"Of course I would."
"Damn, Spike. You could be right," Caleb said grimly. "With Jerry in the Cayman's I thought we had time. I was gonna take them to Heath's tomorrow, but with Max only an hour away I'm suddenly thinkin' we need to move them right now! I'll call Heath and see if Andy can bring the horse van tonight."
"But that will take hours," Connie said frantically. "I know I'm panicking, but I can't help it. And think about this. If we take off and leave this place empty, Max could do anything. Let's face it, he would do anything. And then what? We come back, my house is wrecked, my stuff's gone, and he's still a threat."
"Hey, take a breath," Caleb said, keeping his voice steady. "This is all just speculation. Yeah, we need to move the horses. That's the smart thing to do, and yeah, we should do it as soon as we can, but we don't need to hit the panic button. Whatta you think, Spike?"
"She has a point. I don't like the idea of you being away for any length of time. Connie, do you know somewhere local? A place we could drop them off real quick and come back?"
"Let me think. Yes! I know the perfect place. On the other side of the hill there's an old couple who have a big barn, but they've only got two horses. They used to run a boarding facility and offer trail rides, but they're retired. They're lovely people. We could ride there. It would be faster and easier than loading the van."
"Jim and Jean Collins," Martha declared. "Yes. They'd be happy to help."
"I can sit on Goldie and pony Checkers. Spike, you can take Dojo, and Caleb, you can ride Neon and pony Domino."
"Hold on," Spike said, holding up his hand. "Connie, are you suggesting I ride in the dark—over a hill? That sounds a bit beyond my pay grade."
"You'll be fine."
"Will the horses be able to see where they're going? Do you have headgear with lamps for them?"
"Headgear with lamps," Connie repeated, smiling for the first time. "There's a novel idea. Spike, you don't have to worry. Horses have terrific night vision. Dojo will take care of you."
"I can't believe I'm thinking about riding a horse—over a hill—at night. I must be losing my mind."
"Are we in agreement?" Connie asked. "What do you think, Caleb?"
"I think you found the answer!"
"Then I'll call Jim from the landline in the kitchen. I'll be back in a minute."
"I'll come with you," Martha said, getting to her feet. "I need to turn off the oven."
"Spike, you don't have to worry," Caleb said reassuringly. "We have a real bright moon. There's plenty of light. You'll love it. I wouldn't let you do anything I didn't think you could. Jeez, this is nothing compared to the stunts you pull on that Harley of yours."
"My Harley doesn't have a brain or opinions."
"Point taken," Caleb chuckled. "If you really don't want to go, stay here with Martha. I'll pony two horses, but the trip would be better if you rode with us. Not just for me, but for you. I promise, once you've done this, you'll hound me to take you out at night again."
"Okay, okay. I think the country air must be getting to me. I'll do it."
"Great! You won't be sorry."
"We're all set," Connie declared, walking in with Martha. "Jim was thrilled to help us. I told him I'd heard rumors Max was going to try to steal the horses over a disagreement in the divorce settlement. Jim couldn't wait to step up. He met Max a few times, and didn't like him one bit."
"Then let's make tracks," Caleb declared. "Wrap up good. The temperatures will be low on top of that hill."
"I've got my leather jacket in the car. Will that be okay?" Spike asked.
"No. I'll lend you one of my down parkas. Martha, will you be okay here by yourself for an hour?"
"Sure. If anything happens I'll send you a text. If worse comes to worst I'll grab my rifle."
"You'll do no such thing!" Connie said urgently. "Call the Sheriff. The best way to get shot is to point a gun at someone."
"No-one will be driving up," Spike said confidently. "If they do come here, they'll arrive in the dead of night."
"I'm glad you said that," Martha said, letting out a breath. "I'll have dinner ready when you get back. Ride safe."
"Bye," Connie said, kissing her on the cheek. "I love you."
"Love you too, Honey."
"Does Jim have enough hay for five horses?" Caleb asked as they headed out the door.
