I glanced at the sky. Nothing but endless blue.
After we had our horses ready, we walked them out back and mounted. The air was warm. I tied my jacket around my waist anyway. One thing I’d learned was that the weather in the mountains could be entirely unpredictable.
“Have you ever gone back this way?” Dean asked, turning in his saddle. We walked past the maze of corrals and pens.
I shook my head. “No. I’ve only been on the group trail rides.” Those usually went in the opposite direction and stayed in the lower regions. Dean seemed to be taking us up, not down.
Dean grinned. “I’ll be sure to give ya a good tour then.”
I smiled and sank deeper into the saddle.
We ventured slowly into the mountains. The black specs of cattle on the hills grew larger as Dean pointed out landmarks.
“You see that over there?” He nodded to a sharply pointed mountain. “That’s called the witch’s tit.”
“The witch’s what?”
Dean chuckled. “The witch’s tit. And that,” he pointed to an area of mountains and trees that were pointed at the top and fanned out at the bottom, “is called her broomstick.”
“Why didn’t they call the witch’s tit the witch’s hat?”
Dean grinned. “I dunno. It was named long ago by lonely miners. I’m sure you can guess where their minds were.”
I laughed.
The ranch soon became a distant speck behind us. We dipped and turned around hills and cliffs. Birds sang. Chipmunks and squirrels ran along tree branches and fluttered under leaves. Scents of pine and horse filled the air. It was incredibly pleasant.
“It’s so beautiful out here,” I said.
Dean nodded. “This is God’s country.”
I smiled. For once, I didn’t feel the anxiety that accompanied me since meeting Flint and learning how scary our situation was. It felt so good, freeing almost. If I had known the mountains could do this to me, I would have ventured out here sooner.
About an hour later, we passed through a shallow creek. I had no idea where we were in relation to the ranch, but Dean pointed to the ravine. “You ever get lost out here, ya look to see which way the water’s movin’. This stream connects to a bigger river that’s not far from the ranch. You just follow that, or any other stream you find, until ya get to it. Most of the creeks around here dump into that river.”
I sincerely hoped I’d never get lost in this wilderness. This may be God’s country, but out here, it was every man for himself. We trailed up another mountain. Dean pointed to a swamp of trees that were so dense it seemed impossible to enter. “Ya see that over there?”
I shaded my eyes. “Yeah.”
“That place is called the Forbidden Hills. It’s a good way to get lost and never come back. Many men have ventured into that forest to never return. The hills are too dark and the trees too dense. Even mountain men get turned around in there. It’s best to stay away from it.”
I swallowed uneasily. “Okay.”
Dean laughed. “It’s kinda like the Bermuda Triangle of Colorado. Scientists from all over the world have come to study it, but nobody can figure out why the crazy things happen in it. GPS’s randomly won’t work. Hikers swear they lose their bearin’s within a few minutes of enterin’ the trees. People have gone in and never come back.” His joking words died, his face serious. “They’re dangerous, the Forbidden Hills. I mean it when I say to stay out. None of the locals will go in there, but every now and then, we’ll get a tourist lookin’ for a thrill. They never make it far before they turn around and run out. Trust me. It’s best to just stay away.”
A chill ran through me. “I will.”
A few hours later, the ranch appeared. It popped up so quickly I hadn’t realized we were so close.
“We’re almost back,” I exclaimed.
“Less than a mile from here.”
I nudged Coal forward until we were beside Dean and his mount. A smile grew on my face. “Race ya!”
Before Dean could respond, I kicked Coal into a gallop. The huge gelding sprang into action. We flew across the landscape. It was exhilarating to feel Coal’s powerful hooves pounding into the terrain and feel the air whooshing past. I’d never gone this fast before, but it was almost a straight shot to the barn.
I heard hooves thundering behind me and glanced over my shoulder. Dean followed in hot pursuit, but he was still a few lengths back. Razz was doing his best to catch Coal, but the smaller stallion was no match for Coal’s long legs. I urged Coal to go faster. We left them in the dust.
