Black Hills Blessing

by A. C. Wilson

  South Dakota Summer. How odd that her father should choose such a name for the mare! Rayne shook her head. Often enough she had heard from her mother about how much she loved the South Dakota summers. The sweet smell of the pasture grasses, the soft twittering of wild birds, and the fresh crispness of the mornings. Closing her eyes, Rayne could almost see it all. The gentleness of the moment relaxed her mind and filled her heart. She longed to see the summer again on the ranch. She wanted to see the animal babies venture into the world and watch them become one with their environment. She let out a deep breath. It had been a long time since she had allowed herself to want something so much. Ironically this too was about to be snatched from her. This place she had never wanted to return to was slowly burrowing deep inside her.

  Rayne rocked the chair that sat on the porch. Denton had dropped her off an hour ago and she couldn’t bring herself to go back inside. Ghosts waited for her in there. Garrett wasn’t back yet either and he wasn’t answering his cell phone. She’d texted him to let him know she was back at the ranch, but that too had gone unanswered. She was starting to think she shouldn’t have let him go see Valentine by himself. The depth of dislike between the lawyer and her cowboy couldn’t be leashed for long. She grinned for a second thinking she wouldn’t be overly put out if Garrett gave the man a fat lip. Her cell phone buzzed in her jeans pocket and she pulled it out as quickly as she could. She hoped it was Garrett. Her hope fell when she saw that it wasn’t.

  “Hey, Royal.” Rayne said into the phone and slumped back into the rocker. Her ex-husband’s voice wasn’t who she really wanted to hear at the moment.

  “Bad time?” He asked and she could just see him lifting his brow in the way he always would when he was curious about something. She ran a hand over her face, thinking she shouldn’t have answered.

  “Yes and no. I’m just waiting for Garrett to get back.” Rayne wasn’t sure how much information to feed Royal. He was a bit like a dog with a bone. He rarely gave up if it was something he wanted to know.

  “Anything I can help with?” His tone both soothed the unfamiliar and ruffled some of her more independent feathers. She chewed her bottom lip for a second.

  “Ever heard of the bronc, Painted Valley?” Rayne asked her ex-husband casually. She rubbed at a spot of dust on her jeans.

  “Yeah. Why?” Now he was supremely curious and she knew she couldn’t keep him dangling out there in the wind. She might as well reel him in. He could be a good ally to have and besides that, she still trusted their friendship even if their marriage was over.

  “My father bred a wild mare to Painted Valley.” She chewed on her lip again. She pulled her heels up into the chair and rested her chin on her knees.

  “No shit?” Royal hooted on the phone and Rayne had to pull the speaker away from her ear until he was done. She shook her head. Sometimes his enthusiasm was a bit much.

  “The horse is missing.” Rayne stated as soon as Royal was quiet. There was silence on the line.

  “Painted Valley is missing?” Royal asked, confusion coloring his tenor. Rayne rolled her eyes.

  “The mare, Royal, is missing.” She shook her head and thought how she’d love to smack him. For such a smart man, he could sometimes be really dense.

  “Wow. Did you alert the authorities? How did you find out about the mare anyway?” Royal fired off the questions and Rayne sighed, holding her forehead.

  “Of course, I let the sheriff’s department know. That’s where I’ve been for the last hour. One of the vets showed up to look at the mare and told me about her.” Rayne tried not to get into the schematics of it all. Royal glossed over them anyway. She reached down beside the rocker to pat Ruger’s head. He’d been sitting patiently on the porch for her return and now he hugged the edge of the chair.

  “Well I’m sure you’ll know something soon. Although you are in South Dakota and there are thousands of horses. It could take longer than I think.” Royal continued on and Rayne rolled her eyes again. He had a knack for stating the obvious.

  “Obviously I’m in South Dakota, Royal, as are you. Why is it that you are calling me anyway?” She asked, hoping he would have forgotten his original purpose for calling and she could hang up.

