Land of Enchantment (3 page)

The man was just reining his horse to leave when Diana stepped towards him. She had to tilt her head way back in order to look up into his impassive face. Her serene features were a mockery to the tumult she was experiencing inside.

'I want to thank you for saving me from that fall.' It was amazing how composed her voice sounded. 'I admire your expertise, Mr—?'

'Masters. Lije Masters.' It was the first time Diana had ever seen anyone smile with their eyes. The line of his mouth never changed. The quiet respect stayed in his voice. But the corners of his eyes crinkled slightly and there was a glitter of light in the stone greyness of his eyes.

'Thank you, Mr. Masters,' she said, feeling the warm clasp of his hand take the one she had extended to him.

'My pleasure.' Now mockery glinted as he touched his hat and turned the horse away.

Lije Masters. All the way back to the trailer the sound of it rolled silently on her tongue. It was an unusual name. Diana didn't recall ever hearing that first name before, but it belonged to an unusual man. She was sure that the last name was particularly apt. With his strength, he would be a 'master' as an eagle was the ruler of the skies. Diana had never been so certain of anything in her life as she was that, above all else, she wanted to see Lije Masters again.

Chapter Two

THE photography session lasted the rest of the afternoon. Diana dressed and undressed so many times that her shoulders and arms ached. The muscles around her mouth quivered from smiling so much. At every opportunity her eyes had scanned the collection of cowboys that roamed about, hoping to see the man on the blood bay horse. Once only had she seen him. It had been outside of the arena shortly after their initial meeting and he had been walking his horse towards the stable area.

Diana had believed that he would come to watch her work. By the end of the day, she realized Lije Masters wasn't the type to join the crowd of ogling cowboys. That brought up another question. How was she going to see him again? Connie Deveronne had brought her trio of models to San Antonio for a two-day session, Thursday and Friday. Tomorrow the pictures taken would be all wrapped up and on Saturday they would be travelling back to Dallas.

'Di, honey, you were terrific today!'

So lost in her thoughts was she, Diana jumped as Rick threw an arm around her shoulders and hugged her close to him. That was Rick, all professional during the sessions, only to turn into a wolf after they were done. He wasn't really a wolf, Diana amended, since they were dangerous. He was probably only a wolf cub. Rick liked to come on strong because he thought it was part of his image as a photographer. It was important to him to have a beautiful girl at his side, which was probably the reason Diana steered clear of him. She disliked the fact that it was her beauty that drew people towards her.

'Thanks for the compliment.' She smiled coolly at him as she removed his arm from around her shoulders.

'Vanessa, Connie and myself are going out tonight for dinner and all. Haven't had a chance to ask Stella what she's doing. Why don't the two of you join us?' Rick ignored Diana's attempt to put him off.

'It would be kind of tough dividing your attention between the four of us, wouldn't it?' she jeered softly.

'You'd be surprised at what I could do.' His blue eyes roamed over her figure.

Diana didn't think she would be too surprised. She had made the mistake of going out with him once and discovered that after a couple of drinks Rick could turn into an octopus.

'No, thanks. I have other plans for tonight.' Her refusal was brisk and firm.

'Don't tell me you're going to use those tickets the manager gave Connie for the rodeo?' He stared at her incredulously.

'The complimentary tickets, you mean?' Diana guessed astutely, a gleam of an idea already forming in her mind.

'What else? Come on, Di honey, you don't want to go to a corny rodeo tonight,' Rick wheedled.

'That's where you're wrong,' Diana smiled firmly, stepping quickly away from him to scurry to the trailer.

Once inside the small trailer, it took her searching gaze only seconds to find the tickets carelessly tossed on the counter. Diana knew Connie wouldn't give them another thought and quickly extracted two from the stack. Stella would be just as averse as she had been to spending an evening in the company of Rick, Vanessa, and Connie. With luck, Diana could persuade her to attend the rodeo rather than spend the evening in their hotel room.

After a brief outburst from Stella that Diana had gone off her rocker, she warmed to the idea. Her one-track mind quickly remembered the admiring glances from the assortment of cowboys. Neither of them had had any previous inclination to attend such totally Western functions, despite the fact that they had both been born and raised in Texas. They were city girls and city girls are the same all over the world. Their planned night at the rodeo brought out a spirit of adventure in both of them. Of course, Diana's reasons were completely different from Stella's. Hers was hinged on a man named Lije Masters.

Their seats in the grandstand were strategically located near both the chutes and the gates where all the horsemen entered. Diana couldn't believe her luck. Her eyes searched the parade of riders during the presentation of the colours and the national anthem. There was not a sign of the blood bay horse and Lije Masters.

He had to be here, she told herself, switching her attention to the ever-changing group of cowboys perched on the chutes and rails. The programme called for saddle bronc riding first. Although Diana listened closely, she never heard his name called by the announcer. She applauded after each successful or unsuccessful ride, but not with the enthusiasm of her companion.

The next event was calf-roping. Lije Masters was in the arena before Diana saw him. This time he was riding a sedate buckskin horse. Just watching him, she felt that odd breathlessness take hold of her chest. Her hands clapped for the roper completing his tie on a calf, but the only one that existed for her was Lije Masters.

'Our next contestant, ladies and gentlemen,' the announcer was saying, 'hails from the State of New Mexico—Elijah Masters!'

As soon as his name was announced, the rider set the now alert buckskin well back in the enclosure next to the tunnel chute. He gave a quick nod to a cowboy atop that chute and the door was pulled up and a hefty black calf came charging out. With a bounding leap, the buckskin was after it. Diana saw the rope snake out from Lije's hand and settle over the calf's neck in a perfect throw. With the precision of a trained athlete, the buckskin sat back on its haunches, the slack in the rope taken up in a few quick dallies around the saddle horn. The calf was yanked off his feet as Lije vaulted out of the saddle in one fluid movement. He reached the calf just as it got back on his feet. He threw the animal to the ground, catching a front leg with his piggin string and making the tie with the back two legs before throwing his hands in the air to signal the official timer his completion.

