Big Sky Eyes (3 page)

Chapter 4

A week before the first booked guests arrived the four
wranglers worked from sun up to sundown, acquainting themselves with each of
the horses and the trails of the mountains surrounding them, clearing the debris
left by the winter. They cleaned, oiled and organized tack. They mucked stables
and corrals, shod over thirty horses, de-wormed them and worked them. They spent
time with each horse, assessing its spirit and response to commands. Pairing
amateur riders with the right horse was crucial to the safety and success of
the promised Slanted S experience.

With the days so full there had not been much time for
feeding her newfound friendship with Brent. True, words flowed more easily
since their dawn conference, but they were limited to routine greetings and
work-related communications. By the time the sun set they were all too hungry
and exhausted to do anything but shovel food into their mouths, shower and pass
out.

By week’s end she could already feel her unworked muscles
reviving and the achiness in her back and knees from twelve-hour days in the
saddle began to subside. Despite their daily showers, their clothes and every
scrape of bared skin were caked in a fine mauve powder of Montana dust.
Mackenna found she liked the affects it had on Brent’s eyes, brightening them
so intensely that she was sure they would have glowed in the dark.

She watched him as he approached the round corral she was
sitting upon. He folded his forearms and rested them casually on the wooden
rail beside her, eyeing the six horses within. These were horses that needed
the firm guidance of more experienced riders, and Kelly, Ty, Brent and Mackenna
were each about to select their horse for the season.

“Well, what do you think, Miss Mackenna?” Brent asked.
“Which one appeals to you?”

“Hmmm…” she mused. “I don’t know yet.”

She appraised the stock as the
horses
revealed bits of their personalities and spirit. A thick and sculpted
strawberry roan swished her white tail, roughly whipping the faces of any
approaching animal. She neighed in frustration and stomped a heavy hoof into
the ground as she waited impatiently near a trough for grain. Mackenna
chuckled.

Ty scrambled over the fence with a bridle slung over his
shoulder. Kelly and Leslie joined Mackenna and sat on the top rail of the
corral watching as Ty circled the animals and went straight for the roan. He
stroked the horse’s neck and murmured softly as he inched the bit toward her
mouth with the other hand. The horse was not distracted by his ministrations
and snapped her white teeth toward his hand as it neared. Ty pulled his hand
away just in time to avoid the bite.

“Whoa!” he exclaimed as the onlookers laughed. “That was
close.”

He tried three more times, unsuccessfully. Suddenly, the
mare turned and knocked him sideways with the side of her rump. As more
laughter rose from the rails, Ty jumped onto the fence and leapt onto the
stubborn horse’s bare back. She responded instantly by throwing her head and
jumping around, kicking her back legs then her front. Ty went flying, landing
stiffly on all fours. Brent was doubled over with laughter.

“Well, I won’t be riding that girl,” Ty said with amusement
as he wiped muddy hands on his jeans. “She’s made it clear she wants nothing to
do with me!”

“Yeah, she definitely seems like more of a pain than it’s
worth,” Brent agreed.

“I’ll take her,” Mackenna chimed cheerfully.

“Yeah right,” Brent mocked.

“I’m serious,” she said, effectively silencing all laughter.
“I like a horse with spirit.”

“Spirit is one thing,” Brent countered, “but aggressive
enough to bite is not a good horse. She could be dangerous and not trustworthy
on the trails.”

“She’ll be fine,” Mackenna brushed, jumping into the corral
and grabbing the bridle from Ty.

“Mackenna, seriously,” Brent said tightly. “Knock it off.”

“Shhh,” she said as she walked quietly to the mare, patting
her flank as she approached. She ran her fingers lightly over the mare’s ears,
stroking next down the velvety muzzle. She scratched the area around the
horse’s nostrils as she spoke softly. “You’re okay, aren’t you girl? You’re
going to be just fine.”

She brought the metal bit up slowly, just as Ty had, and
eased it toward the horse’s mouth. The mare instantly swung her head around to
bash it into Mackenna’s, but Mackenna was too quick and ducked, feeling the
swooshing air overhead. Brent was already scrambling over the wooden rails as
he yelled at her to back away.

She ignored him and instead used her left hand to grab the
horse’s snout just above the nostrils and pinched, digging her fingertips into
that soft, sensitive spot. The mare’s mouth flew open wide in reflex and Mackenna
shoved the metal bit swiftly into the opening and let go of the horse,
who
promptly slammed her mouth shut over the metal.

As she worked the straps up over the horse’s ears, she cooed
softly and rubbed the long jowl affectionately. The horse ground her teeth
together over the metal, lapping at the intrusion with her thick, pink tongue
as the chin strap was belted. Brent stood rooted in the center of the corral,
slack-jawed and silent. Mackenna shot him a humored look.

