Indian Summer

by Amy Elizabeth

  Then she realized that’s exactly what her husband was.

  At last Alec rose to his feet. Onyx lifted his head slightly as Alec placed a hand on either side of the horse’s face. He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against the horse, and they stood that way for a moment before Onyx abruptly turned and began trotting around the perimeter of the round pen.

  Rebecca studied Alec’s mannerisms intently, trying to detect the cues he was using to guide the horse. When he worked with Shadow, she could always pick out the tiny gestures he gave–a lift of the hand or a flick of the wrist. But right now, with Onyx, there were none. Alec pivoted in place, watching the horse circle around him, but his hands and arms remained motionless at his sides.

  Whatever was happening between him and his horse was happening entirely inside their minds.

  Onyx bounded into a canter, his breaths coming in rhythmic snorts. Then the stallion planted his hooves and slid to a stop, lifting his neck to look at his master. Still Alec didn’t move. The horse approached him and bowed his head in what appeared to be an act of submission. Onyx lifted a foreleg and stomped the ground once, then twice, before he squealed and launched himself into a spectacular rear-up.

  Rebecca covered her mouth with her hands when the stallion slashed his forelegs through the air, only inches from Alec’s head. Alec didn’t blink. He stared up at the horse, almost as if he were waiting for something. Sure enough, Onyx leaned his weight into his hocks and steadied himself midair, like he was being held in place by an invisible string. She watched in disbelief as Alec stepped closer to the horse until he was standing directly between the stallion’s forelegs.

  For a terrifying moment, Rebecca couldn’t breathe. If Onyx wobbled even slightly, he’d kick Alec in the head or come down right on top of him. He could kill him in an instant without even meaning to.

  Alec must have known that, but there wasn’t even a suggestion of fear on his face. They stood in that precarious pose for what felt like an eternity before Alec ducked beneath the horse and took several steps away from him. Onyx lowered himself to all-fours and let out a loud sigh that was perfectly synchronized with Rebecca’s.

  Alec approached the horse again and touched the space between his eyes. Onyx lifted a foreleg and tucked it beneath him, stretching his weight into his hindquarters. It was the same pose that Tommy had used on Joaquin at the rodeo, the equine equivalent of a bow. Alec stepped around to the stallion’s side and swung a leg over his rump, settling onto his back as Onyx raised himself again.

  The stallion stood still as Alec closed his eyes and bowed his head. Rebecca wondered if the position helped him stay connected to the horse or if it merely proved that he wasn’t using any external cues. Whatever the case, they moved as one, trotting in several circles before Onyx leapt into a graceful canter. The horse collected his strides and crossed through the center, performing a flawless flying lead change before he switched directions.

  After another circuit, Onyx stopped in the middle of the round pen. The stallion planted his rear legs into the ground and began pivoting in place, slowly at first, but building more and more speed until he was nothing but a black blur. Rebecca had never seen a horse spin so fast. She didn’t even know that horses were capable of such a movement.

  At last the stallion came to a stop, his sides heaving from his exertion. Alec waited a moment before he gradually lifted his head and opened his eyes. He was facing her direction, but Rebecca could tell that he wasn’t looking at her. She wondered if he even saw her or anything that surrounded them.

  She didn’t know where he was right now, but he certainly wasn’t here.

  Alec finally seemed to break out of his trance as he reached out and gave his horse’s neck a pat. Onyx lowered his head and snorted as if he, too, was transitioning back into the real world. Alec slid to the ground and smoothed a hand down the stallion’s back before he turned to Rebecca. The glazed look in his eyes was gone; he’d made the journey back from wherever he’d been since they left the ranch.

  He stepped over to her and leaned his arms against the railing. She stared at him in disbelief, still trying to make sense of anything she’d just witnessed.

  “How?” she managed to say.

  He gave a little shrug. “I don’t know.”

