Black Hills Angel (Black Hills Series)

by Wilson, A. C.

  "It will definitely be an experience to be remembered." Andy swallowed hard and smiled tremulously. Maybe if she started praying for Matt's safety, someone would hear her.

  They pulled off the main road and bumped along a less traveled path where buses and other large vehicles were parked. Cars and trucks lined up in parallel lines across the prairie. A great mass of spectators were already there with their lawn chairs, blankets and cameras. Everyone was bundled up against the early morning chill. Autumn had definitely settled over the area. Winter wouldn't be far behind. Andy unlocked her seatbelt as the truck came to a stop. Nora got out to retrieve the stroller and Lacey pulled a couple of stadium blankets from the back. Both women were efficient in getting them squared away and ready to go. Andy felt minorly lacking for direction this morning.

  "Emaline is up front. She is saving us a couple of spots so that you can see the roundup better." Lacey looked at Andy and then looked ahead again. Their current relationship was rather awkward.

  "That's wonderful, thank you. I hope I can get some good photos." Andy offered, smiling as warmly as she could with a pit in her stomach. Nora shrugged when Andy looked in her direction. It was going to take some time. They searched the crowd for faces that the Johnson's knew. There was a great many ages represented in the group. Small children to the very old all waited for the exhilaration of the chase.

  "Oh look! There is Emaline." Nora pointed to the front and towards the right. Andy gripped the lawn chair and diaper bag before following Lacey and Nora into the crowd of faces. She found herself apologizing a few times when she bumped into someone with her chair or jostled someone's arm as she passed. Nothing like feeling out of place! She wanted to be here, but she was deeply out of her element. Matt had said his family would be the test they'd have to pass to be together. She was starting to wonder if the test also consisted of acclimating herself to his home as well.

  The air was crisp, their breath making white puffs. Andy's nose was cold and she sniffled a bit. She pulled her sweatshirt hood closer around her neck and zipped her jacket all the way up. Nora halted the stroller in line with the older ladies wrapped in blankets and sitting in their chairs. Andy pulled the fleece blanket up tighter around Harper's face, tucking her tiny fingers under the soft cloth. Taking another fleece blanket, Andy draped it off the hood to cocoon her daughter inside. What little breeze there was this morning made it all the colder.

  Looking around, she took stock of their surroundings. Everyone chatted with someone and the hum of the group was exciting. Smells of coffee and hot chocolate perfumed the air around them. Andy's stomach growled since she had been too sleepy this morning to eat breakfast. It would be some time before they had lunch. Sighing, Andy tried to focus on the buffalo roundup. On the horizon the sun was making more of an entrance and some riders on their horses sat on the farther hill. The coarse prairie grass was turning from its deep green to a brown gold hue. The interspersed color made the area seem vaster. The riders on the hill could have been a view into a window of time long past. It sent chills down her spine and this time it wasn't due to the cold.

  Sensing something was about to happen as the buzz around her started to rise, Andy fished her camera out of the diaper bag. A quick inspection reassured her that all was in order. She took a breath and watched the horizon carefully. The first Custer State Park vehicle presented itself and it went quickly after that. A great thundering filled the air and the excitement around her tripled it its growth. Andy's eyes widened as she saw the first of the buffalo top the hill, moving in fluid motion down to the valley. Great, heavy heads were attached to solid bodies of thick brown, shaggy hide. They were impressive! Their majesty and command over the plains nearly stopped her heart from beating. Nothing in her wildest dreams could compare to this moment.

  The herd stretched the length of the horizon, flowing as one great body of beasts. Occasionally she could pick out a half grown calf surging at its mother's side and trying not to be lost in the chaos. It might be carefully managed chaos, but it was chaos nonetheless! Trucks flanked the horses, creating another barrier the wild beasts wouldn't dare outrun. Dozens of horses with their riders didn't get in the way of the massive herd, but guided them down into the valley where panels funneled into a corral for the auction. Those of the visitors who were not standing, stood as the American flag and South Dakota state flag were paraded by on prancing horses. Andy smiled, snapping pictures in quick sequence. Even the horses seemed to be filled with pride of their office.

