Wild About the Wrangler (13 page)

“Definitely a chance, although probably not for long. We'll have mostly experienced riders, but as I understand it, Charmaine's only been on a horse once, for the inaugural trail ride.”

“That's true, but she seemed to have a good time.” Anastasia hadn't thought about this riding gig in connection with Charmaine. She liked her older sister a lot better now that they were adults and they weren't nearly as competitive.

But she'd enjoy the heck out of being a better rider than Charmaine when the wedding party rode out to the canyon. “What do I need to know about this trotting business?”

“First, let's see you reverse direction while you're just walking.”

She thought back to what he'd said and laid the reins against the left side of Jasper's neck. What a little miracle! He turned in that direction and started across the middle of the corral. “No, all the way around.” She managed to get him going in the opposite direction. Apparently reining was like a steering wheel.

“Now, get your heels down and feel the connection with his body along your entire leg.”

So much for relaxing in the saddle.

“When you nudge him into a trot, you'll bounce at first. Grip the saddle horn with your right hand so you can steady yourself and move with him instead of against him.”

This was sounding way more difficult than she'd thought it would be, but she needed to be able to do it. Her list of reasons now included being able to ride better than Charmaine. She held on to the saddle horn, brought her legs in contact with Jasper's flanks, and looked over at Mac. “Ready.”

He was no longer leaning against the fence, which should have told her something. “Nudge him and cluck your tongue.”

She nudged and clucked, and all hell broke loose. Jasper launched into something that reminded her of the time she'd ridden her bike over a cattle guard. But that had been over in a couple of seconds.

This went on and on. She lost a stirrup and her hat fell into the dust. The fear she'd thought had been banished reared up like a fire-breathing dragon. Desperate and afraid, she called out to Mac. “Help!”

He was there in a heartbeat, taking hold of Jasper's bridle and bringing the horse to a stop.

“Oh, God.” She gulped for air. “That was
horrible.
”

“You did fine.” He put a hand on her thigh. “Not bad at all, considering you're just starting out.”

She gazed down at him. “I so wanted horseback riding to be magical.”

“It can be.”

“I don't think so.”

“It can.” He glanced down at the empty stirrup hanging there. “Let's try something.”

Before she realized what he intended to do, he'd placed his foot in the stirrup and swung up behind the saddle.

“Can he carry us both?”

“He's a big, muscular horse. He can do it for a little while, and that's all we need. Put your foot back in the stirrup and relax against me.”

If she'd been less rattled, that would have been a terrific idea. As it was, she was tight as a piece of canvas nailed to a frame.

“Come on, Anastasia. Loosen up.” He wrapped one arm around her waist and coaxed her back against his solid chest as he took the reins. “This'll be fun.”

“That's what they all say.”

“You'll see.” His breath was warm in her ear as he clicked his tongue. He must have done something with his heels, too, because Jasper began to move.

The walk felt familiar, but it was quickly followed by the bone-jarring trot. “Mac! Please don't—”

“Shh.”

Then something happened and the bouncing was replaced by a smooth, easy movement that was
wonderful.
The scenery rushed by as Mac held her close and Jasper took them on a magic carpet ride. Round and round they went, and she never wanted it to end.

But it did eventually. The poor horse couldn't be expected to carry them both forever. Mac pulled back on the reins and subjected them to some jostling with a trot that quickly turned into a walk.

He stopped next to the spot where her hat had fallen. He could have let go of her at that point, but he didn't. “What do you think?”

She sighed and rested her head against his shoulder. “That was magical.” Having him there holding her had been a big part of the magic, but he was asking about the ride, not the bodily contact. “What was that gait?”

“A canter.”

“Lovely. I don't suppose we'll be cantering on the trail ride.”

“Probably not, but when you and I go out alone we can find places to canter the horses. Does that help?”

“Yes.” She straightened. She shouldn't let herself lean against him with such abandon. “Thank you.”

“You're welcome.” He slipped down from the horse. “That's enough for today.” His voice was suspiciously husky.

She was certainly stirred up, so she had to believe he was, too. “Should I—”

“I'll just lead you over to the hitching post. It'll be quicker that way.” He scooped up her hat, dusted it off, and handed it to her. “Wouldn't want you to lose this great hat.”

