by Faye Sonja
Melody pulled away. “What did she say?”
Harmony sat down in front of her vanity. She turned in the mirror and looked a little at her bare face. “That she loves you.”
Melody smiled at Harmony through the mirror. “I wish I had gotten the chance to speak to her.”
Harmony nodded.
Melody went to work on her hair. Once the curls were set and falling down Harmony’s back, Melody had Harmony do her own makeup. She did a pretty good job. Once finished, the girls headed downstairs. They made it to the front room just as the butler, Willie, was taking their bags to the car.
Andrew came into the room from the kitchen. He smiled at Harmony and walked over to kiss her cheek. “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you,” Harmony said.
Andrew looked at Melody. “You look nice, too.”
Melody laughed. “Thank you, brother.”
Andrew nodded and then turned to Harmony. “Did you eat? Alice cooked, but you’re going to have to take it to go. We’ve got to get on the road.”
Harmony nodded. She grabbed Melody’s hand and headed to the kitchen to grab pre-made bags of food. There was another basket of food for the ride. Harmony reached for it, but Alice grabbed it first. She was an older woman. She smiled up at the two women. “Allow me, Mrs. Pitch.”
“Thank you,” Harmony said and headed out the door.
There were several different cars and trucks in the driveway. A few trucks had horses and bulls in attached carriers. The families of the other ranch hands were all packed, loaded, and ready to go. Some of the men would be staying behind to look over things, but most would be taking the 5-hour journey to San Diego. The plan was to be there for two days, drive to Santa Barbara for another two days, and then head back home just in time for the Thanksgiving meal. Harmony was excited about it all. She’d get to see more of California and experience more of Andrew’s life.
The women loaded up like everyone else. The bags were packed and everyone headed out on the road. There were three people in Andrew’s truck. Harmony sat in middle with Andrew to her left and Melody on either side. Since most of her height was in her legs, her height over the other two wasn’t that noticeable. But Harmony could certainly use a little more legroom if she had her way about it. She thought about switching seats with Melody. Andrew grabbed her hand. Harmony smiled. She’d pass up on the legroom.
In the bed of the pickup were six of Andrew’s men. They were all talking and laughing about something. The men were used to waking up before the sun together and seemed to have no problem with the earliness of the day.
“Santana is a nice city,” Melody said.
Harmony watched the world go by from her view in the middle of the vehicle. The sun was starting to rise over the tops of the tall brick buildings of Santana. The city looked like any other major city on the east coast, except there were buildings that had non-English titles. California was like no place Harmony had ever seen. It had a great mixture of people and tourists. It was early, so the tourists weren’t out yet, but they would be soon. Harmony turned to Andrew. “Is there a rodeo coming up here in Santana?”
“In the spring,” Andrew said.
“What happens at the rodeos here?” Melody asked.
“It’s when cattlemen from a certain area come together to show off their best bulls and horses for breeding. Everyone wants to buy and breed with the strongest blood lines. The rodeo is the only real way to tell who the best really is. Outside of that, you’d just have to take a man’s word for it when he says his bull is better than his neighbors. The rodeo puts that rancher to the test.”
“Do you plan on selling your bull?”
“No, but I plan on letting him breed for a price.”
“What about the horses?” Melody asked.
“I’ll sell some; breed others.”
“Are you really going to ride the bull?” Harmony asked. She squeezed Andrew’s hand.
“Yup.”
Harmony sighed. “Then you better win.”
Andrew laughed. “Yes ma’am.”
Harmony smiled and leaned over to place her head on his shoulder. With her other hand, she grabbed Melody’s hand. Harmony had never been so happy in all her life. Everything seemed so perfect. She’d only been married to Andrew for a month, but she already knew she was in love, though she hadn’t told him yet. Neither of them had brought it up, but Harmony didn’t think it would be long before one of them said it. For now, she could wait.
* * *
8
Chapter EIGHT
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“ She’d be having her first Christmas without
the fragile white flakes … She’d miss that. ”
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Andrew closed his eyes in the dark enclosure of the bull stall and listened to the announcer over the loudspeakers. A man was thrown off his bull. The ride lasted for a little over five seconds, but that wasn’t the important part to Andrew. What Andrew wanted to know was if the rider would be walking out of the ring alive. The crowd cheered. The man would live to ride another day. He’d rode for five seconds. Andrew would last the whole eight seconds, which was the length of time required to actually get a full ‘ride’ in. After eight seconds, the horn would blow. Andrew could do eight seconds, but tonight, he just didn’t want to get hurt.
He adjusted his feet into the dirt underneath his boots. He hadn’t worried about getting hurt this much in years. He was worried now, because of Harmony. They joked a lot, but the truth was still there. He didn’t want to leave her a widow. Bull riding was dangerous. The averages were that at least three people died each year from bull riding. Many more were injured badly. Andrew broke his collarbone when he was twenty-one. He’d ridden the next year and won. His dad had been proud. It was probably the last time his old man ever said he was proud of him.
The announcer called the next rider. It was the new rider from his father’s ranch. Billy Pitch was here. The rider was Frank Harold. Andrew had never heard of the man before, so he went over to watch the show through the slits in the wooden gate.
