Spirit Horses (41 page)

“You could build a vacation resort. People could go
hunting, fishing, white-water rafting, and you could take them on tours to see
the famous spirit horses. With guided tours out to the high ridges, you could
keep people from bothering your mustangs down in the valley. I believe you
could build a real business around the herd, and keep up the public’s
fascination in them. This, in return, will help preserve them for many
generations to come.

“Believe me, people will come back every year just
to see this inspiring country you have out here. I’m not talking about opening
your gates to the general public. I’m suggesting controlled numbers of people
making reservations at an expensive resort. This way, you could control where
they’re allowed to go on their own.

“I’ve already talked to Megan about coming back to
do a follow-up story on the herd. The article she wrote has horse enthusiasts
all over the U.S. wanting to see this valley and the famous historical
mustangs. If she were to mention a future resort in her follow-up
article, the place would be booked up before it was even built.”

Tigee sat for a minute in deep thought. Maybe, with
this kind of attention and admiration for the horses, his dream to ensure their
long-term safety before he died could finally come true. “As long as our valley
can maintain its original wilderness state, I would consider bringing something
like this before the council. Maybe you could help me put together a proposal
for them, when the oil money becomes a reality.”

The next several days rolled by in a slow, relaxing manner, in stark
contrast to the prior weeks.
 

It had been one week since Shane had set Sloppy
free. He could hardly wait to get out to the valley with JB and Hawk tomorrow
to see how she was doing.

The yearly branding of the weanlings would take
place soon. Shane was hoping to still be out here at that time and was looking
forward to a close inspection of the mare to make sure she was holding up okay.

Even though it was Saturday morning, Tara had to
leave around eight o’clock to go to work. She needed to tie up a few loose
ends, as the first day of school was only two days away. She woke before he did
and gently slid her smooth, warm body onto his. With his eyes still shut he
smiled as he felt the heat of her breath on his cheek, followed by the pleasing
sensation of her lips gliding along the side of
 
his neck. Shane’s eyes slowly opened, allowing the early morning’s
delicate light to reveal all of her appeal. His pulse quickened while he stared
at the contours of her beautiful face and the fit shape of her perfect body
with her silky, caramel-colored skin. Seconds later came a kiss that felt like
it could last forever. This morning was special and they both knew it. It was
as if their spirits had somehow
intertwined, becoming one. Still out of breath, they held each other tight,
then Tara whispered, “I love you, Shane Carson.” He gently caressed her face as
he looked into her eyes in a way that told her he felt the same. A short time
later she glanced at the clock and moaned as she forced herself to get out of
bed and leave for work.

For the first time in a long while, Shane was happy
and totally relaxed. He and Tara were getting along better than ever. All the
trouble in the valley seemed to be over. But, even with all this welcome
contentment, his family was still constantly on his mind. Tara knew this and
accepted it. Her willingness to share him with his memories was certainly one
of the main reasons he had fallen for her so deeply.

Shane got out of bed later than usual and was eating
breakfast when he heard a knock on the door. As he opened it, he was surprised
to see Tommy standing there with tears in his eyes. He’d never seen the boy cry
before. Noticing the bruising on his face, Shane thought that Tommy had been
thrown off a horse. But then he saw how shook up he was. Tommy was struggling
to regain his composure and having trouble catching his breath in order to
speak.

“What the hell happened to you, bud?”

“A m-m-m-man broke into my house this morning. He
came in my room and pulled me out of bed,” the boy stuttered, still trying to
catch his breath.

Shane’s blood began to boil as he realized the boy
had taken a beating from someone. “Who did this to you?”

“He told me his name was Jack, and he gave me this
note to give you.” Shane took the note and almost fell down when he read it.

“Son of a bitch,” he mumbled under his breath as he
crumpled the note into a tight ball and threw it hard against the wall. “Come
here, let me look at your face.” He leaned over to get a closer look at Tommy’s
shiner. “Did he hurt you anywhere else?”

“No, sir, I thought he was going to though. He held
me up against the wall and yelled at me, real mean. He told me if you didn’t do
like the note says, he’d be back for me. And next time he’d hurt me bad.”

Shane’s heart nearly broke in two when he saw the
terror in Tommy’s eyes. Tommy looked down at the floor, a little ashamed that
he was crying in front of this man he admired so much.

“Look at me, son,” Shane said in a calming voice to
the young boy. Tommy slowly lifted his head. “You did real well today. I’m
proud of the way you handled this. Hell, everyone gets scared sometimes. But I
can promise you this, that man will never bother you again. Now I’ve got to go.
Are you gonna be okay?”

“Yes sir.”

Shane grabbed his hat and lifted his rifle off the
gun rack. He peered at Tommy with a rushed look in his eyes and spoke rapidly.
“I need you to go fetch Tory for me, saddle him up just as quickly as you can,
while I hook up the truck and trailer.”

Tommy looked back at Shane with concern and asked,
“What are you going to do, Mr. Shane?”

“Just go get my horse for me now. Okay?”

“Yes, sir.” Tommy raced out.

Within ten minutes, Shane was loading his gear and
his horse. The two dogs tried to jump on the trailer, but Shane wouldn’t let
them go. “No,” he told them in a strong voice. “You stay here!” Butch and
Jessie couldn’t understand why Shane had hollered, so they trotted back to the
porch with their tails between their legs. Tommy was confused, too, and didn’t
know what to do as he watched Shane drive out of the ranch gate with his tires
spinning in the dirt.

Tigee just happened to be looking out of his living
room window and noticed Shane loading up and leaving in a big hurry. He walked
out on the porch and saw Tommy standing in the road where Shane had left him, a
dazed look on his face. He motioned for the boy to come over. As Tommy got
closer, Tigee saw the abrasions on his face, and immediately asked what
happened.

