Whit headed to the driver’s side of his blue truck, climbed in, and hollered, “You coming?”
“Yes, I’m coming. Don’t get your jeans in a twist.” She stomped to the passenger side and threw open the door.
As soon as she climbed in, he shoved the gearshift into drive, and they took off.
She motioned out the rear window with her thumb. “You’re taking the horse trailer?”
“We may need to transport the horse to a sanctuary in Lander. You know where that is?”
“Yeah. It’s about a two-hour drive from Thunder Mountain.” Lila glanced across the seat at him, then forced her gaze back to the road ahead.
“You ever load a skittish horse?” he asked.
She stared straight ahead. “Yep.” She didn’t tell him it was only once, and it was over five years ago.
Miles passed in silence as they made the drive southwest, stopping at an overlook so he could check the hitch.
While Lila took in the stunning panoramic view over the Teton Valley, Whit inspected the coupler and the safety chains, then dug into a cooler in the back of the pickup. “Want something to drink?” He held up a Dr Pepper.
“Yeah, thanks.”
He climbed back into his truck and handed her an ice-cold can. She popped the tab, tipped the can up, and chugged the ice-cold drink like a pro.
They made it the rest of the way to Lava Creek in a little over a half hour, again riding in silence. At the junction to the dirt road bordering Lava Creek, she finally spoke up. “How far to where we need to pick up the horse?”
“Less than five miles,” he answered.
She gazed out the window at the meandering banks of a stream, at crisscrossed pole fences winding through grassy meadows, and the pine-tree-covered mountains beyond.
In some ways, the craggy vista reminded her of the guy sitting inches away. He was most certainly a fine specimen, a man she found herself physically drawn to. He had a careless look, his jawline angular and rugged, even strong. But there was something in his eyes that told her Whit Calloway was not someone easily traversed, that he was studded with icy snow-capped spires extending too high to successfully climb.
Whit slowed the pickup and eased from the paved highway onto a rutted, potholed road that meandered through heavy sagebrush that scraped against the door of the truck. He looked across at her and apologized when he hit a particularly deep furrow.
She braced herself by holding onto the dash. “You ever work on a wild horse before?”
“A couple,” he answered. Slowing, he maneuvered around the biggest of the dips, until they came to a wide-open space with nothing more than an empty corral and a small shed-like barn. A BLM vehicle was stationed nearby.
They parked and got out. As two BLM officials headed their way, Whit grabbed a lead rope from behind his seat.
“Hey, there!” one of the uniformed guys extended his hand. “You the vet? Glad you made it. That horse definitely needs medical attention.”
Whit shut his pickup door and shook hands with both of the officers. “So, where is he?”
The tallest officer pulled his cap from his head and swiped his forearm across his brow. He nodded toward an old, dilapidated barn. “Horse is in there. Frankly, I’m surprised the wolf didn’t do more damage.”
The other officer stepped forward. “Here’s the paperwork.” He handed the envelope to Lila. She took the paperwork and tucked it inside the truck before following the three men to the barn.
At the door, the officers both hesitated. The one who had handed her the paperwork cleared his throat. “Well, that’s all we need. Guess you can handle it from here.”
Lila wanted to ask if he was kidding. Didn’t they intend to help? A wounded horse was predictably hard to manage. It could very well take all of them to load the horse safely. She opened her mouth to say as much when Whit’s hand went to her arm. “Thanks, guys. We’ve got it.”
“Okay then, we’ll be going.”
She and Whit waited a few minutes for the men to get in their truck. As they were driving away, Lila turned. “What was all that? Don’t you think those guys should have helped?”
“It’s not help when it’s not freely given.” Whit had already turned, and his hand pulled the rusty handle on the door. The broken wooden panel creaked open. The entire structure looked like the rotted boards might collapse at any time.
Lila glanced back at the truck making its way in the distance, leaving a plume of dust trailing behind.
