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The drive was peaceful, but it also allowed me time to think about Red. She’d been a refreshing surprise, albeit the feisty woman had continued to sass right up to the end. I hadn’t experienced anything quite so entertaining or pleasurable in a long time.
Laughing softly, I rounded a slight bend and heard a powerful boom. Suddenly, a flash appeared in front of my windshield, and I was forced to slam on my brakes. “What the fuck?”
A horse had raced across the road in front of me. I threw the car into park, climbing out. Whatever the loud sound was had terrified the poor animal.
By instinct I took off running. My grandfather and I had been forced to capture many a horse that had broken out of a corral. Pushing my legs, I could see the horse in the distance. Even though I went to the gym nearly every day, it had been a long time since I’d run anything close to a marathon. How in God’s name was I going to keep the horse from escaping entirely?
If I remembered correctly, there was a river just up ahead, the body of water running through several acres of the ranch. I’d loved spending hours fishing and swimming. Also, from what I remembered, there was drop off as well, the steep slope one of the places my grandfather had warned me about. That’s why the additional fencing had been built in the first place. It had been my secret location, a place where I could spend time without anyone bothering me.
I heard yelling from behind me but didn’t stop. There was no time to waste.
“Don’t chase a horse, Sebastian. If you do, they will only attempt to flee. You must coax them back. Use a gentle tone, comforting. It’s like stroking a woman. You need to use tenderness and love or neither one will respond.”
My grandfather’s words suddenly flowed into the back of my mind. When I was within a couple hundred yards, I slowed down, trying to remember everything he’d taught me. I remained quiet for a few seconds, the horse becoming curious as to who I was. “Whoa, baby. Slow down. It’s okay.”
The horse whinnied but was still running.
“Come on, baby. It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you.”
“We need to capture him before he gets to the steep slope.” The deep voice from behind me was close. I glanced over my shoulder then threw out my arm.
“Stop running. I’ll get him.” The two men were obviously ranch hands, both dressed in jeans and flannel shirts, also wearing leather gloves. “What’s the horse’s name?”
“Thunder,” one of them stated.
Thunder. The horse I’d fallen in love with all those years ago had had the same name. It brought back another wave of memories, another ache that I wasn’t used to.
“Who the hell are you?” the other cowboy demanded, his expression letting me know he wasn’t happy with someone interfering.
“Someone who knows this ranch. Just stay back.” I didn’t wait for one or both of them to argue, raking my hands through my hair as I continued walking forward. “Thunder. Come here, boy. I got you.” It was as if I’d never left, the memories bittersweet. Every sound the majestic creature made added to the feeling of sadness. I also wondered what would have occurred if I hadn’t left twenty years before. Would I be a different man?
The horse was now trotting but still getting too close to the drop off. From where I was, I could hear water splashing across rocks, which only added to the danger. The horse could easily break a leg if it tripped over the edge.
“Thunder. Come on, boy.” I gauged the distance, taking longer strides. The horse was still slowing but not quickly enough. I had to make a quick decision before tragedy struck and took off running. At this point the only thing to do was to get in front of him.
“No. No!” one of the men yelled.
I pitched forward, making it a few feet in front of the drop off two seconds before the horse could have misjudged the distance. Thunder turned just in time, slowing then stopping seconds later. The wind was knocked out of me, but the rush of adrenaline was unlike anything I’d experienced in long time. “Good boy.” I leaned over, planting my hands on my knees as I tried to catch my breath.
Thunder whinnied again, snorting as he walked closer to me.
I lifted my head, realizing the creature wasn’t just majestic. He was an incredible specimen, so beautiful he might have just taken my breath away. Moving close, I placed my hand on his muzzle, amazed that it had been so long since I’d been around a horse. Where had all the time gone? “You are a powerful boy, aren’t you? So beautiful.”
“What the fuck do you think you were doing?” The demand from one of the men was enough to piss me off.
I eyed them carefully, continuing to stroke Thunder.
“Yeah, buddy. Thanks for saving Thunder, but we had it under control.”
The second ranch hand was at least less defensive but still eyed me carefully. This wasn’t the way I’d wanted to introduce myself. “My name is Sebastian Cawthorne and I’m the new owner of the Black Horse Ranch. Now, the question is. Who the hell are you?”
I’ll be damned if the first guy and the one that was most vocal didn’t sneer. “We work here. Never heard of you.”
“George. That’s Walter’s grandson. Remember?” the second guy said quietly then pulled off one of his gloves, offering his hand. “Mr. Cawthorne. We’ve been expecting you. Don’t listen to him.”
“Evidently not,” I told him but accepted the gesture.
After we finished shaking hands, he issued a hard glare at his companion. “I’m Luis Santiago and this is George Stanford. We both worked with your grandfather for years. We were so sad to see him go.”