  *

  If Rebecca thought she was excited about Alec’s upcoming performance before, nothing could have prepared her for the thrill she felt now that she’d seen his skills with her own eyes. “Is it the same as what your father did?” she asked as they turned for home.

  “Some of it is. But my father always had to maintain eye contact with the horse to get it to respond to him. I need that contact initially, but once the connection’s made, it’s there, whether I’m looking at him or not.”

  Rebecca was intrigued. “What does it feel like? I know you said you can’t explain it, but try. Just for me.”

  Alec grinned. “The only way I can describe it is that I can actually feel whatever it is that’s going on in his mind. Sometimes it’s fear, sometimes it’s confusion, sometimes it’s playfulness. All I try to do is match the emotion and translate it into action.”

  He leaned over and patted the stallion’s neck. “It’s easy with him, because he’s been well-trained and he doesn’t have any trust issues. But if someone brought me a horse that had been abused or mistreated, it would probably take a lot longer to figure out.”

  “You did it with Star, though, didn’t you? The day we found her?”

  “Yes and no. I didn’t realize then what I was capable of.”

  When they arrived back at the ranch, Alec pulled Onyx to a stop. “Do me a favor, Bec?”

  “Anything.”

  “Don’t tell anyone what you saw out there today. Not even Tommy or Alli. I really want to keep this under wraps until our performance.”

  Rebecca nodded in understanding. “I won’t say a word.”

  Chapter 34

  After seeing Rebecca’s reaction to his work with Onyx, Alec was even more eager to continue fine-tuning his abilities. For the next several weeks, he was completely disconnected from everything and everyone. He barely even saw his father; he was still in bed when Alec left in the mornings and was fast asleep when Alec returned home each evening.

  To anyone else, it probably would have seemed like some form of insanity, but Rebecca never once questioned his whereabouts. She seemed to understand how important this was to him, and he was grateful for her perception.

  One Friday afternoon towards the end of the month, Alec returned to the ranch to find half his herd of horses tied to the row of hitching posts. With a frown, he swung off Onyx’s back and approached the staff barn.

  “Hey,” Tommy greeted. “Was starting to wonder if you were still alive.”

  Alec chuckled. “You had doubts?”

  “Just haven’t seen much of you lately.”

  “I’m working on some things,” he replied. “Big group for the bonfire tonight?”

  Tommy looked abnormally frazzled as he hauled two more saddles out of the tack room. “Yeah, if you call thirty-five a big group.”

  “Thirty-five? Why isn’t anyone down here helping you?”

  He paused in his mad rush and listed off their staff members. “Ben’s already at sixty hours this week. Holly and Jake ran into town to get more food and ice. Bec and Shania are up in the lodge helping Ryan get organized. He’s in even worse shape than I am, I think.”

  Alec felt a twinge of guilt for being gone all day while everyone else was scrambling. He glanced at his watch and realized that the guests would be arriving for the dinner ride in less than an hour.

  “I’ll help you,” he said, quickly leading Onyx into his stall.

  He and Tommy moved fast to get the horses groomed and tacked. Jake and Holly returned just in time to help them finish the task. Moments later, Alec heard the sound of an approaching engine and turned to see Ryan rolling up beside them. There were so many coolers stacked in the bed of th
e truck that Alec almost didn’t see Rebecca and Shania sitting amongst them.

  “Glad you’re back, boss,” Ryan called as he rolled down the window. “It’s been a hell of a day.”

  “Sounds like it. Did you get everything you need?”

  He nodded and pointed towards the bed. “I’m bringing the girls to help me set up, unless you need them here.”

  Alec waved them onward. “We’re all set.”

  Ryan had barely driven off when the first guests arrived. It would be too chaotic for everyone to ride together, so they split into two groups. Alec paired himself with Jake and let him take the lead so he could ride along quietly at the back of the line. Tommy and Holly led the second group of guests into the pine grove, where they would approach the dinner site from the opposite direction.

