He screwed up his face. “I want thelittleones.”
“I’ll let you try one and see if you like it,”Junesaid.
Rachel rubbed her hands together before stuffing them into the pockets of her coat. “He needs lunch first. I gave him a snack on the road, but I didn’t even stop at home to grab a change of clothes. I just wanted to get here as quickly aspossible.”
“Good thing I went to Packer’s and stocked up on Christmas presents. I should probably run over to Old Faithful Grocery to grab sometoothbrushes.”
Rachel said, “I’m sorry I didn’t call. I hate putting you outlikethis.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I love surprise visits. I’ll take care of Jimmy. You should get going. The north road is plowed but the south road isn’t. Be careful, it can get icy when you get closer tothelake.”
“Iwill,Mom.”
“I’ll want a play-by-play when yougetback.”
Rachel couldn’t help but smile. Although her mom was more of a best friend than a mother, she shifted between roles effortlessly. “If I’m not back by eight, send in the parkrangers.”
“If you’re not back by eight, I’ll send in the Marines.” June laughed as she turned and walked with Jimmy toward thebuilding.
As soon as the door to the shop closed, the smile fell from Rachel’s face. She climbed into the car and carefully pulled onto the main road. After turning onto the highway, she cranked the heater up. The old car rattled in protest before it relented and spit warmth intothecar.
She’d had to sell her brand-new car when the first round of medical bills had rolled in. After the second round, she’d had to sell her jewelry except for one piece—the gold promise ring Brady had given her the night they’d broken up. She couldn’t bring herself to sell it or to give it away. At one point, she’d thought she was going to marry him. How could she have been sowrong?
Shadows stretched down from the pine trees which lined the highway. Darkness descended faster in the winter, but she should be able to reach the ranch bynightfall.
After almost missing the turn, she veered off onto the snow-plowed road. She hadn’t been to the ranch since the night she’d left Brady. Memories of warm winter nights in his arms flooded her mind. They’d been so in love. They’d spent every moment planning their future together. But a single conversation had destroyed everything. She’d been stunned by how quickly her life hadchanged.
As the road narrowed, she concentrated on keeping the car on the slippery road. One wrong move and she’d slide off into a ditch. She couldn’t risk having an accident. There’d be no one but her mom to take care of Jimmy. Rachel didn’t want to saddle her with the responsibility of raising her son. Her mom had enough trouble stretching the shop’s meager winter earnings until the summer. She couldn’t afford to take onanythingmore.
Overhead, the trees thickened. She flicked on the high beams to cut a path through the twilight. According to the odometer, she should be coming up to the turn-off for the ranch. She hoped she stillrecognizedit.
Off to the left, the tree-line broke to reveal Hebgen Lake. The huge lake covered over twenty-one miles of land. She’d spent many summers swimming in the cool water and fishing with her dad. A twinge of pain pierced her heart. He’d died soyoung.
She’d just graduated high school when he’d fallen down one day and had never gotten up. The heart attack came without warning and stole the most important man in her life. Brady had been there for her through the horrible days, weeks, and months after the funeral. He’d never left her side, which made his announcement the night they’d broken up all the moredevastating.
Her front wheel caught a patch of black ice, which sent her skidding around the corner. She turned into the spin and stopped just inches from the edge of the road. When she looked up, the headlights illuminated the sign for the ranch:Curvy Bear Ranch, ¼ mileahead.
She took a deep breath and blew it out. She had to stay focused. She wasn’t here to rekindle old memories, she was here to find out how to get in touch with Jimmy and save herson’slife.
* * *
Brady stepped backtoward the edge of the ring as the mustang reared up and snorted a puff of steamy air from his nostrils. The horse kicked and whinnied in a display of pure obstinacy. The second his hooves hit the floor, he took off at a frantic gallop. Although his right flank grazed the metal poles along the side of the ring, hedidn’tstop.
Brady knew better than to get between a wild horse and the ring, so he stepped into the center of the circle. “Whoa,Fender.”
The sleek, black animal slowed to a trot, but Brady needed to wait until the horse calmed down a bit before attempting to take the reins. After several weeks of training, he’d planned on riding Fender for the first time today, but the horse wasn’tcooperating.
When Fender finally slowed to a walk, Brady held up hishand. “Stop.”
The horse slowed, but continued its path around the ring. Brady waited. He had all the patience in the world when it came to animals. He understood their instinct to run free and not be tied down. He’d wanted the same thing when he’d joined the Marines. Although he loved serving his country, he couldn’t forget the terrible things he’d seen whiledeployed.
He shook away the horrifying images and returned his attention to Fender. At least now he could take his time and not rush headlong into a dangerous situation. He had all winter to get the horses ready for the influx of tourists in the spring. Although most of the ranch’s money came from the bed and breakfast, a sizeable portion came from other ranch-based revenue streams like ridinglessons.
Fender came to a stop on the opposite side of the ring. He stood with his head cocked toward the center. His ear cupped toward Brady, a clear indication that the animal’s focus was on him. Ultimately, horses followed a leader and Brady needed to show the mustang that he was incharge.
As he took a step toward the stallion, he was careful to keep his shoulders squared and his head held high. To exude anything less than pure dominance would make the entire sessionpointless.
“Easy,boy.”