“Thanks.” She still felt a little dazed as she put it on and allowed him to lead her out the gate and over to the hitching post. That moment on Jasper had been in broad daylight and she'd been riding in the arms of a man in a dusty corral instead of being off on her own in a fragrant meadow.

But the feeling had been exactly what she'd hoped for as a little girl of six when she'd taken Prince out of the barn. Mac had given her that. For that alone, he would always be her hero.

M
ac couldn't get rid of Anastasia fast enough. Once again he relieved her of taking off Jasper's tack and sent her packing. He hoped she understood that every second counted. He was so close to hauling her into his arms again it wasn't funny.

Correction—it was funny. Ridiculously funny. She hadn't merely wanted him to teach her to ride. Oh, no. She'd wanted him to make it magical. And here was the kicker—he got that.

He'd always thought riding was magical. His parents had taken him on moonlit rides and pointed out the constellations. His parents shared a love of riding. They'd passed that fascination on to him.

He thought about those things after he'd sent Anastasia home. Until she'd made that comment about wanting to feel the magic, he hadn't realized how much he wanted that for her. Not everyone had the capacity to appreciate magic. Sophie hadn't. But Anastasia . . .

As he rubbed the dirt and sweat off Jasper, he thought about the transformation when she'd put on that hat. Suddenly she wasn't a wannabe rider. He saw her as she hoped to become: a woman who was at ease with these animals. She'd hated trotting, which was no big surprise, and didn't mean she wouldn't one day be the rider she wanted to be.

But he hadn't been able to leave it at that. So he'd climbed on behind her, an ill-advised impulse, and he'd held her while demonstrating the joy of riding a canter. She'd responded as he'd known she would, with the same sense of wonder she brought to life itself.

And now he wanted her more than ever. What the hell was he doing to himself? And to her? These riding lessons were taking on all the trappings of an old-fashioned courtship.

That wasn't good. He thought of the guy from Hollywood who'd predicted that she'd soon be famous. Mac could see that happening. Considering her potential for greatness, she didn't need to get involved with some local yokel with a failed marriage on his résumé.

Vince rode into the stable yard on Storm Cloud soon after Mac had turned Jasper out with the other horses. He dismounted and thumbed back his hat. “What's on your agenda for today?”

“Ed has a farrier coming in from Lubbock.”

“Oh, right. I forgot about that.”

Mac chuckled. “You have other things on your mind. Anyway, I planned to help him. It's a big job, and Ed's not as limber as he used to be.”

“Maybe Travis could handle it instead.”

“I'm sure he could if he postpones his errands in Amarillo until tomorrow. What do you need me for?”

“I'd like you to ride out to the box canyon with me and help me figure out how to set up for the ceremony. Georgie's got some inventory issues at the store and can't go, but we have to start planning.” He grinned. “She said I'm the one with the vision of how this will go, anyway.”

“She has a point. Of the two of you, you're way more romantic. I'll call Travis and see if he's left yet.”

He hadn't and agreed to come down and help the farrier.

Mac tucked his phone back in his pocket. “I'll go fetch Cinder. Do you think we'll be back in time for the farrier to take care of him, too?”

“Should be. I realize I'm pulling you off your regular job for this. But it's important.”

“Definitely.” Mac smiled to himself as he grabbed a lead rope out of the tack room and went out to the pasture. He'd known Vince a long time and he'd never seen him so happy and excited.

Six months ago Mac couldn't have pictured Vince planning his own wedding ceremony. He'd been the original rolling stone who never settled anywhere for very long. He used to claim that boredom caused him to move on. Obviously he wasn't bored now.

Mac saddled Cinder and mounted up. “We look like part of a drill team with these two black horses.”

“We do.” Vince laughed as they rode out the gate. “I told Georgie she should ride Cinder in the wedding so we could be on matching horses. She said I'd lost my mind. Prince has been with her through thick and thin, and one of the reasons she'd agreed to be married on horseback was that Prince could attend her wedding.” They reached the trail head. “You want to lead?”

“You go ahead. This is your show.”

Vince guided Storm Cloud down the narrow path. “Might as well check the trail while we're out here. Holler if you see anything that needs to be done.”

