Cut and Run

by Amy Elizabeth

  Rebecca knew he wasn’t singling her out–he would expect the same of Allison or Roger if they were here instead of her. She didn’t like the idea, but she understood and even agreed that it was the wise thing to do.

  “Yes,” she said. “But only because you asked me to.”

  He watched in silence as she secured the holster around her hips and studied the revolver. It was more archaic than anything she’d fired at the range, but she had no trouble checking to see if it was loaded. It was. With a shaky breath, she slipped it into the holster and rebuttoned her coat, hoping she could forget it was there. Alec gave her arm a reassuring squeeze before he turned his attention to Onyx.

  An excited buzz filled the air when the Holloways mounted their horses and lined up to receive Alec’s instructions. He called out their individual names and told them the position relative to the herd he wanted them to occupy–left or right flank, individual or paired.

  “Tommy will be up front leading the way. Rebecca and I will be at the back of the herd keeping everyone moving. Today’s ride is pretty straightforward–small hills and one river to ford later this afternoon. We ride ‘til noon before we break for lunch.”

  Astride Joaquin, Tommy opened the corral gate and made his way through the dense herd of cattle. Alec and Rebecca joined him, and together they pushed the herd out in a smooth and orderly fashion. The Holloways took their respective positions as the cattle filtered out of the corral. When the last cow was out, Tommy galloped by to take his position up front. He gave a sharp whistle and waved his hat as Joaquin trotted forward, and the ground quivered as three-hundred cattle began moving behind him.

  Rebecca patted Pumpkin’s neck and grinned at Alec as he pulled Onyx up beside her. “I thought you were leading this drive.”

  “I figured I’d give Tommy the chance. He knows the way. Besides, I’d rather ride with you.”

  The morning passed without a hitch. The Holloways were competent riders, skillfully keeping the herd together and rounding up any strays. Despite the pungent smell of dirt and manure, Rebecca was having a blast. They moved swiftly, trotting for most of the morning. Alec cantered back and forth between the rear flanks, ensuring that the guests were in good spirits. The Holloways weren’t the only ones having a great time. When Alec joined her again, Rebecca caught a glimpse of how he must have looked when he was her age, before the strain of caring for his father had taken its toll on him.

  Her legs were screaming for mercy by the time Tommy announced it was lunchtime. Wearily everyone dismounted and stretched, dusting off their faces as they reached for their water bottles. Rebecca took a bite of her sandwich and leaned back to enjoy the view, watching a magnificent bald eagle soar across the cloudless sky.

  How did I get here? she wondered, still waiting to wake up and find herself trapped back in South Boston. Even the thought of Kevin’s threats didn’t worry her out here. There was something very liberating about being surrounded by nature. It was easy to understand why Alec loved it so much.

  The afternoon ride passed just as smoothly. As the sun disappeared below the mountaintops, they reached a wide river, and Tommy motioned for everyone to stop so he could give instructions.

  “You really are letting him take charge, aren’t you?” Rebecca asked.

  Alec nodded. “Tommy’s better at putting on a show for the guests.”

  “You’re not so bad yourself, when you remember to smile.”

  He gave a crooked grin. “I’m working on it.”

  It was slow-going as the herd plunged into the freezing stream. Rebecca gasped and pulled her legs up as the icy water splashed against the stirrups. Pumpkin stumbled a few times as she struggled to find her footing on the rocky bottom, but Rebecca gave her plenty of rein to help her across.

  Tommy reached the opposite shore and waved his hat again, pulling Joaquin into a spectacular rear-up. “Welcome back to Wyoming!”

  The Holloways broke into a round of applause, and even Alec chuckled and shook his head. “Show-off,” he muttered.

  Their truck full of gear sat waiting for them in the wide field where they’d be spending the night. The first thing Tommy and Alec retrieved was the cooler, and everyone except Rebecca reached for the icy longneck bottles. Her eyebrows shot up when Alec approached her and handed her one.

  “I thought you said you’d never give alcohol to a minor,” she teased.

