Cut and Run

by Amy Elizabeth

  Alec turned and strode away, leaving her with her mouth agape. She heard him welcome his guests, but she was too rattled to pay attention to what he was saying. Allison, Tommy, and Kevin were sitting at the top of the bleachers, smiling and giving her encouraging thumbs-ups. Roger leaned against the corral gate and sent her a leathery grin, as well. Her legs were trembling as she placed her foot in the stirrup and swung onto Pumpkin’s back.

  “Come on over, Rebecca.”

  She gathered her courage and nudged the mare forward, urging her into a trot. She sat motionless in the saddle, very aware that every eye was on her. With glee, she noted a faint expression of surprise on Alec’s face as he studied her sitting trot. Flawlessly she pulled Pumpkin to a stop beside him.

  “The two keys to a secure seat are your position in the saddle and where you place your hands,” he said. She stiffened when he reached up and laid his hand on hers. “You don’t want your hands here, or here, or here.” He used her as a puppet by moving her hands up, down, and to the side.

  “The back stays straight but supple,” he continued, indicating–but thankfully not touching–Rebecca’s lower back. He pointed out her overall posture, explaining that the ear, shoulder, hip, and heel should be in alignment.

  “And then we have the legs.” She nearly jumped out of her skin when his hand grazed her thigh. “You want them to maintain close contact with the saddle at all times. The knee,” he said, sliding his hand down her leg, “hangs comfortably against the horse. You never want to clutch at the saddle with your knees for balance.”

  He went on with his lecture, but Rebecca hardly noticed. She knew for a certainty that he didn’t mean anything suggestive by his gesture, nor was she taking it that way. Still, his touch unsettled her. Her throat felt constricted by the time he removed his hand from her ankle.

  “Now let’s take a look at the different gaits of the horse.” He paused and turned to her. “Take her for two laps at a walk, trot, and canter.”

  She picked up the reins, all too thrilled to put some distance between them. Pumpkin moved obediently around the corral at the commanded paces, and Rebecca felt herself relax as the mare eased from a trot to a canter without missing a beat.

  “Thanks, Rebecca,” Alec called as she passed him a second time. “You can come back over.”

  She looked up into the bleachers, catching Allison’s eye, and her friend gave a subtle nod. Rebecca’s heart pounded as she ignored his request and continued cantering to the far end of the arena, opposite the bleachers. Then she steadied her seat, gathered the reins, and turned Pumpkin straight down the center. Eagerly the mare pricked her ears, knowing what was to come.

  Alec knew it, too, and motioned for her to stop. There was no stopping her, though. An instant later, everyone gasped as Pumpkin exploded into a gallop, tearing across the arena like a freight train. Rebecca sucked in a deep breath as she sat up straighter and gave the command, praying it would work. Right on cue, Pumpkin tucked her rump underneath her, sliding dramatically across the corral and sending a massive cloud of dust into the air.

  Directly onto Alec.

  Allison leapt to her feet and let out a triumphant shout, while poor confused Tommy stood and cheered, as well. Roger looked like he was on the verge of a heart attack as thunderous applause broke out amongst the crowd. Rebecca couldn’t wipe the beaming smile off her face if her life depended on it.

  Through the thick dust, she saw her boss approaching her, his clothes and hat now solid black. “Would it do me any good to say you’re fired?”

  “After a performance like that?” she replied. “Not a chance.”

  Allison and Tommy tackled her as she exited the corral, leading Pumpkin behind her. “That was insane!” Tommy cried, scooping her up in an ecstatic hug. “I can’t believe you sneaks hid that from me.”

  Rebecca laughed. “I didn’t know if I was going to do it. I wanted to see what exactly Alec had in store for me. I kept waiting for him to pull out the five-foot jump or have me single-handedly rope a whole herd of cattle or something.”

  “You showed him good!” Allison said. “But come now, details…he was totally feeling you up. What was that like?”

  “Ugh!” she replied, giving her a playful shove. “It was revolting.”

  Tommy stifled a laugh. “I think this is my cue to leave.”

