On The Run (8 page)

Grace shook her head. “I’ll go myself.” She paused. “Well, did you find any wolves in those hills?”

“Only the four-footed kind. And I saw those at a distance. Kilmer didn’t really expect anything else. He’s just being careful.”

“And you’re taking his orders. Doesn’t that bother you?”

He thought about it. “No. He’s polite and he knows what he’s doing. He paid me a whopping big bonus to come over to his team. He’s got a right to give the orders.” He tilted his head. “I understand he once gave orders to you. Did you mind?”

She looked away. “No, you’re right. He knows what he’s doing.” She moved toward the door. “I’d better get Frankie. Her food will get cold.”

“It won’t matter. She won’t taste it. I remember she had that same look on one of our pizza nights. We might as well not have been there.” He paused. “I’m glad she’s got something to occupy her mind. I thought she might brood.”

“She’s still thinking about Charlie. She’s just dealing with it in her own way. That’s what we all have to do, isn’t it?” She passed him and a moment later she was out on the porch. It was sunset, and the pink-and-lavender-tinged clouds hovering over the mountains were magnificent. “Frankie?”

Frankie glanced over her shoulder. “Nice, huh, Mom?”

“That’s an understatement.” She sat down on the step beside her. “Beautiful. But it’s time to get something to eat, Frankie. Soup and garlic bread okay?”

“Fine.” Frankie looked back at the sunset. “We don’t have mountains like this back home. I bet Charlie would have liked it here.”

“I’m sure he would. But Charlie was all for gentle ponies, not bucking broncos. He always left the broncs to me.”

“I was thinking. I bet he wasn’t like that all his life. He went through World War Two, and that must have been like riding a bronc.”

“Worse.”

“So maybe he only wanted the gentleness when he got old. Maybe when he was younger he wanted crashing cymbals instead of violins, Tchaikovsky instead of Brahms.”

“It could be.” She slipped her arm around Frankie’s shoulders. “Where is this going, baby?”

“I just have to be careful. It’s got to be right for Charlie. Do you remember when I told you I heard the music again that it was just a whisper?”

“Yes.”

“I think it might have been Charlie.”

Grace went still. “Charlie’s not with us anymore,” she said gently.

“But maybe he’s like the music. You don’t know where it comes from but that doesn’t mean it’s not there. Do you think maybe that could be true?”

“I believe anything is possible.” She cleared her throat. “And I think Charlie would like the idea that you’re comparing him to your music.”

“No, not mine; this one is Charlie’s.” Her gaze shifted back to the sunset. “That’s why it’s got to be right. Broncos and gentle ponies and cymbals and everything that Charlie— It’s got to be right.”

“I can see that.” She could see more than the picture that Frankie was drawing for her. She’d told Robert that Frankie would deal with her grief in her own way, but she’d never dreamed it would be with this gift to Charlie. Or maybe it was Charlie’s last gift to Frankie. Either way, it was moving and beautiful and right. “Can I help?”

Frankie shook her head. “It’s coming slow. It’s a whisper, but it’s louder now.” She jumped to her feet. “I’m hungry. Let’s go in and eat supper and then look at the horses.”

Frankie was back in child mode and Grace accepted it gratefully. She didn’t know how much longer she would have been able to keep her composure. “That’s a great idea. We’ll have to do some heating in the microwave.”

“I’ll do it. I kept you out here.” She headed for the door. “I just wanted to talk to you. It makes things clearer. . . .” The last words drifted off as Frankie ran into the house.

Clearer?

It seemed to her that Frankie saw things with crystal clarity. There was no truth like that seen through the eyes of a child.

She glanced at the sunset one more time. It was almost gone, disappearing in a maze of deep purple. There was no longer a wind. At least, she couldn’t hear it. Perhaps it was there, still singing through the pines.

And probably Frankie could hear it.

6
                                                                                                                                       

W
hich one do you like?” Frankie asked as she stared eagerly at the horses. “I like the gray.”

“He’s beautiful. But he’s not been broken, so you’ll have to wait until I can get around to it.”