"He said it wasn't a problem. He's putting hay in the stalls now, and he'll have all the barn lights on for our ride down the other side of the hill. I'll drive a couple of bales over there tomorrow. The only thing is, there won't be much in the way of bedding, but the stalls are matted."
"That's no big deal," Caleb said as they approached the barn. "They'll survive."
"They will," Spike muttered, "but will I?"
"I thought you were a tough biker dude," Connie said, shooting him a wink.
"I am, but I never claimed to be a tough cowboy dude."
"You will be after tonight," Caleb promised. "You just wait."
"Hey, guys, look!" Spike exclaimed. "Have you ever seen a moon like that?"
The huge yellowish globe was hanging low in the sky, the craters clearly visible.
"Amazing," Connie murmured. "Isn't that just gorgeous? Caleb?"
But he'd barely heard her.
A wash of warm energy was infusing his body.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Connie placed bareback pads on Goldie and Neon, but Spike needed a saddle on Dojo. Caleb tacked him up, then leading the horses out to the mounting block, they climbed on board and started towards the hill. Though Spike was apprehensive, with Neon in front, and Goldie behind, he began to gain confidence. As they approached the trail that would take them up the gentle slope, he finally let out a breath.
"I don't know why I was worried," he said as they started the climb. "You were right, Caleb. This is great. Everything's so peaceful."
But just as he finished speaking, an unexpected breeze whistled around them.
"What were you saying?" Connie giggled.
"That came out of nowhere," Caleb remarked, looking over his shoulder at her. "It was like a—"
"A what?" Connie pressed.
"Nothin'."
His tone said otherwise. She'd been keeping her eye on Spike, but Caleb's remark had her curious. Scanning her surroundings she found nothing of note, then abruptly caught her breath.
The huge moon hanging behind him, the magnificent mountain lion moved slowly past the thicket.
Though desperate to alert Caleb, she didn't want to alarm Spike, then an odd thought flashed through her head. The horses appeared to be oblivious. Why hadn't they picked up the cat's scent? Afraid to take her eyes off the muscled cougar, a dawning realization took hold. He was keeping pace with them, albeit from a distance.
"Hey, look," Spike exclaimed excitedly. "There's the lion."
"Yeah, I know, I saw him a minute ago," Caleb declared. "He's been keepin' us company."
"I saw him too, and I was thinking the same thing," Connie called as they reached the top of the hill. "My gosh. The stable."
In the valley below, white lights twinkled against the red and white barn, and with the perigee moon glowing above, a fairytale scene sat in front of them.
"Looks like a fantasy land, and that big cat fits right in," Spike said softly. "I swear that animal is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen—except for Melanie's tits. Shit. Sorry, Connie. I was thinking one minute, then heard the words the next."
"No problem," she said with a giggle. "You just relieved the tension. The cat scared the devil out of me when I saw him."
"Was the brat scared out of you too?" Caleb chuckled. "That would be helpful."
"In your dreams!"
Starting down the hill, Caleb turned his head and studied the big cat. The lion stopped, sat down, and looked back. A jolt suddenly rippled down Caleb's spine, and as the astonishing dream suddenly came alive in the forefront of Caleb's mind, he could hear Hania's profound words.
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Don't doubt yourself. Don't doubt the power that lies in your soul. And don't doubt me, the mountain lion that travels with you.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The horses settled into their stalls with no fuss, and Jim Collins drove Caleb, Spike and Connie home. As Jim stopped his car in front of the house, Martha walked out and handed him a tub of freshly baked oatmeal cookies.
"That's mighty nice of you, Martha. Thank you. Be sure and call me if you have any trouble. I'll come runnin', so long as I'm not busy gettin' these down me," he added with a grin.
"You're very kind to take the horses on such short notice. Thank you, Jim. Give my love to Jean."
"I surely will. Remember, call if you need me!"
A few minutes later, sitting at the dining room table and enjoying Martha's pork roast, Caleb and Spike speculated about Max's potential arrival. Martha and Connie listened to their various theories, until Martha rose from her chair and clinked her glass with her fork. Caleb, Connie and Spike stared up at her in surprise.
