Cowgirl Up! (11 page)

Sam grabbed one of the Cowboy Cookies and sat back against a log behind them.

“I hear you say you’ve been at the Wilson ranch for over seven years. You must have nerves of steel to deal with Marietta for that long.”

“Oh, she’s not so bad once you learn how to ignore her tantrums. I really like Lance, though, and he’s the one I deal with on a day-to-day basis. He’s solid and knows his business.”

“I thought when you graduated your plans were to attend that fancy horseshoeing school in Kentucky and then come back and start your own business. You also wanted to have your own horse ranch some day if I remember correctly.”

“You have a good memory. I intended to start a farrier business when I finished school. After I got back from Kentucky, I took a part-time job with the Wilson’s and before I knew it Lance asked me to stay on full time. He offered me more than I could make working on my own so saying yes seemed like the right thing to do. It’s been a good learning experience and I’ve been able to save up and buy my own place.”

Sam turned and looked at him. “You have your own place? I thought you lived on the Wilson ranch.”

“I used to, but I bought 500 acres from Lance two years ago and built a log house. You remember Coyote Ridge, don’t you?”

Sam’s eyes widened. “Coyote Ridge? Isn’t that the place where all the high school couples would sneak off to when they wanted to… you know, make out and stuff like that?”

“So you do remember. Yep, that’s the place and it’s mine now. I don’t see too many high school kids now days, but back when we were in school it was a popular place to take a date. Did you ever go up there?”

Sam nearly choked on her cookie but quickly recovered her composure.

“Oh sure, hundreds of times,” She said keeping a straight face. “It’s a beautiful mesa. I remember going up there and hearing the coyotes howl at the moon. It was an eerie sound, yet strange as it may sound, sort of relaxing and comforting too. Maybe it was because I’ve heard them all my life. They’re a part of my culture.”

“They’re definitely a part of mine. You know the ancient Native American’s believed that the coyotes were messengers of the Great Father. I hear them all the time during the night and I always wonder if they’re trying to tell me something.”

“I hear the coyotes at our ranch sometimes. I used to hear them almost every night but now it’s getting less and less. With all the new development that’s going on around the Front Range they’re dwindling down. Guess we’re pushing them up to your place. Did you build your home at the top of the ridge?”

“Yes, right at the top. I can see the world. I don’t have all my fences up yet but I’m working on it. Enough about me. What about you? I didn’t figure you’d come back to Fairview and work for Doc Howard when you finished college.”

“I guess we’re both alike when it comes to ties to Fairview and our deep roots here. That’s probably the only thing we ever agreed on,” Sam grinned. “But, there never was any other option for me. This is home and it always will be.”

Cheyenne nodded. “You got that right. There’s no place else on earth I’d rather be than here. “

Sam leaned over and grabbed another cookie. “Any more threatening notes to the Wilson’s lately?”

“Yep, they got another note in their mailbox the other day,” Cheyenne answered and grabbed the bag of trail mix. “But, other than that everything else has gone back to normal, which is good because we have a very busy summer ahead of us with several big horse shows coming up.”

Sam leaned against the log and crossed her legs.

“You know, I’ve been thinking about this Salmonella business and with all the excitement I forgot to tell you that I overheard a conversation the day after you took
Brio
to Ft. Collins. When I was examining the two horses you thought might be coming down with the same virus, someone was outside the treating room on a cell phone talking about putting something in the Wilson’s mailbox. I think they were talking about the threatening note Marietta found. They even mentioned the syringe Dundee found, hoping it wasn’t the one that fell out of their pocket. That’s how I got the idea to have it tested at CSU. I tried to get to the door to see who was talking but they were out of sight by the time I got there. Of course we know that someone intentionally injected your horses, but have you given any thought that it might be someone who’s around there a lot? Like maybe one of the staff?”

Cheyenne frowned. “I wish you’d have told me sooner what you heard. Did you recognize the voice?”

“No, it was too muffled and I don’t know all your people at the ranch. I’ve only talked to Sarah, Mitch and Jose and all I know for sure is that it wasn’t Jose because the voice I heard didn’t have an accent. It sounded like a man. Have you added any new staff recently?”

“Yes. Suzanne started the first of the year about the same time as Mitch. Jose, Ramon and Alberto came over from Puerto Rico and have been with the Wilson’s for years. We just hired two other young hands a few months ago. Matthew is straight out of high school. He’s young and inexperienced with horses but a hard worker. Frank is a little older and has more ranch experience. We also have visitor’s almost everyday - prospective buyers or passionate horse people. We get all kinds and Lance loves to show them around and give them the run of the place. It could have been anybody.”

“That doesn’t make it easy. Maybe it wasn’t someone working for the Lazy W. Maybe it was someone who comes around a lot. Know of anyone who’s been hanging around a good bit lately?”

“Not right off, but I’ll give it some thought and keep my eyes and ears open.”

“I would love to find the jerk who injected those horses,” Sam said with fervor. “
Brilliante
died a horrible death and
Brio
suffered tremendously. No animal deserves that and I’d like to find the person or persons responsible.”

“I would too, Sam. I wanted Lance to turn everything over to Sheriff Olson and have him investigate, but he was afraid word would get out and the ranch would get some bad publicity so he wouldn’t do it.”

There was silence for a few minutes as they both dwelled on their own thoughts. Sam decided it was time to change the subject to something more pleasant.

“Do you go to all the out of state shows?” She asked casually as she relaxed under the warm spring sun.

“Usually. Why? You gonna miss me when I’m out of town?”

“Oh, I don’t think I’ll miss you all that much,” Sam said nonchalantly.

