Imperfect Magic (Dancing Moon Ranch Book 11)

by Patricia Watters

  During the day, however, they saw little of each other. Dimitri spent his time in the workshop, and she was occupied helping Jayne with guests, as the ranch was in the middle of the summer season. But on occasion she'd slip away to the workshop where she and Dimitri would engage in a passionate embrace, while at the same time she'd be mulling over when to tell her parents about their relationship, because as the days passed, Maddy was increasingly more certain that she'd be leaving with Dimitri.

  Her father would use the issue of Jeremy and Billy being in witness protection to stop her, but the family was under no legal mandate to stay clear of Las Vegas, though Mario Moretti's iron-fisted demand held a lot of weight, psychologically.

  On the Sunday preceding the last week of Dimitri's run at the Coyote, Maddy and Dimitri were in the stables, where Maddy had just finished working with Dimitri on the basics of neck reining, when Adam came in, and addressing Dimitri, said to him, "I could use another drover to move cattle tomorrow. It's just overnight. We'll be moving around seventy-five head and I'm shorthanded. One of my wranglers and I will be up front riding point, another wrangler and one of the guests will ride swing to keep the herd moving in the right direction, Jesse will ride flank to keep the herd from spreading out, and you'd ride drag to start with, but all riders except points switch off being drag riders, who bring up the rear."

  "And also eat a lot of dust," Maddy pointed out.

  When Adam eyed her with annoyance, Maddy figured out what this was all about. The family wanted to keep her and Dimitri separated during Dimitri's final off days from the Coyote.

  "Who's riding flank opposite Jesse?" she asked.

  "Probably one of the guests," Adam replied. "I like to give them a chance to go."

  Which meant he didn't have anyone, and he wasn't about to ask her, even though he knew she liked going on drives. She looked at Dimitri, who acted as if he was considering it, and in fact looked enthusiastic when he said, "I'm game to go, as long as it's just overnight."

  "It is," Adam reassured him. "By the time we return, you'll be a seasoned wrangler."

  Dimitri smiled, which made Maddy wonder if he had any idea what he was getting himself into. Catching his eye, she said, "It's a long day in the saddle, even though you don't cover much territory, so be sure to bring something for muscle aches."

  "I don't mind a long ride," Dimitri said. He turned to Adam. "How long are we talking?"

  "Ten to twelve-hours, which includes resting and watering the stock along the way," Adam replied. "But a day in the saddle will help you work up an appetite for steaks and all the trimmings, prepared over an open fire. And in the morning we'll have a breakfast of flapjacks, eggs, bacon and black coffee."

  "Sounds good," Dimitri said. "What should I bring?"

  "A change of clothes," Adam replied. "I have a bedroll you can use, and since we'll only be gone one night we'll wash in the stream, so bring a towel and wash cloth."

  "I'm comfortable with Tut. Can I ride him?" Dimitri asked.

  "Sure," Adam replied. "He's a well-seasoned cattle horse so you can help with the roundup. After that we'll drive the herd at the speed of a walking cow. One thing cattle do well is walk. They don’t go fast, but they go willingly, so basically our job is to point them in the right direction, let them go at their own pace, and sit back and watch the parade."

  Maddy could hardly believe what she was hearing. Adam was laying it on thick, like going on a cattle drive was taking a stroll in the park, and although she loved going on drives for a half dozen reasons, she couldn't imagine Dimitri wanting to do it ever again, after sitting in a saddle and eating dust for the better part of an entire day, which was no doubt Adam's goal in taking him on this little excursion into the mountains.

  "So, where do we go to round up the cows?" Dimitri asked.

  "An allotment we lease from the Forest Service. It's not far from here," Adam replied. "The herd has been there for a couple of weeks and will have scattered some, so we'll go on a cow hunt. Once we round them up we'll move them along logging roads and clear-cut areas, and when we stop for the night you can help us bed down the herd."

  "How do you do that?" Dimitri asked.

  "We sing to them," Adam replied.

  Dimitri eyed Adam with skepticism. "Are you serious?"