  Rebecca grabbed his sleeve. “No, the conversation is over.”

  “Sure it is,” Allison teased.

  They entered the staff barn and almost walked straight into Alec. He stood in the aisle with his arms crossed, looking not the slightest bit amused.

  “Since you’ve proved you’re such a capable rider, Rebecca, you can join me for a tour of the back paddocks. We have five miles’ worth of fences to check.”

  “Thought I was gonna help you with that, boss,” Tommy said.

  “Change of plans. Roger will join you for the afternoon trail rides. Alli, you and Kevin finish up in the barn.”

  Rebecca frowned. “So who else is coming with us?”

  *

  This is my punishment, she decided, silently bemoaning her fate as she and Alec rode out after lunch. Now I have to spend the entire day with him.

  “You think you’re pretty clever, don’t you?” he asked as they trotted side-by-side down the trail.

  It was Rebecca’s turn to smirk. “It certainly gave your guests a terrific show. They’ll all be signing up for reining lessons this week.”

  “Hmmm.” He pulled Onyx back to a walk. “So who taught you the sliding stop? I know it wasn’t Tommy. He’s too sensible. Alli, was it? Or Kevin? Surely it wasn’t Roger.”

  “I guess you’ll never know.”

  Alec cracked an increasingly common grin. “Is everyone from Boston as cocky as you are?”

  Rebecca laughed. “You have no idea.”

  “I’m starting to get the idea,” he admitted. “You rode beautifully today, by the way. I honestly didn’t think you could do it.”

  She almost fell out of the saddle. “Was that a compliment?”

  “A very rare one, so don’t get used to it.” He peered over at her. “I should still fire you, you know.”

  “I know. But you won’t.”

  “What makes you so sure?”

  Rebecca hesitated. “I don’t know. I spent all week being terrified of losing my job, no matter how well I rode for you. But today, in that corral…I wasn’t afraid anymore. I only felt confidence.”

  “It showed. But do you want to know the real reason you’re still here?”

  “I’m listening.”

  “My father.”

  She was startled. “Your father?”

  Alec removed his hat and looked straight at her. “He’s taken a real liking to you, Rebecca. He asks about you every day. And if you want to know the truth, that morning I saw you two on the porch was the first genuine smile I’ve seen from him in years.”

  Chills traveled down her spine as she tried to process his words. The simple act of her bringing him a blanket had elicited the long-awaited smile from Walter? Out of nowhere, a lump formed in her throat. Alec suddenly seemed very human, and she didn’t like seeing this side of him. She found it even more unnerving than his brusque side.

  Rebecca didn’t realize how hard she was staring until she broke their gaze. “So how far out are these fences we’re checking?”

  “A few more miles,” he said, replacing his hat and gathering the reins. “You up for a canter?”

  She nodded and urged Pumpkin into the faster pace. They cantered in silence for several minutes, pulling back to a walk as they emerged into the meadow where the bolting fiasco had taken place.

  “You and Tommy get out here at all this week?” he asked.

  “No, we stayed in the corral.”

  “So you know what’s coming next, don’t you?”

  I never know what’s coming next with you, she thought, but decided not to say it.

  “I’ve got a pretty good guess.�
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  He gestured toward her hands. “Gather the reins, and make sure you have a good grip on them this time. You were sitting up straight for the sliding stop, which is what you do for that maneuver. But on a flat gallop out here, your weight needs to be forward, right over her withers. Sink your weight into your heels and keep your arms close to your body, your hands low and steady.”

  Nervous butterflies swarmed in her stomach. “Is this my final exam?”

  “This is me making sure you don’t get hurt.”

  She barely had time to be surprised by his answer before he and Onyx disappeared in a sprint ahead of them. Rebecca sent Pumpkin charging after them, following his instructions to lean forward and steady her hands. Even though the ground was flying by beneath them, she wasn’t afraid this time. She felt perfectly poised and balanced in the saddle as they caught up with Onyx and galloped neck-and-neck across the meadow.

  “I cannot believe you’re the same person who was riding her last week,” he admitted when they reached the pines and slowed to a walk.