Cheyenne slowly drank the rest of his wine and stared at her. He leaned back against the log, took his cowboy hat off and placed it beside him.

Sam picked up their empty wine bottles and started to stand.

Before she could get to her feet Cheyenne reached up, grabbed her shirt and pulled her on top of him.

“We’re not going yet.”

His eyes were dark and serious. Sam watched his face as he reached up and slowly pulled her cap off and gently loosened the band around her ponytail. He rubbed both hands through her hair and she melted under his touch.

“Why do you always hide your beautiful hair under a cap?”

His mouth curved as he stroked his hands up and down her arms and pulled her into his chest.

Sam trembled and Cheyenne felt it.

“Are you afraid of me, Samantha?” He smiled and Sam could feel his lips brush ever so gently against hers.

She stiffened and pulled back, but his grip tightened and she couldn’t move.

“I’ve never been afraid of you,” Sam told him defiantly.

Cheyenne chuckled softly as he rolled over on top of her.

“I didn’t think so.”

Sam felt Cheyenne’s fingers move gently across her shoulder as he leaned in and kissed her softly. Then his hands moved down her sides and up to caress her breasts. She moaned as he kissed her neck and then moved his mouth lower so his tongue could tease the cleavage peeking out of her tank top. His hands roamed possessively over her body, and then his mouth came down with a powerful crush against hers.

His kiss was seductive and dangerous. Sam was lost in a world she’d never been in before. In one breath she wanted him to stop, and in the next she didn’t. Cheyenne softened his kiss and pressed his lips to her chin, down her neck and then back to her lips again. When he turned Sam loose, she was comatose.

“Now tell me you won’t miss me,” he said huskily as his hand touched her face.

“Okay, well maybe a little.”

He rolled over on his side and they were stretched out on the blanket face-to-face.

“Who’d of ever thunk it,” Sam whispered with a sultry smile. “Samantha Kendrick and Cheyenne Wells nose to nose and toes to toes making out.”

Cheyenne looked at her darkly. “I want to do more than make out, princess.” Then he seduced her with another kiss.

Sam pushed him back and looked into his eyes. She couldn’t breathe. Not even her yoga could help her now. She felt out of control and wanted to slow things down.

“We have to follow the date rules. We can’t do that until the third date.”

“I don’t follow rules. I thought you knew that by now.”

He continued his feather light kisses down her neck and her heart skipped several beats. He stopped his kisses and gazed into her eyes.

“I want you, princess. And I want you now.”

Sam put her arms around his neck and pulled his mouth to hers. To hell with the date rules, she decided. They sucked anyways.

Things were getting hot and steamy. Sam liked hot and steamy. Cheyenne pulled Sam’s shirt open and she could feel his cool hands on her warm body. Sam liked cool hands on her warm body. Then he put his hands behind her neck and pulled her into another powerful kiss. It was hard and sexy. No surprise. Sam liked hard and sexy too.

Sam thought about the commando thing and her hands shook as she reached down and unbuckled his belt

A second later distant thunder rumbled overhead.

Cheyenne looked up at the sky then down at Sam. “We better get back to the trailer or we’ll get caught in one of Colorado’s famous afternoon thunder showers. There could be lightening, so we better hurry. We’ll continue this later.” He kissed her one last time and then pulled her to her feet.

Shit! What a time for Mother Nature to interfere with my love life! Sam thought. But she knew the dangers of lightning in the high country. She and Cheyenne gathered up the remnants of their picnic and headed for the horses.

The ride back was equally gorgeous even though there were ominous black clouds forming to the east. As they were making their last stream crossing before the rocky climb over the hill to the truck, Sam suddenly felt a jerk and realized her saddle was loose. She quickly pulled back on the reins to stop Dakota but she could feel the saddle slipping off the horse and she was falling with it. Sam hollered to Cheyenne, who was ahead of her, and he turned to see what was going on. It was at that moment Sam and the saddle hit the water at the same time with a big splash. Although startled, Dakota didn’t bolt. He stopped and stood near Sam. Dundee was having a fit, barking and circling around her. Cheyenne galloped back and jumped off
Brio
. He grabbed Sam and lifted her out of the stream.

“Are you alright?”

I… I think so. I just got the wind knocked out of me, but I don’t think anything’s broken.”

Cheyenne slowly put her down. “Can you move your arms and legs okay?”

“Yeah, everything works, I’m just wet and cold. What happened to that saddle? All of a sudden it just popped loose.”

Cheyenne reach down and picked the Aussie saddle up out of the water and looked it over. It was then that he saw that the cinch strap had been cut.

“Damn! Someone cut this strap.”

“Why would anyone do that?”

“I don’t know.” He looked at Sam. “But this is Marietta’s saddle.”

Sam shivered. “So you’re thinking this fall wasn’t meant for me, it was meant for Marietta?”

“Could be. No one knew I was going to borrow it this morning for you.” Cheyenne noticed her wet clothes and shivers.

“You need to get back to the truck to warm up. Here, you ride
Brio
and I’ll walk with Dakota and carry the saddle.”

Sam was wet and cold so she didn’t argue. She quickly mounted the stallion and headed over the hill to the truck with Dundee at her heels. When she got there she tied
Brio
up to the trailer, got in the truck and started the heater. She found an old blanket behind the back seat and wrapped it around her. Dundee snuggled up next to her and gave her a consoling lick on the hand. Sam heard Cheyenne come up with Dakota and load the saddles in the tack room at the front of the trailer. He loaded the horses and then crawled in the truck with her.

“I don’t know if I’m shivering because I’m cold or scared,” Sam told him.

He reached over and wrapped his arms around her. It took several minutes before Sam stopped shivering and her blue lips turned back to pink. She could finally feel her body relax.