The Taming (The Black Thunder Series) (25 page)

“You’re mine, Kate,” he shouted. “I’ll decide when it’s time, and it’s time. You belong to me, only to me. You got that, baby?”

“Why you bastard!”  Kate stepped back and stared at him in disbelief
. “You don’t want me. You want to possess me.”

“So what’s wrong with that?” He took hold of her
. “You like our little game.”

“Because it’s not a game,”
she cried and pulled away. “Not to me it isn’t. Tell me Jack, what happens when you grow tired of the game? I’ll tell you what happens. You move on to your next conquest, and I’m left to pick up the pieces. I won’t do it again. I’m not strong enough.”

“That’s bullshit,” he raged.

“I’ll make it easy for you,” she said as a sob caught in her throat. “I’m leaving, Jack. I’m moving out. Have Mark forward my things to Clara’s.”

Before Jack could respond, Kate ran away heading for the carriage house
. Jack just stood there repeating her words over and over again in his mind.
I’m leaving Jack
…the words struck him like someone had run a knife through his heart. He knew he should let her go. She didn’t deserve to be hurt again, but something inside him could not let that happen. He couldn’t let her go, just as he couldn’t stop breathing. “Shit!” he hollered and ran after her.

Kate ran as fast as she could
. She needed to be anywhere but on the ranch. She didn’t care that she was making a spectacle of herself passing by one of the ranch hands, blubbering like a stupid idiot.

She heard Jack calling her name, shouting it as it echoed in her ears
. All she could think about was getting to her car so she could drive far away from this place and him. She didn’t want him to catch up to her for she was too emotional for another confrontation. She made it to her car and quickly climbed in. But it was too late. Jack caught up and clung to the door.

“Kate, you’re not going to Clara’s,” he said in between gasps trying to catch his breath.

“You can’t stop me.” She slammed the door closed almost taking his fingers with it. She fumbled for her keys lying on the driver’s floor. She took the key and put it into the ignition.

“Dammit Kate,” he said with frustration as he leaned in through the open window and grabbed the keys from the ignition
. “You’re not going,” he said temper flaring. “Now get out of the car.”

“Give me back my keys,” said Kate through angry tears
.

“No,” he said as he tucked the keys into the pocket of his jeans
. He opened the car door and waited for her to get out. Kate burst into tears and slammed her hands on the wheel. It was all too much for her to handle, first her crazy conversation with Clara, and now Jack flipping her inside and out. She shook her head and wept.

Jack waited patiently for her to finish her meltdown
. After several minutes, her outburst subsided. Kate laid her head back against the headrest and just stared out the front window. She breathed in, then released a deep sigh exhaling the remaining chaos from her body.

She shifted in her seat, placing her foot on the ground and climbed from the car
. She didn’t look at Jack, she couldn’t with defeat washed all over her face. She walked around the car and started to head for the foothills. She needed time to think, time alone to pull herself together.

“Where are you going now
?” Jack called to her.

She ignored him
. He knew where she was going, and he wanted to go with her, but at the moment he thought it would not be the best move on his part. He knew it was not safe for her to wander the foothills alone unprotected, but he could tell she was in no mood for company, especially his company. He would wait for her right here and give her time to calm down. Jack watched as Kate disappeared along the ridge of the foothills.

She made her way along the ridge and into the canyon as buckets of tears poured down her face
. She had made the most grievous error in her life becoming connected with Jack McBride. She thought her life couldn’t get any worse after her marriage crumbled, but she was wrong, so dead wrong that she feared she would never recover. She had packed what little she had left of her broken life in Santa Cruz and moved to Nevada. Now everything she owned was gone, carted away in some truck and placed in storage she didn’t know where. He had the last of her treasures and was holding it hostage, ransoming it at the price of her body and soul. Jack was playing a dangerous game whether he knew or not, but it wasn’t a game to Kate. Her heart was on the line. How could she not feel something toward a man she slept with night after night, kissing her, holding her, making love to her? Her investment would bring nothing but despair in the end when he grew tired and bored of the game.

Kate didn’t know how long she
’d been walking. Too consumed in her grief, she did not pay attention to her surroundings. She emerged from the canyon and onto the flat open range. She saw a group of wild horses grazing in the distance. They did not seem to notice the distressed woman entering the open field, all except for one.

Sensing an intruder, his ears perked back and his head lifted, darting back and forth
. His nostrils flared, and a snort escaped his mouth as he caught her scent. He released a cry as if he were commanding his herd to remain still, then with the majesty of a dark prince, he trotted in the direction of the woman.

Kate stopped walking when she saw Black Thunder
. Their eyes met though they were a distance apart. Kate wasn’t sure if she should be afraid being so vulnerable out in the open. She heard Jack’s voice in her head telling her she needed to be careful when in the foothills alone but something inside her whispered that she was not alone.

Black Thunder made his way toward her like he was greeting an old friend
. His long dark mane blew to its side, by the common wind’s usual arrival, just before the sun set over the western horizon. His pace slowed as he approached and he came to stop before her then with the black of his nose, he nudged her hand beckoning her to stroke him.

“Hello again, my friend,” said Kate as she rubbed the side of his
long strong face. “It’s been a while.”

He seemed to sense her sadness as he lowered his head
. She gently rubbed him as tears ran down her face. He nuzzled closer, burying his nose in her belly. Kate laid her head along the bridge of two ears and wept aloud.

“What am I going to do?” she whispered.

