by West, Cary
“I think he skipped the class entirely,” laughed Betty. Kyle laughed too, but Kate didn’t see the humor in it. She didn’t know why, but she felt like she needed to defend him.
“Jack’s not like that with me,” she said. “The man you’re describing is not the Jack I know and love.”
“Just be careful dear,” said Betty. “Remember the apple does not fall far from the tree.”
“If you are referring to Jack’s father, I disagree,” said Kate getting extremely annoyed. “Jack is not an alcoholic.”
“Thank God he didn’t pick up that trait,” said Betty. “But what Jack learned about women he learned from his father. As far as Jacob McBride was concerned, women were good for one thing and one thing only. After that he had no use for them.”
“That’s a terrible thing to say,” gasped Kate.
“It’s true,” interjected Kyle feeling a little bad for her. She needed to know the kind of man he was. “Which is why it’s kind of surprising to see the way Jack acts with you.”
“How does he act with me?” Kate was getting downright angry.
“Almost normal,” said Kyle. “But a little possessive if you ask me.”
“Well who’s asking you?” snapped Kate as she stood from her chair. “I think I should go.”
“Please dear, we didn’t mean to offend you,” said Betty taking her hand. “You seem like a very nice girl. We’re just concerned.”
“I appreciate your concern, but I know what I’m doing.”
“Come on Kate, don’t leave,” said Kyle. “We’ll stop talking about Jack if you please sit down and finish your dessert.” Kate returned to her seat, against her better judgment.
“So tell us a little bit about yourself,” said Betty trying to mend the bridge.
“What do you want to know?” Kate was guarded.
“Where are you from?”
“Santa Cruz.”
“You don’t say. My sister lives in Santa Cruz,” said Kyle. “She and her husband own a bistro there. Maybe you’ve heard of it. It’s called Wine, Bread, and Cheese.”
“I lived right around the block from it,” said Kate relaxing a little. “Their food is very good.”
“Well isn’t it a small world,” he laughed. “First Chico University and now this. Our paths seem to cross. I’m amazed we never met before this.”
“I guess so,” she smiled.
“Did you teach in Santa Cruz?” asked Betty.
“Yes, I taught fourth grade.”
“Well you’re going to love teaching at Virginia City,” she stated. “The school is extraordinary and very supportive of the arts.”
“That’s good to hear,” said Kate. “When do the teachers start decorating their rooms?”
“About a week before school starts.”
They continued their conversation about school, current events, and literature. Soon Kate forgot all about their original discussion about Jack. It felt good to talk with other intellectuals, and she realized how much she missed this since leaving Santa Cruz.
It was getting late, and their time together was coming to a close. Betty and Kyle said their goodbyes as they headed to their cars. Kate climbed into her car and picked up her cell phone on the passenger seat. She didn’t feel the least bit guilty leaving it behind so she wouldn’t have to deal with Jack and his overbearing nature.
She looked at the time and saw it was almost ten o’clock. She cringed when saw Jack left her six messages. She tossed her phone back on the passenger seat not wanting to listen to his lectures about her being late. She would deal with it soon enough when she got home.
Kate started her car and pulled out of the parking lot. She headed down Highway Fifty, making her way toward Six Mile Canyon Road, though Jack advised against it, saying he didn’t want her on that road after dark.
But it was quicker cutting straight through the mountain rather than taking the longer alternate route traveling up around the outer mountain’s edge, considering she was already late.
Kate turned onto Six Mile Canyon and headed up the long winding road. The road was dark with no street lamps, and there was no light except for the headlights of her car. Shadows bounced along the canyon walls as trees with balding branches swayed and bellowed with the wind. It was spooky at night, she thought and a chill ran up her spine. It looked so much different in the daylight when she was riding with Jack.
She heard a loud pop and her car began to shake as if she were rumbling over gravel and rock, making it difficult to steer.
Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me! She pulled alongside the makeshift shoulder and got out of her car. She walked to the front and saw her tire was flat. Shit!
Now what was she going to do? She never changed a tire before. Once she had a flat on the freeway, but she called road service and they came out and changed it for her. She doubted there was road service anywhere around here.
She hated the idea of calling Jack knowing full well he would read her the riot act first for being late, second for being on Six Mile Canyon Road and third for not knowing how to change a flat.
She crawled back in her car and picked up her cell phone then called Jack. She waited for it to ring but the call failed. Kate noticed she had no bars on her phone and the words in red no signal flashed on top of her screen.
“Shit!” she exclaimed again. Kate stepped out of her car and walked around the perimeter with cell phone in the air, hoping to find a signal. “Nothing,” she grumbled still seeing the red message against the darkness of night.
Now what was she going to do? She was out in the middle of bum freaking nowhere. She decided she would have to change the flat tire herself. How difficult could it be-right? She went back to her car and sat down then leaned over and opened her glove compartment, pulling out the owner’s manual. She turned the overhead light on and flipped through the pages until she came to the instructions of how to change a tire.
With manual in hand, she left her car, heading for its rear. She popped the trunk and searched the small compartment for the spare tire.
