Unbridled

by Fox Brison

“What about these? This could be the answer to our prayers!”

  I glanced at the papers she was waving above her head. “Western Oil?”

  “They’re offering you-”

  I snatched them from her hands. “No fucking way! We’re fighting to save the land from coyotes like them. I want to be able to drink the water in our wells, not set fire to it.” I said quite forcefully. Jen bore the brunt of my frustrations. No matter how desperate I was, one thing was for sure - I would not be using fracking as a life jacket.

  “Hey, Dani, I won’t have you speaking to my wife like that.” Jack came out of the kitchen and placed an arm around Jen’s shoulders. “Stop being such an ass, she’s only trying to help.”

  I shook my head. Jesus, was everyone wandering around with their heads up their asses?

  “Enough!” Mom said sternly. “Turning on each other ain’t gonna solve nothing. I’ll make a plate of sandwiches and some coffee then we can calmly sit down and see where we’re at.”

  ***

  After devouring the chicken sandwiches my Mom made, Jack began. “I spoke with my folks last night they’ve agreed to invest twenty thousand dollars. Mom said they could look into re-mortgaging but that’s what got us into this pickle in the first place and I didn’t want them taking the risk. Sorry, Dani, I just-”

  I was shocked. “Jack that’s more than generous. Are they sure they can afford that much?” Aunt Caroline and Uncle Charlie weren’t rich and I would never have agreed to them taking out another mortgage.

  “And I have a little over ten thousand in savings,” Jen added, “If only we’d known about this a week ago I wouldn’t have quit my job and then I could have secured you guys a loan relatively easily.”

  “We can’t take your money, Jen” I said. Jesus, after the way I treated her, here she was offering her life savings for the ranch. I felt like a heel. “You and Jack might need that if things go belly up.”

  “My home and place is here with Jack. I’m investing in him,” Jen said forcefully. “I believe in this place, in the plans you both have. I have faith that together we’ll get through this, it simply might take some creative accounting to get there.”

  We did a quick tally; with Aunt Caroline, Uncle Charlie and Jen’s contribution, the proceeds from selling my truck and a few of the trail horses and equipment we could spare, we reckoned we could raise around fifty thousand dollars which was great, but was still thirty thousand short.

  I had a plan forming which I knew would face resistance, but desperate times called for desperate measures. I might not be as young as I used to be, but I could still give those young bucks a run for their money. I rotated my shoulder to loosen it, but catching my Mom eyeing me suspiciously, stopped quickly. If she suspected I was in pain she would hog tie me rather than let me ride in the rodeo.

  This cowgirl was about to make a comeback.

  Jack watched me through narrowed eyes. “What’s going on in that mind of yours?” he asked.

  “Well we can’t sell Western Oil our land but maybe there’s another way we can get our hands on their money,” I hedged and waited for the barrage. I wasn’t disappointed.

  “Dani, no. I’d rather sell this place and start over somewhere else debt free,” Jack said adamantly. “You haven’t competed for… hell you haven’t even practised for over a year!” He was worried, in truth so was I, but I wasn’t about to let it show.

  “Can someone please explain what you’re all talking about?” Haley asked.

  “Dani is thinking about entering the rodeo on the first of July.” Jack explained.

  Barrel racing wasn’t for the faint hearted. It wasn’t as dangerous as bull riding, nor the bucking bronco, but tight corners and speeding horses added up to a heap of a mess should you judge it wrong. “Jack we’re desperate here. And I have been practising. I can do this.” I had only come off my horse twice in competition. Once all I hurt was my pride. The second time I wasn’t so lucky.

  “Aunt Nora?” he turned, pleading with my Mom.

  “Jack’s right, Dani. I raised you stubborn not stupid,” she said, the worry lines on her face deeper than the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.

  “Mom, I’ll be fine,” I put my arms around her shoulders. “You know I can win. The purse for the barrel race is twenty-five grand. Jolie’s come on leaps and bounds. He’ll be ready.”

  “The last time you were in the ring you busted your shoulder, knocked yourself out and twisted your knee so bad you couldn’t walk for a month. Can you blame me for being worried?” Mom said acerbically. “And that shoulder still troubles you, don’t think I can’t see you flexing it.”

