by Alexis Gold
“I’m a little anxious because I’ve never been on a horse before.”
“It’ll be just fine. Whinny is a good horse, and I’ll keep you safe.”
He pulled her closer to him, grabbed the reins, and they were off. Wade wasn’t sure where the cattle would be roaming this morning, but he wanted to check on them. He rode toward where they had been the last couple of days, hoping they’d still be there, and that his job would be easy.
Whinny galloped over the rolling hills, and big gray clouds billowed above the horizon. It was a gray day, but both Wade and Delaney were warm, nestled against each other. Delaney’s fear dissolved and was replaced with a sense of freedom she had never experienced before as they raced across the Montana countryside.
She relaxed and relished the joy of the ride. The ground zipped past and the wind nipped around her neck. She leaned her head against Wade’s chest, and melted into his arms as he urged them forward. Finally, he pulled back on the reins and Whinny slowed.
“Was that okay?”
“Are you kidding?” Delaney asked. “That was amazing!”
“I’m glad you thought so. There’s nothing I love more than this. It’s pure freedom being out here on the land. I’m happy to be able to share it with you.”
“I can see why you love it out here. I can feel it,” Delaney said, her heart thumping from the excitement of riding so fast. “It’s so beautiful.”
“I can’t wait to bring you out here on a sunny day,” Wade purred in her ear as he led Whinny up a hill. “Gloomy days like this are beautiful in their own way, but when it’s sunny, you can see for miles, and the land is all green and golden.”
“Sounds perfect.”
At the top of the hill they looked out over the open land, and Delaney gasped. She’d never seen such a beautiful view.
“Look out there!” Wade pointed straight out. “I’m not going to ride all the way out there right now because we don’t have the time, but that’s the cattle. We have neighbors to the left and to the right, but not for miles. Jacob, the man who was sitting with me at the diner yesterday, his family’s ranch is to the right. John knew his father when they were kids. And Jacob is an old friend of mine.”
“Yeah, he seemed nice.”
Whinny stomped her foot, ready to keep moving.
“You ready to head back? I don’t want you to be late for work.”
“Sure. I’m ready.”
Wade turned Whinny around and they started back toward the house at a slower pace than they rode out, slow enough so they could maintain a conversation without the wind ripping the words out of their mouths and carrying them away before they could be heard.
“Wade? Can I ask you something?
“What is it?”
“How did you come to live out here on the ranch if you aren’t related to John?”
Wade was quiet for a long time, and then he said, “That’s kind of a long story. Are you sure you want to hear it?”
“Yes. I would like to know.”
“Well, when I was a kid I lived in Wyoming with my dad. He was an alcoholic. Abusive. I ran away from home. I hitched a ride out to Montana and just started walking. That night, there was a storm. I was caught out in the rain, in the dark, walking aimlessly.
“Suddenly, I saw a flashlight point straight at me and heard a voice ask who was there. It was only then did I realize I was walking on somebody’s property. John was standing there with a flashlight in one hand and a shotgun slung over his shoulder. I was young, and I was scared to bits, but as soon as John saw me and realized I was just a kid, he invited me inside. His late wife, Betty, cooked me a meal. And that was that. I’ve been here ever since.”
“Have you seen or talked to your father since?”
“Nope. I have no idea where he is or if he’s even still alive.”
“That’s quite a story.”
“It sure is. Sometimes I can’t quite believe it’s my life.”
“I know how you feel,” Delaney said, thinking of her mother.
They rode in silence, both reflecting on the strange course of their lives and the serendipity of their meeting. Delaney felt so grateful to have met Wade, to be riding through the Montana countryside in his arms.
Wade felt like he was in a dream. He never thought he’d meet a woman who’d feel the freedom of the land like he did, who understood him. The clouds parted for a moment, and a streak of sunlight flooded down. Wade made Whinny stop to enjoy the warmth for a moment, and Delaney leaned her head back against Wade to soak up the sun on her face.
A horse galloped over the hill, and a voice boomed, “Wade!”
Wade turned quickly, alarmed. As soon as he saw it was Jacob, he relaxed.
“Jacob, what a surprise. We were just heading back. Is everything okay?”
“No.”
“What’s wrong?”
Delaney looked between the two men.
“I came over to tell you I got another letter from the bank. It said if they don’t receive payment in three days, three days, they’re going to take our land. Two weeks ago the letter said months. Now this letter says three days! I’m telling you, it’s a scam.”
“I hear you,” Wade said. “I probably have the same letter waiting for me in the mailbox. What are you going to do?”
“Well, that’s why I came over here. I have a feeling we’re going to have to work together.”