  "Look!" Nora's voice was close to her ear as Andy creased her brow, trying to focus on where Nora was pointing. In the back of the herd, four horsemen trailed the last of the shaggy beasts when one mammoth buffalo took exception to their presence and cut nearly a right angle into the horse's chest. There was a collective cry from the crowd of watchers as the horse reared onto its hind legs, battling the directions from the cowboy on its back. Andy's heart leapt into her throat and she felt powerless to do anything but watch. God please don't let that be Matt! It was all she could think. It became a chant in her brain as she watched the other horsemen chase the irritated beast back into the heard and a state pickup stop to assist the fallen cowboy. The quiet of the crowd was deafening. Never was there so much silence felt as in that moment between seeing the accident and knowing the fate of the man and his horse. The rest of the historic display lost its appeal.

  Nora borrowed a pair of binoculars from a man behind them. Profusely thankful, Matt's sister scanned the horizon and pursed her lips. Andy wondered if she would go insane before something was said. Her fingernails dug into her palms as her eyes shifted between the scene out on the prairie and Nora.

  "Good news! It isn't Matt or Garrett." Nora smiled at Andy and then her mother.

  "Then who was it?" Lacey all but snapped at her daughter. She was clearly on pins and needles as well. In this, Andy and Lacey were the same and worried about their men out there.

  "I'm not sure." Nora replied as she held the binoculars up against her eyes again and shrugged. "We will find out soon, I'm sure. They've already got the herd contained."

  Andy looked towards the corrals where the buffalo were circling and turning back into themselves. She took a deep breath, trying to slow the slamming of her heart against her ribs. Each deep breath prompted another one and so on. Before she knew it, she had been staring off into space for several minutes as her inner turmoil settled.

  "I told you they would be fine." Nora whispered into Andy's ear. Andy jerked back to the present and grimaced. "It's a calculated risk they take." Nora's voice of reason wasn't entirely comforting. Someone could have been maimed or even killed in an accident like that. It was a lot to stomach in a short amount of time. One false move, one stroke of fate and it could all be over.

  "I don't know if I will ever get used to it." Andy mumbled, focusing her camera on anything other than herself. It would be better to sift through these emotions later. Defining them at this moment would only be a distraction and it would prompt more questions from Nora.

  "Well there is always next year." Nora grinned, nudging Andy with her shoulder. "Hey look! See. Matt's just fine." She pointed out towards the corrals and Andy did see. Matt was holding his cowboy hat in the air for them. He looked magnificent on the big sorrel horse. Feeling the constriction around her heart ease a bit, Andy marveled at how quickly Matt disappeared into the dozens of riders again. Cowboy hat on, he looked no different from those he rode beside.

  Raising her camera again, Andy snapped more photos of the cowboys, their mounts, the shaggy, temperamental buffalo, and the auction process. The Buffalo Roundup had been started to thin out the ever increasing herds of wild buffalo on the South Dakota State Parks. Proud of the pure bloodlines, the animals were sold at auction to breeding outfits all over the United States. The herd had not been bred with cattle as was the trend. These snorting, stomping beasts were the veritable replicas of their ancestors who were plentiful on the Black Hills area. They were a great sour
ce of food and pride for the Native American tribes. Andy could see how proud these people were of them still. There was a permanent majesty that flowed about them. The morning sunshine caressed each shaggy hide and it wasn't altogether too farfetched to note the power the animal exuded.

  "Do you mind if I get a bit closer? I want to see if I can get some zoomed in shots of the buffalo." Andy asked Nora, who was bobbing up and down trying to get warm. Andy grinned.

  "No, not at all. Just stay inside the perimeter and you should be fine." Nora grinned and then chuckled at her wit. Andy made a face and looked to see Harper still crashed out in her fleece cocoon.

  "Yell at me if you need me. I won't go far." Andy didn't wait for Nora to answer her, but followed the flagged perimeter towards the holding pens. Camera pointed once more at the live entertainment surrounding them, Andy snapped consecutively as the wonder of capturing these moments filled her again. She had always been fascinated by the stark beauty. Some of the best ones were happy accidents. Things she didn't see through her lens, but marveled in once they were enlarged. Andy stepped carefully alongside the fence line, solely focused on the subjects. Click. Click. Click. All of a sudden she was stopped short by a dark mass blocking her sight through the lens. Andy looked up, slightly annoyed and slightly frightened. It was a strange combination to be sure.