  “You’re not entering, Dani, no way.” Haley suddenly said, her face flushed.

  “Now you wait just one doggone minute,” I said angrily. It was the first time since that night at Joe’s that she’d seen this particular fire in my belly. “What right do you have to tell me what to do?” I was exasperated. Haley and I talked about this, about how it was my responsibility. It was sweet she worried about my health, but what I really needed was her support, which had suddenly disappeared.

  She stood with her hands on her hips and suddenly I saw it in her face, she cared for me more than she’d like to admit.

  And I think she realised how deep her feelings ran at exactly the same time.

  Her face blanched and she took a step back. “Clearly none.” She stumbled away and I immediately tried to follow, but my Mom held me back.

  “You both need a minute to calm down otherwise one of you will say something you can’t take back.”

  I was reluctant, but I listened to her advice. Watching Haley leave, a hole in my soul opened wide, a gaping scar bigger than any on my shoulder; I knew it wouldn’t be the last time she left me standing alone and I wished I could say the words inked on my heart.

  But at the present time I couldn’t afford any distractions if I had any hope of winning the Barrel race and saving the ranch.

  The ultimate prize, Haley, would have to wait.

  ***

  I went for a walk to clear my head and found myself in the stables with Stormy. “Hey, girl,” I said softly and rubbed her nose. I fed her a piece of apple. “I wish it was going to be you and me out there, but Jolie’s not a bad replacement, is he?” I wondered who I was trying to convince. In my heart of hearts I knew Jolie was nowhere near ready, so I was going to have to push him over the next ten days to get him fit for competition. “If I win, I might even get the girl. Much better than a buckle, eh Stormy?” She whickered as if laughing at me. “I know, it’s a long shot.” I said goodbye to Stormy and headed back to the cabin. Inside, there was no sign of Haley and I wondered if she’d gone back to the main house.

  Then I heard the shower running.

  Thank God she hadn’t left home. Home. It was only home because she was here.

  “I’m really sorry, Haley, I shouldn’t have snapped at you, I guess I was more nervous than I let on.” I said when she came into the bedroom wearing only a towel. She was beautiful, not that she knew it. It wasn’t the classic kind of beauty, it was a warm beauty. The beauty of home after a long trip. The beauty of a fire on a cold winter night. The beauty of a cool hand on a fevered brow.

  “No, Dani, you were right, I have no say in what you do, but that doesn’t stop me from worrying about you. I’ve seen you wince when you’re riding Jolie, I see how tight your shoulder gets after being out on the ranch all day. Tell me I’m wrong.” She touched her finger to the scar on my shoulder. It took everything I had not to flinch.

  It didn’t take a genius to figure out from her dejected posture and quiet tone that my behaviour had hit a nerve. I rarely got angry but when I did it usually involved hitting out at the people closest to me. You only hurt the ones you… I shook my head. I couldn’t entertain those thoughts, not until this mess was cleared up.

  “Haley, you don’t understand,” I said adamantly. “We need the money and there is nowhere else to get it. This is all on me
. If I hadn’t talked Jack into spending every cent we had getting this place up to scratch, we could have paid the loan back no problem. Instead, because of my grandiose ideas of breeding horses and running a guest house for city slickers, we’re going to lose it all.”

  “Dani, no one is to blame for this, don’t you see?” She began to get dressed. “How about if I could raise the rest of the money?”

  It was a cagey question and she wasn’t looking at me. Why is she so nervous? “It’s not your responsibility,” I argued. I couldn’t let her dig me out of the hole I had unwittingly created.

  “No it’s not, but Jen is my sister and you are my… well you’re important to me. Let me help.”

  “And where are you going to find thirty thousand dollars?” I snapped, then relented when it suddenly struck me what she was willing to do. “Darlin’ I can’t let you get into debt for me.” I kissed her hand. Could this woman be any more perfect? Not that I would have taken the money, but the offer? Well it made my heart melt a little more.