“I had an idea the last time we talked, but I don’t think it is a good one,” Wade admitted.
He looked down at Delaney. She looked so small and innocent in his arms. He didn’t want to do anything to hurt her, but he felt like he didn’t have a choice in sharing his risky plan.
“What is it, Wade?” Jacob asked.
“I don’t know if I should say.”
“Tell him, Wade,” Delaney urged.
“All right then, I’ll tell you, but I never said it was a good idea.”
“Let me hear your bad idea.”
Wade licked his lips and said, “We rob the bank.”
Both Jacob and Delaney stared at him with their mouths open.
Finally, after a ridiculously long time, Jacob said, “So let me get this straight. You’re proposing that we rob the bank that is trying to rob us?”
“That’s exactly right.”
“Wade, you’re a genius,” Jacob roared. “It’s insane, but it’s genius.”
“But it would never work,” Wade cried.
“Jacob’s right,” Delaney said. “It’s genius. The bank would never suspect two young cowboys to have the wits to do something like this. I think you could pull it off.”
“Really?”
“Really,” Jacob and Delaney said at the same time.
They agreed to meet the next day and figure out a plan. Jacob rode off, smiling like an idiot, and Wade turned back toward the house.
“Do you really think it will work?” he inquired.
“I don’t know,” Delaney said. “But there is only one way to find out.”
*
Wade twiddled his thumbs as he waited for Delaney to get off work. The diner was busy, and she’d had to stay half an hour later. Jacob would be waiting for them. He picked at his chili, which was only half eaten. He couldn’t bring himself to order a piece of pie. Verna kept asking him if he wanted one, and Wade kept saying he was all right without one.
She asked Wade how dinner with Delaney went last night. To him, it felt like an indeterminably long amount of time had passed since then, but he realized that to Verna, it was the last exciting event she’d witnessed. He decided to make it worth her while; he asked her to lean in, and he whispered, “I kissed her.”
Verna squealed like a high school girl and clapped her hands together. “Oh, Wade! That is just wonderful!”
Delaney looked in their direction and smiled.
“She’s perfect for you,” Verna added as she squeezed his shoulder. “You sure you don’t want a piece of pie?”
“Yes, V
erna, I’m sure. Thank you, though.”
She left to help another customer, leaving him alone with his chili once again. He just wasn’t hungry. There was too much to worry about. If planning went well tonight, they’d be robbing a bank tomorrow. He felt like it was too fast, but Jacob only had tomorrow and the next day before either paying up or losing his land. Wade had checked his mailbox, and sure enough, he too had an envelope with his fate sealed in it. Life as he knew it depended on this bank robbery as much as Jacob’s life did.
He watched Delaney clear some plates and sighed. Why was it that as soon as he found the girl of his dreams, he had to face this? He felt guilty for putting her through this, but she said she was committed to helping them, and he knew he couldn’t force Delaney to do or not do anything.
She had a will of her own, and that was part of the reason he was so drawn to her. Her long braid swooshed back and forth as she walked, tickling the small of her back. She was unbearably beautiful. With an armload of plates, she went back to the kitchen, and re-emerged a few minutes later.
“You ready to go?” she asked, and kissed Wade on the cheek.
“With you? I’d go anywhere,” he replied charmingly.
They both waved to Verna on the way out, and she giggled.
Delaney rolled her eyes, and Wade said, “She’s just being sweet.”
“She’s being annoying is what she’s being. She doesn’t need to make such a big deal about us.”
“You don’t think we’re a big deal?” Wade asked with a smirk.
Delaney slapped him playfully on the shoulder. “That’s not what I meant!”
Wade picked her up and carried her all the way to the car. “Tell me,” he said. “What did you mean then?”
Delaney leaned forward and kissed him passionately. It had been a long day at work, and being in Wade’s arms was more than a relief. He kissed her back tenderly, backing her up against the car. Delaney sighed and melted into him. Wade took a small step back, and Delaney slid down until her feet were on the ground.
“You want to go home?” Wade asked her.
“Yeah, I do.”
She skipped around the front of the car and hopped in. Wade shook his head; she was way too much. He got in, started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot.
“Jacob is going to be there when we get back,” he said. “Are you ready to start making plans for tomorrow?”
“Yes. I don’t have work tomorrow so it’s good timing. And I had an idea.”
“Lay it on me. We need all the ideas we can get.”
“I want to steal my uncle’s car.”
“What?”
“You heard me. I want to steal my uncle’s car. Think about it. We are going to need a get-away vehicle. Way not use his car?”
“Because if the police find the car or get the plates, they are going to trace the car back to him.”