  “There are exceptions,” he replied, clinking his bottle with hers. “Good riding today.”

  While the guys untacked the horses, Rebecca rolled out the sleeping gear around the campfire site. She slipped off her holster and stashed the revolver under her sleeping bag, marveling at how quickly she’d forgotten about it. As the sky grew darker, Alec prepared chili over the open fire while the Holloways relived the highlights of the day.

  Rebecca spotted Tommy on the tailgate and hopped up to sit beside him. “You were awesome today, Mr. Ringleader,” she said, looping her arm through his. “You’re usually so quiet.”

  He blushed. “I was having fun.”

  “It showed.”

  “How was your day?”

  “Smelly,” she replied, and they both laughed. “But I managed to round up a couple strays.”

  Tommy gave her a little nudge. “Told ya you could do it.”

  Night fell while everyone savored a well-earned bowl of chili. A contented weariness settled onto Rebecca as she leaned back against her saddle and gazed up at the starry sky, listening to the quiet chirp of crickets and the occasional snort from one of the horses. She was almost startled when Alec took a seat beside her and stretched his long legs in front of him.

  “Having a good time?”

  “I am,” she replied, trying not to notice how the firelight made his eyes glow.

  He tilted his head back, staring up into the night sky. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

  She tore her eyes from his profile and joined him in admiring the countless stars overhead. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  “We certainly don’t have skies like this back home,” said Theresa, the woman from Boston, as she took a seat on the other side of Rebecca. “So how long have you two been together?”

  Alec and Rebecca exchanged a quick glance. “We’re not, um…”

  “Yeah, no, we’re not…”

  Theresa covered her mouth. “Oh! God, that was stupid,” she scolded herself, and all three of them laughed uncomfortably. Rebecca felt her cheeks burn and noticed in the dim light that Alec was blushing, too.

  “I’m so sorry. I just assumed…never mind.”

  “It’s okay,” Rebecca assured her. “I’ve been mistaken for much worse than Alec’s girlfriend.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him grin and drop his gaze. Theresa shook her head, clearly embarrassed. “So, on a different topic, I board my mare at Rolling Rock Academy in Littleton. Are you familiar with it?”

  “I’ve heard of it. They specialize in show-jumping, right?”

  Alec excused himself as the girls chatted about Boston. A few minutes later, Rebecca heard the quiet sound of a guitar. She whirled around in surprise as he rejoined them, cradling a guitar she didn’t even know he had.

  “You play the guitar?” she asked.

  He gave a modest shrug. “A little.”

  She laughed as Tommy took a seat next to Alec, holding a second guitar. The Holloways fell quiet as the guys began strumming an instantly familiar tune.

  “A long, long time ago,” Tommy sang, “I can still remember how that music used to make me smile…”

  Rebecca and the Holloways huddled closer to the fire, like little kids around a Christmas tree. She was astonished to discover that not only could Alec and Tommy play the guitar, but they were good at it–really good. Alec gave her a discreet wink as he joined Tommy in singing the first verse of American Pie.

  The Holloways began shouting requests for popular country and classic rock songs. Tommy and Alec knew almost every one of them,
and an hour passed in a cheerful blur of singing and roasting marshmallows around the campfire. Rebecca and Theresa teamed up and gleefully belted out Sweet Caroline, a popular song at Red Sox games. At one point Ted grabbed Rebecca’s hand and pulled her up for a silly dance, and the rest of the family laughed as they jumped up to join them.

  Finally Alec cleared his throat. “Alright, everyone, last one. We’ve got an early start tomorrow.”

  Tommy set his guitar down to allow him to play solo while the Holloways resumed their seats. Rebecca didn’t recognize the slow country ballad, but the melody was beautiful and had a haunting, melancholy sound to it. A couple of the Holloways hummed along, but no one sang any lyrics, not even Alec. Rebecca studied his hands and the intense concentration on his face, admiring the skill he possessed to play such a striking piece of music. On the final note of the song, he glanced up at her and held her gaze as the Holloways applauded around them.

