do when she levels a shotgun at your middle and tells you to go fuck yourself? And trust me, she will.”
Ryder looked at the older man and realized that he had made a trusted ally. “I’ll take that gun from her and teach her a lesson she won’t forget anytime soon.” Ryder could see recognition dawn in Charlie’s eyes.
“Sierra could use a bit of old-fashioned discipline. Lord knows she had her daddy wrapped around her finger from the day she was born.”
Ryder nodded. “He told me as much. Told me most people would think he’d given me everything and made my life easy. He told me they’d be wrong, that keeping Sierra in line would be a never-ending, lifelong process.”
“I’ll tell you what… I think John Morgan may have found the one man who could pull it off.”
* * *
Sierra and her riders found the roan stallion and his mares right where she had left him. It took some hard riding to get the herd put together and headed toward the Flying M. The stallion had charged them several times, but the lead mare seemed less inclined to put up much of a fuss. She tended to stay closer to Joker, who Sierra assumed she had become accustomed to.
Sierra and the
other riders kept the herd moving at a moderate trot. At this gait they could cover ground and yet not tire easily. The stallion would still occasionally charge one of the riders, but never tried to actually engage in a head-on conflict. The band of mares with their foals seemed content to move along in the direction they were headed.
It took a few hours for the herd and those who were shepherding them to safety to reach the borders of the Flying M. Sierra had the rider behind her move up from a flanking position to more midway so that she could gallop ahead and open one of the locked gates that led onto the private land. She and Joker negotiated opening the gate without Sierra having to dismount. As the herd funneled through, Sierra took up her previous position and the rider who had moved up on her side dropped back. The rider riding drag closed and locked the gate behind them.
The group had been riding for several hours and had agreed that once they were on Flying M land, they’d break away from the herd to give them a breather and a chance to graze and drink water. Sierra had specifically picked the gate they would use as it was near a running stream.
The woman riding drag had offered to bring a simple lunch for everyone. The riders peeled away and gave the herd some distance. The stallion placed himself between the riders and his herd.
“I never thought it would go that easy,” said one of the riders to Sierra.
“I figured once we got them moving, we might be able to move them without a lot of drama, but I didn’t think we’d get them together as easily as we did. I figure we’re about an hour ahead of schedule.”
The riders, who were all experienced at this sort of operation, loosened their mounts’ cinches, put grazing hobbles on them, and let them take a well-deserved break as well. They found comfortable ground on which to sit and proceeded to eat. Sierra hadn’t realized how hungry she was until she bit into the turkey sandwich she’d been handed.
“Sierra, I meant to say earlier, how sorry I was to hear about your father’s passing,” said Al. Al had been one of the first rescuers Sierra had met. She’d been doing rescue for years on her own and developed a reputation. It had been Al who had approached her about joining with others of like mind to help save the mustangs.
“Thanks, Al. It’s been kind of an emotional roller coaster. Apparently he knew for a while and didn’t let anyone know except Doc Walker, of course, and Ryder Malone.”
“Interesting choice. Why Ryder?”
“I have no clue. But he named him as executor of his estate and trustee for the Flying M for the next year.” She shook her head.
“That had to piss you off.”
Sierra smiled. “Oh, it did. So I’m stuck with Ryder second-guessing every decision I make about my ranch for the next year. I’m having to deal with my dad being gone when part of me would just like to punch him in the nose.”
Marci, the woman who’d brought lunch, giggled. “I think that’s perfectly natural considering the circumstances.”
“I’m just going to try to ignore him as much as I can. Last night I plotted all kinds of evil things to do him. But then I realized to pull them off I’d have to interact with him, so I just plan to pretend like he’s not there. Hopefully, he’ll keep his distance.”
“They say he’s done a damn good job pulling the Crooked Creek out of the hole his father dug. Weren’t you two an item at one time?” asked Al.
“We were supposed to get married. Had the date, the dress, the ring, and everything… until I found him with his half-naked, supposedly ex-girlfriend. I called the whole damn thing off and never looked back.”
“How long do you think we’ll have this herd up in your upper pasture? The Almanac is predicting a long, hard winter. We don’t want them caught up there.”
“No, but the heavy storms aren’t supposed to hit until mid to late November so we’ve got some time. I did think about that on the way to the rendezvous this morning. If push really came to shove, they’d probably be all right, especially if I got some hay flown into them and dropped. There’s a stream that runs all winter and there is plenty of shelter. Not ideal, but I think they could make it.”
Al looked at her and smiled. “I should have known you had it all figured out.”
“I do like to plan for contingencies. What I’m more concerned about than wintering them up there is how difficult it might be to move them if the weather closes in. But I figure I’ll make that decision if and when it comes up.”
