Destiny Wears Spurs

by Harmon, Kari Lee

  Runny eggs. Ugh. Even her hands turned green, she noted, rubbing her stomach. But her plan was too important to let something as stupid as a hangover get in the way. “I’m sure.”

  Monica made her way to the barn and said hello to her beloved pet, scanning the stalls. All the horses were gone, except Snoozer, whose head was buried in a pail of oats. Cody could be out on the range all day. Her gaze swung back to Snoozer as the mare took a long drink of water.

  “Oh, no. Don’t even think it, Mo. After all the abuse you’ve endured on a horse, you can’t even consider it.” She turned around and sat, sketching the scenery as she waited for Cody and the men to return.

  After thirty minutes, she grew more and more angry over the way he’d deceived her. Were all men liars? That had been her experience so far. She scribbled over the scene she’d just sketched and broke her pencil. Even the mountains looked angry. Granted, she’d asked what she could do to help. After all, she was supposed to be working. Even though she’d been disappointed about not getting to work out on the range, it’d lessened the blow believing he’d needed her.

  “Ha. He needs me, all right. Needs me like he needs a fly buzzing around a pile of manure.” She ground her teeth, seething. Well, she’d had enough.

  Dusting off her blue jeans and smoothing her peach shirt, she walked to the mare’s stall. Hank had promised to show her a bit about taking care of the horses and riding them, but he’d been too busy lately. But she was determined to ride this flipping horse once and for all. Feeding Snoozer some sugar cubes, she glanced at the room where they kept the saddles.

  “After what happened with the saddles last time? Forget it. It’s just you and me and the wind. We’ll be free like the birds, the way nature intended.” She glanced at the wall where some of the equipment hung and thought better of it. “Well, almost the way nature intended.”

  Monica grabbed the halter and the rope that attached to it. Miraculously, she managed to put it on the horse. This probably wasn’t the smartest idea, but she didn’t think she could get on Snoozer any other way, so she used the bucket again to climb on the railing of the stall and then slid onto the horse’s back.

  “I did it. Holy cow--horse--whatever ... I did it!”

  The mare just stood there.

  “Okay, now what? How do I get you to move?”

  She’d left the door to the stall open, so she wiggled her fanny. Nothing. Thinking back on what she’d seen the men do, she squeezed her legs, made clicking noises, and talked to the mare, until Snoozer finally backed out of the stall and walked out of the barn.

  “Ha. I’m doing it. I’m riding a horse.” Her grin felt like it split her face in two. Finally, she’d done something right. “Well, girl, since you know what to do better than I do, lead the way.” She patted Snoozer’s neck awkwardly, and let her wander out into the pastures.

  Hours dragged by, and the thrill of her first ride abated. Walking would’ve been faster. Snoozer was so slow. Monica sagged. Without a saddle, all she could do was hold onto the mare’s mane with one hand and the rope with her other, though she didn’t have a clue how to use it. Lord, her back ached, and her legs felt like a wishbone about to snap in two.

  It was so quiet. Too quiet. Too much time to think about Cody. When had he become someone? They were only going to have a fling. She wasn’t asking him for anything more. It could never work.

  She inhaled a deep breath and then looked down on a grimace. Straddling a sweaty horse bareback wasn’t such a commendable idea. She pulled her grungy jeans away from her sticky legs. Another piece of clothing ruined. “Going free as nature intended is for the birds, not me.”

  A couple hours more slipped away with the afternoon sun, and her grumbling stomach told her it was dinnertime. Monica had passed by pretty aspens and sharp-smelling pines, traveled over beautiful wildflowers and a thick carpet of dark green grass, and waded through a shallow stream and several pastures dotted with cows. Still no Cody.

  A wolf howled far away in the mountains.

  Her heart skipped a beat. “Face it, Mo. You’re lost.” She swallowed, but it didn’t ease the knot in her stomach. What if no one found her? She hadn’t told Festus or Cassie her plans. No one knew she’d done something so foolish. Her palms began to sweat. She could only hope the men would notice the empty stall and draw the correct conclusion.