"I've paid attention to everything you've said. Spike, you're convinced Max will roll up our driveway tonight. Caleb, you don't think he'll show up for a couple of days, if at all. You've both offered compelling reasons to support what you believe, but Connie, you haven't offered any thoughts at all. Why is that?"
"Because I have no idea."
"Exactly. Spike, Caleb, you're both on a fool's errand. You're just guessing. Spike, I wasn't born yesterday, and I know Jerry Goldstein. He's not the type to scare easy. I may not be able to use a computer, or have any idea about messages and twittering and what-have-you, but it's obvious to me you're responsible for retrieving Connie's money, and not by threats. No! Don't say anything, just hear me out. From what I understand, you're able to read Jerry's letters on the computer. Am I right?"
"Yes," Spike replied, completely spellbound.
"Then don't you have Max's computer address? Sorry, email address."
"Yeah."
"Then can't you see what Max and Jerry said to each other from Max's computer? Why must they be read only on Jerry's machine?"
"Fuck!" he exclaimed, slapping his forehead. "Sorry, sorry. Of course I can. What's wrong with me? Shit. I need to get to my laptop," he said urgently, pushing back from the table.
"Martha, you're a genius," Connie declared as Spike headed off. "You're smarter than all of us."
"I just have the most common sense," she said with a wink. "I'll bring dessert and coffee into the living room."
"Thank you," Caleb said, moving around the table and hugging her. "If this leads anywhere, you'll be the star of the show."
"Excuse me, she already is," Connie corrected him.
"No, Spike is. He got your money back," Martha said firmly. "Sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees when you're in the thick of things. Now both of you go and give him your support. I'll be there in a minute."
As Martha picked up their dinner plates and headed into the kitchen, Caleb pulled Connie into a bear hug.
"How are you holdin' up, darlin'? This has been a heck of a day. You must be exhausted."
"Now that you mention it, I guess I am."
"How's your butt?"
"Tender, and that ride didn't help."
"I was thinkin' about that," he muttered with a grin. "I haven't had a moment alone with you to ask."
"That cougar! He's amazing," she said, pulling back. "The way he stayed with us was so bizarre. When you add in that dream you told me about and seeing him from the window—call me crazy—but he has to be some kind of supernatural creature."
"Darn it."
"What?"
"I wanted to search the name Hania and I forgot. Let's go and join Spike. I'll do that on my phone while he's doing his thing. I'm dying to know if the name has a spiritual meaning."
"Caleb?"
"Yeah, darlin'?"
"When we go to bed, will you please hold me until I fall asleep?"
"I'll hold you until you fall asleep, and I won't let you go for the rest of the night. Are you worried?"
"I am. Max is crazy, and finding out that Max and Jerry have probably been plotting against me all this time is horrifying."
"Everything's gonna be okay, darlin'. They're gonna get what's comin', I promise."
"CALEB! CONNIE! MARTHA!"
Spike's urgent call echoed through the house, and they hurried into the lounge.
"What have you found?" Martha asked, arriving a second after Caleb and Connie.
"Martha! Thank you!" Spike exclaimed. "I don't know why I blanked out, and I'm totally embarrassed, but I was able to hack into Max's computer with no problem. I was right. Jerry did delete their emails. He and Max have been constantly in touch, and Max has been emailing some guy called Poncho. Prepare yourselves. They'll be here tonight. This Poncho fella will be driving the van, and Max and two other guys will be in a car behind it. They're meeting at a place called Verdant Farms at midnight."
"Verdant Farms," Connie repeated. "That's about forty-five minutes away, and I know Poncho. He's Max's head groom. He's been with him for years. He's rough. I didn't like him at all."
"Yeah, I know Verdant Farms too," Caleb said. "I heard a race horse trainer had taken it over. I guess that trainer must have been Max."
"Thank goodness we moved the horses," Connie exclaimed, "but what do we do now?"
"This is a no-brainer," Martha declared. "We call the police."
"Not an option," Spike said hastily. "They'll want to know how we found out they're coming."