  When they arrived at the large clearing, the bonfire was blazing, Ryan was manning the grill, and Rebecca and Shania were unloading supplies from the truck. Alec swung off Zack’s back and tied him to the hitching post before he turned his attention to the guests. One by one, he and Jake helped them dismount and pointed them towards the drink coolers. Tommy and Holly showed up with their group a few minutes later, and the process started all over again.

  Once the guests were settled around the picnic tables, Alec made his way over to his wife. Rebecca sat on the tailgate of the truck, beer in hand, and gave a weary grin when he approached.

  “I’m glad you were back in time to help us out. The day totally got away from us.”

  “Sounds like it,” he said, hopping up to join her. “What happened?”

  “Well, there were only thirteen signed up this morning, so we didn’t think much of it. Then Tommy checked the roster again after the last trail ride and it had jumped up to thirty-five. Ryan didn’t have enough food on hand for a group that size. Plus four of the guests this week are vegetarians, so he needed to throw together a special menu for them tonight.”

  Alec cringed. “I should have been here.”

  “You didn’t know,” she replied, resting her hand on his. “How’s it going with Onyx?”

  “Really well.” He paused and turned his gaze to the horizon. “Bec…if Onyx and I do pull this off, it’s going to change everything for me. You know that, right?”

  She squeezed his hand. “It already has.”

  He turned to her in surprise. “You think?”

  Rebecca nodded. “When I came into the kitchen that morning, after the night you stayed up with your father…I felt like I was looking at an entirely different person. It was almost like I was seeing you for the first time.”

  “Is that a good thing?”

  “It’s a very good thing.”

  He smiled. “I’m not saying that I’m going to pursue the same career that my father did, but I’m not going to pretend like I won’t receive the same type of attention, either. I can try to be as humble as I want about the whole thing, but the fact is that there are very few who can do what we can. Once everyone sees what I’m capable of, people are going to want me to work with their horses. I’m going to get offers to train and conduct seminars, just like he did. Are you sure you’re prepared for that?”

  “Are you sure that you are?”

  “Yes,” he said without hesitation. “Just as long as you’re with me.”

  She leaned closer to kiss his cheek. “I’m with you.”

  While Rebecca approached the nearest group of guests, Alec headed over to the grill, where Shania was helping Ryan plate the burgers. They hadn’t spoken since the night at Last Call, and he figured the silence had gone on long enough.

  “Do you need a hand with anything?” he offered.

  Shania’s surprise registered only briefly as she turned her head in his direction. To his relief, she mirrored his smile before she indicated the small plate sitting off to the side.

  “Those are the veggie burgers. They’re ready if you want to deliver them.”

  Alec glanced out at the swarm of guests and realized that he didn’t even know which ones were the vegetarians. “Which family?”

  She nodded towards the second table. “At the far end.”

  He delivered the veggie burgers and made the obligatory small talk for a minute before he wandered back to the grill. Shania and Holly were moving between the tables, passing out platters of hamburgers and hot dogs to the waiting guests.

  Ryan leaned back against the tailgate, twirling a set of tongs in his hand, and gave a long sigh when Alec joined him again. “What a tragedy.”

  Alec frowned as he reached for one of the remaining hamburgers. “What is?”

  “For a woman that beautiful to be alone.”

  He glanced at him sideways, but Ryan wasn’t looking at him. His gaze was fixed on Shania as she laughed at something one of the guests said. Alec recalled the day that he casually questioned him in the kitchen, but he hadn’t realized that Ryan was smitten to such an extent. Just like that day, he felt another strange sensation in his gut–somewhere between a prick of conscience and a twinge of jealousy.

  “Even worse, it’s like she wants it that way,” Ryan continued, almost to himself. “She’s like a steel trap. I’d love to find the guy who messed her up and teach him a thing or two.”

  Alec’s stomach sank. Deciding that he’d lost his appetite, he set his plate down and dropped his gaze to the grass. “You wouldn’t have to look very far.”

  Ryan finally turned to him. “What do you mean?”

  “He’s standing right beside you.”