  "Sure. We take turns riding around the herd in pairs, moving in opposite directions for a couple of hours at a stretch, while singing. It's soothing to the cattle and keeps them from getting spooked and stampeding."

  "Does that happen very often?" Dimitri asked.

  "No, but I've been at this long enough to know that stampedes at night most often happen because the herd wasn't well-watered and fed before bedding them down, although there's still the unexpected, such as coyotes, or a cougar on the prowl, or a flash of lightening, things you can't guard against."

  Maddy noted that Dimitri hadn't flinched at any of the accounts of the drive, which of course he wouldn't because he was a man who had no fear of freeing himself from burning boxes or being shackled and dumped head first into a tank of water, so a bunch of cows stampeding across the mountains would be just another adrenaline rush.

  "I'm game to go," Dimitri said.

  "Great. Be at the stable at daybreak." Adam rapped Dimitri on the shoulder and left.

  Maddy eyed Dimitri with concern. "Do you really know what you're getting yourself into?"

  Dimitri shrugged. "No, but it sounds like a great adventure."

  "It might sound like that, but in spite of the way Adam described it, there's more to moving cattle than simply walking behind them. It can be a long, dusty, painful adventure for someone who's never been in a saddle more than a couple of hours at a stretch."

  "I already figured that's the reason Adam asked me to go," Dimitri said, "but maybe by the end of the drive I'll convince him I'm more than just a pretty boy in a top hat, that I'm actually a cowboy stud, and if you get me that pair of chaps, I'll know there's a buckle bunny in hot pink waiting for me when I get back."

  Maddy couldn't help chuckling. "Like I've said a half dozen times, you really are full of yourself."

  "I know. I'm a butthead." Dimitri tugged Maddy away from the entrance to the stable and kissed her, but when the kiss ended, he looked at her with affection, and said, "Maybe you'll miss me when I'm gone."

  "Maybe," Maddy replied. "I'll get those chaps and we'll see."

  ***

  Just after daybreak the following morning, Maddy watched from the sidelines as Adam and the others prepared to leave for the cattle drive. Dimitri stood on the fringes, holding Tut's reins while watching the activity, so he didn't see her coming, which gave Maddy a chance to look at him, and what she saw took her breath away. If she didn't know better she would have thought he was a seasoned cowboy. With his Stetson set low on his forehead, and his worn western clothes and scuffed western boots, and now, clad in Jeremy's old chaps, he really was the sexiest cowboy she'd ever seen. Just the sight of him had her hormones rising off the chart.

  Dimitri glanced over, and seeing her watching, smiled broadly and motioned for her to join him. She walked over to where he stood, and after scanning the chaps, she said, "You look like you grew up on a ranch. Are you sure you weren't a cowboy in your last life?"

  Dimitri laughed. "I've been a lot of things, but this is new to me, and I'm thinking I like it."

  "What? Looking like a cowboy stud?" Maddy asked.

  Dimitri winked. "Sure, if that's what it takes to keep my buckle bunny breathing heavy. But I like the idea of sleeping under the stars. I've never done that. I walked around outside last night and couldn't believe how many stars were up there."

  "Wait till you're on the mountain tonight," Maddy said. "You'll be seeing shooting stars and satellites, and once you start watching for them it's hard to get to sleep because you keep watching for just one more."

  "If I can't sleep, it won't be because of shooting stars," Dimitri said. "I'll be wondering if you miss me. Are you sure you don't wan
t to come?"

  "I see you still don't get it," Maddy said. "This whole adventure was set up to keep several miles between us during your last days here."

  "I still wish you'd come," Dimitri said. "At least I could watch you from a distance."

  Maddy looked to where the men were getting things ready and noted that the other guest didn't show, so Adam was still short one hand, yet he didn't ask her to go, which reaffirmed that his motive was to keep her and Dimitri apart.

  "Jesse," Adam called out. "This trip you'll be leading Moses. Can you handle it?"

  "Sure, Dad," Jesse called back, while giving his dad a big grin.

  "Then bring him here and we'll get started."

  While Jesse scampered off toward the cattle barn, Dimitri said to Maddy, "Who's Moses?"

