“Ready,” he replied, urging his horse into a canter.
Darren gave a knowing grin when Alec pulled up beside him. “So,” he said nonchalantly, “what’s her name?”
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his father’s lips turn up in an amused smile. “Her name,” Alec replied, leaning over to unlatch the gate, “is let’s get these damn cattle moved.”
Their herd was mostly Hereford and Angus, with a smattering of crossbred Black Baldies. The ground shook as a mass of mud-covered cows and calves came loping out of the enclosure. Walter assumed his leading role at the head of the herd while Jim and Darren took their positions on either flank. Alec closed the gate behind them and pushed Zack into an energetic trot, forcing the stragglers to move forward.
If it were up to Alec, he would have galloped all the way back to Wyoming. His colleagues, though, seemed perfectly content to amble along beside the slow-moving herd. A chilly wind began rustling through the evergreens around midday, and the slow clouds creeping along the horizon promised a thunderstorm was in their future.
The sun was directly overhead when they stopped in a wide clearing to rest their horses and devour a quick lunch. Eager to get his mind off his dilemma, Alec took a seat beside Jim and Darren.
“So how’s life in Cody?”
“Nothing new here,” Jim replied as he opened his bag of beef jerky.
Darren playfully smacked the back of his head, sending his Stetson sailing into the sagebrush. “No, nothing at all,” he mocked. “Just that you’re getting married.”
Alec nearly choked on his trail mix. “Jim, that’s fantastic!”
“Congratulations, son,” Walter added, folding his legs to join them. “When’s the big day?”
Jim grinned as he retrieved his hat and replaced it on his head. “October eleventh. So mark your calendars, ‘cuz y’all are on the guest list.”
“We wouldn’t miss it,” Alec said, turning to Darren. “And how are you and Linda?”
“We’re great.” A sly grin spread across his face. “Actually, we just found out that she’s expecting.”
The announcement was met with another round of congratulations. “Well, hell, boys,” Walter said, pushing himself to his feet, “I think I need to break my own rule for once.”
Alec’s eyebrows shot up when his father produced a bottle of Jack Daniels from his saddlebag. “Pop, it’s barely noon.”
“And we should celebrate,” Walter replied, pouring the whiskey into their coffee mugs. “It’s not every day we get this kind of news.”
They lifted their mugs in a toast to Jim, then to Darren. Alec had all but forgotten about his anxiety by the time the conversation turned to Walter’s upcoming tour schedule.
“So what are your stops this summer?” Jim asked.
“I’m staying west this year,” Walter replied. “Salt Lake, Boise, Billings, and Bismarck. Then I’ll head south during the winter for a couple shows in Texas.”
“And…?” Alec prodded.
“And that’s all I know so far.”
Alec sighed. “It’s gonna happen, Pop. Just tell them.”
He could almost see Jim and Darren’s ears perk up. “Tell us what?” Darren said.
Walter gave an unassuming shrug. “I got a call last month from Coventry, England. A couple trainers saw one of my videos and asked if I’d be interested in doing a clinic there this fall.”
The brothers were visibly impressed. “Watch out, world!” Jim cried. “Here comes Walter Westin, Natural Horseman Extraordinaire!”
“It’s hardly set in stone. And I’m sure they’ve got plenty of fine trainers over there already.”
“Don’t be so modest,” Alec said. “There are very few who have your abilities.”
His father fixed his sharp gray eyes on him. “You’re one of them.”
With precision timing, a distant roll of thunder echoed across the hills. Thankful to be spared from the sore subject, Alec leaned over and gathered their empty mugs. Walter studied the incoming clouds for a minute before he nodded towards their horses.
“We’d better get a move on. That storm’s no more than twenty minutes out.”
Sure enough, twenty minutes later the skies opened up, drenching horses and riders in a matter of seconds. Their pace slowed to a crawl as the animals’ hooves started to sink in the soft mud. Alec kept glancing behind them, waiting to see blue skies, but the clouds showed no signs of breaking.
