Ties that Bind (Sunshine & Shadow Book 3)

by Williamson, Alie

  Maxwell jumped into action, sliding out of the door and up the stairs before April had a chance to take a step. As she rounded the corner into the hallway, she could hear Lex laughing and talking to the dog. She headed in the direction of his voice.

  “Hey baby!” he said when he saw her. Putting the puppy down and standing up, he hurried over to her, picking her up in his arms and swinging her around.

  She laughed. “You knew I’d be here. Why are you so excited?”

  “I’m always excited when I see you. It’s what’s called being in love.” He kissed the tip of her nose and bent down to pick up the puppy, who was impatiently climbing his leg, hoping for more fuss.

  “I think someone’s a little jealous.” April scratched behind Max’s ear again, and he tipped his head, enjoying the attention he was getting.

  “Did you have a muffin? How long have you been here?”

  “I came straight from the set, and yes I have. They are delicious. Thank you.” Reaching up, she kissed his cheek. “I can’t believe you remembered that they are my favorite.”

  “Of course, I remembered.”

  April smiled at him. “Again, thank you.”

  “You’re more than welcome, baby. You didn’t eat all of them, right?”

  She laughed, taking the puppy from his arms and walking to the kitchen. “No, there’s some for you. Although it was tempting.”

  He followed her, grabbing a muffin from the counter and taking a big bite. “So how was your day?”

  April nodded. “It was good. It’s so great to be working with horses again. I forgot how much I missed it.”

  “It’s easy to be happy when you’re doing the right thing.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Tell me about Prime Time. Damian told me you were going to try some things with his diet?”

  April nodded. “Although, I don’t think that’s what it is. Physically, the vet cleared him. The only thing that I might be able to do with herbs and oils is combat things like homesickness, or loss of appetite due to stress. Nothing like that applies to Prime Time, though. It’s almost like he’s angry…”

  “Damian said you had him in the round pen. What happened?”

  “Lex, you should have seen it.” April took a gulp of the coffee Lex had placed in front of her. “It was like nothing I’ve ever seen. I’ve worked with aggressive horses in the round pen before, but they only do it because deep down they’re afraid or confused.”

  “So what was Prime Time?”

  “He was neither…” She frowned. “Like I said, it was almost like he was angry, which I know is silly but…”

  “It’s not silly, April. If your ideas were silly, those guys wouldn’t have hired you, and Damian definitely wouldn’t trust your opinion so much. He obviously believes what you have to say is worth considering.”

  “Thanks…I’m just so frustrated that I can’t figure him out. To me, it seems he’s really dominant. But then he wouldn’t have let Violet ride him all this time.”

  Lex scoffed. “Violet doesn’t ride. She bullies.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She gets mad real quick when she’s on a horse. Real quick. No patience.”

  “What does she do?”

  “She’s just rough with them. Thinks she can overpower them physically. I don’t know where she got that idea.”

  “You can’t physically dominate any horse, let alone a horse like Prime Time! He’s been putting up with her because it’s his job, but now he’s saying ‘enough is enough’. That poor horse.”

  “She says he doesn’t listen.”

  “I wouldn’t if I was him. Would you?”

  Lex shook his head. “Probably not.”

  “If she doesn’t respect him, how can she expect him to respect her?”

  “She doesn’t know anything about horses. You can’t really blame her.”

  “I guess not, but thanks to her, I now have to take that horse back to basics and show him that humans aren’t his enemy.”

  Lex smiled.

  “What?”

  “This is the first time I’ve seen you get really passionate about something since you left the ranch. Reminds me of when you got pissed off at me about Triumph.”

  “I wanted to hit you so badly.”

  “I know you did. Are you glad you didn’t?”

  “I’m still deciding.”

  “Let me know when you do.” Lex took a sip of his coffee and smiled at her. If she wasn’t mistaken, a hint of a dimple showed on his cheek.

  “Is that really when you knew you loved me?”

  He nodded. “Seeing your fire come out when you thought one of your animals was threatened; that’s what made me love you. You cared more about him than anything else.”

  “They’re helpless; relying on us for everything. And if we fail them, they die. Doesn’t seem fair to have no-one to fight your corner.”

  “So they have you.”

  April nodded. “Always.”

  “What are you going to do for Prime Time?”

  She looked at her hands. “Like I said, I have to take him back to basics. I just hope Damian lets me. He thinks the horse is dangerous.”

  “Maybe he is, April. What if Damian is right?”

  “He’s not dangerous. He’s just…”

  “Scared?”

  “He’s not scared. And he’s not confused. It’s more like determined.”

  “Determined?”

  “Yeah, like if you don’t want to respect me, then I’ll show you what a mistake that is. I could see it in his eyes in the round pen. I just didn’t know what it was at the time.” April looked up at him through her eyelashes. Lex was watching her intently, seeming to hang on her every word.

  “So what does that mean for his career?” he asked.

  “If I was him I wouldn’t want to do this job anymore either. He needs to be removed from this industry. Before someone gets hurt.”

  Chapter 5

  The following day, April approached Damian about the revelation she had had about Prime Time.

