Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

F rom the corner of his eye, Jake saw Evie jump from the top railing of the fence where he was riding Clementine and head toward him. He turned the horse in her direction, then squeezed his knees, bringing Clementine to a halt. "Am I doing something wrong?"

"Not at all." She tilted her head as she looked up at him. He loved it when she did that, the sight warming his heart and making him want to pull her into his arms. "I think you're ready."

"For what?"

She rubbed Clementine's nose as she studied him. "We're heading out to the summer pasture today. You should see what we do out there, see all the horses and the cattle. It'll be good for you."

It was one thing to ride Clementine around the riding ring. It was an entirely different story to ride her out to the summer pasture. "If you think so," he said, with a confidence he didn't feel.

"I do. You'll be fine. I wouldn't say it if I didn't think it was true," she assured him. "If you'll saddle Spitfire for me, we can go."

Jake slipped from the saddle, walked Clementine toward the corral gate, and wrapped the horse's reins around one of the slats in the fence. Evie followed him into the barn. She let Spitfire out of her stall while he headed to the tack room for the saddle, bridle, and reins.

It didn't take long before he was mounted up and following her out of the barnyard and into the field beyond the outbuildings. He had no idea how far they'd gone, but the house was no longer in view when he turned in the saddle. A ribbon of blue off to the left—the river that wound through Monta?a del Trueno—supported a multitude of cottonwood trees, their limbs spreading out to provide shade. Other trees—ponderosa and spruce possibly, but he couldn't be certain—formed a line of green against the horizon. Beyond the trees, he saw nothing but mountains rising up to the azure blue sky.

He rode beside Evie, admiring the way she sat in the saddle, her hands on Spitfire's reins sure and competent. And the expression on her face! It was a mixture of pride and love and excitement, making her cheeks flush and her eyes turn more blue than gray. She really did love this ranch, loved everything about it. He'd never felt like that about any place, but he was beginning to. Monta?a del Trueno seemed like heaven on earth, but he suspected it was only because she was here.

He followed her through the thick stand of pine trees until she broke free and reined in Spitfire, her gaze encompassing what lay before her. She turned toward him, and his heart stopped for a moment then resumed with a hard thud. She had never looked more beautiful, although he admitted—to himself, at least—Evie, with the glow of the setting sun reflecting on her, was a picture he'd keep with him for the rest of his life, and a close second to what he saw now.

She let out a sigh. "This…is the summer pasture."

It was an effort, but he shifted his focus from her to the vista before him.

No wonder she loved this place so much. It was beautiful, almost as beautiful as her. Grass grew tall here, fed by gentle spring rains and the river, which meandered in twists and turns throughout the field. At least thirty horses, some having been born just a few short months ago, judging by their size, others, a spring or two before, grazed alongside their mothers at the river's edge, and cattle, at least two hundred head, were further in the distance, their constant lowing seeming to echo off the mountains surrounding them.

"I had no idea." Awestruck, he could only stare.

"It's magnificent, isn't it?" She glanced at him, and he could see her pride clearly.

"It is."

She spread her arms wide. "Having the herd in the summer pasture allows us to save on feed. See how tall the grass is? Once winter comes, we'll move them closer, but for right now, we can let them graze to their hearts' content." She smiled at him. "And it's tradition. This is what the Silvas have always done, according to both Serafina and Antonio."

He noticed a tent, a spot of white against all the green in the distance, and finally made the connection as to why not all the ranch hands came in at the end of the day. At least one stayed to protect the herd during the night, except on pay day, when Teddy and his wife, Esteban and Catalina, or Heath and Jenny watched over the herd to allow the cowhands to head into town.

Out in the pasture, Teddy separated from the other horses and rode up to him. "Nice to see you out here, Jake."

"Nice to be here."

Teddy, the man he didn't think would ever become friendly toward him, seemed to be doing just that. Not only had he entrusted him with a young horse to train, but his entire attitude had changed, for which Jake remained thankful. There seemed to be an acceptance in his eyes that hadn't been there before.

"I thought it was time for him to see this." Evie gestured toward the pasture beyond them. "He's done well with his lessons."

"I agree." Teddy nudged Soldier Boy and rode off. "Keep up the good work," he called over his shoulder.

Pride that Teddy should note his accomplishments brought a feeling of satisfaction deep in his heart.

Oscar rode up beside them then, his big, black stallion coming dangerously close, almost touching Clementine. The mare took a step to the side and snorted, as if warning off the other horse. Oscar maneuvered his mount a little closer, just enough to be intimidating then turned his attention to Evie. He touched the brim of his hat with two fingers. "Good afternoon, Miss Evie."

"Good afternoon, Oscar."