“Exactly.”
“Delaney, that’s brilliant.”
“I know.”
Wade pulled into the driveway and parked the car.
He said, “I’ll have you tell Jacob, then. That’s the first part of our plan.”
Delaney smiled. “Yes, sir.”
Jacob was drinking a beer with John in front of the fire when they got inside.
“Wade! You didn’t tell me about the letter from the bank!” John yelled as soon as they entered the living room. Delaney stood by his side, holding his hand.
“John, I—”
“You what? Didn’t think it was any of my business?”
“I’m sorry, Wade,” Jacob put his hands in the air with an apologetic shrug. “I didn’t know you hadn’t told him.”
“John, I was worried about you,” Wade said. “You’ve been so sick. You refuse to see a doctor. I didn’t want to worry you. I thought I could handle it on my own.”
“You think robbing a bank is handling it?”
Jacob cut in. “John, honestly, we’ve thought of everything else. Nothing has helped. If I don’t round up thousands of dollars by the day after tomorrow then my ranch will be the fifth ranch the bank has taken over. It’s a scam they’re running, and we’ve got to do something to stop them. We’ve got to break the chain.”
“I see,” John said, pulling on his beard with his fingers. His wispy grey hair curled around his ears, and his mustache bent at the tips. He looked angry still, but his expression softened to contemplation rather than rage.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” Wade said. “I really thought I could take care of this on my own.”
John was silent for a long time. He closed his eyes. Finally he spoke. “It’s okay, Wade. What we need to do now is figure out the best way to rob this bank in the next twenty-four hours.”
Wade, Jacob and Delaney all dropped their jaws.
“What are you saying?” Wade asked.
“What I’m saying, Wade, is I’m going to help you,” John said, a Cheshire cat grin spreading across his face.
Chapter Six
The old man looked from Wade to Jacob to Delaney. The three of them were staring at him in disbelief.
Eventually, Wade said, “You can’t be serious.”
“Oh, I am very serious.” John crossed his legs and folded his hands over his knee. “I’ll have you know,” he paused for the sake of suspense, and then coughed into the crook of his arm, “I’ve been going to that bank longer than you’ve been alive. I know it like the back of my hand. You should be begging for my help, not gawking at me with your mouths wide open.”
“He makes a good point,” Jacob said, shrugging his shoulders. “We need someone who knows the bank well. Someone who can help us come up with a plan.”
“Right,” John said. “I know everyone who works there. I can tell you how they’re going to respond.”
“Jesus Christ! What would Betty say?” Wade exclaimed.
“Betty and I got into a lot of trouble in our day. She would be right here helping us figure this out.”
The thought of his wife gave him strength. He had decided to help out in part to honor her memory.
“I can see that now,” said Wade, his face breaking into a smile. “All right, then. We’ll accept your help, John. But I don’t want anything bad happening to you or Delaney. So the two of you will help with planning, but I don’t want you in the bank with us.”
Wade realized how official he sounded, that he was stepping into the role of leader, that it felt good.
“But Wade,” Delaney cried, not wanting to be left out. “You need our help.”
“I’m not saying we don’t. But we need bodies on the periphery—with the car or causing a distraction. Jacob and I will perform the actual crime.”
“Fine,” Delaney said. “Do you have a plan in mind? Why don’t you tell us what you were thinking?”
“All right. I mean, it’s all just starting to come together in my mind right now.”
Wade sat down across from Jacob and John with the coffee table in between them. Delaney followed his lead.
“So I was thinking, Jacob and I will walk into the bank followed by John, but instead of coming in with us, he will fall down right in front of the door, causing a scene that will block anyone from coming or going. I will go up to a teller, pull my gun out and demand they fill up bags of money for us.
“Jacob will be behind me, covering my back if anyone tries anything. When Jacob gives John the signal, he will get up and walk off to the car, which will be parked around the block. We’ll have the timing so that right as we’re leaving the bank, John will be pulling up.
“Then we’ll drive somewhere in the middle of nowhere where Delaney will be waiting for us with Whinny and Jacob’s horse. We’ll divvy up the money and ride home, abandoning the car.”
After he finished, the room was quiet as everyone processed what he had said.
“Well, Wade, I guess you didn’t need my help after all,” John said. “Sounds like you have it mostly figured out.”
“I sure am
impressed,” Jacob said.
“What about the car?” John asked. “We can’t take ours, or they will know it was us.”
“That’s where Delaney comes in.”
Wade stopped and gestured for her to speak up. She blinked and said matter-of-factly, “I was thinking I could steal my uncle’s car.”