by JD Ruskin
“But what do you do, Josh?”
“Me? I work the horses, cook and read, watch ball games on TV. Nothing exciting.”
“Have you read any of The Vampire Diaries? That’s my favorite series. I think it’s better than Twilight.”
“Nah, sorry. I mainly read horse magazines.”
“Oh.” She was quiet a minute. “Do you spend time with your girlfriend?”
“No time for a girlfriend. Hey, you hang back here. I’m going to ride up for a minute and make sure everybody is fine going across the creek.”
Nobody had trouble with the creek, and pretty soon I was back with Brittany.
“You’d make time for me, though, wouldn’t you, Josh?”
“So how’s your family getting home tomorrow, Brittany? You flying out of Bozeman to LA, or are you going to head into Yellowstone for a few days first?”
“Yellowstone,” she grimaced. “My dumb brother talked my folks into going out with a guide to look for wolves. I really don’t want to.”
“But that should be fun. You might even see some of the pups. It’s that time of year.”
“Who cares? I’d rather stay with you.” She batted her eyes at me. “I’m sure we’d find something fun to do.”
Crap.
“About the most fun thing I got coming up this weekend is picking up some new horse gear in Bozeman,” I answered. “You wouldn’t like it, really.”
Luckily, she fell silent for a while, and Hector fell behind her mount as the trail dipped slightly. The trees were thinner here, and when I looked up, I could see the sky was dark gray now. The wind was picking up too.
In front of us, the meadow was a mass of high grass and wildflowers. Sarah had pulled up, the kids’ mounts scattered around her. A few of the mares, and even some of the kids, eyed the sky nervously.
Not Brittany. She slid off her mount and began to wander among patches of yellow mule’s ear and red paintbrush.
“Okay, everybody, how about we take a minute and get our raincoats on, and then we’ll head back to the ranch for a snack?” I pulled my raincoat out of my saddlebag to set the example.
Dutifully, the kids put on their coats. Dane helped Steve into his.
“Brittany, get your coat on and mount up again so we can get moving.”
“It’s not going to rain, Josh. Let’s get down and walk for a bit. Aren’t the flowers pretty?”
Thunder rumbled.
“Come on, Brittany. It is going to rain. We need to get everybody back. Mount up.”
“No. It’s not going to rain.”
Like that, the sky opened up.
“Brittany.”
She just stared at me, batting her eyes against the downpour.
“It’ll stop in a minute,” she insisted. “Come on. Let’s pick some flowers.”
Lightning cracked across the sky, followed immediately by booming thunder. The rain came down harder, landing like sharp pin pricks on my coat before bouncing off.
A couple of the littler kids whimpered or called out for Sarah, who rode among them tightening their rain hoods. Two or three of the older kids joined me in urging Brittany to get back on her horse. But she kept up her little walk among the flowers, head down, not looking up at any of us.
It crossed my mind to dismount and throw her over the saddle, but Uncle Karl was adamant that Jesse and I never touch girl guests. I knew I couldn’t leave Brittany here, and I couldn’t stay here alone with her. I wasn’t coming up with any good options.
Dane, I noticed, was eyeing everybody and everything over and over. Me, the kids, Brittany, the sky. His eyes kept moving, assessing, darting back and forth. Jeez, that’d make everybody more nervous if they noticed.
Before I could approach him to say something, he edged Sugarpie between the O’Brien twins, who were about twelve. He said something to them, then to Steve. Then he gently laid Steve over Sugarpie’s neck and moved Steve’s hands to grip her mane. One of the twins put her hand on Steve’s back, and Dane dismounted. The other twin moved her horse closer and likewise put her hand on Steve.
Sure that Steve was secure, Dane marched for Brittany. He removed his raincoat and, in a series of quick moves that took her by surprise, wrapped it around her, picked her up, and heaved her on her mount.
She cried out in surprise as he thrust the reins in her hands, looked in her face, and said something I couldn’t hear. She shrank back some and opened her mouth to reply, but Dane was already walking away. She was not happy.