  “Okay, this was a very bad idea,” she said. “Take deep breaths and don’t lose your cool.” Calming herself, she decided she had to get off this horse for a minute and give her butt a break. She slid down the mare’s side, landing in a sumo-wrestler’s stance, unable to straighten her legs.

  “Well, this is cute.” Bowlegs were so unattractive. “Where in the world did you take us, Snoozer?” Monica worked the kinks out as she glanced around, but she didn’t recognize the pasture she was in. It wasn’t the same one they’d mended fence in. She had a bad feeling about this. Glancing behind her, she almost fell to her knees when she saw a pair of horns in the setting sun.

  Oh, God, what should she do? “Okay, no sudden moves. Don’t panic, and you’ll be fine.” She turned around to try to mount Snoozer, but the blasted creature trotted away. “Oh, sure, now you move. Get back here this instant, or it’s straight to the glue factory, missy.”

  Snoozer ignored her and picked up speed.

  Not a good sign. Monica squeezed her eyes shut and started her deep breathing. Don’t panic. Don’t panic. Don’t pan-- What was that sound? Heavy snorting again and again and again. Scrape, thud. Scrape, thud. Scrape, thud. Then thunder?

  “Please tell me that’s thunder.” Her eyes popped open, and she glanced at the setting sun. Clear, dark-blue sky of dusk, with streaks of orange and red.

  No thunder.

  Oh, God, if not thunder, then ... she whipped around and stared. The massive beast charged her as if in slow motion. Tons of black fur rippled and then stretched. Enormous muscles contracted and then released over and over and over. Huge hooves pounded the earth, kicking up a plume of dirt around him. Drops of saliva spewed from his mouth and his eyes locked onto her, blazing with fire like a demon possessed. Closer. Closer. Closer. Soon, he would be right on top of her.

  Then he’d skewer her with his deadly horns.

  “Time to panic. Time to panic. Time to panic!” She came out of her stupor and surged back around. “Move, feet, move. I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die.” She didn’t dare look behind her as she ran across the pasture. The thundering grew so loud the bull must be getting close.

  I’m going to die

  Her knees buckled. She caught her balance and kept on running. Funny, she always thought she’d be terrified when facing death. Stronger than her fear of dying was her sense of loss, but she wasn’t quite sure what she had lost.

  Oh, God, the thunder was just behind her now, and she hadn’t even told Cody that she ....

  “Cody,” she screamed, and her life flashed before her eyes.

  * * *

  “I’m coming, angel.” Cody crouched low over Babe’s back, his fists clutching the reins and the stallion’s mane. He kicked his heels and urged the horse into a full gallop. He had to reach Monica before his Black Angus bull did.

  Jesus, what the hell was she doing in this pasture? He’d never forgive himself if anything bad happened to her. Damn Cassie for telling Monica about Bobby. Damn himself for not coming clean. He should’ve called Monica, and then none of this would’ve happened.

  Christ, the bull had almost reached her. “Come on, Babe, give me all you got,” he spoke close to the stallion’s ear. They drew neck and neck with the bull. As though the horse sensed his urgency, he gave one last powerful surge forward.

  It was enough.

  Cody held on with one hand and squeezed tight with his legs. He leaned low over Babe’s heaving side. They reached Monica seconds before the bull. Cody’s shoulder slammed into her back, propelling her forward. He wrapped his arm around her waist and lifted her a momen
t before she would’ve hit the ground. Straightening, he pulled her across his thighs. His heart hammered as fast as his horse’s hooves, but he kept his cool long enough to bring them to safety. No time for the gate. He held on tight to her as Babe jumped the pasture fence.

  He landed hard on the saddle and thought, Dammit, that hurt. His bull tossed his mighty head, snorted, then turned around and trotted away as if nothing had happened. Ornery bastard. Terror seized Cody as he thought about how badly she could have been hurt. “What the hell were you thinking, strolling around in a bull pasture?”

  “Did it g-get me?” Her voice hitched after she regained her breath. She shook all over.

  His anger deflated in an instant. He picked her up and turned her around to face him, and her legs straddled him. “Shhh. You’re all right now. I’ve got you.” He ran his hands over her hair, down her back, and then up to her face to swipe her tears away with his thumbs.