Frank got on his bull in his own bullpen. The signal was given, the gate was opened, and the ride was on. Andrew counted the seconds in his head. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Done. Frank got thrown off the bull and landed on his back. He scrambled to his feet right before the bull could come back around and attack him. He made it out of the ring, no harm done. Eight seconds, but an easy ride. Frank didn’t have the control to push the bull for a harder ride. There was no spurring. Frank didn’t kick the bull with the spurs on his heels to make the ride wilder. Instead, it was just a straight ride. Andrew smiled. He was still the best.
His name was announced. He was next. Andrew tried to control his breathing. His door opened.
“Andrew.”
Andrew looked up into the stadium seats.
Harmony was hanging over the rail. Her sandy brown hair cradled her sweet face. “Don’t worry. Just win.” She blew him a kiss.
Andrew smiled. Harmony was his kind of woman. He turned back towards the ring and hopped on his bull. The signal was given and everyone but the ride faded into the background. The ride, which was a wild one for Andrew, felt like a smooth dance. The bull took the lead and Andrew followed in tow. The bull buckled and Andrew flowed like water, moving in tune with the bull’s motions. One. Spur. Two. Three. Spur. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Spur. Eight. Andrew jumped smoothly off the bull's back and landed at a run on his feet. His hands went in the air as the stadium cheered.
He ran back over to his people and was greeted with hugs and back pats from his men. The last person to hug him was Harmony. Andrew kissed her and another cheer erupted from their group. Everyone went back to the rails as the rest of the show continued.
Some of the other men from Andrew’s company participated at the other sports. Roy did the barrel-racing contest an
d Carlos participated in Bareback Bronc riding. Both of the men were phenomenal. When the events were over, everyone headed to a local restaurant. Andrew, Harmony, Carlos, and Melody shared one end of a long table. Andrew had reserved a back room in the establishment for their group.
Harmony asked, “Does anyone else ride the bull?”
Carlos answered, “Roy has been practicing, but he hasn’t entered any competitions yet.”
“Why not?” Melody asked. “He was really good at the barrel racing.”
Andrew shrugged. “I just don’t think he’s ready.”
“How old is he?” Harmony asked.
“Eighteen.”
Melody’s eyes went wide. “So young.”
“Yeah.”
“Hmm,” Harmony said. “He wants to ride.”
Andrew looked over at Harmony. “He told you that?”
Harmony nodded. “Yeah. He told me what you were doing while you were riding and expressed the desire to ride like you. I think he looks up to you.”
Andrew frowned and looked over at Roy who was standing with a group of men talking. “I started riding when I was eighteen.”
Harmony took a bite of her steak. “Really?”
“He sure did.”
Everyone turned to look at the newcomer at the table. A pair of hazel eyes looked down at Andrew. A smile on his old face. Andrew frowned. “This is a private party, Billy.”
The room got quiet. Even the small children seemed to understand the need for silence.
Billy Pitch smiled. “Is that any way to greet your old man?”
Andrew stood.
Olivia came to stand by Billy’s side. Her blue eyes were narrowed in Harmony’s direction. A group of men were by the door behind them. Andrew had no doubt that they were Billy’s men. He’d come ready for a fight.
Billy sighed, recapturing Andrew’s attention. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your wife?”
“No,” Andrew said. He took a step toward Billy, which caused the other men and his wife to take a step back and make room. Andrew was now blocking Billy’s view of Harmony. The two men were the same height.
Billy took a peek over Andrew’s shoulder. “Olivia told me she was a looker. I had to see for myself.”
Andrew’s blood heated. His hands balled into twin fists.
Olivia pulled on Billy’s arm. “Billy, let’s leave. This place is dirty.”
Billy frowned down at her, then turned to Andrew. “I want to meet your wife, boy.”
“No.”
Billy smiled. “Why not? Scared?”
Andrew’s right fist jerked up a few inches, but stopped. There was a hand around his. He turned to find Harmony had her finger wrapped around his closed fist. She stood up and came to stand by his side. Andrew’s arm went around her waist. Harmony draped an arm around his shoulders.
Billy looked up into her eyes. “The woman’s tall enough to clean roofs for a living.”
Harmony smiled. “And you can scrub the floors.”
They busted into laughter.
Andrew couldn’t help but to join in.
Billy laughed, too. “Oh, that’s good. I like that.” He sized her up again. “She’s got bite, Andrew. You did good for yourself with this one.”
Andrew sobered. “Leave, Billy.”
Shadows started to move. Andrew turned to see some of his own men moving towards his back. This was about to get bad. Andrew let go of Harmony’s hand and moved her away from him. Some of the other women and children were quietly cleared out.
Billy kept smiling in Harmony’s direction. “I’ll leave when I’m ready.”
Olivia said, “I’m ready to go, Billy.” She was pulling Billy’s arm for real now. “We’ve got reservations at a nicer establishment.”
Billy frowned down at her again. “I’m a cowboy, Olivia. Sometimes, we like to eat off skillets instead of fine china.” He turned back to Harmony. “You like skillets?”