  "The lead steer," Maddy replied. "He'll be the guy up front with the bell who leads the cattle. He's been doing it for years so he knows the terrain. When he heads out, the cattle follow."

  A few minutes later, Jesse returned from the stock barn while leading a big reddish-brown steer with a bell tied around his neck. Tossing the lead line over his horse's withers, Jesse mounted, gathered Moses's lead line and announced, "I'm ready to go, Dad."

  Adam smiled at Jesse with the pride Maddy had seen over the years, which warmed her heart, even if she was annoyed with Adam for the way he'd been acting from the day Dimitri arrived. It was also true what Dimitri alleged. Adam did try to run her life at times, though always because he cared about her because she was, and always would be, his baby sister.

  "I guess we're ready to go," Dimitri said.

  Maddy looked to where Tom, the guest, was kissing his wife, and Adam was in a clinch with Emily, and resisted the urge to wrap her arms around Dimitri and do the same. It wasn't as if Adam never went on cattle drives—it happened every couple of weeks all summer—but he never left without saying his heartfelt goodbyes to his family because, even though he'd been driving cattle between grazing grounds for years and nothing serious had happened, there was always the chance the cattle could stampede, or any number of other catastrophes.

  Adam gave Emily one last kiss, lifted Gracie in his arms and gave her a hug and a kiss and set her down, and just before mounting, hugged Grace. After launching himself into the saddle, he turned his horse and started out, followed by his wranglers, Wyatt and Logan, then Tom, Dimitri, and Jesse in the rear leading Moses.

  As Maddy watched the procession heading toward the trail to the Forest Service allotment, the urge to go was so strong, she shoved all other thoughts aside, and on impulse, decided to join them. She hadn't been on a drive since the summer before, but most of all, she wanted to be with Dimitri, even if it meant looking at him from a distance. Adam would be miffed, but that was his problem. Fortunately her dad left at daybreak to go to a cattle auction so he wouldn't be around when she informed her mother what she was about to do, but that didn't change the fact that her mother would not be happy.

  Walking over to where Grace was standing and watching the procession riding off, Maddy said to her, "They're short a flank rider since the guest didn't show, so I'm going along."

  Grace looked at Maddy in alarm, no doubt because she was in agreement with the others in that Dimitri was to be taken off to the hills, out of sight, out of mind. "I was hoping you could help me with the little ones," she said.

  "What little ones?" Maddy asked.

  "Well, Lizzy and Gracie. They're coming over to make cookies and spend the night."

  "And you've never done that before," Maddy said, with irony.

  "Of course I have, but I thought tonight it would be fun if you joined us."

  "Maybe some other time," Maddy said. "Meanwhile, I need to saddle up and get going." She turned and headed for the stable before her mother could come up with another lame excuse to keep her home. She already had a bedroll prepared with personal items in it for overnight, as they all did, just in case they had to leave quickly for whatever reason, so she wasted no time saddling Blackjack and tying her bedroll behind the saddle.

  Taking off at a gallop, she caught up with the others as they were starting up the mountain. When heads turned to see who was coming, Dimitri had a big smile on his face, while Adam looked alarmed.

  Adam immediately turn his horse, and riding up to her, he said, "What's the problem?"

  "No problem," Maddy replied. "You're short a flank rider and I like going on drives so I'm coming too." When she saw the muscles in Adam's jaw bunch, Maddy knew he'd interpreted things exactly as they were—her wanting to be with Dimitri.

  "You'll be the only girl on the drive, which means we'll have to watch where we're pissing and worry about swimming in the raw," Adam said.

  "I'll stay to myself the way I always have," Maddy challenged.

  Adam eyed her with vexation, but when she didn't back down, he said, "Come on then, we're wasting valuable time." Reining his horse around, he returned to the front of the string of riders, but on occasion he looked back, as if to make sure she and Dimitri were still separated, which they were, since Maddy already decided it would be safest to keep Jesse and Moses between them, acting as on-the-trail chaperones, with her now bringing up the rear.