  Rebecca awoke sometime before dawn to the whistle of a screech owl. The temperature had plummeted overnight, making her shiver inside her sleeping bag. She sat up and reached for her coat, moving quietly so as not to wake anyone. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she noticed a lone figure sitting on a ponderosa stump, his frame silhouetted in moonlight as he gazed out at the cattle.

  As much as she was tempted to join him, she laid her head on her saddle and considered Alec from afar. She realized that she could be looking at his father or even his great-grandfather, and the scene would be identical–a diligent rancher keeping a watchful eye over his herd. It never occurred to her, back in the hustle and bustle of a big city like Boston, that people still lived like this. It never occurred to her that people like Alec existed in the first place. Something about him was as timeless as the vast wilderness that surrounded them. In that moment she knew that had he lived a hundred years earlier or a hundred years from now, Alec would be exactly the same person he was today.

  *

  “Bec? Time to get up.”

  Groggily she opened her eyes. Tommy was kneeling beside her sleeping bag, his long shadow blocking out the morning sun. “Rise and shine.”

  She yawned and sat up, stretching her stiff legs and glancing over to Alec’s sleeping bag. It was empty, as were all of the Holloways’ bags. Everyone bustled around the campsite, drinking coffee and eating scrambled eggs. Embarrassed to have overslept, she stood and buttoned her coat.

  “Morning.”

  She whirled around to find Alec holding out a cup of coffee for her. “How’d you sleep?”

  “Like a rock,” she replied, gratefully ingesting the caffeine.

  Butterflies swarmed in her stomach when she noticed how handsome he looked in the early light, with his hair rumpled and his face unshaven. Get a grip, Rebecca, she chastised herself, thanking him and heading for the eggs.

  She winced when she mounted Pumpkin, her legs and seat bones screaming from nine hours of riding yesterday. The Holloways seemed to be sharing her sentiments, absently massaging their backsides while Tommy described the day ahead of them.

  “We covered twenty-four miles yesterday. We set a great pace. Today will be just a little slower, since we’re heading uphill for a good part of it.”

  The morning sun drenched the landscape as they collected the herd and set out. Once all the stragglers were up to speed, Rebecca guided Pumpkin over to Alec and Onyx.

  “You know, if the whole rancher thing doesn’t work out, you and Tommy could start your own band.”

  Her joke elicited a laugh. “Not hardly.”

  “When did you learn to play?”

  “My father taught me. We used to play together all the time when I was younger. And Tommy’s been playing for ages, too. He got me into it again a couple years ago.”

  “It was a nice surprise last night.”

  “It gives a good ambiance. The guests always like it.”

  “So does your staff,” she assured him. “You’re really good, you know.”

  “Nah,” he said, but she could tell he was flattered.

  They stopped for lunch at the base of a large hill. Rebecca joined Theresa, where they chatted about her Hanoverian mare and the technicalities of show-jumping. Her attention was divided, though, when she saw Alec approach Tommy and pull him aside to speak with him privately. Tommy looked confused at first, his eyes darting over to Rebecca. Then he patted Alec’s shoulder and gave a little nod.

  With a frown, she excused herself from Theresa and made her way over to them. “What’s going on?”

  Alec turned to her, clearly unaware that she’d been watching them. “I’m going to have you lead for the next hour or so.”

  She did a double-take. “I’m going to do what? I don’t even know where I’m going.”

  “Straight up,” he said, gesturing to the hill behind them. “There’s a plateau on the other side. As soon as we’re all there, you and Tommy can switch places again.”

  Rebecca peered at him curiously. “Why do you want me to lead?”

  She didn’t miss the brief glance they exchanged. “I need Tommy and Joaquin in the back for driving power,” Alec explained. “Just through this stretch. The herd tends to drag through here.”

  “It’s a pretty steep run,” Tommy added. “Besides, you’ll have a much better view up front.”

  He was as poor of a liar as Alec was. She glanced between them in disbelief, genuinely hurt that neither one of them was bold enough to tell her the truth. With a dejected sigh, she turned to go.