The thought of this wild creature comforting her made her cry harder. What was this silent bond between them? Kate felt like they understood in spirit, sensing each other’s thoughts and feelings like a silent language.

And then the great animal did the unexpected
. He took a step back and lowered his front legs to the ground as if he were bowing before her. He released a whinnying sound and motioned to her with his head. Kate sensed what he was offering. With her hand against his course skin, she ran it along his mane and to his back. She hesitated momentarily, then bent her legs and slid onto the animal’s back lying against the firm strength of muscles beneath her. She closed her eyes and stroked his sides. She felt so small, like a caterpillar cocooned against this enormous creature.

All of her energy left her body
. She felt so tired. The stallion steadied himself, maintaining his position as if he was providing rest to her weary soul. Kate closed her eyes. She could have easily fallen asleep if she wanted to.

As she rested, all her troubles seemed to wash away
. Her soul stilled and peace eased its way inside. She released a ragged sigh and the last of her tears. Nothing seemed important to her anymore except for this mystical moment. It felt sacred, her heart beating rhythmically against the animal’s back.

As she lay there Kate began to find her way back, feeling her balance return
. Moments of clarity filled her soul and she felt back in control of body and mind.

The wind blew again and Black Thunder’s ears perked up
. He lifted his nose in to the air as if he smelled another presence. He bucked his head up and down, warning the resting woman on his back.

“What’s wrong, boy?” Kate lifted her head and looked at Black Thunder
. She scanned the range of hills looking for something that alerted his senses. She saw nothing unusual, but knew by the way the black stallion was reacting that there was something definitely out there that she could not see.

Kate slid from his back and stood
. Black Thunder bolted to his feet. He reared his head and snorted a trail of wet steam. He became skittish and stepped back, digging his hoof in the ground.

“What’s wrong?” she asked again seeing the return of the animal’s strength and power
. Kate stepped back and it was then she saw him.

Jack emerged from the canyon and headed for the upper range
. His head turned in Kate’s direction when he heard the male war cry that only Black Thunder made. He saw Kate step back as the wild stallion reared up on his hind legs and kick his hooves madly in the air.

“Kate!” he shouted, panic consuming him in fear she was about to be trampled.

Jack withdrew his pistol from his holster and fired a warning shot in the air. It worked. The animal began to run with great speed back to the range and away from Kate. Dazed by the sound of gunfire Kate jumped back. She lost her footing and went barreling backward and landed with a thud on the ground.

A pain shot up her back and
she couldn’t move. Bright colors of green, red, and blue flooded her vision then broke up into tiny pieces like stars.

Jack holstered his gun and ran toward her
. “Kate, are you all right?” He dropped to the ground beside her. Panic shone on his face.

“I can’t move,” she choked
. “And I can’t breathe.”

Jack slid his arm underneath her and along her back
. “Can you feel my hands?” he asked with growing concern.

“Yes, damn it,” she growled.

“I think you just got the wind knocked out of you,” he sighed with relief. “Can you sit up?”

“I think so
.” She grunted.

Jack reached for her hand and lifted her slowly into a sitting position
. He saw a small stain of blood soaking through her camisole. He lifted the back of the thin material and saw a quarter size gash on her back.

“What are you doing?”
She sputtered and tried to nudge him away with her shoulder. An aching pain swept across between both blades.

“Hold still,” he commanded as he completed a more thorough investigation
. “You got a mighty good gash on your back, and some bruising. You’re probably going to be sore for a few days.”

“I’ll be fine,” said Kate as Jack lowered her top.

“You’re lucky, he could have trampled you to death instead of pushing you back.” He scolded her.

“He didn’t push me, I tripped
. Besides, none of this would have happened if you hadn’t startled him.”

“So now it’s my fault?” His eyes narrowed and stared at her with disapproval.

“We were doing just fine before you showed up,” Kate stated as she took Jack’s arm. “He’s really very gentle.”

“Are we talking about Black Thunder
? The one who has been known to trample men, break corrals, and steal horses?” Jack gave her a wary look.

“He’s different with me,” Kate tried to stand up
. Jack placed his arm under hers and lifted her to her feet.

“He’s wild, Kate, and unpredictable,” Jack needed for her to understand the ways of nature
. She placed her hands on her back and tried to stretch the soreness from it. “Black Thunder is not tame like the horses on our ranch,” he continued. “He’s got the heart of a savage. Just look into those black eyes of his and you can see that horse is crazy.”

“He’s not crazy,”
she said defending the stallion. “I know he’s wild, but around me he’s gentle.”

“Maybe he thinks you’re one of his mares,” Jack released a chuckle
. “I’m not about to share you, baby, especially with a horse.”

“You have a way with words
.” She rolled her eyes, but then a smile curved upward.

“Listen to me Kate, I don’t want you coming up here alone anymore.” She saw the seriousness on his face
. “You don’t understand the ways of nature. I know you think he’s beautiful, but he can be violent too. Black Thunder does what nature has instilled him to do. It’s natural for him to gather and mate with mares.”

“Then why get so mad at him if he is doing what comes naturally
?” She was trying to understand Jack’s thinking.

“Because he’s destructive,” stated Jack
. “Three days ago he stole a mare from Sterling’s ranch and injured one of his hands pretty good too. We don’t want to hurt him, but sometimes a man needs to sacrifice nature to protect its own.”

“You’re not going to kill him
?” Kate gasped as she finally understood what Jack was telling her.

“I may not have a choice
. I would have tried today if you weren’t so close to him.”