by Kim Turner
Chapter Fifteen
Aaron urged Maxus up the ramp on the set. Since the first hints of daybreak, he’d been practicing the climb by walking up the ramp, pulling Maxus by the reins behind him. And now the horse seemed unconcerned with Aaron riding him up the ramp and backing him down. He’d done ramps before, but the animal didn’t need much repetition before he tired of the training.
The ramp was sturdier with the extra supports and railroad ties, and so far Maxus had good traction climbing, though it wasn’t as steep a grade as it was high off the ground toward the end of the ramp. He’d progress the horse to a gallop to make the actual jump, but that might take a week or more. And he’d do one or two practice jumps prior to filming. That was the usual.
He stopped Maxus at the top. The ramp had safety rails on each side which would be removed for later practices and on the actual take. The rails would hardly hold him, much less the horse if they went off the side, but for now they gave Maxus a border. To have the ramp appear like a bridge, the last ten feet of it had bridge looking side rails which would not be removed but hadn’t startled the horse at all.
After a few warm weeks, it was downright cold, and even in his heavy coat, he’d about had enough. Glancing below him, the set was beginning to come to life. Production was setting up teepees outside the little town where the bounty hunter was to fight the Indians, but due to the cold, filming outside was delayed, though some inside takes were being done.
Funny, he hadn’t seen Jenna all day but he missed her every second she wasn’t within his reach. He’d called her last night and talked for more than an hour, needing to hear her voice. Damn, he had it bad, didn’t he?
He’d done a lot of thinking the past few days about himself and Jenna. They’d both spoken words of love and for him those three words were a first to any woman and the surprise was they had come easily. It might have been that he would have said them first, but his fear of being too much for her too fast had held him back. She’d surprised him—brave he thought after what she had confided she had been through. The thought of her having been beaten made his insides cringe. No woman deserved any part of something like that no matter the situation. He shook his head and pushed away the mounting anger inside of him that came with thinking about what she’d endured.
“Hey, spotting lookout for Indians?” Gabe stood below.
He laughed. “We’re playing tree house.”
“Scout and Charger are set. How’s he doing?”
“Good, a little shy at first. He’s settled now that we are just standing here. I’m going to the other side of the river, make sure he knows it.” Aaron began backing Maxus down the ramp, the horse resisting.
“Work with me here.” Aaron tightened the reins. “If I fall, you fall and trust me, we won’t like the landing.”
Gabe walked closer to the lesser end of the ramp. “Smoother than last time.”
“He’s never liked going backward.” Aaron dismounted once he had Maxus on the ground, the horse rocking his large head in agitation. That was enough for one day and he was about done with it too.
“He’s never liked doing anything he didn’t want to do.” Gabe tilted his hat back. “Production’s going to keep the ramp flooring covered to keep the ice off with snow coming in.”
“That’ll work. I’m gonna ride him to the other side while he’s warm.” Aaron took off on Maxus, avoiding a few frozen puddles on the ground. If the temperature didn’t warm, he’d delay filming as Maxus didn’t need to slip on the ramp. Snow and ice would delay filming anyway.
Once on the grassy area behind the set he galloped Maxus along for the exercise. The horse, tired of the small corral, took off. Aaron hunkered down letting Maxus have the reins. This was where he was best, the wind hitting his face, the ride hard and his thoughts his own, though all those thoughts went right to Jenna. He smiled and ducked closer allowing Maxus the full run, the horse not the only one that needed the hard ride.
****
Jenna left the make-up tent, thankful for the small heater the crew had brought in. She’d spent the entire morning assisting Sheila with making up some of the extras as burn victims from a hotel fire. They all looked real enough to roll right in the emergency room. They had made some of the ones that were to die, charred, while others sported deep red burns with blisters. Burn victims in the eighteen hundreds rarely survived, and if they did, they succumbed to infection, but this was television.
The weather man had predicted heavy snow and the producers had let everyone know the set was closing due to the weather, but she’d yet to see Aaron and she needed to get home to Mason.