“See? I told you she’d be fine.” She locked eyes with the
mare. “Aren’t you, girl?”

She used the fence to hoist her onto the animal’s back which
was beautifully bowed to fit perfectly with her seat. She wrapped her thighs
tightly around the sides of the mare’s belly and applied pressure with her
knees. A few clicks of her tongue and the mare began to walk steadily where
Mackenna led with the reins. The onlookers seemed impressed but Mackenna knew
better than to think the beast so easily tamed.

She kept her legs pressed into the animal’s sides in a show
of dominance and readiness for whatever would come next. Sure enough, without
warning the mare
crouched
her forelegs and shot her
back legs out in a violent buck that nearly unseated Mackenna. She mustered
every cord of muscle her legs owned to cling to the horse while yanking the
reins up tightly, refusing the mare her head. If she couldn’t lower her front,
she couldn’t raise her back.

The horse switched tactics and began jumping erratically,
raising all four legs off the ground and straining to free her head of
Mackenna’s tight grip. Brent and the other horses scrambled out of the way as
the thrashing pair fought their way around the paddock. Suddenly, she felt the
tension in the reins slacken, giving her just enough time to react as the horse
threw her head back toward Mackenna’s forehead. She leaned back and narrowly
escaped what would have likely broken her nose. The dangerous show of defiance
prompted her to put an end to the animal’s willfulness.

“That’s enough,” she growled to the mare.

She slid her hand down the left rein, squeezing the leather
in her palm until it was near the horse’s mouth and she pulled with all of her
strength until the horse’s head was facing her rear with her mouth just beside
Mackenna’s knee. Mackenna then dug her spurs into the flanks, making the horse
scramble in circles. A cloud of dust spiraled around them as she wound the
horse round and round.

When she finally pulled the horse to a stop, the mare stood
still, panting and dizzy from the ordeal. Mackenna slowly slackened the reins,
allowing the horse to return to a natural position. With her heart pounding in
her throat and her own breaths coming in huffs, she waited to see if the horse
was ready to yield, or if she would battle again. When
neither
horse or
rider moved, she simply asked.

“Are you done yet?”

As if she understood, the horse released one long, gurgled
sigh and whickered in mild protest. Mackenna eased her into another walk along
the perimeter of the corral. The animal was subdued and let her head nod as she
obeyed the commands of Mackenna’s legs, which led her into a steady trot. A
gentle tug of the reins was all it took to stop the horse in mid-step. Mackenna
smiled and leaned forward to pet the horse’s neck and withers. She looked up at
Ty, who leaned casually against the rail with a soft smile.

“What’s this girl’s name?” she asked him.

“Sass,” he answered. Mackenna laughed and stroked the animal
again.

“Of course it is!” she exclaimed. She leaned forward to
speak to Sass again. “Now, just to show you I’m not all-business and no fun…”

She dug her spurs into the horse’s side and urged her at a
run toward the wooden fence retaining them. The horse seemed to know her
intention and quickened in excitement. She bounded over the railing with ease
and to the sound of Mackenna’s exhilarated whoop, only to open her stride and
race across the meadow, sprinkling the air with uprooted wildflowers as she
went. Mackenna laughed into the wind as it drew water from her eyes.

When they neared the tree line, she steered Sass in a wide
circle in front of it until she turned her back toward the ranch. They slid to
a stop in front of the corral and the applauding wranglers. Brent alone stood
stone-faced and serious as she dismounted and threw her arms around Sass’s neck
in a healthy show of affection. Sass returned the gesture with a quick rub of
her muzzle on Mackenna’s plaid shirt before Mackenna released the burden of the
bridle and allowed her to return to the pen.

Kelly was laughing as she playfully punched Ty in the shoulder.

“I’ll be taking
that
five bucks
now, if you please,” she said. Mackenna feigned hurtful eyes at Ty.

“You bet against me?” she pouted.

“Not that you would tame the horse,” Ty clarified, “just the
amount of time it would take. Kelly said five minutes. I said ten.”

“Aaah, I see,” she responded.

“That was freakin’ amazing, Mackenna,” Leslie said as she
slid her arm around Ty’s waist. “I wish I was brave enough to do something like
that bareback.”

“Don’t encourage her!” Brent spat, interrupting the mood of
good cheer and focusing his wrath on Mackenna. “This is not a game and these
are not toys,” he said gesturing angrily toward the horses. “You’re damn lucky
you didn’t break your stupid neck. I hope this is not the kind of fun you
intend to have with the guests. You’re a lawsuit waiting to happen!”

“Hey man, calm down,” Ty said defensively.

As Brent began to argue with Ty, Mackenna narrowed her eyes
and shouted “hey!” rendering them silent.