Eventually the thunder stopped, but the rain kept right on falling through the evening. They spent a long, restless night on the wet ground and awoke to a fresh round of thunder and rain. By the time they reached the border of Wyoming, their spirits were as soggy as their overcoats.
Walter stopped Sundance on the riverbank and studied the swollen, fast-moving stream for the best place to cross. Then he spun his horse around and whistled at Alec, signaling him to push the herd upstream. Jim and Darren joined him in maneuvering the animals to the north, following the bank until Walter moved his mare into the river.
It took almost an hour to get the entire herd across. The current was fierce and they had to lasso several small calves that nearly got swept downstream. Their horses were struggling, too; in several spots the river was deep enough to force them to swim. Zack snorted as he pushed his way through the water and gave an enormous full-body shake when they reached the other side.
After the second cold, damp day, they stopped for the night at the base of Trapper’s Ridge. Jim and Darren struggled to get a fire going while Alec and Walter attended to their weary horses. Dinner was unusually quiet, as the rain had zapped even the brothers’ boundless energy.
Alec collapsed after he was finished eating, but sleep eluded him. The weather had given him the perfect excuse to delay talking to his father, but time was running out. They’d be back at the ranch tomorrow afternoon, and if he didn’t say anything now, he’d have a hard time explaining why he and Shania were going to look at apartments in Laramie.
Mustering his courage, he rose from his sleeping bag. Walter was sitting on an old fallen log, keeping the first watch for the evening, and looked up as Alec approached.
“What’s on your mind?” he asked, motioning for him to join him.
Alec couldn’t help but chuckle. “You’re supposed to read horses’ minds, not mine.”
“You think I don’t know my own son?” Walter replied, peering at him intently. “Something’s been weighing on you these past few weeks, Alec. I can tell.”
He felt mildly relieved as he sat beside him. At least his father was already suspecting something. “Pop…remember when I was a kid, and I used to talk about wanting to be a vet when I grew up?”
“I remember.”
Alec took a deep breath and plunged ahead. “Well, after Mom left, I knew you were going to need me here, so I never really made any plans for myself. But the truth is, I never lost the desire to do it. And I’m thinking now that you have Roger and Tommy and the business is going so well…maybe it’s time to pull those plans off the backburner.”
Walter gave a subtle nod. “And?”
“And…well, I applied to the university in Laramie.”
There.
He’d said it.
His heart hammered while he waited for his father to scowl or yell or ask him if he’d completely lost his mind. Walter did none of those things. Instead he gave another nod, encouraging him to continue.
“It was a total long shot. I didn’t think I’d have a chance at getting in. I mean, my test scores were good, but I’ve already been out of high school for a while.” He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “They accepted me, Pop. Into their veterinary program.”
“Oh, son.” Alec was startled when his father reached out and embraced him. “You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear that.”
Your father is a reasonable man, Alec. He’ll understand.
Shania’s words replayed in his mind as he tentatively returned his father’s hug. Was it
really going to be this simple?
“You’re okay with it?” he managed to say.
Walter pulled back to look at him. “Alec, I’ve always known that this place is too small for you. I just wanted to see you figure that out for yourself.” He placed a hand on his shoulder. “When do you start?”
“September.” He swallowed hard, still trying to process that this was happening. “You’re sure you’ll be okay without me here? That’s what I worry about more than anything–”
“Well, you’ll be off in the summertime, won’t you?”
“Yes, sir.”
“As long as you come home to help us through the summer, me and Roger can manage just fine the rest of the year. No reason we can’t hire Tommy on year-round too, if we need to.”
Alec was reeling in disbelief. “I don’t even know what to say.”
His father smiled. “Well, you can start by telling me what you’re planning to study. What will your focus be?”