“That’s okay. I like them all.” She cautiously reached up her hand to stroke the chestnut. The mare lowered her head to Frankie’s touch and neighed softly. “And this one likes me too.”

“Then we’ll have to make sure that you get better acquainted.”

“What’s her name?”

“Kilmer didn’t know. So we’ll name them again ourselves. What do you think suits her?”

Frankie tilted her head. “She has soft eyes and she looks like she knows things. Like that gypsy we saw at the carnival.”

“Gypsy?”

Frankie nodded. “Gypsy.”

“Do you want to start taking care of her in the morning?”

“First thing. May I ride her then?”

“As long as I’m there to watch.”

“Pardon me, ladies.” Dillon was coming down the aisle toward them. “But you’re not going to have to take care of the horses. Kilmer took pity on me and is bringing in some of the team who are familiar with our equine friends.” He grinned. “Thank God.”

“Frankie will still take care of the horse she chooses as her mount.”

Frankie nodded solemnly. “It’s the way you have to do it. The horse rewards you by letting you ride her and you reward the horse by caring for her. Gypsy will have to get used to me and know I care about her.”

“I apologize,” Dillon said. “I didn’t understand. Is it okay if the guys take care of the other horses?”

“Until Mom breaks the gray.” Frankie gave Gypsy a final pat. “Have you named the gray yet, Mom?”

“I’m still thinking about it. Maybe you can help me. It’s a big responsibility giving a horse— What’s that?” At a raucous sound, her gaze flew to the stall at the end of the row. “That’s no horse.”

“No,” Dillon said. “It’s a jackass. He’s supposed to keep the horses calm, but they don’t seem to know that. From what I’ve seen this afternoon they pretty much ignore him.”

She stiffened. “A jackass,” she repeated. She started slowly down the row. It didn’t have to be Cosmo. A jackass’s braying was pretty much the same from animal to animal. “Kilmer didn’t mention a jackass. Did he lease it with the rest of the livestock?”

“I guess so. Or maybe not. He only talked about the horses. Maybe the jackass is a new addition.”

“I don’t think there’s any doubt about that.” She was standing in front of the small gray jackass. “The question is, how new?”

The jackass was staring at her belligerently. He pulled back his lips and brayed, spraying her with saliva.

Damn him. It
was
Cosmo.

She turned on her heel. “I have to see Kilmer. Stay with Frankie and bring her to the house when she’s ready. I’ll see you back at the house, Frankie.”

“Okay.” She turned back to Gypsy. “I think she’s got eyelashes like a movie star. Maybe Julia Roberts. What do you think, Mr. Dillon?”

“I can’t see the resemblance,” Dillon said. “But then, I’m a fan of Julia Roberts, and I wouldn’t want to compare her to a horse face.”

“Just the eyelashes,” Frankie said. “And maybe the teeth. She has fine, big teeth too.”

They were the last words Grace heard as she tore out of the stable and headed for the house. Damn Kilmer. He’d promised her, and there was Cosmo in that stable.

She flew up the porch steps and toward the front door.

“May I help you?”

She whirled. Kilmer was standing in the far corner of the porch, a dim figure in the darkness.

“Cosmo, dammit. Did you think I wouldn’t recognize him?”

“No, I knew that you’d know him right away. That’s why I was waiting for you.”

“When did you get him?”

“I liberated him six months ago.”

“How?”

“It wasn’t easy. I had to wait until they took the horses and Cosmo to the Sahara for their yearly jaunt. They put him out to graze at an oasis when they took the Pair into the desert. I had to grab him and then I had to keep him quiet until I got him away. Damn ass has the loudest mouth on the planet.”

“You could have been killed.”

“I considered the risk worth taking. I wasn’t ready to take the Pair, but I could get their stablemate. Cosmo is the only quieting influence that the Pair would accept, except you. Without him, I’m sure that the handlers are going through hell with the Pair.”

She was sure of it too. “Six months. Then you didn’t lease this ranch for Frankie. You were getting ready for the Pair.”

“I hoped I’d never need a hiding place for either of you,” he said. “But it would have been stupid for me to not take advantage of a place that I’d made safe for the Pair.”

