24
C aleb shifted the treat-filled ruck to his other hand and unlatched the gate, which gave them access to the barnyard from the residential area of the compound. He waved Rose ahead of him and made sure to close the gate behind them.
“There’s so many horses.” Rose paused near a corral to watch the yearlings as they rolled and romped in the sand. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many in one place except on TV.”
“City girl,” he teased.
“Yeah, I am.” She took his hand and fell into step with him as he led her into the barn.
Caleb stopped them just inside the huge doors and called, “Jack?” He knew better than to just wander around in here.
“Down here.” Jack’s voice came from the back of the barn. “Come on back.”
They took him at his word and walked down the aisle, then down the ramp to where Jack’s voice talked softly. Caleb grinned when he spotted the ranch foreman muttering to a blue roan horse as he clenched up the saddle. “Hey.”
“I saddled Trudy for you.” Jack nodded to where the horse he’d used a couple of times before was cross-tied outside a stall. “I didn’t know how well your lady could ride, so I figured Bluey was a safe bet.” He smiled at Rose. “Bluey is almost as old as me, but she’ll look after you as long as you treat her right.”
“I know enough to stay on,” Rose replied. “As long as she isn’t going to think she’s a rodeo bronc, I think I’ll be okay.” She reached out her hand but paused before she touched her. “Can I pet her?”
“Sure, you can.” Jack stuck his hand in his pocket and handed Rose something. “If you give ol’ Bluey treats, she’ll be your best friend.”
Caleb watched for a few minutes as Rose made friends with the horse. Once he was sure she wasn’t afraid and was comfortable, he touched her arm. “I’m just going to check on Trudy; then, as soon as you’re ready, we’ll head out.”
Rose’s answering smile hit him right in the chest, and he had to drag his attention away from her when Jack spoke to him.
“Where are you headed?”
Caleb started toward Trudy. “I was thinking we might head up to the spring if you think it’s not too rough for the horses at this time of year.” He knew Trudy could make it; he’d been up there with her before they’d left for Draven’s wedding in California.
“It should be okay. I had the boys drop some hay up there yesterday, so there’s fodder for the horses while you have your picnic.”
“Awesome.” He went through the motions of checking his saddle and Trudy’s feet, just like Jack had taught him to.
“I’ll make a cowboy out of you yet.” Jack’s approval told him he’d come a long way since the green horseperson but weary soldier who’d arrived here after Dalton had recruited him. “Might even poach you from the other side, given half a chance.”
“Don’t say that too loud, or Dalton will fire you without a second thought.” He didn’t think that would ever happen. Dalton and Jack had a mutual respect for each other, and the ranch foreman was damn good at his job.
“He could try.” Jack snorted. “But then he’d have to shovel the shit and deal with the vets and foaling in the middle of the night.”
Caleb knew doing those things would not bother their boss at all, but still, it was fun to picture it in his mind’s eye. “What do you think the weather is going to do?”
“It’s been weird,” Jack admitted. “But I think you should be okay as long as you’re back before dark.” He entered the arena and went to the gates, keeping it separate from another corral, to look at the sky. “Yeah, it smells like snow, but I think it’s a bit off yet.”
Caleb trusted Jack’s opinion on the weather more than he did all the apps online or the weatherman. There was something about an old man who spent most of his days outdoors to be able to give an accurate prediction of what Mother Nature was going to throw at them.
Jack lifted his hat off his head and resettled it. “The weather can change on a dime at this time of year, though, so if you need it, there’s a line shack about half a mile from the springs.” Jack said. “If something changes for the worse, go there.”
He didn’t remember seeing a line shack up there. “Where is it?”
“Go around the rocks at the head of the spring and head straight for the trees. It’s just inside the tree line,” Jack said. “It’s stocked, but just in case you need more wood, it’s then the shed at the back has a bunch of it. Just refill what you use. You’ll find a chainsaw and an axe inside the door on the wall. The generator should have fuel in the red jerry cans, too. If you use any, let me know so I can send more out there in case the boys need it later in the year.”
“I can do that. Thanks, Jack.” He fixed his ruck onto his back, unclipped Trudy, and led her to Rose. “Ready?”
“Yes.”
He gave her a boost into the saddle and reached for a spare lead rope, just in case Rose needed some help. “Make sure you duck as we go out the door,” he warned and headed for the yard. While he got in the saddle, Jack adjusted Rose’s stirrups, and they were on their way. “Happy?”