“Large animals, of course.” He took a moment to gather his thoughts. “Honestly, I’d like to get into research more than anything. I’ve been looking at their program for equine nutrition…”
Once Alec started talking, he couldn’t seem to stop. Walter listened patiently while he rambled on about various programs and prospective employment once he was finished. He’d been thinking about all of it for so long, but he’d never openly discussed it with anyone except Shania.
“I couldn’t be happier for you, son,” Walter said when he finished. “And I know you’re going to be successful at anything you put your mind to. But might I remind you of one thing?”
He frowned at his sudden seriousness. “Of course.”
“There’s no doubt that an education will open all sorts of opportunities for you.” His father lowered his voice. “But this gift, Alec, this ability that I have with horses…you have it too, whether you choose to admit it or not. So don’t be afraid to explore it. You’re not going to learn it in any classroom, believe me. And I guarantee that you’re already more tuned in to these animals than the finest veterinarians out there.”
Alec shifted in his seat, uncomfortable as always with the topic. He’d seen his father train and perform; he knew what Walter was capable of. He didn’t have the heart to tell him that he never would–and never could–begin to measure up to his level of talent.
Walter seemed to sense his uneasiness and graciously changed the subject. “So,” he said, settling back against the log again, “does the pretty young lady staying in our guesthouse factor in anywhere?”
Alec tried and failed to hide his grin. “Actually…she’s planning to transfer to Laramie for grad school. We’re going to run over later this week and start looking for a place.”
Even in the darkness, he could see his father’s beaming smile. “Hell, son, I don’t know how much more good news I can handle in one day,” he said, retrieving the bottle of whiskey from the grass. “We may drink this whole thing before the night is through.”
Eventually Alec returned to his sleeping bag, and while sleep still eluded him, it was for a completely different reason. In one day, the whole world had opened up to him. He felt like a brand-new person as he tucked his arms behind his head and stared up at the endless ribbons of stars. He had a ticket out of Jackson, his father’s smile of approval, and the love of an incredible woman.
Today, he decided, was the best day of his entire life.
Chapter 16
Alec fairly floated through breakfast the following morning, only picking at the food on his plate. Jim and Darren didn’t bother teasing him again–he’d told them everything once he rejoined them at the campfire last night. Not surprisingly, they couldn’t wait to meet Shania.
The smile on his face was bright as he swung a leg over Zack’s back. Walter looked equally joyful when he approached him on Sundance. “Lead us home, son.”
Alec raised a brow. “You sure?”
“Positive.”
Needing no further encouragement, Alec spun Zack around and pointed him towards Trapper’s Ridge. The hill rose dramatically from the valley floor, adorned with a stunning ravine and two tall waterfalls on the western slope. It marked the foothills of the Tetons; the first significant rise in elevation on their way towards the Flying W. The ridge rose sharply from the valley floor, increasing their altitude nearly a thousand vertical feet.
It was always the toughest leg of the drive, but the view was magnificent. Whenever they reached the top of the ridge, Walter would always say that he could see the entire original plot of land his grandfather once owned.
Zack seemed just as eager to get home as Alec was. The horse tried to extend his strides up the incline, but Alec held him at a walk. He glanced back to see the cattle moving behind him, expertly pushed by Jim and Darren and Walter. Confident that they had the herd under control, Alec turned his attention back to his horse.
After two days of dawdling behind the smelly backsides of cattle, the open stretch ahead of them was too inviting to resist. “Have it your way, then.”
He released his hold on the reins and Zack charged ahead, surging up the hillside in long, powerful strides. When they neared the crest, Alec slowed him again, ignoring the horse’s snorts of annoyance. Zack pinned his ears and gave a little buck, and when he reconnected with the ground his back legs slid right out from under him.
“Whoa!” Alec cried, pulling up the horse’s head to steady him. “Easy, boy.”
Zack fumbled for a minute before he managed to get his legs beneath him again. He stood still and let out a loud snort, but Alec could tell he was agitated. He swung from the saddle to inspect Zack’s legs for injury, but he never got the chance. Instead he gave a startled gasp when his boots sank right through the grass. He lost his balance and hit the ground with a squish, landing in the wettest, stickiest mud he’d ever seen.