  “I-I thought I was going to die.” She hiccupped, looking so damn vulnerable he wanted to kick himself.

  “You’re safe.” His heart hammered harder when he thought about how close she had come to death. She didn’t belong here. She searched his eyes for an endless moment, and then he crushed her to him, swooping down and claiming her lips for one long, hot kiss, trying to show her what he couldn’t bring himself to say. She kissed him back with as much longing as he had shown.

  Cody couldn’t seem to get enough of her as he pressed her to him even tighter. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, as he ran his hands over her hair and up and down her back. Breaking away, he came up for air. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he stroked her back as his heartbeat returned to normal, and her shaking subsided.

  She leaned back but couldn’t quite look at him. “Sorry. I don’t usually blubber like an idiot. Then again, I don’t usually come that close to death.” She searched her pockets.

  “I don’t imagine you do. Here.” He handed her his handkerchief. “It’s clean.”

  “Thanks.” She blew her nose. “For everything. I really am sorry.”

  “Me too. Truce?”

  She smiled. “Truce.” She glanced down. “Um, how do I turn around without falling off?”

  Cody picked her up and turned her around so her back was to him, then he moved Babe into a slow walk to round up Snoozer. The little white lie he’d told about Bobby had sounded harmless at the time, but now that Cody’s relationship with Monica had begun to change, he’d wanted to be the one to tell her the truth. Hell, he wanted to tell her the truth about all of it, but he couldn’t. He owed Hammond for his father, even if what he was doing was wrong.

  Cody cursed under his breath. There was so much he wanted to say, but he didn’t know where to begin. She’d been through so much already; he really didn’t have the heart to yell at her about how dangerous her behavior had been. He just thanked God nothing bad had happened to her because he’d never forgive himself if it did.

  * * *

  After Cody escorted Monica back to her cabin, he made his way down to the barn to finish some paperwork before he called it a day. He was about to head up to the homestead when the phone rang. “Rafferty’s Remote Ranch, can I help you?”

  “Yes, this is Wendell Thorndike of Hammond’s Advertising Agency. May I speak to Cody Rafferty, please?”

  “Speaking.” So, the asshole on the answering machine had decided to call back.

  “Mr. Rafferty, I’d like to have a few words with you.”

  “What can I do for you?”

  “I’m well aware of some of the problems that my associate Miss Hammond has been having, and since here at Hammond’s Advertising Agency we are a team, I thought I’d offer my help.”

  “I don’t want your help, and Monica doesn’t need it.” Cody could spot a snake a mile away, and this guy’s voice said “rattlesnake” without a doubt. “Miss Hammond is doing a great job here at the ranch. Why don’t you put Mr. Hammond on, and I’ll let him know myself.”

  “No, no that won’t be necessary. I’ll let Stanley know, but if you need anything, don’t hesitate to give me a call. Monica and I usually work as a team, but I’m needed here. I hope she’s not in the way. I mean, ranch work is so physically demanding, and Monica’s not the manual labor type. I just assumed she wouldn’t be able to keep up.”

  And we all know to assume is to make an ass out of you and ... well, you, Cody thought, but said, “Really. How many ranches have you worked on, Mr. Thorndike?”

  “Well, none actually, but Miss Hammond is a woman--”

  “I’ve got eyes, Mr. Thorndike,” Cody said dryly. Where did Hammond find this loser? “Plenty of women work on my ranch.”

  “Well, I’m here if you need me. I can clear my schedule and catch the next flight,” Wendell said with a hint of frustration in his voice.

  Monica might not have known much when she got here, but Cody had to admit, she was a damn fast learner and a hard worker. Probably more so than this Wendell jackass. “I’ll keep that in mind, but Monica suits my needs perfectly.” Cody wished he could see the jerk’s face with the way Monica’s name had rolled off his lips so easily. The dipshit didn’t deserve a woman like Monica.

  Cody hung up without saying goodbye, striving for control not to slam down the receiver. Not that he didn’t want to damage the idiot’s eardrum, he just didn’t want to replace a perfectly good phone.

