Savage Land (12 page)

'As far as the eye can see is Slash S rangeland,’ Tony said calmly but forcefully. ‘All told, over sixty square miles, valued, with livestock and all, in the millions. And now it looks like one day it will all be mine.’ He turned once again to Coley. ‘You know, Ben's grown very fond of you these few short weeks you've been here. He told Willy your gentle ways hid a lot of determination and pride.’ Coley's eyes were captured by the forcefulness of his gaze. ‘I feel I have to warn you Jase realizes that Ben likes you. He's not above using you as a tool to get it. He constantly tries to make me look bad, gives me menial tasks, like today, then implies to Ben that I can't be trusted. He wants this ranch, Coley, any way he can get it.'

On that ominous note Tony stopped, turning a grim face towards the hills. Jase's words came echoing back to Coley. ‘Tony would destroy everything you worked for in a week.'

Very hesitantly Coley spoke. ‘But if what you told me the other day is true, about Rick's death, isn't the ranch rightly his?'

There was a long silence during which it seemed Tony was choosing his words carefully before he answered.

'Nobody saw what happened. We have only the version Jase told us and the barely lucid cries of Rick while he was conscious but delirious. Rick was very clear when he begged Jase not to stand there ... to help him.'

'What if someone else were there?'

His gaze sharpened as he studied her face.

'What if the sight of three thousand pounds of charging Brahma bull momentarily froze Jase? What if the horror inside the corral stopped him?’ Tony asked, his complexion paling under his tan.

'Is that what you believe?’ Coley asked breathlessly, half afraid to hear his answer.

'It's possible. That's what Ben believes,’ Tony answered calmly, lifting his eyebrows briefly in an almost indifferent shrug. ‘That and the fact that Jase wanted the ranch, which will now, quite likely, be mine.’ Suddenly he smiled at her his thin lips curling back to reveal a large expanse of white teeth. ‘How did we get on such a morbid subject when we both were enjoying the ride?
Quien sabe,
huh? I'll tell you what, you stay here and watch the colts play while I ride over the hill and check the pump on that water well?'

Coley nodded a quick agreement. She needed time to be alone, to think about Tony's new revelations. She smiled and waved in return as his horse danced down the hill. Her eyes followed him until he was out of sight. With a barely repressed sigh, Coley dismounted, leading her horse part way down the crest to a grassy level spot where she let loose of the reins to allow Misty to graze. She stretched out on the incline, leaning back to gaze up at the vivid blue sky.

How strange that she had never guessed that Tony's occasional brashness had come from an unhappy childhood. She remembered often seeing those same lines of bitterness and discontent etched on Danny's face before they had come here. In some ways the circumstances of Tony's early life had been like theirs, except that he never had known a mother's love and possibly not even a father's.

Her brows constricted briefly. She wished they had not talked about Jase. So many things Tony had said seemed logical, though in direct conflict with her emotions. She had recognized the flash of ruthlessness occasionally revealed in Jase's face. Perhaps there was cruelty there as well. Coley rolled over quickly on her side as if to turn her back on such thoughts.

A movement several feet away caught her attention. Misty's front hoof had stepped on one of the trailing reins causing her to stumble. Coley leapt quickly to her feet.

'Oh, Misty, I'm sorry!’ she cried, rushing over to pat the roan's neck soothingly. ‘I should have realized you'd trip over the reins. Here, I'll tie them around the saddle horn.'

Finishing her task, she stepped back to watch her horse lower its head to the tender mountain grasses, unencumbered by loose reins. A questioning whinny rang from the canyon floor. The roan's head raised and her ears pricked alertly as she stared down. Her sides heaved briefly in an answering whicker.

'Have you got a friend down there, Misty?’ Coley asked, studying the numerous horses, trying to determine which one had called to her horse.

Misty whinnied again, then started down the slope at an eager trot.

'Where are you going?’ Coley cried. ‘Come back here! Misty!'