“What the–”
An unexpected crack of thunder eclipsed his words. Bewildered, he glanced up, but there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. As the rumble grew louder, Zack threw up his head and jerked the reins out of Alec’s hand. He made a valiant attempt to reach for them, but the horse was too fast. Zack gave a loud whinny and reared up on his hind legs before he took off up the hillside.
The distinct sound of distressed cattle tore Alec’s attention from his horse. He turned his gaze back to the ridge, and at first he didn’t understand what he was seeing. The cattle were loping away from the ravine, scrambling up the hill towards him, but they seemed to be moving backwards. It wasn’t until he heard Darren’s desperate shout for help that he finally realized what was happening.
The entire ridge was sliding into the ravine.
Even as it happened, Alec felt like he was seeing it in slow motion. The cattle began to panic, leaping over one another in a futile attempt to reach solid ground. Jim screamed something to Darren as the animals engulfed him, but it was too late. Seconds later Darren and his horse were gone, lost in the torrent of mud and debris.
Jim wheeled his horse around and made a gallant effort to push through the cattle, but the ground gave way beneath them, too. Alec watched in disbelief as the earth crumbled before his eyes, sending a horrific blur of bodies hurtling into the ravine. For a moment he actually had to clasp his hands over his ears to keep his eardrums from shattering.
Then, as quickly as it had started, it was over.
The deafening roar of falling earth instantly transformed into deafening silence. Already a thick cloud of dust permeated the air, rising from the ravine like smoke from a fire. Alec’s legs trembled as he pushed himself to his feet and stared at the massive gap of land that was now missing from Trapper’s Ridge.
The ground had come loose no more than fifty feet back from where he was standing. If he hadn’t pushed Zack into a gallop, they would’ve been the first ones caught in the landslide.
“Alec!”
His name echoed long and loud across the chasm. He dared a glance at the valley floor, and his throat
constricted when he saw the golden horse standing safely at the base of the hill.
“Pop!” he yelled back, waving his arms in the air.
Walter was probably screaming at the top of his lungs, but the words barely reached Alec’s ears. “You okay?!”
“Fine!” he shouted. “Stay there! I’ll get help!”
He didn’t know if his father couldn’t hear him or chose to ignore him. Either way, Alec’s heart sank when Walter began moving his horse up the remnants of the ridge.
“Pop, wait! I’ll get help! Just stay down there!”
When it became clear that Walter had no intention of waiting, Alec cursed and started down the hillside on foot. The gap between them was narrowing when Alec spotted the protruding tree root directly in his father’s path. He opened his mouth to shout a warning, but Sundance was already in too close. The mare stumbled over the exposed root and fell to her knees, throwing Walter forward onto her neck. She squealed and flailed as she tried to right herself, but the ground was too slick and the slope was too steep. Gravity took over and the mare toppled to her side, pinning Walter beneath her.
For a horrifying moment, his father disappeared as Sundance rolled over him. When she finally came to a stop, she was only inches away from the edge of the ravine.
Alec extended his strides, half-running and half-sliding down the slippery incline. “Pop,” he choked, collapsing on his knees beside him.
Walter lay flat on his back, wheezing as he stared up at the sky. “Alec,” he whispered between gasps. “Where’s Sundance?”
“What? She’s here. She’s fine.” He slid an arm beneath his father’s shoulders. “Can you sit up?”
Walter blinked several times. “I don’t think so.”
“You don’t think so?”
“No. Something’s wrong.”
His stomach dropped. “What do you mean? Are you hurt?”
“It doesn’t hurt. I just…I can’t feel my legs. Actually, I can’t feel much of anything.”
Alec tried to keep the tremor out of his voice. “You’re probably in shock. Just stay still, alright? I’m going to ride up to the Miller Homestead and get us some help–”
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