Oscar acknowledged the greeting then turned his attention to him. "Shouldn't you be shoveling shit?" he scoffed, despite the fact such a word should never be said in front of a lady. He glared at Jake, his lips curled into a smirk, before he rode off, no doubt in an effort to show off his skills, skills that Jake was just learning. Horse and rider disappeared from view, and it was just as well.

Jake really didn't want to look at Oscar's smug face or hear his whiny voice. Ever since their fight, Oscar had been continually baiting him, egging him on for a rematch. Jake did his best to ignore the man, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. It was just a matter of time before he'd knock the man on his ass again. The day was coming, and in his opinion, it couldn't come soon enough.

Evie frowned, her shapely brows lowering to form a deep furrow between them as she watched the man ride away then turned back to him. There were questions in her eyes, questions he wasn't sure he wanted to answer. "What was that about?"

"We had a disagreement."

"About what?"

"I'd rather not say."

Her eyes narrowed as her frown deepened, drawing the corners of her mouth down as well. "If something is happening on the ranch, I need to know."

"It's nothing for you to wor?—"

Clementine emitted a high-pitched whinny before he could finish his sentence and reared up on her hind legs. Startled, not quite sure what to do except not fall off, Jake gripped the reins and squeezed the horse's sides. Clementine came down hard on her front legs and bolted, like someone had set her tail on fire. Jake bit his tongue as his teeth clicked together from the impact and the coppery taste of blood filled his mouth. The reverberations of her pounding hooves travelled up his spine as the horse headed toward the river at a dead run, jostling him in the saddle.

He couldn't stop her. No amount of squeezing his legs or pulling on the reins slowed her headlong rush. Panic gripped him, causing his throat to constrict. He couldn't yell. Hell, he could hardly breathe. And his heart pounded so hard, he thought it would break through the wall of his chest.

This horse is going to kill me!

Water splashed up as Clementine galloped into the river, blinding him temporarily but somehow, he managed to hang on, squeezing his knees against her sides, praying for her to stop. He could jump, now that he was in the water, but couldn't bring himself to do it, having no idea if there were boulders beneath the surface—boulders that could surely be his doom.

Salvation came in the form of a slim, gloved hand reaching for the reins. Jake took his eyes off the horizon for just a moment and glanced to his left to see Evie right beside him, Spitfire keeping up with Clementine's frantic run.

Strange the things he noticed in that split second before he met his maker. There was no panic on her face, just a grim determination. Her hat flew off her head, revealing a wealth of light brown hair, the sun glinting off the strands of white, making them seem even whiter.

She made a grab for the reins and missed. She tried again and managed to seize the reins from his hands. A moment later, Clementine slowed, her sides heaving as she blew hard. She stopped, finally, up to her belly in the water. The horse turned her head to look at him, like she was apologizing for almost killing him.

Jake drew in a deep breath, the first one in what seemed like hours, but in reality was only a few minutes. His heartbeat returned to normal…or whatever normal was now. He still felt like it was beating too hard, pounding against his ribcage, echoing in his ears.

He turned toward Evie and gratitude filled his thundering heart. "Thank you."

Evie studied him, noticing the paleness of his face, the slight shaking of his body. Fear could do that to a person. Her own hands were trembling, though she gripped both his reins and hers. Clementine's behavior could have seriously injured him. He could have fallen and hit his head on the boulders beneath the surface of the water—some as big as Clementine herself—and wound up with a concussion. He could have broken bones. Hell, he could have broken his neck.

He could have died.

She sucked in her breath as the truth hit home, making her swallow hard over the sudden lump in her throat.

I'm in love with him .

When it happened or how, she didn't know, but she had. "Are you all right?"

Jake gulped in air and let it out in a huff. "I am now. What the hell happened?"

"I don't know, Jake."

His face reddened, his amber eyes almost bronze with fear. "I almost broke my fool neck!"

"But you didn't." Her heart slowed to a steady beat and the constriction in her throat eased. "You didn't fall, either. You managed to stay in the saddle."

"That's only because you grabbed the reins and stopped this four-legged freight train from drowning me."

She laughed. She couldn't help it. Not only was she relieved Jake wasn't hurt, but the expression on his face was amusing—a mix between embarrassment, fear, and gratitude.

"I don't know why she did that. Never saw Clementine act like that before. Almost like she was spooked." She guided Spitfire around Clementine, looking for anything obvious to explain her behavior. She saw nothing out of the ordinary. "Still, you did well, considering you don't have much experience."

"You all right?" The voice came from the riverbank. Evie turned to see Esteban, his face shadowed with concern. Beside him on his big black stallion was Oscar, but there was no concern on the man's face. No, it was more a smirk of arrogance. It was in the way he sat in his saddle, too—shoulders back, chest puffed out. And there was something wrong with his nose. She didn't remember it being so…crooked, like it had been broken and not set right.

"We're fine," she called out as she handed Jake Clementine's reins. "Jake and I are heading back to the house."