  "Enjoying the roundup?" The deep timbre sent shivers along her spine and instinctively she knew who it was before she even noted it. Matt. Her heart warmed at just the sight of him. Every bit the rugged cowboy sitting atop his big sorrel mount. Okay, big might be an understatement! This horse was HUGE! She swallowed hard and smiled welcomingly.

  "All except for the drive here with your mother and that terrible accident with the man and his horse. Are they all right?" Andy pressed her camera to her chest and locked eyes with Matt's. He half smiled and nodded to reassure her. It didn't do much to lessen the fear that had coursed through her veins at the sight of that buffalo turning into the horse and rider.

  "The horse is fine; just a bit shook up. The rider, Jason Metcliff, is bruised and sore, but otherwise fine." Matt crossed his gloved hands over the pommel, leather reins between two fingers. The dark stubble on his chin made him look even more the outlaw type and Andy couldn't deny the fierce possessive nature that sprang forth. She wanted him.

  "It looked absolutely horrifying." Andy murmured, hugging her camera a bit tighter and shifting from foot to foot. The cold was starting to seep through her many layers. Matt's blue eyes widened.

  "You thought it was me." An answer; not a question as to what she thought. "Babe, everyone is fine. Jason has been riding since before he could walk. We all have." His warm tones caused her to swallow hard, a lump forming at his keen observation.

  "Anything can happen, Matt, at any time." Andy's throat felt raw and she clamped her mouth shut should she say anything more. All these feelings were going to take some time to sort out. They were still so newly fledged. Matt tilted his head to the side, his cowboy hat tipped in a rakish way. His lips were pressed into a thin line as if giving her unvoiced words some thought.

  "You're right; it can. I promise that I will do my best to be the safest man out here." He grinned, hoping to coax a similar response from her. Andy merely nodded, staring up into his face. The big sorrel horse snuffled in the cold air, his breath puffing white. Matt rocked in the saddle and the horse tossed his head from side to side in a haughty gesture of impatience. Matt chuckled.

  "Your horse doesn't like to stay still." Andy repositioned her camera towards Matt and his horse. She snapped from one angle and then tried another. Matt was a good sport and remained still.

  "Goliath is a rowdy guy and not afraid of anything. He loves galloping next to those crazy beasts!" Matt leaned forward, pat Goliath on the neck. Large brown eyes looked directly at Andy as she took the last of her pictures. Warrior horse. His name even implied the heart of a warrior bigger than life. She grinned and held her hand out to his nose as Nora had shown her. Matt's eyes were riveted on the horse and Andy. No one moved for a second, weighing the situation carefully.

  "Hey boy! You're a handsome one." Andy kept her voice soft, coaxing gently as she left her hand suspended in the air. She didn't take her eyes from the muzzle that inched closer, retreated, and then shifted closer again. Goliath twitched his nose, snuffing and huffing. Andy smiled, finally connecting her gloved hand to the big horse's nose.

  "He doesn't let just anyone touch him." Matt supplied, his eyes drinking the scene in. Andy lifted her gaze to meet his. She shivered in anticipation at the pride mixed with heated desire in those blue depths shaded by his cowboy hat. She was indeed a lucky woman.

  Chapter Twenty Four

  Nora opened the door to the small cottage and Andy brought Harper inside. They were finally starting to thaw out a bit after standing outside all morning. Having slept much of the drive up to the Buffalo Roundup and almost through the whole thing, Harper was her cheerful, energetic self.

  "I have a playpen we could set up for her. Then she can just bumble around as she wants." Nora said as she disappeared into one of the two back rooms. Andy heard something fall. Thud. Then she heard Nora cuss. Damn it! By the time Nora walked out with the folded up mesh playpen, Andy couldn't hold back the giggle that erupted. Matt's sister stopped, looked from the room to the playpen and then to Andy and looked embarrassed. Soon they were both laughing and Harper was looking back and forth between them. Her chubby little fists flailing wildly in the air.