She hopped on her cart and rolled forward, thinking if nothing else he’d have the heaters going in the barn and camper. Riding closer, it wasn’t Aaron but Gabe who was leaning across the corral, with binoculars in his hand, watching in the distance.
She pulled closer.
“Hi.” Gabe turned, pulling the binoculars from his face. He was very handsome with his jet-black hair and deep blue eyes and a bit taller than Aaron.
“Hi, what’re you doing?” She stopped the engine and ambled over, pulling her coat tighter.
Gabe nodded toward the river and she followed his gaze. Aaron was on Maxus, running the horse to the river and turning him hard away once they got near the water. It seemed odd that he kept repeating it over and over.
Gabe handed her the binoculars.
She juggled until she found Aaron in the lenses and followed him as he kicked hard and got Maxus to a run, jerking to halt the horse at the river and then turning him to run him. “Why does running him toward the river do?”
Gabe turned back to her. “The way this jump is going to happen, Maxus will leave the ramp and land right in there on that shore. The idea is to get him acclimated to the landing area. It’s also about control and Maxus knowing Aaron is the boss on this one.”
“He won’t throw Aaron back in the river, will he?” She couldn’t fathom the number of injuries he must have taken over the years and if she had her way, she wouldn’t watch anymore of the mishaps that left her stomach in knots. It scared the daylights out of her to anticipate Aaron getting hurt.
“You never know with Maxus, but he and Aaron have some strange kind of bond. Like that damn horse knows what he is thinking.” Gabe shrugged and with a sarcastic tone continued, “Aaron’s the best at training horses I’ve ever seen.”
Jenna handed the binoculars back to him. “How long will he be?”
“I’m heading out, got some work on the other side of town and need to get back home before the storm.” Gabe smiled. “If you want, wait in the camper, it’s too cold out here.”
“I’ll head that way.” She smiled. Gabe gave her a wink and trotted to his truck. She pulled her cart by the camper and went inside. It still amazed her that the camper stayed as warm as it did, like a regular home. She clicked on the television to see about the weather, scanning channels until she found the local report. As she flipped her mind strayed.
She’d hoped to speak to Drake Masters but the actor had been tied up with filming, not giving her an opportunity to catch him alone. Well, she supposed it could wait for a now, as there wasn’t much else she could do.
Aaron slammed open the camper door, shaking large flakes of snow from his coat and hair and shut it behind him, shivering. He glanced up, “Hey. I saw your cart, pulled it inside the barn.”
“I came inside to get warm and check the news about the weather.” She got up anticipating she needed to get on the road and soon, but she hadn’t wanted to do so without telling him good-bye.
“It’s coming down now, and one of the heaters in the barn went out so I’ve gotta take a look at it.” He bent to kiss her, wrapping his arms around her for a tight hug. “It’s best you head out now before it hits.”
She nodded. “I will, Mason’s with Ms. Lucy.”
He shook his head, “I’m doing the all-nighters with the weather and the horses here.”
She t
ugged free of his embrace and walked to the window and looked out. It was snowing but lightly, though the wind was whipping. She’d never get used to the quickness of the weather changes in Montana.
Aaron walked toward the kitchen grabbing a coffee cup.
“Will the camper stay warm enough with the drop in temperatures?” she asked as she turned back to him.
“Yea, I’ve got plenty of gas and a butane heater if I need it, but I gotta get to that heater in the barn first.” He sipped from the black mug and set it down.
“Will it be hard to fix?” she asked.
“Possibly, but I’d rather be fixing you.” Aaron smiled and held her gaze.
“The heater, Stuntman.” Heat rushed to her cheeks though she grinned. “As much as I would enjoy that I have to get back to pick up Mason.”
He lifted her chin kissing her lips until she gave a sigh. “I’ve got plenty of fixes for you for later. Sarah took Lily to visit her sister for a few days and Gabe is gonna be home with Amos. I can’t drive my bike through this anyway. Trapped.”