  “It makes sense, Damian. If I was giving you a command but was speaking in Chinese, you wouldn’t understand me either. And instead of translating, Violet has been yelling the foreign language louder and louder in his ear! And the louder she got the more confused and pissed off he got.”

  “But that doesn’t explain why he turned mean. Horses don’t just snap.” Damian strode from stall to stall, dropping carrots into each bucket, and forcing April to keep up with him.

  “Horses like Prime Time do. He’s dominant, probably the most dominant horse I’ve ever met, and he’s been tolerating her, because that’s what he was taught to do, until he just couldn’t do it anymore.”

  “So what does this mean? What are you asking me?” He stopped and turned to look at her.

  “I need to take him back to basics. He needs to respect humans, but he won’t until we show him that we can speak in his language, not expect him to understand ours.”

  “You’re not putting that horse in the round pen, April. He’ll kill you.” Damian started moving again.

  “I won’t right away. Like I said, I’ll start from the ground up. He has to build a partnership with me. We need to work together to get over his lack of trust.”

  “He’s in the wrong profession if someone has to build a relationship with him before they can ride him. We just don’t have time for that.”

  “You’re right.” April stopped, making Damian turn around to look at her. “He is in the wrong profession.”

  “You know what the boss will do if he’s not going to cut it?”

  April looked at the ground. Horses that didn’t make it often found themselves at the sale, and not the saddle horse kind. They went for meat.

  “He’s got a lot of potential, Damian. I just need your permission to try and get it out of him, and figure out what the hell it is.”

  Damian put his hand to his forehead. “You have a week. Show me what
you can do. If it’s not going to work, we’ll send him away.” He came closer. “Look, April,” he said. “I like that horse. He’s got fire, and so do you. It’s a rough business we’re in, I know. But that’s life. I wish I could give you more time. But around here, we just don’t have it.”

  April watched him leave, wishing the conversation had gone better. Grabbing a rope from the wall hooks, she headed to Prime Time’s stall.

  The horse’s eyes were dead. He seemed to be expecting something. When nothing happened, he looked over at April, lifting his ears. He hadn’t moved when she had placed her fingers against his flank, and she knew why.

  Prime Time knew Violet by now. It was almost like he was goading her, though April didn’t think horses were that smart. He would refuse a command and let her hammer away at his sides or yank on his mouth, biding his time. But with April things were different. She wasn’t going to get angry, or increase the pressure. She was simply going to show him what she was asking. She was going to translate.

  Keeping the tips of her fingers against his flank she reached for his halter and gave it a small tug towards her. As his head turned, he took a step with his back hooves, swinging his hind end away from her.

  She stopped. Taking her hand immediately off his flank and releasing his head in one motion, she waited.

  “Good boy,” she cooed, gently.

  The horse’s ears were pinned on her and she stroked once down his strong, wide neck. His lips twitched and she watched as his tongue swiped just once over them. April smiled.

  “Good boy,” she said again.

  She tried again. Placing her hand against his flank and pressing slightly with her fingertips, she said, “Over.”

  If she wasn’t mistaken, his leg had twitched, but he hadn’t taken a step. She showed him again, taking hold of his halter and turning his head. He stepped. She removed all pressure and stroked once down his neck.

  “Good boy.”

  April watched as this time, his tongue licked all around his lips and he dipped his head twice, almost like he was nodding at her.

  All right, she could imagine him saying, I get it now. Let’s try again.

  She placed her fingers again, and before she could press or speak the horse took a step away from her, slowly, calmly.

  “Good boy, Prime Time,” she said. She gave him a piece of carrot out of her pocket and stroked his neck once more. She didn’t want to give him too much fuss as he was working, and the removal of pressure should have been reward enough, but he needed a little more incentive to work with her, instead of against her.

  “See, being my friend can be fun,” she said to him.

  The pattern continued for the next two days. April didn’t want to rush the horse, refusing to let any quip from the grooms about a woman trying to dominate a horse get to her. She didn’t even bother to respond. She let them make their snide comments and promised herself they would eat their words at the end of the week.

  Prime Time was improving, though slowly. He was learning new commands a lot faster than the first day, but it was like training a colt. As if the horse knew nothing. His mind had shut down ever since coming to the movie lot, performing the commands he did know over and over until he was bored out of his brain. And when any new commands were introduced, they weren’t introduced in a way that he found acceptable.

  “It’s almost as if you are asking for his permission,” April told Lex on the fourth day.

  Damian, Campbell, and Violet stood behind Lex, watching her progress with Prime Time. Two grooms had followed them in, curious.

  “If you want him to do something, ask for it. Don’t tell him. Having that sort of attitude doesn’t work with a horse like this. You have to be polite. Then he’ll return the favor. It needs to be a constant conversation between the two of you, and that’s why you need to learn how to speak his language.”

  “His language?” Violet said in a mocking tone. “You want me to neigh and snort at him?” The grooms laughed. Two more were now making their way across the arena.

  Much like with the snotty grooms, April refused to let Violet’s remark bother her. “Actually, horses don’t communicate with neighs and snorts. Every conversation they have is based on body language, energy and the application, and removal, of pressure.”