  “You know,” she threw over her shoulder, “if you don’t think I’m good enough, you could’ve just said so.”

  She was startled when Alec reached out and grabbed her arm, whirling her around to face him. “Is that why you think I’m doing this?”

  He had never acted this way, so she had no idea how to react. Instinctively she shrank back, giving a little gasp when he didn’t let her go. Tommy could see how frightened she was and immediately laid his hand on Alec’s arm. At last Alec seemed to realize what he was doing, his eyes widening as he released Rebecca and forcefully shook off Tommy’s hand. He stared at her for a minute, looking as bewildered as she felt, before he spun on his heel and disappeared into the trees.

  “Bec.”

  At first, she was too stunned to move. When she finally turned her head, Tommy gave her a pointed look. “This is where the slide happened.”

  *

  Rebecca felt sick to her stomach as she placed her water bottle in the saddlebag. You idiot, she thought, wishing it was physically possible to kick herself. She had no way of knowing, of course, but why would she doubt for one second that Alec wouldn’t have a very good reason for doing something? If her riding ability was the issue, he would have said so, and she would have been fine with it. All he was trying to do was protect her, and she’d thrown it right back in his face.

  Footsteps approached her as she was tightening Pumpkin’s cinch. She cringed and stopped mid-motion, waiting for him to say something. He didn’t, though. Instead he placed his hand on her shoulder, his touch every bit as unthreatening as it always was.

  Why had she cowered from him moments ago? She already knew he would never hurt her.

  His simple touch drained every ounce of tension from her body. Before she could stop herself, she turned and buried her face in the crook of his neck. Alec enveloped her in a tender embrace, curling his fingertips around the ends of her hair.

  “I’m sorry, Rebecca. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “I’m sorry, too. I didn’t know.”

  “You couldn’t have known,” he said, pulling back to look at her. “The truth is, I’ve ridden through here a dozen times since then, and I damn near lose my mind every time. I’m sorry for how I acted. I just can’t bear the thought of anything happening to you.” He paused and glanced up at the imposing hillside. “The front is the safest place you can be. That’s why I want you up there. I’m going to rearrange the Holloways, too, so no one is between the herd and the ravine.”
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  “I understand,” she assured him. “But don’t ever be afraid to just tell me the truth, Alec. I’m really good at knowing when people are lying. And I’m always going to assume they’re lying for the wrong reasons.”

  “Well, don’t worry. I don’t make a habit of it.”

  Rebecca took a deep breath as she and Pumpkin began the ascent up the precipitous hillside, staying well clear of the cliff face. After a day and a half of staring at the backsides of cattle, it was refreshing to have a palette of purple lupine and red Indian paintbrush in front of her. Pumpkin’s breaths came in labored puffs, her blond neck dampening with sweat as she pushed her way up the steep slope. Rebecca glanced over her shoulder to make sure that everyone was keeping up, and to her relief the Holloways kept the herd moving steadily.

  When they reached the plateau, Tommy galloped up to resume his position. “Sure you don’t wanna stay up here?”

  She grinned and shook her head. “It’s all yours.”

  Alec looked relieved as she circled the herd and trotted towards him. “Feel better now?” she asked.

  “Much.” He managed a smile. “Thank you for doing that.”

  They rode in companionable silence across the plateau, walking at a leisurely pace so the animals could recover from the climb. Eventually the plain ended at a narrow valley flanked with ancient softwood trees, and they drove the herd right into the heart of it. Tall branches filtered out the midday sunlight, giving the forest floor a dappled effect. Through the shadows, Rebecca spotted a family of elk grazing between the trees.

  “Would you like to know how it happened?”

  Alec’s question was so unexpected, she nearly fell out of the saddle. She glanced over at him, choosing her words carefully. “Only if you want to tell me.”

  He stared vacantly at the cattle, his jaw tightened. When he spoke, his voice was so strained that she almost regretted agreeing to hear the story.