Tommy, bewildered and shook up, told Tigee what he
knew.

“Do you know what the note said?” Tigee asked
calmly.
 

“No, sir, but Mr. Shane got real mad when he read
it, then he balled it up and threw it on the floor at his house.”

“I want you to run as fast as you can and get that
note for me,” the old man demanded. Tommy took off like a bullet. Tigee wasted
no time calling JB and Hawk. “Load your horses and get here as soon as
possible,” he urged. His two grandsons were at a horse sale in Casper, too far
away to help.

Tara had forgotten some papers she needed for work
and was driving back in the gate when she noticed Tommy running as hard as he
could from Shane’s place to her grandfather’s. She instantly got a feeling
something was wrong and hurried into the house. She walked in the door just in
time to see the stricken reaction on Tigee’s face as he finished reading the
crumpled up note. Right off the bat, she noticed Tommy’s swollen eye and rushed
over to him.

“What happened, Tommy?” By this time the boy had
regained his composure, but his right eye was nearly swollen shut, and turning
a deeper shade of purple.

“I’m okay, Miss Tara,” he said with his head held
high.

Tigee spoke, “Jack did this and sent the boy to
Shane with a message.” He handed her the note with one hand while he put his
other hand on her shoulder. The words she read were cold and taunting, and
quickly revealed the rest of the situation to her.

I’ve been reading about you and your mustang mare in the
newspaper. It was easy to figure out which one she was, since she still had the
holes in her hoof walls from her shoes. The little mare still likes her grain,
too, so setting a trap and catching her was easy. She’s tied up to a tree just
outside Jasper Canyon, in the same spot where my partner Thomas was shot down.
I told you it wasn’t over between us. You cost me my fortune and my best
friend, but not my leave. If you want the mare to live, you have to come and
get her. I’ll be watching you come into the valley, and if you have anyone with
you or you bring the dogs, the mare gets a bullet between her eyes. My word is
my honor, and if you can come out to meet me alone, I’ll let the mare live. If
you don’t come alone, I’ll drop her where she stands, and still get to you
later. You have till noon today.

Tara’s heart was in her throat as she put her hand
over her mouth and sank back into a chair. “Where’s Shane?” she asked Tommy.

“He left about twenty minutes ago with Tory in his
trailer.”

Tara jumped out of her seat, and started to run out
the door to go after him.

Tigee grabbed her before she got out of the house.
“Wait. JB and Hawk are on their way.”

“Tommy, go get my horse,” she begged. “I’m going
with them. Grandfather, don’t try to stop me.” Tigee knew he couldn’t, so he
nodded to Tommy to do as she had asked.

By the time JB and Hawk arrived at the house, Tommy
was coming out of the barn with Tara’s horse saddled up and ready to load in
their trailer. Tigee and Tara filled them in on what was happening and let them
read the note. “You’re not going,” JB told Tara. “It’s not safe.”

“Damn it, JB,” she said. “If you don’t take me, I’ll
go on my own, and right now we’re just wasting time.” No one was going to stop
her from getting out to Shane, and she was right, there was no time to argue.

“If you go,” JB said, “you stay behind us and do
exactly as I say!” With that said, JB and Hawk reluctantly loaded Tara’s horse
and let her in the truck before they sped away.

JB and Hawk put together a plan during the drive.
“Why don’t we go in from the southeast pass,” Hawk suggested. “It’s a rough
trail for the first half mile or so, but it’s less distance over to Jasper
Canyon from there. This Jack guy will be watching Shane come in from the
southwest, so this will give us a chance to slip into the area unseen.”

“Shane was only about a half hour in front of us
when we left the ranch,” said JB. “Using the southeast entrance we should be
able to get to Jasper Canyon about the same time he does. Maybe we’ll get
lucky, and that white boy will get lost.”

Hawk looked over at JB with concern, “I wouldn’t
count on that. Shane’s gotten pretty damn good at getting around in the
valley.”

JB and Hawk were correct; Shane was riding in from
the southwest. This was the only way he had ever gone to Jasper Canyon. He had
to use familiar trails if he was going to make it there in time.

“Sorry, old man,” Shane said to Tory. “I’ve got to push you pretty hard
if we’re going to get there before the morning is over.” An unusual late
morning fog was just rising in the area of the canyon as he arrived. Shane
could only hope that the low visibility would work in his favor. He rode fast
through the thick, moist air until he was close. Once he thought he was within
a few hundred yards of the location, he slowed Tory down to a cautious quiet
walk. Alert and ready for trouble, Shane pulled his rifle out of its scabbard
and rode in the direction that Jack’s note specified.

Then, through the rising fog, he heard a familiar
whinny. It was Sloppy all right. Shane knew the sound of her call all too well.
Although he couldn’t see her yet, her frequent yells told him she was only
about fifty yards away. Sloppy was screaming to the herd, and they were
answering by matching her, whinny for whinny, off in the
distance.

Shane eased Tory up closer until he finally came
into Sloppy’s view. He slipped off his horse and paused, looking and listening
for any movement or sound, which might be Jack waiting for him. Realizing he
was in a vulnerable position, he kept his finger on the trigger of his rifle as
he began his approach. Using the skills he had learned from JB and Hawk, Shane
worked his way silently up to where the mare was tied. “Hey, girl,” he
whispered to her, “you’re okay.” His eyes were constantly combing the area
around them as he reached up to pull off her halter and set her free. At first,
Sloppy didn’t know whether to stay or go, so Shane slapped her on the
hindquarters to send her galloping in the direction of the other mustang’s
repetitive calls.