“Number one,” she began to Brent. “Don’t
ever
call me
stupid. Number two: I would never jeopardize or compromise the safety of a
guest or one of Bev’s horses. And lastly, I would have never approached that
horse if I were not one hundred percent sure I could handle her. So, tell me,
exactly
what
is your problem
?”

“What you did was reckless and careless!” he returned.

“No,” she corrected in a much calmer but firm voice. “What I
did was fun and very much full of care. That’s why I didn’t go into the trees
without a saddle. I know my own limits.”

“Fun?” he nearly choked on the word. “These are work horses.
They’re not for your own personal riding pleasure.”

Mackenna laughed, pricking his temper even more. “You are so
wrong,” she said, “and what’s more, you need to lighten up. Maybe if you
actually had a little fun in your life you wouldn’t hate it so much.”

“Stop making this about me,” he said.

“How about I just stop this conversation completely?”

With that she strode angrily past him, ignoring his red face
and sputters. Kelly walked timidly past Brent in all his fury and then ran to
catch up to Mackenna. She looped her arm around her friend’s and leaned in to
speak.

“What do you think that was all about?” Kelly asked.

“I think that guy is way too full of himself,” she answered,
still irritated. “Seriously, how did
he
become Ty’s best friend? He’s
got zero personality. What a depressing stick in the mud!”

Mackenna was too engrossed in her rant that she failed to
notice that Brent was right on their heels. At her last declaration, he sped up
and stormed past them without
so
much as a look. The
girls stopped, Kelly with a gasp.

“He heard you, Mackenna,” she breathed in horror.

Guilt settled into her stomach like a stone and she winced.

“Damn.”

Chapter 5

For a week Mackenna and Brent spoke only what needed to be
spoken in the context of their work and in all ways possible avoided one
another. She pitted her anger against her guilt at first, talking
herself
out of apologizing on more than one occasion, but it
was not to be borne. She considered herself a generally happy person and could
not bear the rot of negativity. While she felt justifiably angry at him for
patronizing her, slinging insults was gratuitously hurtful and not her style.

She couldn’t understand why the two of them laughed like old
pals one minute and grated like sandpaper the next. She was generally
well-liked and never had this much trouble befriending a person. And she had
never, ever known someone so moody.

The night before their first official day of work was spent
in the usual tradition around a bonfire with plenty of live music, dancing, and
chili with cornbread. Brent had indulged in three helpings of the meal and was
sitting on the ground, his back against a bench while he stretched his legs out
before him and laced his fingers behind his head.

He watched several of the McCrae women and children do-se-do
and clap to the sounds of plucking guitar strings and fiddles. Kelly flung her
curls around and swayed her hips for his benefit, he knew. She laughed wildly
and did everything to flatter herself and her features. She was good, he
thought to himself, but it was the fact that she was good that put him off. She
tried too hard, and that didn’t appeal to him. He didn’t like being pursued. He
wanted to be the pursuer. He decided that he could appreciate her beauty without
succumbing to it.

Mackenna watched him eye her best friend and felt an
unfamiliar sadness that she neither understood nor indulged. She had never
begrudged Kelly her beauty or her male conquests and she wasn’t about to start
now. The only thing she wanted from Brent was his friendship, she told herself,
but even as she admired his relaxed profile from her place near the food table,
the sudden rush of heat to her throat and cheeks told her it wasn’t altogether
true.

His hardness and his masculinity tugged at her physical
awareness. Before then she’d only been surrounded by the middle-aged men of her
father’s acquaintance and the scrawny pock-marked boys of high school. Here was
a man in the middle and even when his words infuriated her she couldn’t stop
herself from admiring the slight slant of his bright eyes when he narrowed them
at her, the firm line of his jaw when he clenched his teeth, or even worse, the
relaxed sensuality of his lips when he smiled.

Everything about him spoke of a quiet and serious strength,
yet she swore she detected a sadness masquerading as determined disinterest.
She found herself wondering what events in his life made him the man he was.
She filled two bowls with steaming apple cobbler and headed toward him to mend
the damage she’d created. He looked up at her when she stood by his side. There
was no hostility, only curiosity in his face.

“What’s that?” he asked, nodding toward her hands. She
reached a bowl down to him.

“A peace offering,” she said meekly. He raised his eyebrows
slightly.

“Is there not peace between us?” he asked, somewhat
confusedly.

It was her turn to be confused. “Well…I…” she stammered. “I
thought you were still mad at me for that day with Sass.”

“Why would you think that?”

She was stunned.

“Well…you haven’t really spoken to me since, not that I
would blame you. What I said was rude and unforgiveable, but you embarrassed me
and scolded me like a child!”

He said nothing for a long moment, but his mouth curved up
at the corners in that soft smile that made her knees weak. He finally
chuckled, relaxing his head further into his hands.