  Once the mesh box was set up, Andy laid Harper inside on a fleece blanket. Nora returned with a couple of soft plastic spatulas that Harper immediately stuck in her tiny mouth. Everything lately went to the baby's mouth and Andy thought she might be crazy by the time Harper was crawling and walking. It would be like a constant scavenger hunt!

  "Could I borrow your laptop, Nora, to upload the pictures I took at the roundup?" Andy asked, coming out of her room, tying her long hair up into a ponytail. Nora pulled a couple of bottles of water out of the fridge and gave one to Andy.

  "Sure. I can't wait to see what you got! I saw you taking pictures of Matt and Goliath." Nora set her bottle down and walked to the sturdy roll-top desk and brought back her laptop. Andy had meant to get one, but her finances had been so screwy since she had Harper. She knew Matt would tell her to go buy one, but it felt strange using his money when they weren't permanent. Permanent. There was a word to explore in the future. Taking a deep breath, Andy tried to untangle her thoughts. Everything lay so undefined between her and Matt. She wondered if defining it would add some clarity.

  "It's been about a year since I took any pictures. I thought maybe at school I might like to be a professional photographer. My teachers even encouraged it." Andy smiled sadly. Nora bobbed her head. "So many things changed." Will I ever get used to the fickleness of fate?

  "It's okay to change, Andy. It causes growth and understanding. In my experience, it's all a part of life and some of the most amazing things come when you least expect them." Nora indicated Harper playing happily. Andy considered what her friend was saying. Their backgrounds were similar minus their families.

  "I think I'm afraid of losing more of what I thought would be permanent; my parents, my friends, and even my understanding of what love truly is." Andy met Nora's blue eyes, uncanny resemblance to Matt's eyes. In a way it was like talking to a female version of Matt, just with a bit more cynicism and insight of Andy's position.

  "I can't say as I have ever welcomed change or have not been afraid of it. Self-preservation seems to incite fear in the unknown. It's a natural response, but it doesn't mean it has to rule your life, Andy." Nora said as she began running water in the sink for dishes. Andy lowered her eyes, turning on the computer and thinking about what Nora said. Not being scared seemed to be a utopian concept she just couldn't grasp. Sadly, she couldn't remember being this way before she had spent that one night with Terrell and finding out she was pregnant. That one unchangeable event shattered ever
ything she knew, or thought she knew. Now Matt and his family were here, offering to welcome her into the fold. Her heart skipped at the thought of having a new family and ultimately of having Matt in both her and Harper's lives. Maybe the leap wouldn't be too hard to make.

  ***

  He checked the cinch again, pulled down on the stirrup, and made sure the saddle was secure on Miss Sioux. The black and white painted mare stomped her foot impatiently. Just like a woman. Matt patted her nose, crooning to her in nonsensical words. The mare responded by quieting and standing still while he finished with the rest of her rigging. Master Raven, Matt's twelve year old black gelding was already saddled and ready to go. He had every intention of carving out some time for him and Andy to finally start to get to know each other without all the distractions. After seeing her reaction to Jason's accident with the buffalo, Matt knew there was something deeper than just gratitude and minor affection. Seeing the fear and disquiet in those green eyes, he knew he needed to cultivate those tender feelings.

  Pulling Raven's reins loose from the hitching post, Matt held onto Miss Sioux' lead until he swung up into his saddle. Settled in, he wrapped the lead around his horn and pointed the horses towards Nora's house. It wouldn't take but a few minutes to get there. Cutting across the ranch yard and the back pasture, Matt could surprise Andy with a slow and easy ride to the windmill. The windmill needed checked and it was a good excuse to get his girl alone. His girl. Taking a breath and settling his cowboy hat more firmly on his head, Matt enjoyed the fresh air and time to compose a suitable story to get Andy on a horse.

  Securing Miss Sioux and Raven in Nora's yard, Matt squared his shoulders and tipped his hat back a bit. Rubbing his hands together to relieve a bit of the nervousness, he gripped the metal knob and walked into the living room. Scanning the room, he noticed Harper was in the play pen, Nora was folding clothes out of the laundry basket, and Andy had her back to him at Nora's laptop.