The Gatekeeper's Sons (The Gatekeeper's Trilogy) (11 page)

Therese stepped under the aluminum structure. “
Mornin’, Mrs. Holt. Who do you need me to start on?”

Jen’s mother had her gray-blonde hair cut short, like her sons, in a bowl around her leathery freckled face. She was beautiful once, but she stopped caring about her skin in the elements, and the sun had taken its toll. Plus, she smoked and looked slightly underweight, and the lines in her face were deep. “Bobby said you prefer Sugar.”

Therese liked all the horses, but Sugar, the white mare, never resisted Therese’s requests. The General, Chestnut, Rambo, and Rusty were the most stubborn of the herd, all constantly vying for the upper ranks in the pecking order, and Therese didn’t like having to hit or kick or growl at the animals to get their cooperation. Sugar, Ace, and Dumbo had mild dispositions and seemed indifferent to rank and status. Therese took up a brush and said in a gentle, even tone, “Hi, Sugar, girl. You already look so pretty today.” She took the brush to Sugar’s withers. “You’re not nearly as dirty as Hershey was yesterday.”

Bobby laughed, “That’s because she’s a lazy girl. She just stands around and sleeps all
mornin’, don’t you, girl.”

Therese noticed Than was just a few feet away from her, eyeing her with a smug look on his face. What had she done to give him the impression she was interested in him? She was confused by how confident he seemed to be that he had some kind of an effect on her. Well, she’d have to show him. He didn’t need to know that he
did
have an effect on her, that his very presence had suddenly made her more self-conscious than she could ever remember being, but she could very well control herself and make Than think otherwise. She wanted to wipe that all-too-confident grin right off his face, even though his dark wavy hair, now wet and clinging to his beautiful face, set off the crystal blue of his eyes. She took a deep breath and focused on the animal. Sugar soothed her; the contact with the warm mare and the look of her friendly eyes made a feeling of peace wash over Therese. “You’re such a good girl, even if you are lazy.”

“Ace, on the other hand, is a roller, aren’t you boy?” Bobby said to the yellowish-brown stallion. “If you could get one more weed stuck in your coat, I’d be surprised.”

“Oh, come on now,” Mrs. Holt said. “You’re being too hard on Sugar. She’s not lazy. She and Satellite groom each other, don’t you, Satellite. That’s why you’re so clean.”

Satellite was the white stallion—Sugar’s mate.  Therese often noticed them standing head to tail flicking away the flies and licking off the grass and dirt from one another’s coats.

“Where’s Pete?” Therese asked.

“He’s practicing today,” Mrs. Holt said. “His band is performing at the
Wildhorse Saloon in Durango tomorrow evening.”

“That’s awesome!” Therese knew Pete dreamed of making it big with his music and that, as much as he loved horses, he probably wouldn’t come back to work on the ranch after college. “I bet he’s about to pop.”

“He’s pretty excited,” Bobby said.

“We’re all going after supper,” Mrs. Holt said. “You’re welcome to come with us.” Then she added, “You, too, Than.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Holt,” Than said. “That sounds very entertaining.”

Before Therese could reply, she heard Jen greeting Clifford on her way to the pen. “Good boy!” she was saying. “You go catch a fish! Catch a fish!” Then she came in through the gate and came up beside Therese. “Hey. How’s it going?”

“Okay,” Therese lied. She couldn’t very well say she’d cried herself to sleep because she missed her parents so terribly and that she’d felt restless the whole night long. She couldn’t say what she had discovered about the Furies and how suspicious she felt about Than showing up here not long after her strange dreams. “What’s up?”

Jen grabbed a brush and started working on Annie, a red mare who happened to be on the other side of Than from Therese. “We’re all going to the
Wildhorse Saloon tomorrow night. You
have
to come with us. Ray and Todd might go, too.”

“Ray and Todd are going?” Therese perked up. She loved hanging out with them. They always managed to make her laugh.