“Gotcha, Mr. Stuntman.” She kissed his lips with a slight peck. “I’d love to be trapped here with you but Mason would never forgive me.”
He smiled, those green eyes capturing her. “You gotta get started home, then I won’t worry.”
“I’ll call ya later.” She smiled and hugged her arms around his middle. “I love you, Aaron.”
His gaze narrowed. “You all right?”
He’d told her again last night on the phone that he loved her. She shook her head. “I guess I just still can’t believe us. Have you ever been in love before, Aaron? I mean I know we’ve said the words, but really in love.”
He looked at her for a long time before answering. “Yep. She was…special, my heart was taken, forever.”
Jenna held his gaze, uncertain but then a dimple creased his face just above the edge of his beard. “She weighed seven pounds and she’s had me wrapped ever since. I’ve loved, Jenna, but never been in love…until you. Remember, it’s not the fall, it’s the landing.”
“And have you landed?” she asked, wanting to open her heart further.
He let her go, tracing a hand along her cheek. “Oh, yeah.” He touched her lips with his finger. “I love you, Jenna, so damn much it hurts and I’ve never said that to any other woman, not even Lily’s mother.”
Jenna gathered herself to him, holding him as if her life depended on it, tighter than she’d ever held onto anyone in her own life. Aaron Decker was all she’d ever dreamed of, the knight in a little girl’s dreams and the man of a woman’s heart. Her heart.
Chapter Sixteen
Days later and a bit warmer, Aaron hesitated and then hit the send button on his laptop. He’d done it. Sent Jenna’s screenplay to Thomas Campbell. He leaned back in the tiny kitchen chair folding his arms across his chest. He’d thought about telling her that he’d get it to Thomas, but he wanted it to be a surprise if Campbell took it like he thought he might.
He reached for the pile of bills before him finding a letter from Sun Realty. He hadn’t realized it was there but he’d been waiting on a written statement that spelled out the costs of the one hundred acres he’d been planning on for such a long time. He opened the envelope and unfolded the triple folded print out. The description and pictures of the land reminded him how much he wanted this to happen, but the price tag was steep to say the least.
The land was available for a little over two thousand dollars an acre. Jim Barnes at Sun Realty was a family friend and had prepared the statement for him. The total costs for the acreage was around two-hundred thousand dollars. Looking at the break-down of what he’d need for a down payment and what his monthly payments would be, seemed right for the first forty acres. Getting a loan for the full acreage wasn’t going to happen, at least right now, but he could start with pieces of the land for now.
Even if he was working steady enough for a piece of the land now, there was still the building of the boys’ home that wouldn’t come cheap. They would need more cattle and a few more horses, sleeping quarters which he envisioned like bunk houses. Barns, fencing and feed didn’t come cheap. Of course once he had kids coming in, there would be the potential for state funding options and grants, but his plan was never to deny a boy a home.
He shook his head. As an angry young man in the foster care system, he’d never have thought he would have grown into such a dream, but he wanted this and had for a long time. He shut down the computer and got up, grabbing his coat and tossing it over his shoulder. He needed to practice with Maxus again and then take the animal out for a little exercise and he needed to make a run by Jenna’s medical tent to see what she was up to.
He stepped outside the camper as Gabe ambled up with a mug of coffee in one hand and Maxus by the reins in the other.
“I thought you had construction work today? Didn’t hear you drive up,” he asked as he checked the saddle.
Gabe’s hair was ruffled from the ride with the window down. “Got the boys on it, thought since it had warmed up you might want a practice jump.”
Aaron glanced across the old west town and then into the sky. Funny how his brother could read his mind and Maxus was following commands well lately. Now was as good a time as any. “It feels right.”
“I figured with it warming up a bit, you’d try it alone if I didn’t come.” Gabe pulled the ball cap from his back pocket and settled it on his dark locks.
Aaron winked, but glanced toward the medical tent. He would go there afterward; it was likely Jenna was helping with set up makeup somewhere else anyway.
“Let’s do it.” Gabe walked closer. “You gonna pad up?”