“I will, although it was okay this past weekend.” Mac followed Vince at a walk. He looked at the trail differently, though, now that he knew Anastasia would be riding down it soon. He had to duck to get under an overhanging mesquite branch. “On second thought, maybe I'll come out here with some loppers tomorrow.”

“Good idea. How was the lesson today?”

Arousing beyond belief.
“Fine. She stayed in the corral, walked a little at first, and then attempted a trot. We'll work on the trot tomorrow.” He didn't plan to tell anyone about riding double while they cantered. She might, but he doubted it. That had been a special moment that wouldn't happen again.

“Trotting's hard in the beginning.”

“Especially if you learn as an adult.” Mac considered himself lucky that he'd been put on a horse at the age of two.

“And I did learn as an adult. Maybe if I'd grown up on the back of a horse like you, I'd wonder what all the fuss was about. You're the most relaxed rider I've ever known. You seem to become part of the horse.”

“That's a really disturbing image, but thanks for the thought.”

Vince laughed. “Now I'm picturing one of those mythical creatures, the half-man, half-horse deal. What are they called?”

“Centaurs. I swear I'm going to get you a reading list. You need to know these things if you expect to help your kid with homework.”

“If I get stumped, I'll just call on Uncle Macario.”

“Assuming I'm still in Bickford.”

“You will be. You bought a house.”

“Yeah, I probably will be.” He glanced up at the rust-colored walls as they made their way deeper into the canyon. Being here felt right. “By the way, I appreciate you keeping the secret of my name all this time, but I've decided to start telling people before Travis does. Take the wind out of his sails.”

“He might not tell.”

“He might not mean to, but this is Travis we're talking about. I'm going to start mentioning it. It sounds a lot less awful to me now than it did when I was thirteen.”

“Your mother would be proud.”

“Hey, she's already proud. But that reminds me, can your folks make it for the wedding?”

“I talked to them about it right after I proposed to Georgie. Unfortunately my dad's health isn't great right now and my mom doesn't feel as if she can leave him. It was after I realized they couldn't be here that I started thinking seriously about having it in the canyon.”

“Which probably leaves out your stepmother-in-law, too.”

“Yeah, but Georgie told me she didn't want to base our wedding on what would suit Evelyn. I think that's a good call. Evelyn is one of the most self-centered women on the planet.”

“I'm getting that. I've never met her, which is saying something in a town this size. Does she ever come out of that house?”

“Georgie and Anastasia take her on shopping trips to Amarillo every once in a while. She's flown over to stay with Charmaine in Dallas once that I know of. But she doesn't mingle with the residents of Bickford, if that's what you mean. I'm sure she thinks we're all beneath her.” Vince's tone was bitter.

“You don't like her.”

“Not much. She's been mean to the woman I love.”

“Then I'm glad you decided to have the wedding on horseback. You and Georgie don't need her around to spoil the mood.”

“Exactly.” He nudged Storm Cloud into a trot.

Mac followed suit. Vince had picked up the pace without thinking, as a seasoned rider would do. Trotting was a natural gait if someone had been riding for years, but not if they'd been riding for days.

“Got a question for you,” he called out to Vince.

“What's that?” He slowed Storm Cloud to a walk again.

“In a regular wedding, the guys get into position first and then the women follow. Does that mean we'll ride out ahead of Georgie and the others?”

“I guess it does. Why?”

“Maybe you could ask Georgie to keep the pace to a walk.”

“Sure. She might be planning on that, anyway, but I'll talk to her about it.”

“Good. I'll tell Anastasia in the morning. I think she'll be relieved.”

“Or you could tell her tonight at Sadie's. Then she can be relieved that much sooner.”

“I thought I'd stay home and rip up the last of the carpet.”

“You can if you want, but Steve's got a country band he wants us to hear. He and Myra auditioned them over the weekend and since they'll be playing for the wedding reception, he wants us to give a listen tonight. See if we think the music's danceable.”

“Oh.” He gazed up into a slice of blue sky and spotted a hawk surfing the air currents. “So besides listening we're supposed to be dancing?”

“That's the idea. I'm looking forward to it. Like old times. What do you say?”