  And he sure as hell didn’t want Wendell Thorndike anywhere near his ranch, no matter what Hammond wanted.

  * * *

  Later that evening, a brisk mountain breeze blew down through the valley, freshening the night air. Cody inhaled deep. He loved the sharp scent of pine. Coming to a stop on the side of the road entering the dude ranch, he couldn’t believe he was going to the barbecue.

  It had been three years since he’d attended one. Problem was he couldn’t get Monica off his mind. Like his father always said, ‘If you can’t beat ’em, son, why the hell not join ‘em?’

  Why the hell not?

  He was damned tired of walking around with a hard-on, so he planned to take care of that tonight. As long as she understood this was a one-night stand, maybe two, and that it ended when the summer ended and she got back on that plane. He didn’t see anything wrong with getting to know her a little better. Hopefully, a lot better.

  With the timetable moved up, she’d be gone even sooner. Speaking of the timetable being moved up, something about that Thorndike guy didn’t sit right with Cody. He knew he was trying to sabotage her father, but something told Cody this Wendell dude was a real danger to Monica herself.

  But, hell, the slogans she’d been coming up with were plain awful. Christ, he knew he had to tell her he didn’t like her campaign, but he was hoping she would come up with something good. Then maybe her father would actually let her run his company, and Cody’s part in this charade wouldn’t look so bad. She had a couple weeks left. Hopefully she’d come up with something halfway decent.

  He ran his hands down the front of his western shirt and tucked the tails further into the waistband of his crisp Wrangler jeans. After adjusting his new silver belt buckle, he stomped his cowboy boots and twisted his lips wryly. Okay, Rafferty, enough stalling. Get your chicken-quiverin’ behind in there and ask that woman to dance.

  He forced his feet to move until he reached the side of the lodge. Slipping around back, he stood in the shadows and listened to the twangy chords of the local country band his sister had hired and scanned the crowd.

  Monica. She sat by the campfire, talking with Cassie and one of her regular dudes named Sarah. He could pick Monica’s tinkling laughter out of a herd of bawling cattle if he had to. There was no mistaking what it did to his insides.

  Damn, if she wasn’t the prettiest woman there. She looked soft and feminine in a floral print sundress, a far cry from her first barn dance getup. He grinned. She crossed her bare legs, and he about unraveled. She started tapping her sandal to the music, and he lasso
ed enough nerve to ask her to dance. He took one step but then halted.

  Dammit. Another cowboy had decided to make his move as well. Fisting his hands, Cody calmed his pulse as she searched the crowd for a minute, but then she accepted the arm of her admirer. She tipped her face up and laughed at something the man said as he twirled her around. Obviously, she’d found someone else to satisfy her cowboy fantasy with.

  Just like his ex-wife had.

  All women really were alike. Cody cursed long and hard as he slipped back out front. Snaking a hand through his hair, he slid it down the back of his neck and then dropped into a wicker chair on the front porch to stare up at the sky.

  The only thing he wanted with Monica was a chance to be in her bed. No chance of getting hurt from that. Then why did seeing her smile at another man tear him up inside? It seemed like every moment of the day, she was on his mind. “You up there, Pa? I could use someone to talk to.”

  “I’m here, son,” came a voice from the shadows, causing his heart to skip a beat. “I may not be him, but I’m here for you just the same. Same as I’ve always been.”

  Jake stepped onto the porch, and Cody closed his eyes as his heart pinched. For a moment there, he’d thought ....

  God, he missed his parents, especially his father. As a young boy, Cody would sit and listen for hours as his father told him story after story about his time serving his country. He’d always been a proud man, rarely shedding tears in front of another sole, but when he spoke of the day another soldier had saved his life, the tears would roll down his face.

  Had it not been for this friend, Cody might have lost his father long before he had been out of diapers. He’d always be grateful and cherish the extra time he’d had with him.

  His old man had given Cody so much over the years. Cody was proud to be his son and carry on the Rafferty legacy. At his parents grave site ten years ago, he’d vowed to keep the ranch alive the way his father would have, and to make sure his baby sister had everything they would have provided for her.