“There’s no tire in here?” she groaned as she read the manual again.
She felt around the floor of the trunk and realized she could lift the carpet. Underneath was the tire. She tried to pull it out but it wouldn’t budge. It was bolted tight to the floor. She tried to unscrew it with her fingers, but failed. She read the manual once more and learned she needed a tire iron to unscrew it.
“Where’s the blasted tire iron,” Kate called out as if someone was right by to answer.
Exasperated, she threw the manual in to the trunk. She tried her cell phone again hoping to find a signal. Again, nothing. The canyon was blocking all signals from reaching her phone.
Just then the wind picked up, howling through the air. Kate scurried back to her car and closed the door. Maybe she should wait in her car and hope another vehicle would come along. After all, this road was used all the time by travelers going to and from Virginia City.
Kate closed her eyes. In her mind she willed Jack to find her. She waited for ten minutes with still no sign of another vehicle and she was beginning to wonder if she should start walking. But it was spooky out there in the dark as her eyes darted across the blackness seeing nothing but shadows and eerie figures. She was being ridiculous, she told herself. There was nothing to be afraid of.
Kate took a deep breath and exited her car. She started walking, heading along the narrow winding road toward Virginia City. She got as far as the lights of her headlights could take her. She walked around a sharp turn into pitch black and felt disoriented for a second. She turned on her phone and hit her flashlight app then held it out in front of her. To her relief it lit her path quite well.
She continued walking, cautiously watching and listening for any harmful movement or sound. A coyote’s howl reverberated through the canyon and she nearly jumped out of her skin. She thought she saw movement along the hillside. She stopped and pointed her phone in that direction.
There was nothing and she breathed a sigh of relief, forging on.
The road was longer than she remembered, thinking Virginia City was right around the bend. But when she crossed the mark all she saw was another long stretch of road. Kate checked her cell phone again, but still no signal.
Once more she heard a distinct sound in the hills. She froze, hearing the sound again and this time she saw movement. She shined her flashlight in to the hillside and saw two dark eyes glistening from its light. Kate stopped and so did her breath as she stayed deathly still. She heard a snorting sound and the scraping of animal feet along the ground. The creature stepped into the light and she saw the black stallion emerge from the canyon hills.
Black Thunder descended the hill and came to halt beside her. He nudged her hand, beckoning her to stroke him
“Boy, am I glad to see you,” said Kate as she finally took a deep breath. She kissed him on the nose then laid her head on his cheek as she stroked the side of his neck. “Are you going to keep me company?”
He started walking along the road as if to say yes. She placed her hand on his mane and held on as she walked beside him. “You are one smart animal. Did anyone ever tell you that?”
He didn’t answer but kept moving while she forged on alongside him, shining her flashlight forward. It didn’t seem so threatening holding onto Black Thunder as the steed protectively led her through the dark and scary place.
She looked at her cell phone and saw it was after eleven. They’d been walking for almost a half an hour. Suddenly the animal stopped. His head lifted and his ears perked back. She moved closer to him, holding tighter to his mane when she heard a low rumble and felt a vibration beneath her feet.
Then behind her, she saw a stream of bright white lights. Black Thunder stepped back and she released her hold. His nostrils flared and he bolted away, heading back into the hills.
Kate turned and watched the animal leave as the light behind her grew stronger. She grew excited knowing a vehicle was approaching. She waved her hands in the air, flashing the light from her cell phone. The truck stopped and Kate recognized it immediately.
“Jack,” she called out as the door from the cab flung open.
Jack jumped from his truck and raced toward her. “Oh, thank God you’re all right,” he said, taking her in his arms and holding her tight. “I was so worried when you didn’t come home. I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”
“I got a flat,” she said, thinking he felt so good.
“I saw,” said Jack holding her tighter. “I passed your car back a ways and you not in it. Why didn’t you call?”
“I tried, but I had no signal.”
Jack stepped back and Kate could tell he was mad. “What the hell are you doing out on this road at night?” he yelled at her. “And especially walking alone. Do you know how dangerous that was?”
“I’m fine,” she said, trying to ease his fears. “I wasn’t alone. Black Thunder was with me.”
“I don’t want to talk about that damn blasted horse,” he shouted again. “You should have stayed in your car and waited for me to find you.”
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
“You’re damn right you weren’t thinking!” He was furious. “I come up alongside your car and see the trunk open, but no Kate. I almost lost my mind!”
“I was going to try to change the tire,” she said, bracing herself for his reaction. “But I couldn’t figure out how to do it.”
“You mean to tell me you don’t know how to change a simple tire?” he exploded. “Kate, I have half a mind to take you over my knee and blister your backside.”
“I’m sorry, Jack,” she groveled.
“I don’t want to hear that you’re sorry,” he growled. “Just get in the truck.”
Jack waited for Kate to climb in before he got in himself. He turned the truck around and drove to her car. Kate sat quietly watching Jack change the flat. He made it look so effortless and in less than ten minutes the spare tire was on and her car was ready to go. Jack opened the door for Kate.
“You think you could manage to follow me home, without any more catastrophes?”