  “Pressure?” Campbell asked.

  “Watch this.”

  April stepped towards Prime Time’s flank and watched the horse take a step. She stepped back towards the slowly gathering crowd and the horse mimicked her, drawn in by her welcoming energy.

  “If your body pressure made him step away, how did you get him to step back towards you?” Campbell asked.

  “Energy. It’s not as simple as moving towards him and he will move. You have to imagine what you want, and adjust your energy accordingly.”

  “Are you kidding me? Energy?” Violet said to Campbell, turning her back to April. “Campbell,” she said, “This is a waste of time. I didn’t think this movie was hiring hippies.”

  April couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her. Violet turned again and looked at her with hate filled eyes. If looks could kill, April thought.

  “What?” Violet snarled.

  “Nothing, nothing.”

  “Go on, Ms. Cooper. You obviously have something to say. So, say it.”

  Campbell looked at April, and she knew she had made a mistake. She decided to try honesty.

  “You use the term hippy as someone who isn’t really living in reality? Has their head in the clouds?” April said. Violet’s only reply was a casual shrug. “Well, sorry, but that’s you. Because what I’m telling you is reality. What I’m demonstrating proves it.”

  Lex coughed to cover up his laugh. Campbell didn’t even try to pretend. He chuckled and turned to Violet.

  “Let’s hear what April has to say.” He looked at April. “I have to say, April, everything you’ve said so far makes perfect sense to me and I’m not even a rider. So bravo.” He clapped theatrically.

  “Thank you. Look Violet, I’m not saying all this and doing all this to prove you’re wrong or anything like that. I’m just trying to help. Horses are dangerous and we can’t win a physical confrontation with one. Twelve hundred pounds versus one hundred and thirty; which one do you think will win?”

  Violet turned her head away from April.

  “And Prime Time is more dangerous than most,” April continued.

  Violet’s head snapped back. “Dangerous? He doesn’t look dangerous.”

  She stepped forward before anyone could do anything to stop her, grasping the horse’s halter and giving it a hard tug, trying to force him forward. April could see the muscles in Prime Time’s hind end tightening.

  “Violet, no!” she shouted, but it was too late.

  The horse rose up on his back legs and reared, ears back and mouth open. With wild eyes he struck out at Violet, ferocious anger emanating from him. She fell back, hitting the dirt hard and struggled to scramble out of the way.

  April got between them.

  “Whoa!” she said sternly. “Easy boy, no-one going to hurt ya. Just ease it down. It’s okay.”

  As the horse relaxed and let April take hold of his halter, she stroked once down his face.

  “Are you crazy?” Violet screamed from the dirt. Everyone had crowded around her, checking if she was okay; everyone but Lex. He stood right behind April, ready to help if help was needed.

  “You haven’t been fixing the horse! You’ve been training him to kill me!”

  April let Lex take hold of Prime Time and stepped towards Violet. She was getting up, brushing dirt off her pristine jeans, scowling furiously.

  “Either fire her, or I’m leaving, Campbell. Because I am not going to put myself in unnecessary danger.” Violet’s eyes welled up. April knew fake tears when she saw them.

  “I have to do what I think is right,” Violet said. “Not only for me, but for my child!”

  April froze.

  Everyone froze.<
br />
  Lex almost collapsed.

  Violet’s eyes searched until she found Lex. She began to cry, hysterically, but still managing to smile through the sobs.

  “I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you,” she cried, as she went to him.

  He looked like he was in shock, pale and motionless.

  To April, Violet’s voice sounded like it was coming through fog. There was a buffer.

  “The doctors said it was likely I would miscarry in the first few weeks. I wanted to be sure before I told you, Lex. Honey,” she looked at him until their eyes met, hers falsely excited, his dead and filled with excruciating pain. “Baby…you’re going to be a daddy.”

  Violet wrapped her arms around the immobile Lex, forcing him to return the favor. His face was still, his mouth slightly open. It looked like his eyes were welling up with tears. April wasn’t sure what they were for.

  Everyone else jumped into action.

  “Congratulations,” Campbell said, clapping Lex on the shoulder and hugging Violet. She beamed with pride, while he struggled to keep it together.

  Damian and the grooms took turns congratulating the couple, while April looked from the outside, in shock, wondering what the hell to do.

  Lex had lied to her. Not only that, he had cheated on her. She was such a fool. How could she have let herself believe that he had actually fallen in love with her? It was a ploy. He had faked it for something, for anything. But she knew it had all been a lie. Her heart shattered and she couldn’t breathe.

  She couldn’t say anything, because even though this man had betrayed her so absolutely, she was sincere in her love for him, and she couldn’t ruin his career. It just wasn’t in her. Her legs felt weak and she wanted nothing more than to sink to her knees and cry. But she held it together, biting her lip to stop the tears.

  Violet’s voice snapped her from her reverie.

  “Thank you, everyone. And I hate to go back, but the problem still remains. Campbell,” She turned to the producer, “Either you fire her, or I walk.”

  Campbell looked at Damian and then at April, obviously torn.