Saddle Up (26 page)

Miranda awoke, stretched, and then grabbed her robe and padded straight to the window overlooking the south pasture. Just gazing out on the horses was a simple pleasure she'd come to look forward to every morning.

The hay truck had come first, an entire semitrailer they'd parked behind the main barn. After that, the horses began to arrive, trailer by trailer, over the next three days. Two hundred twelve mares in all. Through it all, Blue Eye had paced his paddock, out of his mind with excitement over his would-be harem in their thousand-acre pasture. She felt bad for the stallion to have them within sight and smell but ever out of reach.

She squinted but was still unable to see through the fog that enshrouded the ground. Even the mountains were obscured, appearing as a barely discernible shadow. Although mildly disappointed, she knew the fog would soon fade away with the rising sun. The forecast had promised mild temps and plenty of sunshine.

Keith had suggested taking a ride together if the weather cleared. Between all the fencing, filming Keith and Blue Eye, and editing her documentary, she hadn't yet had a chance to ride Sadie. She was elated at the prospect of getting on a horse again and spending time alone with Keith, doing something they both enjoyed. Although they were back on even footing again, Keith had seemed strangely preoccupied and a little aloof since Judith and Robert had left. She couldn't understand why she and Keith seemed destined always to take two steps back for every step forward. She hoped today would be another forward step.

He was in the kitchen, sipping coffee with Jo-Jo, when she came downstairs. “Good morning, Jo-Jo, Keith.” Miranda reached for the coffee pot, noting that they both looked strangely out of sorts. “Is something wrong?” Miranda asked.

“Let's just say something's not right,” Keith replied with a frown.

Miranda grabbed her cup and sat. “What do you mean?”

“Blue Eye's gone.”

“
Gone?
” she gasped. “What do you mean gone?”

“As in he's not in his corral.”

“Do you think he jumped out?” Miranda asked.

“It's not impossible,” he said slowly, his expression dubious. “But I'm confounded that he hadn't done it sooner, if he had the ability to clear that height.”

“Maybe all those mares finally got to him?” Miranda suggested.

“If that's the case, we'll know right where to find him.”

“Are you going to look now?” she asked.

“Can't. It's like pea soup out there.”

“You're right about that. I couldn't spot any of the horses from my bedroom window and could barely even make out the barn.”

“We'll have to wait for it to clear up a little bit,” he said. “Riding into a herd in the fog would only spook them.”

It was almost noon before the haze burned off. Walking out into the pasture, Miranda and Keith scouted for Blue Eye. Although hundreds of hoofprints pockmarked the frosty ground, there were no horses in sight. “Where are they all?” Miranda asked, baffled.

Keith shook his head with knitted brows. “I've got a weird feeling in my gut about all this.”

“It's almost a thousand acres,” Miranda said. “They could be anywhere.”

“True, but they usually splinter off into small groups. Mustangs don't tend to all stay congregated. In any case, there's no point in speculation. Let's just saddle up and go take a look.”

Miranda rode by Keith's side as they set out at a ground-covering trot. Scouting the periphery and creek banks, where the animals would go for water, they still came up clueless, until reaching the northernmost periphery and base of the mountains that her grandparents used to lease for summer grazing.

“I'll be damned! Look at that!” Keith exclaimed, leaping off his horse before Miranda even saw what had caught his eye. Kneeling in the mud, he held up a strand of broken wire in his gloved hand. “See this?”

“Did they break through it?” Miranda asked.

“Only if they brought a set of wire cutters,” Keith said dryly.

“What do you mean? Are you implying someone cut the fence?”

“Yup,” he replied grimly. “These horses didn't break out. Someone intentionally let them out, and I've got a clue about who might have been behind it.”

“Who?” she asked. “And why?”

“I didn't want to upset you or your grandmother, but I overheard a conversation between your aunt and uncle the day they arrived. They weren't happy about this situation and seemed inclined to do something about it.”