“Um, sure. I can do that.” When Vince, Mac, and Travis had worked at the guest ranch near Bickford, they'd always gone dancing at Sadie's. Tonight, if he had any sense, he'd stay home and rip up carpet. But if he didn't go, dollars to doughnuts Travis would end up dancing with Anastasia a lot. They'd have a high old time together, and even though they were just friends, he still didn't like thinking about it.

And he would think about it constantly if he stayed home to pull up carpet, so he might as well go and dance with her. He'd never had the pleasure and they'd be expected to dance together at the wedding reception, so he could consider it practice.

Yeah, right. He was an excellent dancer and if she wasn't, so what? He could make her look like a better dancer than she was. He didn't need practice any more than he needed another reason to hold her. But if anyone was going to hold her on that dance floor tonight, it by God would be him.

“Good. It'll be fun.” Vince nudged Storm Cloud into a trot again.

Mac was enjoying himself. Riding out here without worrying about greenhorns was a nice change. He could breathe in the crisp fall air and take time to notice the leaves changing. They didn't have spectacular fall foliage here, but splashes of orange and gold brightened the canyon.

When the path smoothed out, Vince urged his horse into a canter and Mac did the same. The rhythm was a bittersweet reminder of this morning—Anastasia's warmth, the gentle rise and fall of her breasts, the orange-peel scent of whatever shampoo she used.

Vince slowed again as they neared the meadow where the Ghost liked to hang out with his herd. The soft burble of Sing-Song Creek blended with the chirp of birds flitting through the bushes. The cottonwoods lining the bank of the creek had turned, and their yellow leaves glowed in the sun.

“I doubt the Ghost will be here in the middle of the day,” Vince said. “But you never know.”

“No, you don't. Just think, if you hadn't come up with that harebrained scheme to rope him last spring, none of this would have happened.”

“That's true.” Vince pulled Storm Cloud to a stop at the edge of the meadow and scanned the area. “I don't think he's around.”

“Nope. But you'll probably see him this weekend on the trail ride. He's pretty regular in the evening and early morning.”

“I hope we do. Georgie would like that. Me, too, actually.”

“Then you can thank him personally for inspiring Anastasia to want to learn to ride. Now you can have the wedding ceremony of your dreams, assuming it doesn't rain.”

“It won't.”

“Should we haul a canopy out here just in case?”

“No.” Vince guided Storm Cloud across the meadow toward the narrow trail leading to the box canyon. “The idea is to have the ceremony under the wide-open skies.”

“I get that, but I guarantee the women who've spent hours on their hair and makeup will care a whole hell of a lot if they end up getting rained on.”

“It won't rain.” He clucked to Storm Cloud and started across the meadow toward the narrow trail into the box canyon.

And it probably wouldn't, Mac thought as he followed on Cinder. Luck seemed to be on Vince's side these days. Mac gave Cinder his head for the uphill climb on the far side of the meadow. What used to be a game trail obscured by thorny bushes had been widened last spring by Vince and his crew of volunteers.

As Mac drew closer to the box canyon, the sound of the waterfall became more distinct. Although he'd made this journey most weekends for close to six months, he still felt a thrill when he first saw it plunging straight down the side of the rust-colored canyon wall. The sun created rainbows in the mist surrounding it.

“I wanted to get out here and look at it now.” Vince leaned on his saddle horn and gazed at the waterfall. “This is when I'd like to start the ceremony, although I know, considering the ride out, the timing might not be exact.”

“Probably not. But the waterfall looks like this for a good hour every day.”

“So it turns out our legal eagle Frank is also licensed to perform the ceremony.”

“Yeah? That's great!” Or not. He had an unsettling thought. “I hope he's not planning to ride Jasper out here. I realize Jasper's his horse, but—”

“I've already talked to him and he's fine riding another horse so Anastasia can use Jasper.”

Mac let out a breath. “Excellent.”

“I'm picturing Frank with his back to the falls, and the rest of us facing them.”

“How close do you want to get?”

“I don't know. Let's ride over there and decide.”

Riding side by side, they skirted the campground area, a cleared space with a fire pit in the middle. At the edge of the campground stood a large chuck wagon that provided permanent storage for sleeping bags, tents for those who wanted them, and cookware.