  So, for the drive her goal was threefold: move cattle, feast her eyes on the sexiest cowboy around, and find a way to kiss Dimitri while stretched out with him beneath a canopy of stars so he'd have one more experience to hold onto.

  Maybe, by some miracle, he'd decide that what they had at the ranch offered more than the Las Vegas strip, though she couldn't imagine what that could be because, in the end, Dimitri was a magician, an illusionist, an escape artist whose future did not lie on the Dancing Moon Ranch.

  CHAPTER 13

  On reaching the pasture where the herd had been turned out two weeks earlier, Adam called out to everyone in general, "Let's round up cattle. We'll start by riding up the opposite side of the canyon and driving the strays down to the creek to join the others, and after we pair the cows with their calves we'll drive the herd across the clear-cut to the logging road heading north."

  Having said that, Adam rode over to where Dimitri was waiting, and said, "Come ride with me and I'll show you how we do this."

  "Am I supposed to give some kind of command to Tut when we find a cow?" Dimitri asked.

  "No. He's got good cow sense. Just loosen your reins, hold onto the saddle horn, and be ready for sharp turns. Your job will be to watch the cow so you can anticipate its next move and stay centered in the saddle. So let's go."

  As they took off, Dimitri felt a surge of adrenaline that was hard to explain, but the open country, fresh mountain air, and cowboy trappings that were beginning to feel natural, were exhilarating in a way he hadn't expected. And the adrenaline kept pumping each time Tut took off to round up a cow, even though Dimitri did nothing, other than try to stay square in the saddle, which became a satisfying challenge in itself.

  Just over an hour later, he felt as if he were immersed in a sea of cattle, with cows bumping against his legs and each other, a plodding, moving mass, with cattle lowing in protest, and the bawl of calves coming from all directions. But amid the sea of noise and confusion there was movement in one direction: forward.

  They guided the cattle up the hillside and across a vast clear-cut area, but when they got to a logging road leading away from the clear-cut, the cattle began to string out, some walking faster than others, so Adam and Wyatt moved ahead to slow the pace, while the rest of them took their places around the herd, keeping stragglers moving along, while heading off any that left the road or turned back. Except for a short calf hunt to unite a cow with her bawling calf that had slipped into a shallow ravine, the morning portion of the drive went without incident.

  About half way to the holding area where they'd be camping for the night, they came to a fenced-in pasture provided by the Forest Service where cattle on drives could be turned out to graze and drink at a water hole before moving on. Once the cattle were inside the fenced pastur
e, Adam announced that they'd be taking a break for lunch, and to corral the horses.

  And Dimitri hoped he'd manage to get a few minutes alone with Maddy, though he didn't hold much hope. It was clear Adam was watching him, and Maddy, and intended to keep a sizeable distance between them.

  ***

  After taking care of the horses, Maddy broke her earlier vow to stay clear of Dimitri, and walking over to where he stood, she said, "How are things going so far?"

  Dimitri looked in the distance, and when Maddy turned to see what had caught his attention, she saw Adam looking their way. "Just ignore him," she said. "He might be a little pissed that we're communicating, but that's his problem. So, are you okay?"

  "Other than wanting to kiss you about every minute, I'm fine," Dimitri replied. "Watching the backs of cows for hours on end got my mind to working out the logistics of a new illusion."

  "That's what you've been doing all this time, working on illusions?" Maddy asked. She'd hoped he'd been taking in the scenery and envisioning riding into the mountains with her and camping together under the stars.

  "Any illusionist who wants to make a go of it has to constantly dream up new illusions," Dimitri said. "I'm planning one that will outdo any illusion Copperfield ever pulled off."

  "David Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty disappear," Maddy said. "That will be hard to beat."

  "Moneywise, maybe, but in reality it was nothing more than a moving stage, with two towers supporting an arch that held a pair of giant curtains," Dimitri replied. "The audience and TV cameras saw the statue only through the arch, so when the curtains closed, Copperfield waxed poetic while the stage slowly turned, and when the curtains opened again, the statue was behind one of the towers, which was so brightly lit, the audience was night blinded. The curtains closed and the stage moved back, and when the curtains opened again, Lady Liberty was there."