“There’s no place safe for the Pair.” She shook her head in frustration. “I can’t believe you’re going to try for them. Marvot obviously knows you’re coming. He’ll be waiting for you. You can’t do it.”

“I can do it. I just have to take it one step at a time.”

“And Cosmo is a step.”

“A completely obnoxious one.” He smiled. “But a step nonetheless. Don’t worry, I’m not taking any other steps at the moment. It would be too dangerous for you.”

“Am I supposed to be grateful?”

He shook his head. “I’m the one who’s grateful to you. I just wanted to put your mind at rest about Cosmo.”

Her mind wasn’t at rest. Cosmo might be a small step, but it indicated the relentless drive that was pushing Kilmer. He’d even gone to the trouble of stealing the Pair’s stablemate. He was getting ready. And as soon as she and Frankie were out of the picture, he was going to go for it.

And probably get himself killed.

“Fine.” She turned and headed for the door. She stopped. “You told me that you’d taken something from Marvot that made him mad enough to start after us in high gear. Cosmo?”

“No, it was a little more important than Cosmo. One of the items of information that Donavan uncovered for me.” He smiled. “But there’s no need for me to share it with you. You’re not interested in all this.”

“No, I’m not.” And she wouldn’t worry about him. He’d opted out of her life and it was just as well. He was still running around blowing up ammo depots and rescuing kidnap victims and putting himself at risk in a hundred different situations. Her life was completely different. It was centered around Frankie and life, not death. If he was still fanatical about getting the Pair, then good luck to him.

He’d need it.

K
ilmer’s team arrived in a helicopter the next morning.

“Who are they?” Frankie whispered as Kilmer went out to meet them in the stable yard. “They look like—” She frowned. “I don’t think they’re cowboys.”

“I’m sure a few of them are,” Grace said. “Remember? Dillon said they’d help with the horses.” She knew only two of the team, Luis Vazquez and Nathan Salter. The rest were strangers to her, but she recognized the quiet, understated air of confidence that Kilmer seemed to instill in every man he accepted for his team. “That tall man in the orange shirt is Luis. He knows a lot about horses. He grew up on a ranch in Argentina. He was a vaquero. Do you remember I told you about vaqueros and their bolos?”

“May I meet him?”

“As soon as Kilmer gets finished talking to them.” It was almost over now. The men were separating, moving quickly and with purpose as they received their orders. A few minutes later the yard had emptied. “Well, I guess they’re busy now.”

“Not cowboys,” Frankie repeated positively. “And not soldiers. But they kind of look like both of them.”

“No, they’re men who know how to protect us. That’s what they do for a living. You can count on them. I’ll introduce you later today.”

Frankie nodded. “But not now. I have to sit down and work with my keyboard.”

“By all means. I’ll go down to the stable and make sure they know how to properly take care of the horses.” She held up her hand. “Except Gypsy. You and she seemed to get along fine this morning.”

“Yeah.” Frankie’s response was abstracted as she opened the screen door. “See you later, Mom.”

“Right.” Frankie wasn’t seeing much of anything right now. She was concentrating on the music. Grace could already see her mentally toying with the notes running through her mind. “Later.”

Kilmer was coming back up the steps.

“Donavan didn’t come?” she asked.

“I told you he was keeping an eye on Marvot.”

“Have you heard from him lately?”

“Not since we got here. That might be a good sign. I’ll call him tonight if there’s no word.” He studied her. “You’re worried about him.”

“I always liked Donavan. He saved my life once in Libya.”

“Really?” His brows rose. “He never told me.”

“It wasn’t your business. It was between the two of us.”

“It was my business if it endangered the mission. Did it?”

“Go to hell.”

He smiled. “I take it that it did. I’ll have to talk to Donavan.”

“For God’s sake, it was nine years ago.”

“And Donavan always did have a soft spot for you.”

Friendships weren’t encouraged on Kilmer’s team, but it was difficult not to form attachments when you were depending on each other for your life. “Not that you could tell. You had him put me through my paces until I dropped when I first came to you.”