“Like what?” Miranda asked.

“They didn't say, but they mentioned a guy named Marvin. Does the name mean anything to you?”

“Yeah. Marvin McRae worked here for about thirty years 'til Jo-Jo gave him the boot. He was never a very nice man, even when Gramps was around, but they were boyhood pals, so Gramps kept him on as a hand.”

“If your grandmother fired him, he's probably got a beef.”

“I suspect you're right,” Miranda said. “What if something bad happens because of this?”

“The liability is on your shoulders,” Keith replied. “I suspect that's exactly what Judith and Robert were hoping for. They were really clever if they hired someone else to do their dirty work. There's no one to point a finger at them.”

“I suppose so,” Miranda said. “But even if it was Marvin, that doesn't solve the problem of finding and capturing two hundred horses. How are we going to do that?”

“We'll have to see if we can entice some of them to come back.” Keith pulled cutters and pliers out of his saddlebag and started pulling down more wire.

“What are you doing?”

“Making a wider gate. Go ahead and tie the horses and help me coil this wire up. We don't want them to get tangled in it when they come back through.”

Miranda regarded him skeptically. “You really think they'll just come wandering back?”

“Yup,” he replied. “Not all, but some of them will. They were safe and secure in this pasture, and horses like to be safe and secure. After they realize the grass isn't greener on that mountain, at least not in wintertime, they'll want to come back. And they'll look to enter in the same place they went out. Our job is to make it real easy for them to do just that.”

“So we're just going to wait and see?”

He shrugged. “Not much more we can do at this point, other than putting the word out to neighboring ranches to keep an eye out for them. We especially don't want to piss the ranchers off if they find wild horses running through their cow pastures. If that does happen, however, maybe we can get some help corralling some of them.”

“We'd better get back and tell Jo-Jo about this,” Miranda said. “She's going to want to make some calls.”

“I agree that she needs to know they got out,” Keith said. “But there's no reason to tell her our suspicions. If Marvin really was acting as a hired gun for your aunt and uncle, that's going to create a really touchy situation for you. Let's be certain before we say anything.”

“I agree.” Miranda nodded. “She's already had enough stress as it is. But how do you propose getting proof?”

“I'm going to pay Marvin a little visit.”

“I don't even know where he lives. How are you going to find him?”

“I'll begin at the places where you always find all manner of skunks and low crawlers—the local watering holes.”

* * *

“Keith! Randa! I'm glad you're back.” Jo-Jo met Keith and Miranda on the front porch as they were scraping the mud from their boots. “I just got the strangest call from Donna Knowlton over at the Flying K. She says her sons saw a bunch of mustangs while they were up on the mountain gathering strays. I just can't understand it. How did they get out? And why, when they have plenty of green hay and a thousand acres of good pasture?”

“Mustangs are a bit unpredictable that way,” Keith said.

“I guess I know that now, but what are we going to do about it?” Jo-Jo asked.

“Don't fret about a thing,” Keith reassured her. “I know these animals pretty well. We'll get them back.”

“Keith has a plan,” Miranda said. “He thinks some of them will return on their own.”

“Some will,” he agreed. “As for the rest, our first priority is to find out where they are.”

“Will the BLM help?” Jo-Jo asked.

Keith shook his head. “Not likely. Once they deliver the horses, they wash their hands of any more responsibility. I think the easiest way to locate them would be to bring in a helicopter to do a sweep of the mountain. It could even push them back in this direction.”

“So I'll have to hire a helicopter? That's likely to cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Another expense I can't afford.” Jo-Jo shook her head with a sigh of dismay. “Maybe Judith is right and I didn't think this decision through as well as I should have.”

Keith and Miranda exchanged a knowing look.

“I'm so sorry, Jo-Jo,” Miranda said.

“It's not your fault, child. These things happen.” Jo-Jo gave a resigned sigh. “I s'pose we just have to find the best way to deal with it.”