  Rebecca’s cheeks were flushed from the thrill of their gallop. “You know, for someone who never gives compliments, you’ve given me three in the past ten minutes.”

  He shrugged as he leaned over to pat Onyx’s neck. “Anyone who can make my father smile deserves commendation.”

  Somehow that remark meant more than the others. “How is he, by the way?”

  “As well as can be expected.” He met her gaze again. “You should stop by to see him sometime.”

  She was taken aback. “R-really?”

  “Yes, really. It would mean a lot to him.”

  Her heart melted at the thought of the humble old man. “I will, then, if it’s alright with you.”

  “I’m the one that’s asking, aren’t I?”

  They reached the rear property fences and began the inspection, searching for any loose boards or missing barbed wire. Rebecca held the horses while Alec dismounted and made small repairs where necessary. A cold wind began whipping by in the late afternoon, and the dark clouds creeping over the horizon promised a thunderstorm was on its way.

  “The pastures on the other side seem so empty,” she said as she gazed at the vast rolling hills.

  Alec didn’t look up from the barbed wire he was twisting. “Our neighbors foreclosed a few months back. They sold all their stock and left the area. Ended up in New Mexico, I think.”

  “So where’s the next closest ranch, then?”

  “Place called Circle J, twelve miles north of here. They’ve got about two-thousand acres.”

  “How many do you have?”

  “Just over six.”

  Six-thousand acres. Rebecca turned her eyes northward, trying to imagine what it would feel like to own so much property. She couldn’t fathom owning six-thousand of anything, let alone an endless sweep of the most spectacular landscape she’d ever seen.

  Tall stalks of bright red flowers were beginning to bloom, swaying gracefully in the wind. “What are the red flowers called?”

  He followed her gaze. “Indian paintbrush. It’s our state flower.”

  “Oh.” She had no clue what the state flower of Massachusetts was. It startled her to realize that she hadn’t even thought of home in several days.

  At the sound of distant thunder, Alec stood and removed his gloves. “That’ll have to do for now. We’ll come back tomorrow and finish the rest.”

  After spending the afternoon with him, that thought no longer troubled her. She helped him gather his tools and replace them in the saddlebag before handing over Onyx’s reins. They were just about to mount their horses when a shrill whinny echoed across the hills.

  Rebecca froze and glanced at Alec, who turned to look at her at the same time. “You have any horses this far out?” she asked.

  “Not even close,” he replied, staring across the neighboring property.

  He retrieved a rope and coiled it in his hands, and they stood for a minute, waiting to hear the sound again. When it came, they tied their reins to the fence and slid between the wire, striding through the thick grass. When they arrived at the crest of the nearest hill, Rebecca gasped. On the backside of the hill was a small muddy paddock. Trapped inside of it was a sickly chestnut horse, its coat matted with thick, crusty mud. Her hipbones and ribs protruded from her frail body, and her hooves were so overgrown they actually curled upwards. A strand of barbed wire ensnared the mare’s hind legs, and she squealed again as she struggled in a useless attempt to free herself.

  Rebecca wasn’t looking at the horse, though. Her stomach lurched when she noticed a dark shape circling the corral, slinking low through the tall grass. At first she thought it was a dog, maybe a German shepherd. It wasn’t until she saw a second and then a third shape closing in on the horse that she realized they weren’t dogs.

  They were wolves.

  *

  Before she could react, Alec snaked his arm around her and pulled her behind his back. With his other hand, he reached under his long coat and produced a revolver she didn’t know he was carrying. She covered her mouth with her hands, not sure if she was more afraid of the wolves or whatever Alec was going to do to them. The one closest to them caught their scent, lifting its black face and staring at them with menacing yellow eyes. It was no more than fifty feet away.

  Rebecca’s heart was exploding inside her chest. Despite their dangerous predicament, she didn’t want to watch the animal die.

  “Please don’t shoot it.”