  *

  The sun dipped below the peaks of the Tetons during dinner, transforming the sky into a brilliant palette of red and orange and gold. By the time everyone had finished eating, the landscape was drenched in purple twilight. Rebecca and Shania cleared the empty plates before they started organizing ingredients for the s’mores.

  Tommy met them at the truck and pulled two guitars from behind the driver’s seat. “It’s about that time, huh?”

  “Looks like it,” Rebecca said as she tore open a bag of marshmallows. “We’ll have this ready in just a second.”

  “Take your time. I don’t think Alec’s in any big hurry.”

  Her eyes drifted over to the grill, where Alec and Ryan stood conversing. She couldn’t help but grin as she turned back to Shania. “Has Ryan backed off at all?”

  Shania laughed and shook her head. “He’s harmless, though. I’m really not worried about it.”

  Several weeks earlier, Shania confided in her that Ryan had asked her out. What surprised Rebecca more than anything was the fact that Shania had chosen to tell her instead of Alec. Although she’d politely turned him down, apparently it hadn’t done much to deter his interest.

  “Well, let me know if he starts to get to you,” Rebecca said. “He’s a good guy, but sometimes he doesn’t know when to quit.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  Rebecca emptied the first bag of marshmallows into the basket and reached for another. “So did you ever hear back about your next grant?”

  “Actually, it was just approved this morning.”

  “Oh, that’s great! Where are you going?”

  “I’ll be in British Colombia for a couple of months, in a little spot called Howe Sound. I’ve never been to Canada before, so I’m really looking forward to it.”

  For as much as she’d dreaded having her here, in that moment Rebecca realized that she would be sad to see Shania go. She understood, of course, that they would never truly become friends. Shania’s history with Alec would always be there, an unspoken reminder of how differently all three of their lives might have played out.

  Over the summer, though, Rebecca had grown to respect her, both as an employee and as a woman.

  “I bet you’re ready to get back to work, huh?”

  Shania gave a rueful grin. “As opposed to all the time off I’ve had here?”

  Rebecca couldn’t help but laugh. “Good point.”

  She laughed, too, as she opened a box of gr
aham crackers. “It was great to spend the summer here. But yeah, I’m ready.”

  “When do you leave?”

  “I need to be up there the day after Labor Day. So I’ll probably leave a few days before to go home and get organized.”

  “I hope you can stay long enough to see Alec’s performance. It’s going to be incredible.”

  One of the horses let out a loud squeal, bringing their conversation to a halt. Rebecca glanced up to see Alec and Tommy racing over to where the horses were tied. Immediately she and Shania set their baskets down and scurried after them.

  All of the horses seemed flustered, pulling on their reins and dancing nervously in place. As she and Shania approached, Rebecca saw Alec and Tommy standing at the edge of the clearing, staring intently into the trees.

  “Is something there?” Rebecca dared to ask.

  Alec didn’t respond. “Tommy, get our guns,” he said without diverting his gaze. “Don’t let the guests see you.”

  Rebecca’s heart leapt to her throat. “Are you really going out there?”

  “Just to check it out.”

  Shania stepped up beside him. “I’m going with you.”

  “No,” Alec replied. “You’re staying here.”

  She gave a loud sigh. “Alec, don’t tell me my business.”

  Rebecca hadn’t seen Alec’s icy glare for a very long time, but she saw it now, fixed directly on Shania. “Don’t tell me mine,” he retorted. “I need you and Rebecca to make sure that everyone stays near the fire. End of discussion.”

  Shania mirrored his glare but said nothing as Tommy returned with his shotgun and Alec’s rifle. “Ready?” he asked.

  Alec gave a tight nod and turned to Rebecca. “We won’t be long.”

  Seconds later he and Tommy were gone, vanishing in the fading daylight. Shania was visibly seething, but Rebecca hardly had the time to dissect their dispute. Instead she turned and headed back to the fire, leaving Shania to follow when she was ready.