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Owen
Under a darkened sky, I watch as the last of the ranch hands head to settle into their homesteads for the evening, I stay at the makeshift stable waiting for Trent to reappear. Smiling, I feel like a good seed is set in Elizabeth’s head to work with.
He sneaks up beside me and taps my shoulder causing me to jump out of my skin. He has a way of scaring me like no other. As I will my heart to settle so that I can hear Trent whisper, I take a couple of deep breaths. “One day, you're gonna get payback for all of the scaring you’ve had the fun of perpetrating.”
He stands beside me, checking out the land and offers me a thermos of hot coffee. I take a drink and spit it to the side, “You and your damned sugar addiction. If I don’t get you, the sugar will.”
“Speaking of perpetrating, any sign of you know who?” he asks me, whispering closer to my ear. His hot breath sends shivers of pleasure down my spine as the goosebumps begin to march across my skin.
Not now, Owen. There’ll be time for that later. Once we catch this old vengeful biddy. “Not yet.”
I clear my throat and speak a little louder, “Well, seein’ as how everyone has gone in for the night, perhaps I should go in too.”
“Yeah, I’ll turn in as well,” Trent says, winking at me in the dim light. “At least we’ll be close by if anything happens to the horses.”
Trent and I walk to the homestead and go inside, banging the screen door loudly as we enter. I close the wooden door behind us and Trent says, “Let’s sneak out the side door and find Kelly.”
“Okay,” I agree. “Lead the way, tribal Indian warrior, defender of the ancient lands.”
I start to laugh at my own sense of humor and Trent whirls around quickly, “Knock it off. I’m liable to scalp you!”
I wiggle my fingers and say, “Oooh!”
We both laugh as we head out the side door that leads to a path less traveled by any of the workers on the ranch. To include one Mrs. McNally. This trail happens to lead to the back of the field where Trent and I found the clipped fence.
Under the honeysuckle, dressed in army gear from head to toe, is Kelly waiting to ambush the crazed and vindictive woman. “Hey guys,” she whispers, having a scope on the ground, trained on the spot where the fence is repaired. She looks through it, checking to see if anything is happening. “All clear so far.”
We get down on our bellies on either side of her and keep her company while the action plan is underway.
“Are you sure the camera that oversees this area is on and recording?” asks Trent.
“Of course, silly!” Kelly whispers an admonishment to him, checking the scope again.
Trent rolls on his back looking up at the stars. “You know, Owen, we have a beautiful piece of land here. Peaceful, well until someone blows up your barn and pisses you off royally. Did you know that a small ravine runs right behind us?”
“No,” I say as I roll over to my backside. I can feel the cool earth beneath me and the damp smell adds a chill. But the chill keeps me up, knowing that this could be a long night possibly and I need to be ready for anything that happens. “I bet it’s nice to hear the babbling of the water over the rocks, huh?”
“Yeah,” he says with a sigh. “It’s peaceful and I go there when I’m all worked up to think and set my mind straight.”
Kelly turns, looking at him from her side, “Is that where you went one night, when we couldn’t find your sorry ass?” she whispers.
“I’ll tell you who has a sorry ass,” he banters, “Elizabeth is about to have a sorry ass when we catch her tonight.”
She checks the scope once more and then turns on her back too, looking up to the heavens and the light that shines forth from the moon. Tonight is a beautiful night and I’m grateful to be spending it with my two most favorite people on the face of this planet.
Even if we’re staking out a possible criminal act.
“What do you want to be when you grow up, guys?” Kelly asks and slightly giggles. “When I was younger, I thought that I could be a trapeze performer at a circus.”
I get up on one elbow, staring at her through the darkness. “You? A trapeze artist?” I chuckle at the notion seein’ as how I couldn’t see her any other way except in law enforcement.
“Seriously?” Trent questions her and then adds, “But the way you bend and move gives credence to your foolishness,” he teases her. “I wanted to be a pro skateboarder.”
“Yeah!’ I point over to him, “I remember your collection. You had what, four boards? You were damned good on them, that’s for sure.”
“Yeah, but now I’m just a lonely ‘ole cowboy,” he pretends to pout as he sighs.
“You? A lonely cowboy?” Kelly teases. “You always seem to be the star of the show, the grand ringmaster!”