Aaron shook his head. “No, if we miss this one, pads will weigh me down in the water.”
“I’ll check the other side. I walked the ramp a bit ago, it’s good and dry.” Gabe headed toward Aaron’s motorcycle.
Aaron cleared his throat loudly, folding his arms as he glared at his younger brother.
“Hey, it’s quicker than the truck.” Gabe shrugged, never stopping his pace.
“Treat her kind,” Aaron scolded and mounted Maxus. Gabe cranked and revved the engine, throwing gravel on purpose as he rode toward the jump without a helmet as usual.
Aaron urged Maxus to a canter and then a light gallop. A practice jump was risky but he usually did one or two prior to something big. One mishap and he and the horse would be hurt, even if it wasn’t that far of a jump. He waited talking to Maxus.
“All right boy, one practice jump and the real thing soon enough.” He took Maxus to the ridge. He glanced below and some of the crew from the set were making their way over. Russell, from the film crew, had a camera on him and Trey, from construction, was watching, having crossed the bridge to wait with Gabe. Jenna would probably scold him later that he didn’t let her know he’d be making a practice jump, but he needed to focus.
He turned Maxus and glanced toward his brother, who gave him thumbs up. That meant no ice on the ground and with the horse cooperating, a soft landing.
He took a deep breath and cleared his mind, hoping the horse did the same. “Okay, bud, here we go.” He kicked to start Maxus on a run so the horse would know this was the real thing. As they hit the ramp, he lightened his grip and tightened his thighs. “Up.”
Maxus made the climb with little effort and at the top stretched and jumped across the break, tossing him and Aaron into the air. It was as always, hanging in the wind, the world moved in slow motion as the ground on the other side came closer. Maxus had cleared the ramp in an effortless motion. Aaron titled forward as the bounce of landing jarred him, but the horse sailed smoother on past the landing, speeding away.
“Yeah!” Gabe cheered along with Trey and the others.
Aaron turned Maxus and took his first deep breath since the horse began the climb. The ornery horse had done it. Riding back over to Gabe he dismounted catching his breath.
“Damn good, brother.” Gabe walked closer.
>
Aaron gave Maxus a pat. “Good boy.” He rubbed the horse’s face getting a nuzzle and then a snort as he lingered too long. The horse seemed to have handled it as if it was nothing, but his own knees were shaking. An adrenaline rush after a good stunt meant it had gone well.
“How’d the ramp feel?” Gabe asked.
Aaron glanced back at the monument. “Solid, no shaking on the lift off. Sturdy. Gotta lose those side rails.”
“I’ll get the rails down. You think anything needs tightened up?” Trey asked, shoving his hand in his pockets.
Aaron shook his head, “Nope, it’s good.”
“I’ll check things daily to make sure, gotta head over to see about adding to the saloon.” Trey grabbed the radio from his belt, trotting away.
“You want one more?” Gabe asked about a second practice jump.
“Nope. Don’t want Maxus too confident.” The jump had gone perfectly.
Gabe hopped back on the bike. “I’ll park her gently.”
“You do that,” Aaron scolded, as his brother rode back across the bridge on the motorcycle.
He led Maxus on a slow walk back, watching his gate and checking each leg. It had been a wise decision to try, the sunlight good, the wind little and the ramp dry.
“Aaron,” Russell called from across the river.
“Yeah.” He stopped Maxus, straining to hear.
“Good one, we can use some of the footage,” Russell yelled.
Aaron nodded in acknowledgement, tossing up a thumb.
“You did good boy, even though you are such an ornery cuss.” He laughed and urged Maxus toward the bridge to head to the corral.
****
Jenna froze, unable to breathe, her legs nearly buckling. Across the tent, on the exam table sat a vase of white roses. She sucked a quick breath of dread, her pulse racing and her heart in her throat. Fighting off the impending sense of doom she moved closer, lifting the envelope. She pulled the card free and thought it was blank. Turning it over, she shook her head fighting tears. ‘Cowboy Down.’