  Her request was so choked that she didn’t know if he heard her. When he cocked the gun, she cringed and turned her face away. He fired a shot that echoed long and loud across the hills, and only seconds later, fired again. When she dared a glance over his shoulder, her eyes widened in surprise. The wolves were fleeing uninjured to the edge of the forest, their tails bobbing behind them. Only when they vanished from sight amongst the pines did Alec release her and lower his weapon.

  He’d fired both shots straight into the sky.

  He replaced the gun in its holster and turned to Rebecca. “Are you okay?”

  She was amazed at how calm he was, like he fought off wild predators all the time. Then she remembered that he was a rancher and that he probably did.

  “Yeah,” she managed to say, although her legs were still trembling. The closest she’d ever seen to a pack of wolves was the occasional stray dog trotting down the street.

  Alec turned his attention to the entangled horse. “Stay here,” he said, placing a foot on the wooden fence.

  Her eyes darted to the pine trees. “What if the wolves come back?”

  “They won’t.”

  He cleared the fence in one smooth motion, pausing to study the horse. The whites of her eyes showed as she snorted and jerked her legs, trying to free herself from the barbed wire. She shied again and hobbled over to the corner of the corral as Alec took a step towards her. He stopped and spread his palms in a nonthreatening gesture, standing that way for several minutes. Gradually the mare stopped struggling, though she still eyed him warily.

  Alec’s much better with horses than he is with people.

  Allison’s words drifted through Rebecca’s mind as she watched their interaction. He stood motionless, his hands outspread, as if he had all the time in the world to wait for the horse to settle. She threw up her head and whinnied again, stomping her foreleg in the dirt. Alec kept his gaze fixed on the mare, gradually lowering his hands to his sides. Finally, after what felt like hours, the mare released a sigh and dropped her head, relaxing into his presence. He stepped closer and slowly extended his hand to her nose. Then, as if she were any other cowpony on the ranch, she allowed him to lean over and untwist the barbed wire from her legs. Rebecca’s mouth dropped open as the mare stood still, flicking an ear in his direction while he worked. Then he stood and smoothed a hand down the horse’s bony back, speaking words too quiet for Rebecca to hear, before he turned away and started across the corral.

  The mare looked
as confused as Rebecca felt, pricking her ears in Rebecca’s direction. Her heart ripped in two as the horse looked straight at her with the saddest brown eyes she’d ever seen.

  “Wait a second,” she said as Alec hopped the fence. “You can’t just leave her here like this.”

  “I’m not going to,” he replied, setting the barbed wire in the grass and retrieving his rope from the fencepost. “I’ll call animal control when we get back. They’ll come out and take care of her.”

  She’d read enough magazines to know what that meant. “They’ll ship her over the border to a slaughterhouse, is what they’ll do. If those wolves don’t get to her first.”

  He exhaled wearily. “The Flying W is not a rescue farm. I don’t have anywhere to put her, and I certainly don’t have the time to take care of her.”

  “I’ll take care of her.”

  “I’m sorry, Rebecca, but the answer is no. I’ll try to see that she goes to a rescue farm.”

  “No, you won’t,” she retorted, snatching the coil of rope from his hands. “I’m not going anywhere without this horse.”

  Another rumble of thunder sounded as she climbed the fence and approached the mare, gently touching her sunburned nose. The mare gazed back at her with those sad eyes and butted her head against Rebecca’s chest. She wrapped the rope around her neck and guided her over to the rusted paddock gate, then back around to the crest of the hill.

  She knew Alec was aggravated, but she could tell he wasn’t going to fight her. Not this time.

  “Do you have any idea how much veterinary care will cost on an animal this neglected?”

  Rebecca gave him a hard stare. “You can take it out of my pay.”

  Chapter 7

  The journey back to the ranch took five times longer than the ride out. The mare kept stumbling because of her misshapen hooves, forcing them to dawdle at a snail’s pace. They still had a mile to go when the skies opened up, drenching horses and riders in a matter of seconds. Rebecca shivered against the cold rain, wishing she’d brought a heavier jacket.

  As if on cue, Alec guided Onyx over to her. “Here,” he said, holding out his coat.