  She blushed. “Well no, I wouldn’t be getting into debt, I have an asset I can liquidate.” She seemed uneasy, the joy of a few moments ago long gone. I narrowed my eyes, wondering what I was missing, or what Haley was hiding from me. Then it hit me.

  “Haley!” I said sharply. “No way are we taking a loan from your cheatin’ ex. I’d rather break my neck.”

  “Which is exactly what’s going to happen if you enter this rodeo and anyway, it’s not her money, it’s mine,” Haley argued back with quite some venom.

  “If she’s giving it to you it’s her money. I don’t need to have worked for Morgan Stanley to recognise that fact,” I said caustically. I had pride, damn it! Taking money from Jen was bad enough, but this? Hell no.

  “After I put it into a house I didn’t want!” Haley exclaimed. “If I’d gotten a loan would you have taken it?”

  “No. It’s your money, you don’t owe me anything,” I said adamantly.

  “Dani, be reasonable for goodness sakes. If you ride the rodeo you could get seriously hurt and then where will you be?”

  “Thanks for the support,” I said sarcastically. “You obviously have no faith in my ability.”

  “No faith? Thanks for the…” she shook her head in disbelief. “I am supporting you, if you would only take your head out of your arse and see it.” Haley remained calm in the face of my unending mulish obstinacy. “Rightio, Dani, if you’re so confident, let’s put it to the test shall we?”

  This was an unexpected turn. “What do you mean?” I asked cautiously. I had a suspicion of exactly what she meant but I really hoped I was wrong.

  “Go and get on your horse, Dani bloody Oakley and ride the damn course,” she said coldly.

  She made it sound so simple but it was anything but. “I have another thirteen days,” I prevaricated, trying to buy some time.

  “And you think that’s going to be long enough? Put your money where your mouth is, Dani.”

  “Money… given the choice between losing this place and Dawn saving it, I’d rather let it go to auction!” I said belligerently.

  Haley stormed off into the night and I flopped down onto the bed. I knew she thought I was merely being stubborn, but what kind of future could Haley and I hope for if it was paid for by her ex-girlfriend.

  Chapter 39

  Haley

  I hated going to bed angry; however, I hated the coldness that had sprung up between Dani and I even more. I slept badly and woke up with a terrible headache and an even worse taste in my mouth. Maybe it wasn’t a bad thing, because I was getting deeper with every breath I took and I was nowhere near ready to admit how I really felt. But I didn’t want her on top of that horse worrying and not focussed on the route she was taking. She needed control and that was the last thing she had when I left her the night before.

  At least she’d curled into me when I eventually climbed in bed next to her.

  I followed the sound of pounding of hooves to where Dani was already training. She had set up her practise ring in the field on the other side of the pines near the cabin. Three barrels were placed in a triangular pattern, the furthest one about a hundred and fifty feet from where I perched myself on the dark wooden fence to watch. I flushed, a sudden visceral memory swamped my current view; Dani teaching me about barrel racing in San Francisco, her finger trailing the cloverleaf pattern on my already aroused body. She ran the course once slowly, then again at what I assumed was medium paced, although it was scarily quicker than anything I’d want to attempt.

  It was gorgeous and quiet and the perfect place to work without interruption. Brody lay at my feet taking guard and I was stunned into silent submission.

  Dani, true to her word, was poetry in motion.

  The sun warmed my cheeks and I let my head fall back to bask in its rays. I turned back as the thunder of hooves slowed to a slow clip clop. Dani was sitting tall in her saddle focussed on me, her light blue denim shirt damp with perspiration and clinging to her body.

  Our eyes locked.

  Even at fifty feet I felt the heat in her gaze, a burn far stronger than that of the sun’s gentle caress. I held my hand to my chest and took an intake of breath as she tugged on the right rein and Jolie swivelled quickly. They were melded together, and on every sharp turn I saw Dani’s body tilting and going with the curve, her thigh tightly clenching the horse’s flank.

  Which explains exactly why they are so damn firm.

  It was like she and the horse were one entity, a centaur from Greek mythology.

  There were no words to describe the depth of the emotion coursing through my veins seeking my attention.