“And you toughened up nicely. I was proud of you.”

And his pride in her had meant everything. She had been willing to do anything, work her body to the breaking point, to get his approval. God, she had been naive. “I was young and stupid. I thought doing well for you meant something. I suppose I had a king-size case of hero worship.”

“I know.”

Her cheeks flushed. “Conceited bastard.”

“Why do you think I had Donavan work with you? We’d have been in bed the second night after you got there if I’d handled your training myself. Hell, I couldn’t wait to touch you from the moment I saw you. I was being bloody ethical.” He turned away. “It didn’t matter. It ended the same way a week later. I’m not one to resist that kind of temptation for long.”

She watched him walk away. She’d always loved the way he moved, every muscle response graceful and coordinated. Now she couldn’t tear her gaze away. God, it was happening again. She could feel the tingling heat in her palms, the shortness of breath, the urge to go after him, touch him.

He looked back over his shoulder. “Me too,” he said softly. “Hell, isn’t it?”

She opened her lips to speak and then closed them again. She turned on her heel and went into the house.

She stopped inside and tried to steady her breathing. Jesus, she didn’t want this. She had a good, steady life with Frankie. She didn’t want to dive into that pool of sensuality that had given her only one golden gift. The rest had been crazy, animal-like need that had made her question her own will and strength. She had wanted to give everything, take everything, and she hadn’t cared about the consequences.

She cared now. She owed Frankie a mother who had the strength to fight that weakness that had conceived her. And she wasn’t sure she would be able to do it if she stayed here close to Kilmer. She needed time to build her defenses.

Christ, how much time did she need? she thought in disgust. She’d had nine years, and the barrier she’d built had been torn down in a matter of a few days. Then start again and don’t stand around and think about Kilmer and how he looked, and moved, and—

Keep busy. She had a horse to break. The gray would make her pay attention to something besides the way she felt.

And if she didn’t pay attention, the stallion would break her instead.

W
hat a pretty boy you are,” Grace said softly as she gently stroked the gray. “You’ve had a great life, haven’t you? Running and kicking up your heels with no one able to touch you. I wish I could let you go on like that. There’s nothing more beautiful than a horse in the wild. It would fill my heart just watching you. But life isn’t always that good for horses. You’re safest if you learn how to get along with us. You can pretend it’s a game. You do what we want you to do for a little while every day. Then you get to go back to doing what you want to do. Fair?”

The gray backed away from her.

“Maybe not so fair. But that’s the way it has to be. And I’ll make sure you’re safe and happy. We don’t have a name for you yet. Shall I call you Samson? He was strong and didn’t want to be tamed either. But you’ll be smarter than he was.” She stepped closer and rubbed his nose. “Now listen to me and I’ll tell you what we’re going to do together. Can’t you feel how much I want you to be happy? You will, Samson. You will. . . .”

I
thought she was going to break the horse.” Robert came up to stand beside Kilmer at the corral fence. “I’ve been watching from the porch and she hasn’t done anything but stand and look at him.”

Kilmer felt a ripple of annoyance. He might have to have Blockman here but he didn’t have to like it. And he didn’t want him hanging around when he was trying to concentrate on Grace and the stallion. “She’s doing something.” He didn’t take his gaze off Grace standing in front of the horse, her lips moving with words he couldn’t make out from this distance. “Haven’t you ever seen her break a horse before?”

Robert shook his head. “I’m not exactly the bucolic type. I never went to the farm except when I was invited for a meal. I know Charlie thought she was some kind of voodoo priestess where horses were concerned.”

“Smart man.” Kilmer climbed the fence and threw his leg over the top bar. Patience. It had been his choice to bring Blockman here. Now he’d have to accept and work with it. “I’ve seen her at one or two truly amazing sessions. Horses seem to understand her.”

“Does that mean they won’t buck?”

Kilmer shook his head. “She says that’s very rare. Every horse hates to have its independence curtailed. But it makes the process very short if they’ve reached an understanding before she actually gets on them.”

“Understanding?”

Kilmer shrugged. “Ask her.”