“Yeah, I was just on the phone with Todd. Pete’s band is performing.”

“That’s what your mom said.” Although Therese didn’t like the idea of being there with Than and his arrogance, she could use a good dose of company from her friends, a distraction from all the anguish and longing and dread, especially at night, when she had more time to think. She patted Sugar’s front leg for the hoof. Therese picked out a small pebble wedged against the shoe.

“So are you going?” Than asked.

He looked Therese directly in the eyes, all signs of smugness gone. Therese’s mouth opened with surprise. He really seemed to like her. Therese shot a glance at Jen and from the look on her face realized she had drawn the same conclusion. “Um, I’ll ask my aunt.”

Mrs. Holt said, “Pete would be glad if you could make it. Tell your aunt to call me if she has any questions.”

“Yes,
m’am, I will.” Therese squatted down to work on Sugar’s legs.

“Oh, and I have a favor to ask, Therese,” Mrs. Holt said. “Could you help us ride later today before supper? With Pete gone, we could use the extra hand.”

Therese frowned. Riding made her nervous. She hated kicking and shouting the commands. But she didn’t want to let down Mrs. Holt. “I’m sure my aunt won’t mind. She’s working anyway.”

“Great,” Mrs. Holt said. “Sure do appreciate it. We already exercised Sugar yesterday, but Dumbo’s a gentle ride. You can ride him.”

Therese finished grooming Sugar, a little knot forming in her stomach now over having to ride later today. She rode last summer a few times because Jen had pleaded with her and then stooped to bribing, but a year is a long time. “Who should I work on now?” Therese asked.

Mrs. Holt told her to groom Dumbo, so they could get better acquainted.

“Stay clean, Sugar.” Therese petted the horse’s cheek and neck. “You look so pretty. Yes, you do.”

Therese spotted Dumbo on the other side of Jen, behind Annie. Dumbo was the smallest of the males, a gray stallion. His ears were slightly bigger than those of the other horses, hence his name. Just now they were pointed forward and his muzzle was extended toward Therese and sniffing at her with curiosity like Clifford sometimes did with visitors. “Hi there, Dumbo. Remember me? I’m Therese.” She took the brush to Dumbo’s withers and pet his neck with her other hand. “You’re a handsome boy, and from the look of you, you’re a roller like Ace, aren’t you?” She started pulling weeds and stickers from his thick mane.

Bobby snickered. “You should see ‘em at night before we bring ‘em in. He and Ace are like puppies the way they roll around in the grass and chase each other across the pasture.”

“I bet that’s fun to watch,” Than put in. “I’d like to see that some time.”

“You’re welcome to come and watch the horses any evening,” Mrs. Holt said. “Just stay outside the fence. If they see you in with them, they’ll get upset. They like their routine.”

“Maybe I’ll come by this evening,” Than said.

“Come just before dusk,” Bobby said. “That’s when all the fun starts.” Then Bobby added. “Therese, you should come too.”

“I’ll have to see how I feel after riding. I haven’t done it in so long, I may be sore.”

Mrs. Holt let out a loud guffaw that made Therese jump. “No sugar. You won’t be sore tonight. You’ll feel it in the mornin’.”

Therese looked at Dumbo’s eyes, and he looked back at her with a knowing smile, as if to say, “You’ll be alright.” Therese rubbed his face and put her cheek against his. Dumbo nuzzled up to her and softly whinnied.

“He likes you,” Bobby said.

After Therese helped saddle the horses for the first trail ride of the day, Jen asked if she wanted to stay again for lunch. They were standing near the gravel drive beneath the shade of a cluster of cypresses as the cars were pulling up—the first riders of the day.

Therese’s eyes were on her dog, who noticed the cars and was coming up from the stream to investigate. “Come here, Clifford! Come, now!” He bounded over to her like a good boy. She picked him up to avoid conflict. Then she turned to Jen. “Thanks for the invitation, but I better get some rest at home if I’m coming back this afternoon. What time does your mom need me? Four?”