Andrew’s fist connected with Billy’s face before he realized what was happening. Billy went down and everyone rushed in. The table was knocked over. There were screams. Andrew felt himself be pushed to the ground, and then he heard a crack right before he felt the pain shoot through his right arm. All of the air left his lungs as the pain travelled up his shoulder and radiated through his entire body.
A gunshot went off. Everyone turned towards the door. A man in an all-white suit stood in the doorway, a shotgun was in his hand- Kenneth Sky. “Billy, get out of my restaurant.”
Billy raised his hands. He was standing by the door. “Let’s all calm down—”
“No, Billy. You leave. You’re always starting trouble. I won’t have any of it in my place.”
Billy put his hands down and turned to his men. “Let’s get out of here.” They left.
Carlos knelt by Andrew. “Are you alright?”
Andrew was breathing rapidly. “No. Someone broke my arm.”
Carlos reached for Andrew’s hand. The moment his hands touched it, Andrew let out a groan. His heart was beating fast, gripped by the pain. Carlos let go of his hand. “We need to get you to a doctor.”
Andrew’s men helped him up and started for the door. Harmony and the rest of the women followed. Everyone went back to the hotel. A doctor who was in town for the rodeo came to see Andrew in his room. Andrew sat in a chair in the corner.
“You won’t be able to ride tomorrow,” the doctor said as he wrapped Andrew’s arm up in gauze.
Andrew lay in bed as the doctor wrapped the arm. He groaned. He’d taken a painkiller, which had eased some of the pain. The doctor put Andrew’s arm into a sling and then let go of his arm. Andrew sighed from the relief. With the pain subsided, anger came.
“You could also take another dose,” the doctor said with the bottle of opium in his hand.
Andrew shook his head without looking at him. “I don’t want to get hooked on the stuff.”
The doctor nodded and turned to Harmony, who was sitting at the foot of the bed. He smiled. “He should be fine,” he said as he placed the painkillers on the nightstand and headed out of the room.
Harmony walked him out. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“Have a good night.”
The doctor was gone.
Harmony walked across the room and knelt by Andrew’s feet, looking up into his hanging face. “Would you like me to help you into bed?”
Andrew shook his head and turned away from her.
“You’ll get better.” She placed a hand on his knee.
“Tell Roy that he’s riding tomorrow.”
“Alright.”
“And then go to bed.”
“Are you coming to bed as well?”
Andrew stood, causing Harmony’s hand to fall away. He started for the door. “I need to walk.”
Harmony stood. “I’ll join you—”
“No, I want to be alone.” Andrew started for the door.
“Will you talk to me?”
Andrew turned to her. He shook his head. “I should have known better.”
“What should you have known?”
“That my father would do this. It was a set up.”
“What do you mean?” Harmony took a seat on the end of the bed.
Andrew felt the heat start to build in his shoulder blades. “The fight. He wanted the fight. He wanted me to hit him so that one of his men could break my arm.”
Harmony sighed. “Andrew, it was a fight—”
“No!” Andrew started to pace. “You don’t know my father. No one was hurt like I was. It wasn’t a fight. He just wanted to make sure I couldn’t ride tomorrow so that I’d lose.”
Harmony frowned. “Are you sure? That’s so awful.”
Andrew smiled, but not in a funny way. “But, that’s just it, Harmony. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. He owns me, and because of that, I can never be happy.”
Harmony stood and went to Andrew. “No, Andrew. We can be happy. We’re happy.”
&nb
sp; “For how long?”
“What do you mean?”
“You heard my dad. He wants you, and whatever Billy wants, Billy gets.”
Harmony narrowed her eyes. “I don’t want your father. I want you.”
Andrew started for the door. “Get a message to Roy that he’s riding tomorrow.”
“Where are you going?”
“I don’t know.”
“When will you be back?”
“I don’t know.” Andrew closed the door behind him and headed out. He was feeling trapped. He hurried out the front door and took a breath, but it didn’t help. He wasn’t trapped in the hotel, he was trapped in his own skin. He was Billy Pitch’s son, and he would never be able to escape that. It was time that Andrew accepted that fact.
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9
Chapter NINE
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“ She’d be having her first Christmas without
the fragile white flakes … She’d miss that. ”
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Roy stayed on the bull for eight seconds, but he didn’t win the prize money. He was good, but not as good as some of the other men. But that didn’t matter. Andrew hadn’t seen it. Harmony didn’t know where Andrew was. He hadn’t shown up for a single event, and as the day wore on, Harmony’s nerves grew. It was mid-day now. If they wanted to beat the sun home, they’d have to leave soon.
She was standing by the car. Everyone was ready to go, but no one knew where Andrew was. Carlos came over to where she and Melody stood. “I can’t find him anywhere. Maybe we should head home. He probably went ahead of everyone.”
Harmony shook her head. “I’m not leaving without him.”
Carlos sighed. “He knows how to get home. He’ll be fine. He just needs space.”
Harmony opened her mouth to speak, but Melody grabbed her hand.
“Harmony, we can’t stay here,” Melody began. “The hotel is already booked for another night. We have to go.”