“It’s like riding in a rocking chair.” Rose grinned at him. “I’m not really sure what to do with all the parts of the saddle, but it’s comfy.”
“Yeah.” Caleb watched her carefully to make sure she was handling being on a horse okay before he started pointing out things. “See the eagle?”
“Wow.” Rose tilted her head up to the sky. They paused to watch the bird in flight before clicking to the horses and moving on again. Mule deer, a fox, cows, everything drew Rose’s attention, and he loved listening to her chatter as they moved along at a slow pace.
It was odd seeing the ranch through fresh eyes—her eyes. Caleb could admit to himself that he’d lived here long enough he was taking everything for granted. How long had it been since he’d stopped and just looked at the view? Or how long since he’d just taken a day to ride just for the fun of it and not to escape the demons that often haunted his sleep? Way too long, he decided; it had been way too long.
“Caleb?”
He glanced at her. “Yeah?”
“Are you going to tell me what happened when you left earlier?”
Damn, he’d hoped for a reprieve. “Do you want to know now, or would you prefer to wait until we get back?”
“Now,” she replied. “Or I’ll spend all day freaking out that I could have done something different.” She nudged Bluey to fall into step next to him as the track they were on widened. “I don’t want to ruin the day because my brain is on overdrive as I try to figure out what I should have done differently.”
“It wasn’t you as such.” What she asked for made sense, and he figured he might as well get it over with. He wanted her to enjoy today. “It did involve you, though.” He watched her as she made a sound of distress. But she had to know the details. “Janek has put a bounty on you, and he wants you back.”
“I don’t know why.” Rose heaved a sigh. “There are so many more beautiful women in the world besides me. He can have any one of them he wants.”
Calen pulled up his horse, and she did the same next to him. “Stop it.” It drove him nuts that she didn’t see how beautiful she was. “You are stunning. To me, you are the most beautiful person on the planet. Everyone sees it but you.” It was one of the many things that drew him to her. She didn’t see the person she was. He did, and he decided he would make it his mission to ensure she believed it, too, before the end of the day.
“You need your eyes tested.”
He snorted a laugh. So that’s what she was going to do, try and persuade him he was wrong. “I had that done last month.”
“If you think I’m beautiful, then you need a better eye doctor.”
“Don’t listen to his voice in your head.” Give him five minutes with Janek for making her believe the shit falling out of her mouth. “Listen to mine. You are a knockout. Period.”
“If you say so.” Clearly she was done with this part of the conversation. “So what happens now?”
“The fucking asshole who set off the alarms is down at the sheriff’s office getting read the riot act.”
“Do you think it means he’ll leave me alone?”
Not a fucking chance.
“I don’t know.” He didn’t want to lie to her, but he also didn’t want to give her a false sense of security. It was a tough position to be in. “I think your best bet is to allow us to figure out a way to keep you safe. If witness protection failed, we’re better. We won’t fail.”
“I can’t stay here,” she said slowly. “You have kids here. People who matter. I cannot bring Janek and his goons here.”
There had to be somewhere she could go. He resolved to find her a safe place to regroup. “I know.” He forced the words out of his mouth, because what she said was true. If Janek knew to look for her at Nemesis, then they needed somewhere not attached to them for her to hide. “We’ll figure it out.”
She nodded and gave him a small smile that didn’t reach her eyes, but he figured that was the best he could hope for right now. Her whole world was shattered; she needed a safe place until they figured out how to get the asshole off her back.
“Janek would be stupid to come here,” Caleb said. “But everything we’ve seen and found out about him tells us he’s arrogant enough to try it.”
“Yeah. He is.”
That wasn’t what he wanted to hear, but he’d take her at her word. If today was all they had, then he wanted to make the most of it. “We start to climb soon.” He pointed ahead to where the trail rose in front of them. “Do you want me to lead Bluey, or are you good?”
“I think I’m okay,” she decided. “But I’ll tell you if that changes.”
“Good girl. Just give Bluey her head, and she’ll follow Trudy. She knows this place better than either of us.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Caleb split his attention between the trail and Rose. This bit of the track was a trick, but she was doing better than okay, and before he knew it, they were close enough to smell the sulfur from the springs.
“Wow.”
He pulled Trudy to a stop just a little bit past the opening to the plateau. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”