“How do you think Ryder would feel about feeding and sheltering a bunch of mustangs for the winter?”
Sierra grinned. “Don’t know; don’t care.”
They all laughed and went to get their own horses ready to get back on the trail before gathering the herd and getting them up to the high pasture.
The roan stallion made his displeasure known at having his mares moved again. Mostly the charges he made were brief and well out of actual fight range with any of the riders. The herd itself seemed to content to pick back up the easy pace and head in the direction asked.
By early afternoon they had entered the high pasture. The other riders could see what Sierra meant. While not ideal due to harsher conditions at higher altitudes, if necessary, the herd could make it through the winter.
Before heading back to their original rendezvous point, the group made sure to open the corral gates and secure them so none of the horses could get caught. They also made sure the hay that was already up at the line shack was secured, but did spread out a couple of bales so that the herd would settle in more quickly.
Once everything was as ready as they could make it, the five riders left the herd and headed back to their departure point with more speed. They hoped they’d be able to make it back to the trailer before dark. They made good time and arrived back at the trailer just as the sun started to set.
“Sierra, we have room in my stock trailer if you want to us to give you a lift back to your place,” said Marci.
“No, I think it’s probably better if I just let folks think I was out clearing my head. I know every inch of the Flying M like the back of my hand. We should be fine.”
Marci stopped her. “Do me a favor and text when you get in your barn so we know you made it safe and sound. Thanks for doing this, Sierra. I just wish we got to be around when the BLM and their cronies go to find that stallion and his band of mares… and they aren’t there.”
They all laughed and Sierra turned Joker for home, waving as they pulled out with the truck and trailer. Deciding to make the best use of the remaining light, Sierra kissed to Joker who readily picked up a good-paced lope back to his stall.
It was not completely dark by the time she rode into the barnyard. Granted the automatic lights had kicked on, but it wasn’t pitch black. She stopped Joker just outside the barn and shivered. She had noticed that the darker it got, the colder it had become.
Charlie walked out to the barn. “I was starting to get a bit worried.”
“Why? I’ve been riding out all my life.”
“It’s almost completely dark and no one knew where you’d gone.”
Sierra led Joker into his stall, pulling off his bridle so he could start to eat. She hung the bridle on the hanger outside his stall door and started to unsaddle him.
“I wasn’t aware that I needed to check in and out with people.”
“You didn’t answer your cell.”
She swung the saddle off Joker’s back and head to the tack room. As she got to where Charlie was standing, she said, “No, I didn’t. I wanted some time alone. Do you have a problem with that?”
“Don’t get all high and mighty with me. I’ve known you almost as long as Ruth. You’re family to me and I’m entitled to worry.”
Sierra walked into the tack room and put her saddle away. She came back out and smiled at Charlie. “I know you care and I probably should apologize…”
“But you’re not going to,” he laughed.
“I’m going to kind of apologize. I’m sorry you were worried, but this bullshit idea
of Dad’s to put Ryder here at the Flying M has just really pissed me off. He may be executor and trustee of the ranch, but not of me. I’m all grown up and don’t need him thinking he can tell me what to do.”
“I understand, but Ruth and I had breakfast with him this morning. I think he’s changed in the last five years, and I’m convinced that what you think happened didn’t.”
Sierra shook her head. “So soon? I really thought it would take him longer than one meal to cast himself as the misunderstood hero and me as the villain. Keep in mind, Charlie, nobody forced him to leave. He did that all on his own.”
“He didn’t cast you as the villain. And he didn’t shirk his part in what happened. For what it’s worth, he said leaving here was one of the few things he regretted in his life.”
Sierra brushed Joker down, put on a light stable blanket, and exited his stall, locking the door behind her.
“Really? And one of the few things I regret in life is ever getting involved with Ryder Malone in the first place. So you and Ruth have all the meals you want with him. But if he’s at the table, I won’t be. I may have to put up with his interference on my ranch for the next year, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to make nice and have meals with the bastard.”
Sierra brushed past Charlie and headed to the house.
* * *
Charlie turned to look at Ryder, who had entered the barn unbeknownst to Sierra. “You heard?”
Ryder nodded solemnly. “I did. But in some ways it’s a good thing.”
“A good thing? Did you overhear the same thing I did?”
Ryder chuckled. “I did. She’s pissed. I get it. She’s still pissed at me and now she’s pissed at her dad. But as long as she’s pissed, it means she still cares. If she didn’t care, none of this would matter to her. I’d rather have Sierra hissing and spitting than quiet. Quiet is never a good thing with her.” Charlie gave him a questioning look. “It means either she’s so hurt, she’s shutting down emotionally, or she’s planning some sort of truly evil retribution, or she no longer gives a damn.”