“Yeah. You’re really only riding for about half an hour, but by the time you remove the tack and turn ‘
em out, an hour’s gone by before you know it.” Then Jen added, “Don’t feel like you have to do it if you’re not up to it. I don’t mind riding an extra hour tonight. I don’t think my mom knows how nervous you get.”

“Thanks, Jen, but I’ll give it a try. I’ll call you if I chicken out. Can I use your phone to call my aunt? She won’t let me walk.”

Than came up from behind her. “Would she mind if I walked you home?”

She shrugged. “I guess that would be okay.” She tried to seem indifferent, but her heart was pounding so loudly that she worried he might be able to hear it. She knew she should call and ask permission, but she knew the answer would likely be no, and she wanted to walk with him. They said goodbye to the Holts and headed down the drive toward the dirt road. Clifford wriggled in her arms and then settled.

“You have a gift with animals,” Than said, stroking Clifford. “I like to watch you interact with them.”

“Thanks,” she said, unable to prevent herself from giving him a genuine smile. Being an animal lover was probably the thing she liked most about herself. “You’re pretty good with animals, too. Clifford has never taken to a stranger the way he has with you, like yesterday when he jumped in your arms.”

“I don’t get to spend much time around animals.” They stepped out onto the dirt road between the houses and the lake, so Therese let Clifford down as Than continued. “I wish it were otherwise. The horses and the birds and even your little dog have brought me a lot of pleasure these past two days.”

Therese didn’t know what to say. All of this was so unexpected. She had taken Than to be arrogant and maybe even selfish, but he sounded sincere. “I couldn’t live without animals,” she said.

Than frowned. Then he turned to her and said, “Being around people has been a pleasant change, too. I tend to be a loner, except for my sisters’ company.”

“That’s too bad. But you can always change.”

He sighed, gave her a sad smile, and shook his head. “Some things never change.”

She wondered what he meant, but she was afraid to pry, so she looked across the reservoir to the mountains on the other side. The sun was almost at high noon, and everything sparkled under its brilliant light.

“I never get tired of this view,” Therese said. “I feel so lucky to live here.” Then she thought of who else used to live here, and the tears welled. Panic gripped her heart, but she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She wasn’t going to cry.

“I know you must miss them,” Than said softly. “Bobby told me. I wish I could say I know how you feel.”

“Are your parents staying in the Melner cabin with you?” Therese wanted to change the subject.

“No. My dad had to
work and my mom is visiting my grandmother.”

They were silent for a while, both looking out over the lake and at Clifford stopping again to pee on every other tree. When they reached Therese’s gravel driveway, they slowed down and came
to a stop. “What does your dad do?”

He stuck his hands in his pockets and let out a deep breath. “Hmm. Well, my dad, he manages a large operation, and my mom helps him
during parts of the year. It’s difficult to explain.”

“So he never gets to get away?”

“Never. In fact, this is my very first trip away from home, and I had to beg and make promises.” He laughed. “My dad’s a good guy. Please don’t misunderstand. But he’s got a huge responsibility, and, well, it’s difficult for him to be flexible.”

Therese noticed Clifford had gone on ahead of her toward the house. “Well, I’m glad you got to come out here. It’s beautiful country and the Holts are a
n awesome family. And the horses are so incredible.”

“I’m glad, too.” He took a step closer to her. “I’m glad I got to meet you.”

Therese felt the blood rush to her face, and she looked down, shuffling around the gravel of her driveway with her sneaker. “Thanks. I’m glad I got to meet you, too.” She looked up to see him grinning down at her.

“So I guess I’ll see you later this afternoon, when it’s time to exercise the horses.”

“Yeah.” She wanted to add, “Unless I chicken out,” but she didn’t.

“See you later.” He turned and headed toward the
Melner cabin.

She watched him walk away, enjoying the
view.

Chapter Twelve:
Mortal Sensations