Spirit Horses (31 page)

“What is it?” asked Tara.

“This is what a sixty-four-thousand-pound thumper
truck does,when they use it to look for oil.”

“How does it tell them if oil is here?” Tashawa
wondered.

“I’m no expert,” Shane answered, “but I did some
research on the Internet at the library in Fort Washakie. Apparently, these big
thumper trucks pound the ground with a huge metal plate causing vibrations deep
under the surface, then they take seismic readings to see if it picks up any
pockets of oil.”

Tashawa climbed out of the burrow and began to look
around for more signs. “Look here.” She pointed at the ground. “These are
tracks of shod horses.” The horseshoe tracks had been nearly washed out from
the heavy rain the day before, but Tashawa was able to follow them. “There were
three men on horseback,” she said. “I think it would be a safe bet to say those
three at the cave were covering all this up when the storm hit.”

Tashawa stepped back up on her horse and gestured
for them to follow her again. She left at a slow trot, continuing to look down
at the ground as she traveled. They headed north to the other end of the
clearing, and then rode through a pass, which opened up into another large
field. It didn’t take her long to find the hidden burrows here, also. She
showed them how the equipment had been carefully guided in and out on hard dry ground.
They followed the faint tracks to the edge of the reservation and then out to
Vince Nethers’s land.

“Looks like you and Mr. Jensen were right,” Tara
said to Shane.

“Yep, now we know what’s going on, but we still
don’t have any proof of who’s behind all of this.”

“I wonder if these people found what they were
looking for?” Tashawa added.

“I believe they have,” Shane answered. “Considering
all the money and effort this guy is putting out, he and his people must want
this valley real bad. I’ve got a feeling that things are going to get
complicated from here on out.”

Chapter 20

It was a relief for Shane to get the women back safely to Shadow Creek.
As soon as the horses were put up, he called Tigee to tell him what they
discovered.

Tigee hesitated before responding, “Now we know you
were right. Over.”

Shane answered, “The problem is there’s no way to
prove that Nethers has any bad intentions. He’s bound to deny that he knows of
any testing on the reservation. I’m sure he’d just say that the crew running
the thumper truck had gotten lost and ended up on reservation land. I’d sure
keep a close eye on your mustangs.”

Tigee’s voice came back on the radio. “Well, Hawk and
JB are watching the herd, so the horses should be safe for now. I’ll have to
think about all this. You and the women try to relax and enjoy the rest of your
day. You can pack back out tomorrow. Let me know when you’re about an hour from
where I dropped you off, and I’ll meet you there with the trailer. Over.”

“Will do. Over.”

It was just past noon, and all three were looking
forward to some downtime at the creek.

Once they had finished the last of the fresh meat
for lunch, Tashawa had a good reason for another hunt. Shane watched her
silently disappear into the foliage.

Tara asked Shane, “Do you like to fish?”

“Sure,” he answered. He had noticed some old fly
rods on the wall in the cabin.

“There are some really good places for trout just
upstream.”

The two left the camp on foot with rods in hand, and
the dogs following. It was about a fifteen minute walk to the bend in the creek
where Tara said the trout like to hang out. This part of the stream was perfect
for wading and casting. Shane had only been fly-fishing a few times, and
struggled getting the hang of proper casting again. Tara, on the other hand,
was skilled, and it didn’t take her long to catch a nice cutthroat trout.

“These cutthroats are plentiful in most of our
Alpine streams this time of the year,” she hollered over the sound of the
nearby rushing water. Tara smiled sheepishly as she watched Shane make one good
cast out of every eight or ten. Finally, she put her rod on the bank and waded
over to him. She stood behind him as she slipped her hands onto his. “Loosen
up, stop trying to throw so hard; it’s all about rhythm and flow.” With both
their hands on the rod, he relaxed as he let her take him through the motion of
the cast, then she let him do it alone.

“See,” she said, “it’s not so hard once you get the
hang of it.”

Shane cast out again, with her standing next to him.
Just as the fly landed gently on the surface of the stream, an explosion boiled
from underneath, and the fight was on.

“All right,” she hollered, “that’s a nice one. Bring
him in slow and easy. They have real soft mouths and can tear out the hook in a
blink of an eye.” A few minutes later, the two-pound fish was in the net.

“Who taught you how to fly-fish?”

“My father, when I was very young. After that, I
used to fly-fish with my grandfather.”

“You’ve never mentioned your parents before, I know
your grandfather raised you. Are your parents still around?”

Tara looked a little distraught. “My mother died
giving birth to me so I never knew her. She had heart problems all her life.
When she became pregnant with me, the doctors tried to talk her into an
abortion, but she wouldn’t let them do it. My father said it took all her will
to survive to full term. She wrote letters to me during her pregnancy. My
father gave them to me as soon as he felt I was old enough. She explained in
the letters that her bad heart would not have allowed her to survive much
longer even if she hadn’t become pregnant. She said bringing me into the world
gave her a purpose at the end of her life. She wrote in the letters that she
would always be there to watch over my brothers and me.

“My grandfather went out to the valley to be near
the mustang herd the day he lost his daughter. He said he wanted to be there
with her when they carried her spirit away. It was his way of telling her
good-bye. My father and grandfather made sure my brothers and I knew all about
her through their stories of her. She was a good person and everyone loved and
respected her.”