There was a brief wait by the officials to make sure the calf couldn't free himself while Lije mounted the buckskin and rode it forward so the taut rope went slack. Diana joined in with the thunderous applause when it was announced that Lije Masters had the fastest time so far in that event. In response, Lije removed his hat as he rode out of the arena, revealing thick, nut-brown hair.

Diana's heart was in her throat as he neared the place in the entrance where she sat. Would he see her? Should she call to him? No, she couldn't do that. The last thing she wanted to have Lije think was that she was chasing him. The brown hat was on his head again when he did ride by Diana. The brim shadowed his eyes so that she had no way of telling whether or not he had seen her.

His calf-roping time didn't stand as another contestant riding the same buckskin horse that Lije had ridden beat him out of first place in the event by a full second. Bareback bronc riding was next, and again Lije didn't compete. Diana didn't see him again until the steer wrestling event, which the announcer explained was also known as bulldogging. This time Lije was astride the red bay from this afternoon.

Lije Masters was one of the last contestants in the event, although he participated several times acting as a hazer to keep the steer running straight so his competitor could vault from his horse and wrestle the steer to the ground. His big bay horse was used just as often.

When the moment came for Lije's attempt, Diana didn't know whether to cheer him on or hold her breath. The idea of him diving from his horse at a full gallop on to the horns of a big burly steer who was also running sent shivers of icy cold fear down her spine. She didn't have much time to dwell on it, because it was over almost before it began. Four strides out of the gate, Lije was off his horse, had the steer by the horns, brought him to a halt and had wrestled him to the ground. What was more important to Diana was that Lije was standing completely unharmed.

It frightened her how important this veritable stranger had become. It didn't seem natural, and yet she felt completely natural. Her concern and interest for Lije Masters was the most natural thing that had ever happened. There was the strange sensation that she had done this many times. And she couldn't explain why she felt that way.

This time when Lije rode out of the arena gate he didn't continue on out of the stands as he had done before. He stopped his horse next to another cowboy who was leaning against the stands not too far from where Diana was sitting.

'With that big red horse of yours, you
can't never lose,' the other cowboy laughed up at Lije, who stroked the glistening neck of his horse.

'That's the idea, Les. How's the ribs?'

'I'll tell you after the bull-riding tonight. I drew that spinning devil,' he answered grimly. 'How about you?'
 

'I've got the grey,' Lije replied.

'Watch him. He hooks to the left on a downed rider,' the cowboy warned before he lifted his hand in goodbye and walked towards the back of the chutes.

Diana didn't understand what the conversation meant exactly. It sounded like serious advice. Her clouded blue eyes were studying Lije as he looked-up and met her gaze. Again he touched his hat in that quaint Western way that Diana found pleasing. He inched his horse closer to where she sat.

'Enjoying the rodeo?' His drawl was not quite as pronounced as most that Diana had heard and there was a quiet, educated tone in his voice along with its natural commanding firmness. Lije Masters was a man who would be heard no matter how softly he spoke.

'Very much,' Diana answered as she saw Stella glance at her curiously from the corner of her eye. 'I've seen rodeos on television before, but it's the first one I've attended.'

'I hope it won't be your last.'

'I don't understand all the slang yet, but I've found it all very fascinating,' Diana smiled. Her nerves were jumping as she waited anxiously for him to issue a more personal comment.

'There are a lot of things that happen behind the scenes that the spectators don't get to see. Later on when you're free, I'll show you around.' The remoteness of his expression made it difficult for Diana to judge how sincere the invitation had been.

'I'd like that,' she answered.

'If you'll excuse me, then, I have to get ready for the next event.' Touching his hat, he reined the horse around and left.

'Do you know him?' Stella breathed after he was out of hearing.

'I met him today.' Diana watched his retreating back until it disappeared.

'Lucky you! He's not really handsome, is he? I mean, not in the accepted sense of the word. But he's got an aura around him that takes your breath away. No wonder you wanted to come to the rodeo tonight!'

'What's the next event?' Stella's observation had been too astute and Diana wanted to shift the subject.

'Bull riding,'
Stella answered after consulting her printed programme.

That was what Diana had been afraid it would be. And Lije Masters was entered in it. Her stomach twisted itself in knots. The apprehension she had felt during the steer wrestling seemed minor compared to the agony she knew she would go through in this the most dangerous event.

'Are you going to do it?' Stella asked, her dark head cocked inquiringly towards her blonde companion.

'Do what?'

'Take him up on his offer to show you around,' Stella replied with a mock frown on Diana's blank expression. 'I should think tonight after the rodeo would be a perfect time.'

'Do you?' Diana asked earnestly before seeing the teasing look on her friend's face. Immediately she tried to appear nonchalant. 'I haven't made up my mind yet.'

'We're only going to be here for another day.' The dark head shook sadly. 'This isn't the time to play hard to get, Di.'

'I just don't want it to look as if I'm chasing him,' she sighed.

'He issued the invitation. It's up to you to accept. I just wish he had a friend for me!' A resigned smile played across Stella's face.

'Oh, you're coming with me,' Diana said quickly.

'I would make it a crowd. No, thanks.' Stella shook her head firmly. 'And if you're getting cold feet about accepting that date, then you're a fool.'

Diana knew Stella was right. She knew also that she was going to accept the offer, but that didn't ease her tension. She hadn't even been this much on edge when she received her first kiss. Some inner voice told her that this was the most important evening in her life and she couldn't be as blasé about it as Stella was.