Esteban tugged on the Fuego's reins, moving his horse a little closer. "Never saw Clementine act like that."

"Me either, but she seems to be fine now."

"Can we walk?" Jake asked, hope filling his voice.

"It's too far to walk, Jake. Besides, Clementine is calm now. Whatever happened is over, at least in her book." But even as she said the words, she still wasn't sure what did happen. What made Clementine act like that? Had a horse fly bitten her? The pain would be enough to make any horse, no matter how serene and well-trained, rear up and gallop off like that.

Had it been something else?

She glanced at Oscar again. His expression hadn't changed. It was still smug. He tapped the brim of his hat with his fingers and rode off.

She watched him go then returned her attention to Jake. "You sure you're all right?"

"Yes. I think so." Jake gave an embarrassed laugh. "Nothing appears to be broken except my pride."

"I don't think your pride is broken. Not in the least. You should be proud you stayed in the saddle. I'm not sure I could have."

"If you say so."

"I do." She smiled at him, then reached up to settle her hat more firmly on her head, only to find it was gone. "Where's my hat?"

"Is that it?" He pointed further down the river, where something brown bobbed in the near distance. She rode that way, splashing through the water, then bent low and scooped it up. It was saturated, but she plopped it on her head anyway and rode back toward him because he hadn't budged.

"Let's go home."

Jake gave her a sheepish smile. "I'm not sure I can move."

"Sure you can," she encouraged him, though she knew exactly how he felt. She'd been on a runaway horse once or twice in her life. It was frightening to say the least. And she hadn't managed to keep her seat, opting to jump from the horse's back at the risk to her own mortality. "One step at a time. I have faith."

She led the way out of the river, checking to make sure he followed. He did, rather slowly, concentration making his brows furrow and his jaw clench. His hands gripped the reins so tightly, his knuckles showed white.

"Don't let her know you're afraid."

"And how am I supposed to do that?" he asked, with a touch of sarcasm in his voice.

"Relax." She slowed Spitfire, allowing him to catch up to her. "Hold the reins loosely and let her just walk. There's no rush to get back to the house. No rush at all. We can take as long as we want. We'll follow the river. There's a nice path beneath the trees."

She set the pace—a slow, gentle walk, but didn't speak, allowing him all the time he needed to get over his fear, though she did understand why he was afraid.

After a while, she glanced at him from beneath the brim of her hat. He was beginning to relax a little, his grip on Clementine's reins not quite as tight, but there was still tension in his face—his eyes were squinted, focused straight ahead.

Her heart ached for him. "How are you doing, Jake?"

"So far, so good." He glanced at her and gave her a half smile. "I will admit that I can't wait to get my feet on the ground."

"We'll be home soon enough."

As she'd promised, Peque?a Casa came into view, and she led the way past the little house, staying on the path that would eventually bring them behind the bunkhouse. She kept turning around, making sure he was still with her. His face was still a little pale, but gaining color, and his breathing had returned to normal.

I almost lost him! She shook her head to dislodge the horrible thought and dismounted at the fence behind the ranch's outbuildings. "We can walk from here."

"Thank God!" Jake laughed as he slipped from the saddle. He stomped around for a minute, his boot heels making indentations in the dirt. "Nice and solid. I like it."

She opened the gate, allowing him to lead Clementine through, then followed through herself, making sure the gate was latched properly. "I'm glad you're all right. I'll admit, I was afraid for you." She fell into step beside him.

"I was afraid for me, too." He let out a deep sigh. "Any idea what happened? Why Clementine acted the way she did? She could have killed me."

Evie shook her head, her eyes roaming his face. She started to smile as some of her concern dwindled. She'd fallen in love with his gentle ways, with how he treated her as well as everyone else on the ranch, and that included the horses, dog, and cats. He was, in her book, a good man—an honest man, in both his actions and his words, and honesty was such an important thing for her.

She stopped Spitfire in the middle of the path. Jake stopped beside her, giving her such a quizzical look, she couldn't help smiling at him.

"Why are we stopping? We're almost home."

She said nothing as she dropped Spitfire's reins and approached him. Tilting his hat back a little, she placed her hands on both sides of his face and gazed deeply into his soulful amber eyes. "I'm so glad you're all right." She brought his head down and touched her lips to his.

Jake dropped his reins as well and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer, so close she could feel the beating of his heart. Or was that her own heart pounding so erratically?

He broke the kiss but didn't release her. Instead, his embrace tightened, bringing her closer still, pressing her body against the full length of his. "Well, if that's what I'm going to get every time I face death, I'll do it more often."

"Let's just avoid that, shall we? I don't need an excuse to kiss you." And to prove her point, she sought his lips once more.

He let out a long sigh as she pulled away, just a little, his mouth spreading into the smile she'd fallen for the moment she met him.