"Then call the sheriff the minute they arrive," Martha insisted. "There won't be anything odd about that."
"Of course," Caleb agreed. "Spike, you stay in the cabin. Martha, you, Connie and I will stay in the upstairs bedroom. As soon as Max arrives, we'll call the sheriff and tell him a horse van we're not expecting has just driven on to the property. The problem will be keeping Max and his gang here until the sheriff arrives. The minute they realize the horses are gone, they'll take off."
"Do you think they'll come into the house?" Martha asked. "They might want to scare Connie as well. Spike, what about Jerry? Is he mentioned?"
"There's nothing about him being here tonight."
"I doubt Jerry would be able to get back here so soon," Caleb said thoughtfully. "Did they outline anything about their plans once they arrive?"
"Yes, thank you, God! Poncho is going to stay in the van. A guy called Hugo will lower the ramp and keep watch, while Max and someone called Victor will go into the barn to grab the horses. The good news is, in every mail Max said they have to be quick and quiet. That means there are no plans to come into the house."
"And there's nothing about Jerry?" Connie pressed. "You're sure."
"He's not mentioned."
"I think Jerry wants Connie to get up in the mornin' and find her horses gone," Caleb said solemnly. "I bet he's wishing he was here to see her reaction."
"What did you just say?" Spike asked, darting his head up from the computer.
"I said, I bet Jerry is wishing he could see her reaction. What's wrong?"
"He went to the trouble to put spyware on Connie's computer. I'm wondering…"
Rising to his feet and walking around the room, he looked behind pictures, under lampshades, and studied the bric-a-brac on the bookshelves.
"Please don't tell me the house could be bugged!" Connie begged. "That's too much."
"He had the opportunity, so, yeah, but this room seems okay."
"How can you tell?"
"I have a nose for this kind of thing. I also have a piece of equipment up at the cabin. I can sweep the house. Did Jerry give you any ornaments or pictures?"
"Sure, a bunch, but I tossed them, every last one. That's not true, I tossed some, others I sent to a charity shop."
"Is there anything left?"
"Um, no, just the ring. I threw the damn thing at him when he left, but he didn't pick it up. I was going to ask if you could tell me whether or not t
he diamond is real."
"Where is this ring?"
"In my jewelry case. You don't think there could be a transmitter attached somehow?"
"I doubt it, but why don't you fetch it, and keep that possibility in your mind when you come down."
"Aren't we digressing?" Martha interjected. "Shouldn't we figure out how to keep Max and his mob here?"
"Yes!" Caleb said emphatically.
"May I make a suggestion?"
"Martha, you're the official Queen of Brilliant Suggestions."
"I think it might be risky."
"Risk is relative," Spike said. "Let's hear it."
It took Martha only a minute to explain her idea, and she received unanimous support.
"If I didn't have a girlfriend I'd ask you to marry me," Spike declared, and moving swiftly across the room, he kissed her on the cheek.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
At a small airfield an hour from Connie's ranch, Jerry disembarked from a private jet into Max's welcoming arms. Max had been in love with Jerry since the day they'd met, and though Max knew he was just a sometime plaything to the wealthy financier, he was happy to take whatever attention Jerry offered.
"I'm glad you're here," Max exclaimed, hugging him tightly. "How was the trip?"
"Too long, but I'm here now," Jerry said, releasing his hold. "Is everything ready?"
"You bet."
Taking Jerry's suitcase, Max threw it in the back of his Range Rover, opened the door for him, then hurried around to climb into the driver's seat.
"Everyone knows their job, right?" Jerry asked briskly as Max settled behind the wheel. "I don't want any fuck-ups."
"Yep, all set, but how the hell did Connie find out the money was hidden? I thought it couldn't be traced."
"That's the first thing I'm going to ask her," Jerry snarled. "I hope she doesn't answer too quickly. I want to hear her beg. On the other hand, I can't wait to take care of the cocksucker who screwed everything up."
To Kiss A Cowboy (Hunks and Horses Book 1) Page 14