  “I was going to tell you that Garrett was interested in our marriage. I didn’t tell him everything. Just that we weren’t a good fit and you needed your space.” Royal’s tone changed. She shifted in her seat. Royal had never questioned her request to divorce. She often thought that he wanted it just as much as she, but he still watched over her. Until now it felt like a tether that would dissolve in time, but it irritated her that he would speak to Garrett about her at all.

  “It’s not your place to discuss me anymore, Royal! Damn it, I’m not your wife and I’m not your concern. Just butt out of whatever is going on between Garrett and me.” She felt the heat grow in her cheeks as she glossed over the relationship that was starting to blossom between Garrett and her. Last night’s conversation, no matter how drunken, said a great deal about him.

  “I only thought you should know. Rayne, I want you to be happy. I think you could be happy with him.” Royal offered the olive branch that must have pained him. Just the quiet tone of his voice said so much. Rayne took a deep breath and tried to tamp down the anger.

  “I don’t want to discuss this with you.” Rayne groaned as she conceded. “I understand your need to protect me. I do. It still doesn’t mean I appreciate you meddling in decisions that are mine and mine alone.” She said pointedly into the cell phone. Ruger raised his ears at the change of tone. She rubbed his furry head. She waited for whatever snippy thing Royal would say. Surprisingly he didn’t.

  “You’re right. Point made, Rayne.” Royal was quiet for a second before adding more. “I’m here if you need me. I think I’m going to be doing some sightseeing before I head home.”

  Rayne shook her head as he hung up the phone. Sightseeing her foot! He was staying to see how things played out. She figured he’d either witness an implosion or a triumph. She pressed her lips together in thought as she looked up at the dusky sky. As of right now, she had no idea which it was going to be.

  What would it feel like to win for once in her life? What would it be like to be loved by Garrett Johnson? A nagging, naive hope expressed its wish to know.

  Chapter 20

  Garrett felt the irritation simmer under his skin. He’d spent twenty minutes with Valentine’s secretary, arguing whether or not the snake was in town. The short, commanding woman threatened to have him thrown out of the building if he didn’t leave on his own. After leaving a rather explicit message for Scott Valentine with the secretary, who he was sure threw it out the second he left, Garrett got back into his truck and pulled out his cell phone. He dialed his company’s lawyer he retained for just such issues. Matt had used their lawyer to help him out of his mess with his ex-girlfriend and adoption papers with Harper. Setting his phone in the hands-free device on his dash, Garrett drove towards his parent’s ranch. As much as he didn’t want to rehash the argument of a couple of nights ago, he did need his father’s contacts. The sooner they could find this missing mare, the one less issue in his and ultimately, Rayne’s way.

  His lawyer’s line picked up, transferring him to voicemail, so he left a brief message on the situation and asked that Maxwell Lifton call him back. Clicking the phone off, Garrett let out a deep breath he swore he’d been holding for the last hour. Ever since the meeting with Valentine, he’d known something was not right. The man was as low as they came and the fact that he thought he could take advantage of a grieving woman was even worse. No doubt Garrett having an interest in Rayne Randall had fudged the plans over. In that Garrett took immense pleasure. He would relish seeing Valentine taken down and disbarred from the legal profession. If they could get enough evidence to throw his ass in jail, then that would be the icing on the cake.

  Garrett turned his Dodge through the cross poles of the Crossing Pines Ranch. Seeing it every time, n
o matter how long he’d been gone, it still felt like home. Each familiar tree, building, fence, and vehicle sat where it had always rested. Nothing surprised him here. No change went unnoticed, but changes here happened so rarely. The beautiful ranch house with the wrap around porch and the tall, weathered barn that stood across the yard welcomed him as he parked his truck beside the fence. He turned off the loud roar of the diesel engine. Leaning his head back against the headrest, he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath.

  The time is now. No questions. No answers. He believed that. If you wanted to know, then you had to ask. People weren’t mind readers, although he wished that were the case. Well, maybe not in Rayne’s case, because he figured her mind was a mire of chaos. It certainly seemed like that to him. Putting his hand on the handle, Garrett got out of his truck and closed the door. He looked around the yard and noticed the barn door open. His dad spent a good deal of time in the barn. Matt and he had this theory that it was to avoid their mother. As they got older, they figured it was more or less correct!