She touched his face, running her fingers along his jawbone. "Let's go home."

"Yes, ma'am."

She led the way into the barnyard, cutting between the barn and the bunkhouse, then stopped, surprised to see Heath was already there, standing in the open doorway of the bunkhouse, arms folded across his chest, as he watched whoever was inside. She assumed it was Oscar, because his horse, the big black stallion with the fancy saddle, stood next to Goldie, his reins wrapped around the porch railing, his sides heaving.

Strange that they'd beat Jake and her to the house. She hadn't seen him pass by. Then again, she had taken Jake back to the ranch by way of the river to slow their progress and make the ride easier and more comfortable for him.

"What's going on?" She moved a little closer, then brought Spitfire to a stop.

Heath, her easy-going, no-problem-is-too-big nephew turned his angry eyes on her, which surprised her. Teddy was her angry one, not Heath. "I fired him."

"Who? Oscar?"

He gave a slight nod then went back to watching the man in the bunkhouse. A few colorful words, said in Spanish, which she understood perfectly, came from within the building and met her ears. Her face heated. Some of them, she assumed, were aimed at her—if she was the puta of his tirade—but mostly, the expressions Oscar used denigrated Jake. None of it was acceptable. She glanced at Jake. If he understood what Oscar was saying, he didn't show it.

"Why?" she asked, though the way Oscar was speaking right now, the things he was saying about both her and Jake, was reason enough but she wanted to hear what Heath had to say.

"I saw what he did."

Heath's uncharacteristic angry tone shocked her. She'd never heard that from him before. "What did he do?"

Oscar appeared in the doorway, saddlebags slung over his shoulder. His face was crimson with anger, making his thick black mustache and crooked nose stand out, and his eyes…she'd never seen such hatred. She cringed just seeing the depths of his hostility. It seemed to be directed at both her and Jake, though she didn't know why.

"Tell her," Heath demanded as he glared at the man.

Oscar said nothing as he glowered at her, his rage an almost tangible thing. Evie recoiled, moving a few steps away from him. She hadn't noticed that about him when they met, but then again, she really hadn't spent much time with him after that day. She'd told him the truth—she wasn't interested in getting married—and though he seemed to have accepted that, perhaps he hadn't.

Instead of addressing her as he'd been told to do, Oscar glared at Jake. "You got lucky, Hannigan."

Jake tipped his hat further back on his head. A look came into his eyes she'd never seen before, a look that clearly said ‘don't mess with me.' "No, I didn't and you know it, but any time you want a rematch..." He left the statement hanging, an invitation if there ever was one.

Her chest tightened with confusion as her focus shifted back and forth between the three men. "A rematch? What are you talking about?"

None of them explained and her frustration rose. She didn't like it when there was dissention on the ranch, which didn't happen very often. For the most part, everyone got along well enough, though in the past she had one or two ranch hands who just didn't seem to fit in with everyone else. They never stayed long. "Isn't anyone going to answer me?"

Oscar ripped his attention from Jake and focused on her, and again, she retreated from the rage on his face. He didn't say a word as he stepped off the porch and strode to his waiting horse, knocking his shoulder into Jake as he did so. Jake, to his credit, stood his ground. She noticed that his hands were balled into fists though and there was an expression on his face that frightened her just a bit.

She didn't have time to dwell on it as Oscar mounted up, kicked his stallion, and took off in a hail of dust.

"What did he do?" She focused on both her nephew and Jake.

Heath watched as Oscar disappeared from sight and finally faced her. "He took his slingshot and hit Clementine in the rump with a rock. That's why she reared up and took off like she did. Jake could have broken his neck!"

The answer shocked her. "Well, then, you were right to fire him, Heath." She turned to Jake, her eyes roaming over his face. He was still angry, that much was clear. It was in his stance. Was it just the fact that Oscar had tried to hurt him, or was there more to this story than she knew? "That's not all he did, is it?"

"No, but the rest doesn't matter now. I'll take care of the horses." He said nothing more as he led both Clementine and Spitfire into the paddock. She watched him walk away, his steps a little stiff. There was no jaunty swagger right now.

She turned once again to Heath on the porch, his arms still folded across his chest, though his anger seemed to be fading. "Do you know what happened between them? Why there's so much animosity?"

"No, but I'm sure it had something to do with you."

That surprised her, too. "With me?"

"Yep." He smiled at her. "Or maybe it had something to do with Jake breaking his nose."

"Jake broke his nose?"

"That's what I heard. Slick mentioned something about defending your honor. Apparently, Jake didn't like what Oscar said about you."

She turned toward the corral, where Jake was busy removing Clementine's saddle and reins, and her heart melted. He defended my honor?

"You better hang on to that one, Tia Evie." He climbed into Goldie's saddle. "I'm heading back out." He was once more back to his usual, happy self. "Glad your man wasn't hurt."