“Have you been stewing over this for the past week?” he
laughed. “God, girl, please tell me you believe my skin is thicker than that!”

“But...” she stuttered
,
her eyes
going as wide as her cheeks were red. “Even you said you stew! If you’re not
mad, why have you been ignoring me?”

“I haven’t been ignoring you, Mackenna. I’ve been busy. We
all have.”

She opened her mouth but no sound came out. Had she really
worked nothing up into something? She huffed a few times in embarrassed
amazement while Brent continued to chuckle. She thrust the bowl toward him.

“Take this thing out of my hands before I’m tempted to dump
it on your head!”

He laughed, a deep rumbling sound, and reached up to grab
her wrist. He tugged her down to the ground to sit beside him then took the
bowl from her.

“Wow,” he said through bites. “I had no idea how hard you
are on yourself. I’ll have to keep that in mind for future fuel.”

“Oh, shut up,” she said.

“Careful. Don’t say something that’ll make you feel bad
later.”

She laughed. “Well, I’m glad that you’re not mad at me, but
even still I want to apologize for what I said. It’s not like me to sling
insults.”

“You said nothing insulting. You stood up for yourself and you
made some good points. I respect that,” he returned. “I need to apologize for
calling you stupid.”

“Yes, you do,” she agreed. “But you calling me stupid is
nothing compared to me calling you a depressing stick in the mud with no
personality.”

His spoon stopped in mid-air, halfway to his mouth and his
smile faded into a straight line. He looked squarely at her.

“When did you say that?” he asked.

“What do you mean when did I say that?” she replied
uneasily. “You were standing right behind me and Kelly when I said it.”

He stared at the cobbler in his bowl and then harrumphed.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” he mused. “No wonder you’ve been all
tied up in knots.”

Mackenna finally understood and cursed herself. “You mean
you didn’t hear me?” she asked, horrified.

He looked at her and with more
smile
in his eyes than his mouth, slowly shook his head without a word. She groaned
and dropped her face into her hands.

“Oh man!” she said, her voice garbled through her sweaty
palms. “I really know how to screw things up, don’t I?”

Brent laughed softly to himself before he asked, “Is that
really what you think of me?”

“NO!” Her head shot up as she said it. “That’s why I’ve been
feeling horrible about it. I could have sworn you heard me and it’s been eating
me up.”

“Why?” he laughed. “If that’s what you feel, why would you
regret it?”

“Because it’s mean-spirited and juvenile
and…and not at all what I feel.
I was just mad at you.”

“We were both mad,” he said. “It’s over. Let it be over. You
read too much into things. This isn’t the kind of stuff I stew over.”

“Wow,” she breathed and shook her head in wonder while Brent
filled his mouth with cobbler.

“What?” he asked.

“I just feel so…”

“So what?”

She looked at him and said with a laugh. “Stupid.”

He chuckled and set his bowl down. “Tell you what, let’s
make a deal. No more name-calling.”

“Deal,” she agreed heartily.

“So, are you ready for tomorrow?”

“Oh, yes,” she said excitedly. “That’s when the real fun
starts.”

He cringed and she shoved his shoulder playfully with hers.

“It’s not as bad as you think,” she said. “Some of my best
memories are on this mountain.”

“Mine, too,” he agreed and then stared into the fire as a
shadow fell over his features.
“Some of my worst, too.”

Mackenna’s heart lurched at the sadness she saw in his features.

“How so?” she asked softly.

Her voice brought him back to the moment and he smiled away
the shadow.

“It’s not a nice story,” he said in a tone both friendly and
firm, letting her know that he’d say no more. So, she discarded her curiosity.
It was none of her business anyway.

“Well, I’m sorry to hear it,” she said genuinely and
returned to her cobbler.

He believed her. More than that, he was grateful that she
didn’t pry. That restraint fed an already growing respect and fondness for her.
She was good people and far more mature than any seventeen-year-old had a right
to be. With Ty more than wrapped up in his infatuation with Leslie, Brent had
expected to spend the summer on his own, socially, but more and more the idea
of pal-ing up with Mackenna appealed. She was a straight-shooter with a good
heart and a solid work-ethic. They had much in common that way, and while
Kelly’s constant attention toward him was a major stroke to his ego, such
fawning grated him by the end of the day.

He didn’t feel like he could be himself around Kelly for
fear that she would misinterpret any of his actions as encouraging her pursuit.
He didn’t like having to measure his every word or look and that’s what he felt
like he had to do with her. Around Mackenna he was comfortable and relaxed,
except when he was infuriated. The thought amused him and he smiled to himself.
He was either completely at ease or completely wrapped up in a rage with her.
She was just like a sister.