She hopped and slid down the steep incline to the canyon floor, vainly attempting to catch up with her unheeding horse. She was barely halfway down when Misty reached the bottom and cantered towards the herd.

'Misty! Misty!’ Coley called, trying desperately to run after her horse and still maintain her balance. Her feet failed to keep up with her gathering momentum and she landed ignominiously on her rump. She rolled and slid to the bottom, scraping and bruising her arms and hands as she tried to stop her fall. Out of breath and painfully sore, she struggled to her feet and hobbled stiffly after her roan. But Misty had reached the herd. There was a brief flurry of movement before the curious mares encircled the saddled but riderless horse and she was hidden from Coley's view.

'Oh, Misty, how could you do this to me!’ Coley exclaimed disgustedly, flowing down to a disgruntled, toe-scuffling walk.

From the grove of trees that lined the opposite canyon walls came a shrill, almost whistle-like sound followed almost immediately by a thundering of hooves. Coley glanced up quickly from her morose study of the ground to see a coppery red horse charging around the herd towards her. While the mares and colts scurried together, the sorrel horse slowed to a dancing halt between Coley and the herd. With long powerful strides he paced back and forth in front of her, his flaxen tail held high, flowing out behind him like a banner going into battle. Coley paused, then chided herself for the momentary recurrence of her fear of horses. She clapped her hands loudly and stepped boldly forward.

'Shoo, horse, shoo!’ she yelled, flapping her arms, wildly, hoping to send him scurrying off.

His shrill, piercing scream sent her hands rushing to cover her ears as he, snakelike, lowered his head, snorting loudly and stamping the ground. Coley realized with growing terror that he wasn't a bit afraid of her and had no intention of allowing her to approach the herd he was protecting. She glanced around her hopelessly. All the trees of any size were on the opposite side of the canyon. Ahead of her and slightly to her right was a huge boulder where, if she could make it and scramble up it, she would be out of reach of her angry antagonist. Now her dilemma was should she try for it, stand her ground or retreat. The last two left her more vulnerable to him if he decided she posed a threat wherever she was. That only left the first, to try for the rock.

Taking a deep breath, Coley tried to still the trembling in her legs. They felt like two sticks of jelly. The horse was tossing his head, shaking it from side to side. Now, she thought, now! And she was off, the ground shuddering beneath her as the pounding of the horse's hooves foretold without the need of a glance that he was giving chase.

She was at the rock! She made it! Scrambling, clawing, inwardly cursing the slick soles of her cowboy boots, she dragged herself to the top. The angry screams and clicking teeth below her underlined the fine line separating defeat from her victory. Coley tucked her legs beneath her as she clung tightly to the pointed top of her precarious perch. Below danced the sorrel, rearing and pawing in a tantrum.

'Help!’ Her voice was barely a squeak. She swallowed hard and tried again. ‘Help!'

Tony wasn't far away. Surely he'd hear her.

'Help! Tony, help!'

The enraged stallion circled the boulder, his fiery eyes never leaving his quarry.

She watched the slope she had just come down, fervently hoping to see Tony appear on the crest.

'To-o-ne-ee!’ She screamed at the top of her lungs, before breaking off into a hastily stifled sob.

She mustn't panic. The horse couldn't reach her and Tony would be along soon. She just had to keep her head. ‘Take deep breaths,’ she ordered her body. ‘Relax. Enjoy the view.’ After all, all she had to do was wait. She glanced down at the horse, trying to be calm, but she couldn't suppress a shudder at the sight of the bared and menacing teeth.

A muffled sound of hoofbeats reached her ears, but they seemed to be coming from the opposite side of the canyon, from the hill that was its wall. Seconds later a horse and rider appeared on the crest above the grove of trees. The horse pranced impatiently against the backdrop of blue sky, as Coley, holding her breath, stared at the rider. Even at this distance she recognized the calm way he sat so surely astride the dancing red horse, moving with his mount as if they were one. It was Jase.

'Jase! Jase!’ Coley screamed, waving an arm frantically at him.

What if he didn't see her?