A few minutes later, we reached the pastures and pens behind the barn. A hundred yards after that, the barn approached. I sat up straighter, not realizing I’d been hunched over Coal’s neck as we thundered across the land.
“Easy, boy.” Coal instantly responded to my shifting weight. He slowed to a canter and then bumpy trot. I trotted in a circle and turned. Dean was still galloping at the last pasture. He slowed as he got closer to the barn.
“Damn, girl, you can ride!”
I grinned.
Dean smiled, an ear breaking grin that stretched across his face. “We better walk ‘em.”
We walked the horses to the end of the pastures and back again. By the time we reached the barn, both horses were cooled.
“That was a lot of fun,” I said. “Thanks for taking me.”
“My pleasure. We should do it again.”
“Definitely.” I swung my leg to get off Coal but paused. Something pulsed into my back. A wave of energy hit me. Looking awkwardly over my shoulder, I spotted Flint standing by the barn. His arms were crossed. Power radiated off him in hot waves. It was so strong, I physically felt it.
I tried to balance my boot in the stirrup, but another push of his power hit me. The next thing I knew, my foot slipped and I was falling. Before I could shriek, strong arms encircled me and a tight voice whispered into my ear.
“Just what the hell do you think you’re doing?” Flint seethed.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Flint caught me so abruptly, the air whooshed out of my lungs. It took me a minute to catch my breath. “What…how…” I stammered.
Dean’s voice interrupted. “Flint? Where’d you come from?”
The cowboy’s head was cocked, a puzzled expression on his face. Flint still had his arms around me. They were so hard. I wondered if Dean had seen Flint’s mind numbing speed as Flint raced the twenty yards from the barn to where I’d fallen off Coal. From the innocent curiosity in Dean’s voice, I guessed not.
I still reeled from how fast Flint moved. Other than him rearranging the furniture that one morning, I’d never seen what he was capable of.
“Did you fall?” Dean asked incredulously.
I nodded numbly and tried to stand. Flint and I still huddled close to the ground. However, I couldn’t get my tongue working. How could his arms be so hard? They felt like steel. Before I could get my knees to straighten, Flint stood and set me back on my feet. The ground, however, didn’t cooperate. It swayed. Or perhaps, I swayed. My head spun from how close Flint stood.
“Thank you.” I did a double take when I saw Flint’s expression. Thunderous, was the first word that came to mind. His eyes shot sparks at Dean.
“Lena?” Dean said.
“Yeah?”
“We should probably put the horses away.” His gaze didn’t leave Flint’s.
“Right. Excuse me.” I sidestepped Flint and pulled Coal to the barn, but Flint’s words stopped me.
“How far did you take her?” He stared at Dean.
Dean shrugged. “To the Forbidden Hills and back.”
“You took her all the way to the Forbidden Hills?” Flint said, his voice rising. He placed his hands on his hips. Once again, raw power radiated off him. The force of it hit me like a wave. I gasped and stepped back.
Dean didn’t seem to notice the energy pouring off Flint. Instead, he slid off Razz and put his hands on his hips too. Both men stared at ea
ch other. The stallion pawed the ground and flung his head. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one feeling the charged atmosphere.
“Did you consider what would happen if she’d fallen off or gotten hurt out there?” Flint asked.
“She wasn’t gonna fall,” Dean said. “She’s a solid rider.”
“She just learned a week ago.”
“Well, she’s the most natural rider I’ve ever met!”
Both men now stood within a foot of one another. I briefly thought of a Clint Eastwood movie. I waited for guns to be drawn and a shootout to begin.
“Ah, excuse me. I’m still here, you know.” I blew at an annoying curl that kept fluttering in front of my face.
Dean shook his head and took a step back. “Sorry, Lena.”
Flint stayed put, his shoulders bunched. He still glared at Dean. “Did you think to tell anyone where you were going? What if something happened? How would we have known where to look for you?”
By we, I assumed he meant himself and the other cowboys. Not moi. But instead of Dean coming back with a smart comment, something Flint said seemed to touch a chord in him. “We were never in any danger,” Dean said, although his voice wasn’t so sure.