“Let’s get moving,” Sarah called calmly, and the kids moved their horses into line behind her.
Already, Dane was back on Sugarpie, holding Steve upright in his arms. He looked at me, nodded, and nudged Sugarpie forward, following the line of horses now heading out of the meadow.
I felt about as tall as Jake, and dumber. Some leader I was. No way that would be attractive to Mr. Take Command.
Quick enough, we were back in the woods but not really out of the storm. The rain was relentless, reaching us through the tree cover. Lightning and thunder erupted every few minutes, and some of the littler ones started to cry.
“Hey now,” Sarah called over her shoulder. “We’re all okay. Who knows the words to ‘She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain’? Let’s sing.”
Sarah really can’t sing, but the older kids somehow found her nonexistent key and joined in. When we reached the verse about the six white horses, our horses picked up speed. I think they realized we were headed back to the dry barn.
Sarah made up a few verses after that. I rode back and forth along the line, checking everybody out but staying clear of Brittany. Her horse kept moving, and she stared straight ahead. Each of the older kids had picked up a younger buddy, and everybody was doing fine. The crying stopped.
Dane had to be freezing. His T-shirt was soaked, and I could see goose bumps all over his bare arms. But he sang along loudly, often messing up the lyrics so Steve laughed at him. Other kids began to laugh too.
“Isn’t this a great adventure?” Sarah called out. If I was lucky, all the kids would repeat that line to their parents and forget about how frightened they’d been. Already I was dreading what Uncle Karl was going to say once we got back.
When we came in view of the big house, I could see most of the parents gathered in the great hall watching for us. Sarah aimed the line for the deck.
The sliding glass door flew open, and Aunt Kate called out, “Come on in here, you cowboys and cowgirls, and get some hot chocolate and sugar cookies.”
The kids helped each other dismount and streaked for the door, Brittany among them. Dane was already carrying Steve inside.
By the time I reached the deck, everybody was in. Crisis averted. I did not look up to see if my uncle was watching. I grabbed Sugarpie’s reins and Hector’s, and I led them toward the barn. The other horses followed.
I was halfway through getting saddles off the mounts when I realized I wasn’t the only human in the barn.
“I thought I told you to turn around at the big meadow.” Uncle Karl’s voice reached me before he came into view. Dane trailed behind him, wearing a dry shirt now and carrying a towel and a thermos.
“I tried, Uncle Karl.” Crap, I sounded like a whiner.
“You tried?” he shot back. He stood close by me now, his legs planted wide, his arms folded across his chest, staring at me.
“Do you know the handful of trouble your aunt had keeping those parents calm? What kept you from turning those kids around?” He spoke louder with each sentence, and I tried to find a place to look at that didn’t include his unhappy face.
“Uncle Karl, honestly, Brittany wouldn’t get back on her horse, and I couldn’t figure out what to do short of throwing her on it. And I knew I couldn’t do that—”
“And I threw her on her horse, sir,” Dane finished. “Josh tried to reason with her, but she wasn’t cooperating. Better to injure her pride than endanger the others.”
Uncle Karl turned to look at him
now, and Dane returned his stare.
“You didn’t swear, did you?”
“No, sir.”
“At least you’ve got more restraint than Jesse.”
“I got more of a lot of things than Jesse,” Dane answered.
Uncle Karl threw back his head and laughed. “I believe you do.” He grabbed the thermos from Dane and handed it to me. “Here. Your aunt thought you’d be cold. Have some hot chocolate. I know that girl is a problem.”
Dane tossed the towel over my shoulder. Then he and Uncle Karl began to help me with the horses.
Jesse came in as we were finishing up, and he was grinning big, making those dimples all the girls loved look like canyons in his cheeks.
“I hear Brittany gave you a hard time, little brother.”
“Not in the mood.”
“Aw, what’s the matter? Don’t you like a little attention from the girls now and then?”
I really wanted to smack the grin off his face.
Uncle Karl interrupted the fight before it could go anywhere. He’d been doing it all our lives. “Why don’t you two take the rest of the day off? Take Dane to Cunningham’s.”