Shane kept quiet and let her continue. “My father
loved her very much, and tried hard to take care of us. They say he was never
the same after her death. He finally drank himself into bad health. He died
when I was twelve. So you see, I can understand, to some degree, what it has
been like for you to lose your family. Luckily, I have my grandfather who has
kept my brothers and me together.”
 

Shane nodded. “I know how proud he is of you.”

Tara smiled before she replied. “Okay, that’s enough
sappy stuff. Let’s catch another trout for Tashawa.”

It was Shane who got the next bite, but he lost it
before he could get it in the net.

Tara laughed when she saw him stomping the shallow
water in frustration. It wasn’t long before she caught the next one. She had a
good time teasing Shane when they got back to the cabin, about catching more
fish than he had.

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, as they walked in the door of
the old shack. “Those trout just felt sorry for you with that big black eye.”
She rolled her eyes and gave him a hard look. Shane quickly apologized, “Sorry,
I guess that was a bad joke.”

“Well, then show me how sorry you are,” she said as
she reached out to run her fingers over his fit shoulders. Shane could feel the
warmth of her breath on his neck and the rate of her heart beat increase as he
slid his hands around the small of her back and gently pulled her in tight.
Now, here in the cabin alone, and this close to one another, things were
rapidly evolving into a willing loss of control. Looking into his eyes, she
took a step backward, smoothly dropped her clothes to the floor, and then
paused before slowly moving to him. As she did, he remembered watching her at
the waterfall and thinking then how perfect her body was, and how he couldn’t
get her out of his mind for the rest of that day.

Now, as she lay on the cot in front of him, he could
hardly believe he was here with her. Hypnotized once again by her stare, he
slowly moved down to her. Flesh to flesh, she softly whispered in his ear.
“Shane Carson, the only reason I’m with you is because you are in my heart, and
I feel I am meant for you.”

When it was over, they continued to lie face-to-face
in each other’s arms without saying a word. Neither of them wanted this time to
end, but Tashawa would be back soon.

As he sat on the edge of the cot and reached for his
clothes, he quietly murmured, “As soon as all this is over, I want just the two
of us to go off together.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” she replied as she sat up
next to him with a blanket wrapped around her and laid her head on his
shoulder.

A short while later, Tashawa walked in with a plump
turkey thrown over her shoulder. The bird, along with the trout, would make a
great feast for them and the dogs. Tigee was expecting them late in the
afternoon. This meant they could sleep in tomorrow morning. Considering
everything that had happened on this trip, good and bad, all three were looking
forward to relaxing and enjoying the evening at Shadow Creek.

The smell of the turkey roasting on the open spit
filled the air,
 
intensifying their
hungry anticipation. The large bird would take a while to cook, so the trout
became a welcome appetizer while they waited for the main course.

Shane remembered a flask of whiskey he had brought
along just in case of a rainy, cold night and thought this would be a good time
to pull it out and pour everyone a drink. Neither of the women was used to
drinking, so it took very little to lighten up their mood. Soon, all three were
sitting around the cooking bird telling dumb jokes that seemed hilarious.

It had been a long day, and once dinner was over, it
took all the energy they could muster to just get up and go inside to their
cots.

Shane woke up before the women and grabbed his
camera. It was another invigorating morning at the creek, so he climbed to the
top of the ridge called “Gewaga-Mukua.” He reached his high destination just at
the right moment to take some amazing shots of the rising sun’s yellow-orange
glow, edging its way from behind a dark horizon to gradually illuminate the
whole eastern sky. Then he pointed his small camera down at the cabin, and next
toward Shadow Creek with its rich, green, forested background.

Click. Click. Click. When he felt he had captured
all he could on film, he put his camera in its case and enjoyed the time alone
while he absorbed the serene wilderness surrounding him. Soon he began to feel
regret for having to leave.

By midmorning everything was packed up and ready for
the six-hour-plus ride ahead of them. Shane contacted Tigee, via the radio, to
let him know they were on the way.

With Tashawa as their guide, they made the trip back
to the drop-off point in good time. Tigee was waiting there with his truck and
trailer. The old Indian seemed quiet and distant. He greeted Shane with a
handshake, then gave each of the girls a hug. However, it was easy to see he
was not quite himself. As they drove into the ranch, he asked Tara and Shane to
come see him as soon as the horses were put up.

Tommy spotted them when they pulled through the
gate, and ran over to help with the horses and gear. “How was your fishing
trip, Mr. Shane?”

“It was great, Tommy. How are the geldings doing?
Have you been working with them every day?”

“Yes, sir, I’m looking forward to showing you what
I’ve done with ’em.”

“I’ll be out at the barn at eight a.m.”

“Yes, sir, I’ll be ready to start as soon as you get
there.”

Tara and Shane said their good-byes to Tashawa .
Before she left, she gave the dogs the leftover turkey she had in her
saddlebags.
Curious about what Tara’s grandfather would have to say, the two of them hurried
to his house.

As they walked in the front door, Tigee said, “I
know you’re both tired, but I needed to speak to you now.”

“What’s wrong, grandfather?”

“Well, some problems have come up in the last few
days with the ranch.”

“What kind of problems?”

“Before I tell you what is going on around here, I
want to hear about your trouble in the valley, and how you got that bruise on
your face, Tara.”

She told him about Jack, Thomas, and Bo Nethers, and
how Shane came with the dogs and stopped it all before anything really bad
happened. “We think they were out there covering up the tracks around the test
sites and came to the shelter when the storm hit.”