“Yeah,” I replied. “No danger at all. We were only walking in the woods.”
“Walking?” Flint spun, facing me. The intensity of his gaze made me step back. I resisted the urge to take another step back when he leaned forward. “You call that neck breaking gallop into the barn, walking?”
I stood up taller and put my hands on my hips. “Well, yes, actually, we were walking. The entire time out there we were walking.”
“Then how do you explain what I saw just a minute ago?”
“So we raced in, what’s the big deal?”
“The big deal?” he said, his voice tight. “The big deal is that you could have fallen off and gotten hurt.”
“So?”
“So?”
“Yeah, so? What’s it to you, anyway?”
Something in his face changed but abruptly it disappeared. “You’re my responsibility, that’s why,” he said gruffly.
I didn’t think he could have said anything worse to hurt me. I was his responsibility. It was his duty to protect me, nothing more. My heart broke right there. That’s all I’d ever be to him even though something about him pulled at me like gravity. Just his presence made me want to step closer, to touch him and feel his muscles bunch and tighten beneath my fingertips. My body was helpless to resist. It was impossible for me to ignore my attraction to him.
Not wanting him to see the tears that burned my eyes, I turned and stalked to the barn. Dean called out but I ignored him too. How could I have been so stupid? I’d actually hoped that maybe, just maybe, Flint cared for me. Maybe a little. But why would he?
Flint appeared at my side, hands in his pockets, head down. “Lena?” he said quietly.
I ignored him and kept walking. I couldn’t speak. My voice would probably break. A breeze swirled around us. I pushed another curl behind my ear.
“Lena?”
If I didn’t know better, I’d say there was an ache in his voice, but I did know better, so I knew I imagined it.
“Lena,” he repeated, sounding exasperated. “I’m sorry.”
I stopped. My chest rose and fell quickly. I was pretty sure my skin was even paler than normal. For some reason, that happened when I got hurt, angry, frustrated, and all of the other emotions I felt right now. I concentrated on the anger. That was the easiest to feel.
“Did you just say you were sorry?” I turned toward him and cursed the stupid, bright sun that made me squint when I looked up.
“Yes.”
“Whatever for?”
He either didn’t hear my sarcasm or chose to ignore it. “For…” he began, but then stopped.
I raised my eyebrows.
He didn’t say anything. Something flashed across his face again. Those damned, fleeting emotions that never lasted longer than a second. I swatted at another curl, my frustration growing. Tapping my foot, I waited for him to continue. He didn’t.
“Just forget it.” I turned and walked the remaining steps to the barn. I half expected Flint to say something and secretly hoped he would. I waited for him to call out. He didn’t. Nothing but a soft breeze whistling through the rafters reached my ears. I turned.
Flint was nowhere to be seen.
I spun around. Was he really gone? I ran to the end of the barn and then back to where Dean stood. There was no sign of him. “Have you seen Flint?” I asked Dean.
He shook his head. “No. Why, he leave?”
“I guess so.”
Dean sighed. “Good.” He turned back to his horse.
AFTER THAT INCIDENT at the barn, Flint went back to ignoring me. Unless it was required he talk to me, it was like I didn’t exist.
I attempted to make myself feel better as I got ready for work the next night. I searched for one of the trendy tops Jacinda bought me. It was almost six in the evening. I didn’t have much time so cursed when I couldn’t find it. After digging through my mountain of clothes on the floor, I finally spotted it.
Jacinda insisted fashion was therapy. Beautiful clothes always made her smile. I had yet to experience that euphoria, but considering my mood today, I was willing to try.
Muted colors of green, lavender, gold and ivory flowed around me in the peasant style top. The material felt nice. I had to agree with that. However, a heaviness still hung in my heart. Just the thought of Flint was like tying an anchor to my mood. It sank.
A noise sounded in the hall. Jacinda stood outside my door, grinning. She held a finger up and told me to wait. She sailed down the hall and returned a minute later.
“Wear these with it,” she instructed. She held up gold, hoop earrings. A hint of her jasmine perfume floated around me as she surveyed my legs. “Now, to go with the top…” She eyed my skinny jeans.