Assuming Jesse would pitch in now and we would follow his orders, Uncle Karl strode out of the barn.
Cunningham’s was the nearest bar, alongside the Yellowstone River just beyond the blinking light that let drivers on Highway 89 know they’d reached the crossroads that was Emigrant. The town had about 370 residents scattered around a combination gas station/grocery, a fly-fishing outfitter, town hall, bank, post office, church, bakery, café, and a pair of bars.
“That’s a great idea,” Jesse said. “Let’s leave in an hour. Josh, you invite Sarah, and we’ll meet you there.”
Great. I’d get to spend the evening with Dane. I’d have a hard-on, and he’d be looking at me like I was an idiot who couldn’t handle a teenaged girl.
BY THE time I reached Cunningham’s, Jesse, Dane, and Sarah were there. Sarah had changed into tighter jeans, a frilly white shirt, and a snug, spangled denim vest that showed off her well-rounded figure. Her blond hair hung loose past her shoulders.
I noticed Ray Hanson and his hands sitting at the bar and sighed. No way I could just walk past them.
“Well, if it ain’t the great horse whisperer,” Ray said loud enough for everyone around to hear. “That new horse of yours throw you yet?” His buddies laughed, overly loud I thought.
“Nope. Doing fine, Ray.” I wanted to keep moving, but he grabbed my arm.
“Come on, Brooks, tell us how you’re doing. You need help?”
He seemed interested, but he was also more than a little drunk. I was cautious. He hadn’t let go of my arm yet either.
“That horse is a difficult one,” I offered, removing his hand from mine at the same time. I wanted to spare his pride, but I wanted to get away from him. “I got folks waiting on me, Ray.”
“Yeah, yeah, go on,” he mumbled. “I’ll come by one day and see how you’re doing.”
I bit my lip to keep from saying anything and moved on. Hanson ordered another beer.
“Here’s your beer, Josh.” Ben Cunningham slid a PBR my way. “You sure I can’t persuade you to come work for me instead of your uncle?” He’d been asking me for two months now.
“Who you got in the kitchen today?” Poor Ben. He was a good guy, my age. He’d run the bar with his mom for years. He cooked until he was old enough to tend bar. Then they swapped places. Since her death, he couldn’t find a good cook.
“Sally Jensen. No special tonight. It, ah, didn’t turn out. You’re okay as long as you order a hamburger.”
“Thanks for the advice.” I raised my beer to Ben and headed to our table.
“We already ordered for you,” Jesse said as I sat down. “What did Hanson want?”
“He wants to help me with Hurricane.”
“Like hell,” Jesse snapped. “Do not have anything to do with that man.”
“Yes, Jesse.”
“I’m serious, Josh.” Jesse banged his index finger into the table to make his point. “That man is trying to create a real feud between you two, one that’ll have the whole valley choosing him as the better horse trainer if he has his way. Stay away from him.”
“I know, Jesse.” I sighed. I was not the little brother who didn’t understand things anymore, didn’t he see that?
“We ordered a hamburger for you,” Sarah offered. “Did Ben ask you to work for him again?” It was her way of changing the topic, and I was grateful.
“He did.” I took a drink of my beer and nodded at her. “You think I should take him up on the offer now?”
“You do and I will—”
“Hah! Gotcha, Jesse.” Sarah was all smiles as she bounced triumphant in her seat.
Jesse grimaced at her, but it quickly turned to a grin. They stared each other down a long time before laughing and turning back to their beers. Too long, I thought. I cast a sideways glance at Dane, but he seemed amused.
Sally Jensen arrived with our burgers, and we all began to eat, avoiding any mention that the beef was burned. Somebody started the jukebox, a slow oldie by George Strait. Sarah loved to dance. I stood up and held out my hand.
“Come on, pardner.”
She popped out of her chair and sashayed ahead of me onto the small dance floor. Once I had her in my arms, though, she was quiet for a while.
“What’s up?”
She leaned back and looked up at me. “What do you think of Dane?”
“I was hoping he was my type. Why?”