The horrifying thought numbed her throat as she rose precariously to her feet trying to balance herself astride the pointed rock.

'Here! Here! I'm over here!’ she yelled. Again she waved her arm wildly.

Suddenly the slick soles could no longer maintain their hold and she slipped. A short cry escaped her lips as she clutched madly at the smooth boulder trying to check her fall. She felt her blouse rip as a corner snagged on a small outcropping. Quickly she grabbed at the small hold. Straining every muscle in her slender arms, she managed to stop her slide. Without wasting a glance to see where the stallion was, because she could almost feel the heat of his breath on hers she began to scale the rock again. A glancing blow of a hoof struck the heavy though slick sole of her boot, adding impetus to her scramble to safety. Completely winded, she reached the top, tears screaming down her cheeks from fright.

Her hazel eyes lifted to the hill where she had seen Jase, but he was gone. Suddenly she realized that pounding noise she was hearing wasn't her heart as she had first thought, but a horse. She turned to see Tony plummeting down the slope, yelling and spurring his horse, his arm swinging a coiled rope wildly.

Momentarily the stallion below paused as if preparing to meet the attack before he spun and raced whinnyingly towards the herd. In an almost synchronized movement, the whole herd turned as one and raced from the canyon, the copper sorrel nipping at the heels of the stragglers.

Tony slid his horse to a stop at the base of the rock where Coley was perched. He dismounted quickly to rush over to help her down. His face was as pale as hers, except that his expression was triumphant and hers was relieved.

'Are you all right?’ he asked, smiling down at her broadly.

Coley nodded, not trusting her voice at the moment. She glanced once again at the hill where she had seen Jase. But still there was no sign of him. Had she imagined it? Tony was speaking again and she turned back to him, her hands resting on his arms.

'I was so afraid something would happen to you, too,’ he said, a tightness in his voice. ‘Where's your horse?'

'She ran out with the herd.’ Coley's voice trembled. She was still so shaken by her close call that she had difficulty concentrating, and speaking. ‘Oh, Tony, I'm so glad to see you!'

'You just lean back against the rock and relax. We'll worry about catching up with your horse later. Right now I'll take a look at those hands.'

Coley did as she was ordered, wincing as he dabbed at the grazes in her hands with his handkerchief.

'They're just minor. We'll wash them good when we get back to the ranch,’ he said, his dark eyes returning to her face.

She glanced down at her hands in a daze. The ragged strands of her torn blouse flipped outwards at a gentle stir of wind. Instantly her hands raised to hide her breasts barely covered by her lacy bra. Her gaze lifted hesitantly to his, discomfortingly aware of her reddening face.

'It's nice to see a girl blush.’ Tony's eyes sparkled as he lightly touched her cheek with his hand.

Then his expression changed to a rather lazy regard of her face, as his arms moved into position, one on each side of her.

'Isn't it usual for a damsel to reward her knight with a kiss?’ he asked huskily. His tanned face moved in closer to hers. ‘Or haven't your lips ever touched a man's before?'

As his face lowered towards hers, the ugly picture of another such scene flashed before Coley. Before it had been Carl, now it was Tony, but the feeling of repulsion was the same.

'No!'
she shouted vehemently, squirming out of his grasp.

'I wasn't going to bite you!’ he exclaimed in stunned disbelief.

Instantly Coley was contrite.

'I'm sorry, Tony. I didn't mean to ... I guess I'm still uptight.’ The words came slowly through the invisible strangehold of fear and tension around her throat.

'Of course,’ Tony agreed. His stiff expression relaxed slightly. ‘We'd better get you home.'

He turned, gathered up the reins and mounted his horse. ‘Here,’ he held out his hand to her. ‘You can ride up front.'

Clutching the shredded edges of her blouse together as best she could with one hand, Coley placed the other in his. Rather ungracefully she hopped and was pulled on to the horse. Tony's arm encircled her waist, nearly bared by the torn blouse. She tried to quell the feeling of discomfort. After all, it was too far to walk home.

Chapter Six