“No,” I replied. “Don’t even go there.”
I picked up my favorite cut-off jean shorts from the floor and pulled them on before slipping on simple, white canvas sneakers. They were broken-in and comfortable for work.
Surprisingly, Jacinda clapped in approval. “Lena! You just put together your first cute outfit!”
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t stop my reluctant smile. “Come on, we’re running late.”
Di was in a mood too, evident in the way she grumbled and paced in her bedroom. Apparently, the new girl changed direction again, opting for a bus heading for Arizona versus Colorado. In other words, she wasn’t arriving this week.
Half an hour later, Jacinda and I were setting up the buffet. Jacinda’s eyes still twinkled every time we bumped into one another. She didn’t try to hide her excitement over my sudden fashion interest. I didn’t burst her bubble that it was a one-off interest. So far, all the pretty top had done was get in the way when I tried to lift things. The damned top was too tight in the shoulders.
“Lena, you look great!” Dean called. His voice snapped my attention from the buffet. The cowboy stood at the side door, and for once, was early. The other cowboys, and cowgirl, stood behind him – Tyler, Jessie, Aaron and Mica. Jet, Jasper and Flint were nowhere to be seen. I avoided Aaron, even though I felt his eyes on me. To quell my unease, I locked my gaze on Dean.
“Thanks. Where are the other guys?” I asked.
“Still out working.” Mica dusted her hat off on her jeans. “Pete sent them off to round up the last cows that wandered onto the north ridge.”
I envisioned Flint and the twins on horseback wandering around the hills. Did that mean they wouldn’t make it back in time for supper?
“You gonna join us for the meal tonight?” Dean asked.
I held up what I arranged on the buffet. “Gotta work.”
Dean shrugged. “Worth a try.” He squeezed my shoulder when he walked by. His hand was large, not as big as Flint’s, but still, it swallowed my upper arm. I wanted to kick myself for liking the feel of
Flint’s hands more.
The cowboys and Mica followed Dean. They were all dirty, dusty and towered over me. I smiled pleasantly at everyone except for Aaron.
The next hour passed slowly. Dean was right about Jet, Jasper and Flint. They never made it back for supper. I still couldn’t stop my eyes from going to the door every few minutes to see if they’d arrived. Since the incident at the barn, the only times I’d seen Flint had been in passing at meals. I couldn’t help but feel he was avoiding me even more than usual.
The cowboys all talked and laughed throughout the meal, obliviously happy and content. My gaze scanned everyone in the hall, one by one. I hadn’t realized I’d switched my vision until it passed over Aaron and his ugly, evil cloud rose like a tidal wave. It hovered above him, swimming around his neck and through his hair. The shifting ebony colors were like a gigantic eel that slithered against his skull. I snapped my sight back to normal and swirled out of the dining room. I couldn’t get to the kitchen fast enough.
When the meal finished, Jacinda approached. “Hey, Little L? Val needs to go into town to get supplies and said that one of us can go with her. Do you want to go or stay here and clean up?”
From the sparkle in Jacinda’s eyes, I knew she wanted to go. While she liked the ranch, at heart, she was a city girl and used every excuse to get into Little Raven, even though it wasn’t a sprawling metropolis.
“You go,” I replied. “I’ll stay here and clean up.”
“You don’t mind?”
“Not at all.” I didn’t mention that I still felt like a freak in town. It didn’t seem my first impression on the locals was wearing off anytime soon.
“Okay, we’ll be back in a few hours.” Jacinda flashed her supermodel smile. I knew she was ecstatic. I only got that smile when she was really happy.
After they left, I took my time with everything. By the time I finished, the dining tables gleamed and the floor was thoroughly mopped. Cleanliness always made Val happy.
I stepped out into the night and felt a little better. There was nothing like productivity to calm a heartbroken spirit. I took a deep breath. Scents of horse, grass, cattle and clean mountain air filled the night air. I was growing to love that smell.
Forgotten (The Lost Children Trilogy Book 1) Page 11