“He makes me uneasy.”
“Because?”
“There’s a lot of… I don’t know… something in that man. Darkness, anger, maybe sadness, all rolled together. He’s wound real tight.”
“Sarah, give him a break. He’s just quit the Army, and he’s been in Afghanistan pretty much nonstop for a few years.”
“Do you really think he’s your type?” She stopped moving her feet as she said this, and I almost stumbled. “You do, and you really are interested in him, aren’t you?” She frowned and searched my face. “Josh, please promise me you’ll be careful.”
“Sarah, honestly, don’t worry. It’s not like he’s going to hurt me or anything.”
“Not physically.”
“Sarah, nothing’s happening. And I don’t even know yet if anything might.”
She had been my best friend and protector since kindergarten, from the day she told me she had a crush on Timmy Benson and I told her I did too. She had put her little index finger to my lips and told me not to tell another person, and she’d kept my secret ever since. Plenty of folks in the valley thought we’d be getting married. It protected me, and Sarah seemed not to mind that no one asked her out.
When the next song ended, I headed for the bar to get us each another beer. She went back to our table. Dane got up as she approached and held out her chair for her. Once they both sat down, he cast several sidelong glances at her, like he was trying to figure things out. Crap.
I returned with two beers and passed one off to Sarah. She immediately clinked it with mine.
“Here’s to getting your week with Brittany over before the beginning of August this year,” she said.
I smiled. “The rest of the summer is looking good.”
After a pause, I turned to Dane. “Thanks for getting us all going again.”
There, I’d broached the awful subject. I hoped Dane wouldn’t be too hard on me. Talk about being a wimp.
He nodded. “Sorry I didn’t know the rule. But I would have broken it anyway. We had to get out of there.”
“It was a good move,” Sarah agreed, “and you’re the only one who could do it. Brittany would have had Uncle Karl after Josh if he’d done it. She’s a wily one, that girl.”
“Girls seem to like you, Josh,” Dane said.
Crap. I leaned back in my seat, hoping to hide my face in the shadows or fall through some hole in the floor.
“I
t’s not his fault,” Sarah said, coming to my defense. “It’s just that he’s the only approachable Brooks male under sixty. Jesse is always out with the cattle, so girls can’t meet him.” She slapped my brother’s arm playfully, and he grinned.
Poor Sarah. She was defending me without even realizing she was one of the girls Dane was talking about.
“Sarah, you wanna dance?” It was Jesse. He’d begun asking her around the Fourth of July and hadn’t stopped. It made me nervous every time. I couldn’t stand to think about those two getting close. So far, Sarah had always said no.
“Sorry, Jesse.” She lowered her head and studied her beer. Suddenly, she looked sad. “I think that cold ride tired me out more than I knew. I’m going to have to call it a night.”
We all stood up as she did. She shot me a look I couldn’t read. Was she angry? About Dane still? Then she waved and headed for the door.
When we sat down again, we each began glancing round the bar in different directions. Dane watched the crowd, and I wondered if the crowd and the noise were getting to him. Jesse had been sensitive to it when he first got out of the Rangers.
I eyed Hanson and his buddies. A line of beer bottles stretched in front of each of them now, and they were louder than when I’d come in. Jesse studied the ladies. I could see the moment he made his decision.
“See you, boys,” he said as he stood. He made his way to the corner booth where Carrie Kilbourne and Jane Martin were. I figured he was interested in Jane.
“So, what’s Sarah got against Jesse?” Dane asked.
“Nothing.” Jeez, what to say when there was so much I didn’t want to let on. What kind of brother would he think I was if he found out I didn’t want Jesse to date my best friend? “Jesse’s suddenly interested. Sarah’s not.”
“You think she’s not?” Dane arched an eyebrow at me.
“Definitely.”
I didn’t want to see him shake his head, so I looked around again, hoping there was an empty pool table. No such luck.
“You want another beer?”
“Still got half left.”
The jukebox started playing Brooks and Dunn’s “Nothing About You,” and we both watched Jesse lead Jane onto the dance floor.