“I'll phone Mitch to see what it would take to fly his bird in to gather them,” Keith said. “Don't worry about the cost. Mitch'll probably only charge us for the fuel, and I'm happy to cover that.”

“Why should you?” Jo-Jo protested. “It's not your responsibility.”

“I told you I'd secure the fence,” Keith said. “It's my negligence if they broke through it. You said the Knowltons saw some of the horses? Did they say exactly where?”

“No, but she did say the band they spotted were being chased by a pack of wolves.”

“Wolves?” Miranda repeated. “I didn't know we had wolves around here.”

“We've just never seen any in these parts before now,” Jo-Jo said, “but they've been steadily spreading across the state since they were reintroduced to Yellowstone.”

“Wyoming's full of them,” Keith said. “The only good thing about that is if there's wolves up there, the horses have just one more reason to come back home. I'd almost lay money that we'll have some of them back in the pasture by tomorrow. In the meantime, I'd like to go and talk to the Knowltons. It would be helpful if we could at least pin down the general area where were spotted.”

“I'll phone Donna,” Jo-Jo said, “and let her know to expect you.”

* * *

Two hours later, Miranda and Keith left the Flying K with only the vaguest idea of where one band of horses might be. “Dirk wasn't the most helpful person in the world, was he?” Miranda remarked.

“Yeah. He's nothing at all like the guy I remember.”

“You knew him before?”

“Not well, but rodeo is a really small world. After two full summers doing my trick-riding gig in Cody, there weren't too many cowboys I didn't meet at one time or another. As I recall, Dirk Knowlton used to be a helluva rough rider.”

“He's rough all right. All I can say is his brother's a whole lot more personable.”

Keith felt an uncomfortable churning in his gut. “How would you know?”

“Wade is Jo-Jo's attorney,” she said. “I met him when he reviewed the contracts. Jo-Jo even tried to play matchmaker.”

“Did she now?” he remarked, careful to keep his tone bland.

“Yeah.” She slanted Keith a sly look. “She was quite enthralled with him. Said Wade Knowlton's the most eligible bachelor in all of Madison County.”

“And what did you think of him?” The truck gave a slight lurch as he slammed it into third gear.

“Oh, he was a real charmer all right…” She grinned. “But not my type at all.”

He glanced her way. “No? Why's that?”

“He was far too staid for me.” Her grin spread wider. “Not many people know this, but I tend to go for the more adventurous type—the kind of guy who likes to throw knives and roast snakes. You know, the type who also tells erotic bedtime stories…the one whose kisses make my toes curl and knows the secrets of my body better than I do.” She cocked a teasing brow. “Know anybody like that?”

“Oh yeah, sweetheart. I know that guy real well.” He reached for her, pulling her close to his side.

“Keith? I understand your reluctance to stay here, but it makes no sense for you not to be part of the ranch. I hate this idiotic situation. It seems so stupid and pointless. If we didn't have you, we'd have to hire someone else. Why can't we be together
and
work together? Lots of couples do so successfully.”

“Because it would look like exactly the scenario that film intimated about me—that I'm just a lothario who preys on horse-loving women.”

“But you aren't!” she insisted.

“You know that, and I know that, but what about the rest of the world? How would it appear if I'm living with you and your seventy-two-year-old grandmother, just the three of us in a happy little ménage?”

“Weren't you the one who said other people's opinions don't matter? If you don't work here, you'd have to work somewhere close by for us to be together, and then people would probably talk anyway. So what difference does it really make?”

“My good name makes all the difference in the world to me,” he said. “That film destroyed my credibility, and I'm still trying to deal with it.”

Miranda chewed her lip. “Then we'll just have to find a way to repair the damage.”

“Nothing can ever undo the damage.”

“So you're just going to let that film stand in our way?”

“No,” he said. He still didn't know the answer, but one thing he knew for certain, his future happiness lay in finding it. “We'll figure something out,
Aiwattsi
, I promise, but right now our biggest concern is getting those horses back.”