  I smelled the coffee before I saw it. Colin took a sip of his travel mug and joined me on the fence. “Was heading out to check on the herd and wanted to see if Dani had any orders, but I won’t interrupt her. She can radio if there’s anything she needs.”

  “She’s amazing isn’t she,” I whispered.

  “One of the best, she’s doing what’s called a cloverleaf pattern,” Colin explained.

  “I see that.” I was getting dizzy from all the quick turns they were performing.

  “Dani’s trained Jolie there for the last coupla years. Shoulda been Stormy, them pairs won more ribbons together than I’ve had nights under the stars.” He shook his head. “Bloody stubborn cuss.”

  “Who? Dani?”

  “Nah, Ethan. Knew him fer years. He shoulda let them young uns at the ranch long ago.” Colin shook his head. “Dang stubborn mule.” He wandered off. We wouldn’t be seeing him or the hands for a few days because they were moving the cattle to a new pasture.

  I turned my attention back to Dani.

  Glorious.

  The dust raised from the dry ground chased Dani and Jolie, a mini sandstorm in the lush green pasture. The purple mountains formed the perfect backdrop for the cowgirl in a dirty cream Stetson, her body a tightly restrained spring. It was one moment in time, a scene from a movie or a picture hanging above a fireplace; click, the memory was stored.

  Watching them work was bloody hard.

  It was doing terrible things to my heart.

  Terribly wonderful things.

  ***

  “Water?” I called as Dani slowed to a trot. I was hoping she’d ride over so I could kiss her and make up for the argument the night before.

  “Yup. I’m gonna do one at full tilt, then we’ll take a break. It’s gettin’ hot and I have to be careful not to push him too hard.” She made her way back to the imaginary start line and kicked her heels, gently, into Jolie’s flank. Jolie took off like a rocket, an instant flash of lightning in his gait. He rounded the first barrel with ease and galloped towards the next.

  Approaching the second barrel I saw a grimace on Dani’s face and immediately knew there was a problem. Standing on the middle bar of the fence, I quickly climbed over.

  The saddle was slipping.

  The cinch had come loose or snapped.

  I held my bre
ath as Dani realised something was dangerously wrong and pulled on the reins to stop Jolie’s momentum.

  Oh fuck.

  In her attempt to compensate for the sudden swivelling of the horse and her saddle moving in the opposite direction, she overdid it and Jolie reared as the balance on his back shifted unexpectedly. Dani was doing a Lone Ranger impression and hanging on for dear life but it wasn’t enough, gravity too strong a force to ignore.

  She toppled from the saddle.

  “Dani!” I screamed as she dropped to the hard packed ground and I heard the ominous crack before she cried out in agony. It all happened so quickly, she didn’t have time to slow either Jolie or her descent. Everything was a blur as I raced towards her and fell to my knees where she lay. I felt for a pulse and was relieved to feel a rapid heartbeat.

  “Dani? Sweetie, talk to me. Can you hear me?” I grabbed my phone from my back pocket. “Shit, shit, shit!” No signal.

  There was a groan wrenched from between her lips, but as she opened her eyes and tried to sit, the pain gripped her in its vice like embrace.

  And she passed out.

  Chapter 40

  Haley

  When Dani re-opened her eyes they were glassy and unable to focus, but at least they were open. “Oh thank God,” I whispered and poured a dribble of water onto her tongue. “Everything’s going to be okay, sweetie.” I tried desperately to keep the quiver from my voice.

  “Yeah?” The colour drained from her face and she was as white as a bleached sheet.

  “Yes, I promise. Don’t pass out again. We have to get you onto Jolie, but I need your help. You have to stay awake.” I was doing my best to remain calm but my heart was about to explode out of my chest.

  “Don’t leave me, Haley.” She grabbed my hand.

  I wasn’t sure what Dani meant at that moment; don’t leave me in the paddock, or don’t go back to England and leave me heartbroken. I suspect the latter was wishful thinking on my part. Either way, if anything happened to her and I never got the chance to apologise, to tell her exactly how I felt… “Easy now,” I said standing behind her and putting my hands under her arms. “I know this is going to hurt, Calamity. On three. One, two, three.”