  “Dad?” Garrett asked as he entered the warmth of the barn. The deep horse smell and polished leather filled his nose. He looked into the tack room, but no one was there. “Dad, are you in here?” He called a bit louder and a big red head came out of a stall. Garrett looked at the horse and chuckled. Stepping forward with palm raised, Garrett let the horse nuzzle his hand.

  “Hey there, Quinter. Sorry I don’t have any treats.” Garrett chuckled when the old horse huffed in annoyance. Quinter Pete was a big sorrel horse that loved his sugar cubes. Garrett rubbed the horse down his forehead to his soft nose. Quinter Pete had been around nearly as long as Garrett. “You’re starting to show your age, old man.” Garrett said affectionately as he rubbed the white hairs that dotted the red ones.

  “Age is a certainty, isn’t it, Q?” Travis, Garrett’s father, came down from the loft. Garrett whistled low. Travis shook his head as his boot touched the ground.

  “I thought Mom said she was going to skin you alive if you so much as stepped one foot in the loft?” Garrett asked, readjusting his hat.

  “Well what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.” Travis grinned in the usual manner of his sons.

  No wonder everyone thought they were up to no good! Garrett raised a brow as if to say “if you say so”. His dad took off his hat and wiped his brow with his handkerchief. Garrett continued to stroke Quinter, searching for the right thing to say. He wasn’t often the talker, that was reserved for Matt. Garrett preferred to show rather than tell, but he couldn’t do that now. The quiet of the barn stretched until Travis broke the silence.

  “Is it something to do with Miss Randall?” His dad took a seat on one of the straw bales across from Quinter’s stall. Garrett admired his father’s knack at pegging the issue.

  “It’s everything to do with her.” Garrett turned around slowly, his seriousness cracked by Quinter’s nudge to his back pocket. Travis grinned while Garrett stepped out of the way.

  “You’ve fallen for her.” His father’s blue eyes met his son’s brown ones. It must be obvious. Both Matt and his father had guessed correctly.

  Why can’t Rayne see it? His insides trembled a bit. He wanted Rayne to know, but he was also afraid of giving himself completely. He’d been down a similar road and yet, it had never felt quite like this.

  “I’m not sure she will stay. I think she’s having second thoughts about selling the ranch, but she hasn’t said.” Garrett leaned back against an empty stall and crossed his boots. The fears had come to light. It felt rather odd to share them here with his father in the barn.

  “She’s a beautiful young lady with a rather murky past. You can’t expect her to see clearly what sits before her. It’ll take some time.” Travis took off his gloves and laid them on the bale beside him. “I’m glad to see you interested in someone though. I’d began to wonder if you ever would be again.”

  Garrett let out a sigh and shifted his weight. His family was the only one to know what really happened with Lena McCoy. Matt was the one who saw the damage firsthand. It had brought the brothers together while exacting a healthy respect for Garrett’s need for no commitments.

  “I could use some help from you.” Garrett raised his eyes to see his father raise his wiry brows.

  “Really? Whatever you need.” Travis said, waiting for whatever his son had to tell him.

  “Denton stopped by the ranch to see a pregnant mare. A wild mare bred to Painted Valley in hopes of foaling another Bronc Horse of the Year. Oddly enough, the mare was not there and Rayne had never heard it so much as mentioned. Valentine is out of the office or so his secretary says.” Garrett jammed his hands into his coat pockets. “Who would be able to care for a very pregnant mare?”

  Travis pressed his lips together, worrying his bottom lip in thought. Garrett wished he’d been around more to know the people involved in this charade. It was essentially rustling. Stock had been taken that didn’t belong to the thieves. Time was of the essence considering if the foal were born, they could spirit it away without questions of papers or brands.

  “If I recall correctly, Roland Rodriguez was Randall’s foreman up until his death.” Travis thought about it some more. Garrett prodded his father’s memory.