“You don’t have to be so damn condescending,” said an upset Kate. “I said I was sorry.”
“I can’t for the life of me understand why someone who is so book smart doesn’t have a lick of common sense,” he growled. She went to reply but thought better when he put out his hand for her not to speak. “We’ll talk about it when we get home.”
Kate slid from the truck to her car. Jack slammed her car door shut and she started the engine. Jack turned the truck around and drove slowly making sure Kate’s car was always in the rear view mirror. He drove out of the canyon as Virginia City came in to view. He crested the steep hill then turned right onto the main road away from the small mining town. Rounding the hill, he pulled onto the dirt road leading to the ranch.
Jack parked outside the house as Kate pulled up behind him. He marched up the porch stairs and opened the front door, waiting for her to follow. She passed him and entered the house. Jack stepped inside and slammed the door closed. Kate didn’t utter a word seeing he was still too mad to discuss this rationally. She walked upstairs, hearing him follow behind her and made her way to their bedroom. Jack stood in the room and once more slammed the door closed.
“I called you half a dozen times,” he began his rant. “Why didn’t you answer me?”
“I forgot I left my cell phone in the car,” she said as she sat on the bed and removed her heels.
“You didn’t forget. You deliberately left it there.”
“Yes, I did,” said Kate temper rising though she tried to keep it bay. “I didn’t want you pestering me.” She stood up and removed her skirt then went to the closet and hung it up.
“You could have given me the courtesy to call me when you got to the car,” he fumed.
“I know,” she said feeling a bit convicted. “I should have called you, but I knew you were already mad because I was late.”
“Well it was downright inconsiderate of you,” said Jack as he sat on the bed and removed his boots. He tossed them along the wall then he lifted his t-shirt over his head. He crumbled it into a ball and hook shot it into the laundry basket.
Kate finished undressing and walked into the bathroom. She turned on the water to the tub. She grabbed a scrunchy and tied up her hair. Jack moved to the doorway and leaned against its frame.
“You aren’t going to say anything else?”
“No, I’m waiting for you to settle down, then we’ll talk.”
Kate poured a handful of bath salts into the water then climbed in. She leaned back against the tub. Jack removed his remaining clothes. She couldn’t help observe his strong manly torso as a slow smile formed on her face.
“What are you smiling for?” he grumbled.
“You are one fine looking man, Jack McBride,” she said in a kittenish kind of way.
“Don’t try to sweet talk me, Kate,” he said as he walked over to the tub. “I’m still mad at you.”
Kate sat up and Jack slid in behind her. She leaned back against his chest. She lifted her arms in the air as he rested his hands on her belly then she lowered her hands resting them on his arms.
“Thank you for coming to find me,” she said in a soft voice as she stroked his arm with her fingers.
“You worried me half to death,” he said as he placed a kiss to her head.
“Thank you for worrying about me,” she said in a sweet voice.
“You’re welcome,” he said feeling her gentle tones calming him down.
They sat quiet for a moment resting together, connecting skin to skin. Kate closed her eyes and basked in his touch.
“Tomorrow morning you are going to learn how to change a tire,” he said as he bent his head back against the tub and closed his eyes.
“Whatever you want, Jack,” said Kate not wanting to break her dreamy state.
There was silence again as
they soaked all their troubles away.
“Did you have a good time tonight?” His asking was genuine.
“I did,” she said. “I met one of your old teachers.”
“Which one?”
“Betty Grumbine.”
“Is that old cow still alive?” He lifted his head.
“You know she is,” she giggled and tapped his hand.
“I guess I do,” he chuckled and settled back again. “Did Kyle make any moves on you?”
“No,” she smiled.
“Good,” he mumbled with his eyes closed.
“So what did you do tonight while I was gone?” She looked over her shoulder at him.
“I kept busy,” he said as a grin formed on his face.
“You aren’t going to tell me?”
“Nope,” he continued to grin.
“Should I be jealous?” She teased as she laid her head back on his chest.
“Jealous of what?”
“I don’t know. Maybe you got a woman on the side,” she teased again.
“Trust me, baby, the only woman I want is you.” Jack slid his hands down her belly and settled them between her thighs, slowly stroking her. “I belong to you, Kate,” he whispered in her ear. “Remember that.”
Kate brought her hand to the back of his neck, seducing him to kiss her as she sweetly toyed with his mouth. He kissed her slow, savoring the feel of her lips, her tongue, the heady aroma of lilac drifting up through the water. His fingers reached for the place of secret treasure as he slid inside her and caused her to moan in his mouth.
That was all Jack needed to hear. He stood from the tub, lifting her with him. Kate wrapped her arms around his neck as he pressed her against his chest and raised her feet from the tiled floor. He carried her to their bed, easing her wet body onto the mattress, as he slid on top of her. Claiming her beneath him, he made love to her, finding his home inside her. It was heaven, and the closest thing he found to God, joining with her like a link to the only connection that made him feel whole.
They stayed connected, positioned together basking in the glow of making love. It was a strange and glorious feeling to stay strong inside her without the need of passionate release. They drifted to sleep entwined together reaching a perfect slumber.