  “Do you know anything about him? He talked to Rayne on the phone a couple of times, but said he was retiring after her father’s death. She had no reason to question him about it. He didn’t come to the funeral like you would think he would.” Garrett thought it odd, but maybe there was more to it.

  Retirement. The foal could be just the nest egg Rodriguez would need.

  “I only know what I’ve been told. The man likes to drink and bet on occasion. Something like this has the ring of someone a bit more educated. A smart man would know that Rodriguez would be the first suspect on the list.” Travis rubbed his palms on his knees and looked up at his son. Garrett nodded.

  “Like a shady lawyer?” His father nodded in agreement and Garrett felt his insides twist. “This isn’t something Rayne needs right now.” Garrett took off his ball cap and rubbed his head in frustration. He turned to see his father smiling at him. “What?” Garrett stopped, hat in hand.

  “You used to do that as a kid when something had really upset you.” Travis shook his head. “Just good to see I haven’t lost that boy.” His father’s eyes clouded a bit, taking on a faraway look. Garrett remembered it too. His father was the first person he ran to when there was trouble. Some of it Garrett had started and some it he had to finish, but his father always knew what to do.

  “Seems so long ago, doesn’t it?” Garrett toed his boot in the barn floor, feeling more than lost.

  “Sometimes it does and sometimes it seems like just yesterday.” Travis smiled gently and offered a half smile. Garrett remembered how he tore home from school just to be a shadow in his old man’s pocket. He remembered never doubting his place in the scheme of things. Now it all wavered.

  “I’ve taken so many wrong turns since then, Dad. I’ve been lost for a long time.” Garrett confessed, his confidence shaking. The cracks were so easy to see now. His father shook his head and met his gaze.

  “Naw, they only felt like wrong turns. I firmly believe you are right where you are meant to be.” His father stood up and dusted his jeans off. “She needs you, Garrett, and I daresay you need her too.”

  She. Rayne Randall. Garrett nodded his head almost imperceptibly.

  “I should probably get back to Rayne. She and Denton filed a report with the sheriff. Hopefully we’ll know something soon.” Garrett put his hat back on his head and adjusted the fit.

  “I’ll put out a couple of careful feelers. I’ll let you know if I hear anything.” Travis headed out the barn door with Garrett behind him. Garrett stopped to close the big door.

  “Dad.” Garrett’s eyes met his father’s blue ones. “Thanks.” Father and son stood there for a moment. Words had not been their thing. It was one of those times though that Garrett felt he ne
eded to say it. Travis held a hand out to his son and Garrett took it in a firm shake.

  “You’re welcome.” His father’s tone said so much more than the words. Things were alright with them. The cloud that hung over dissipated like it had only been a passing event. Garrett nodded and headed for his truck. He saw a text from Rayne on his cell phone. The signal out here was spotty at best so he decided to stay put until he’d heard back from her.

  @Rayne: Sheriff is notified. I’m back at the ranch. Did you have any luck?

  @Garrett: No luck. I’m leaving Crossing Pines now and headed into town. Do you need anything?

  He waited. He didn’t know what he wanted her to say. Hell, who was he kidding? He wanted her to type back and tell him that she needed him at home.

  Home. The word had taken root in his mind and he couldn’t seem to pry it loose from his thoughts. Somehow he needed to make her think of the ranch as home too. Maybe then she would stay in South Dakota and maybe, just maybe, she would stay with him.

  @Rayne: Nope. I’m fine.

  Garrett let out a lengthy breath. It was frustrating to him that he couldn’t seem to draw her out. If Rayne were any other woman, he could have charmed her, flirted with her, had sex with her and then walked away. He just couldn’t seem to get any further than her pants and ironically, it bothered him a great deal.

  @Garrett: I think we should talk tonight over wine…or something harder?

  @Rayne: I’m not so sure that’s a good idea. Alcohol tends to cloud the issues being discussed.

  His heart fell a bit. She was pulling away. He could feel it and it made him think something had caused her to rethink this whole idea of finding a place to settle. If he wasn’t going to be a part of it, he thought he could handle that. He would walk away if she asked him to do that.

  @Rayne: I’ll see you when you get here.