A Rancher's Vow

With dusk came a chill in the high-desert air. Alcina wrapped the scrap of material that matched her dress around her shoulders closer. Good thing she’d fetched it while in the house.

As she strolled behind the storage building that also held the living quarters of the only permanent hand on the Curly-Q, a loud thump startled her.

“Moon-Eye?” she called out.

But if the hired hand was around, he must not have heard, because he didn’t answer.

On edge, she rounded the storage building and looked for the hired hand. Deep shadows thrust across the property, so it was difficult to make out details at any distance. Still, a movement from the back of the barn caught her attention. Of course it must be Moon-Eye—who else?—though she couldn’t actually see the man well enough to be certain.

Alcina guessed chores on a ranch didn’t wait, not even for a wedding. She thought to join the hired hand, to keep him company for a few minutes, when a voice coming from the opposite direction distracted her.

“C’mon…I know you want it…”

A man’s enticing voice.

“That’s it, sweetheart…”

Reed’s voice.

“That’s good, isn’t it?”

Alcina’s mouth went dry at the seductive tone.

“I told you it would be…”

Who in the world was out here with him? Alcina wondered, her imagination on overdrive. Like a fool, she found herself wanting the full picture.

“More, yes…take it all…”

Shocked by the implication and yet drawn like a moth to a flame, she came close enough to see for herself.

And then her face flamed with her foolishness.

For, hunkered down next to his truck, Reed was hand-feeding a wretched-looking brown and white dog with a torn ear. The moment the animal spotted her, it backed off toward the pickup, cowering.

“You scared her,” Reed stated. “Damn! And I was just getting her to come around.”

Alcina ignored the blame placed on her and murmured, “Oh, no, girl, you don’t need to be afraid of me,” crouching also and holding out a nonthreatening hand.

Aware of Reed staring at her, Alcina grew self-conscious, but she didn’t want to scare the dog further and so stayed exactly as she was. Barely a moment went by before the animal ventured forward to smell her fingers.

“You poor thing,” Alcina said, turning her hand so the dog lightly nuzzled her palm. In the same tone, she asked Reed, “Where did she come from?”

“Not here. I found her on the road—the reason I was late. I’d never ask you to lie, but if you wouldn’t tell Chance…”

She remembered him being honest to a fault, so his keeping something like that from his brother was a big deal. Reed confiding in her… Warmth flooded Alcina.

“I think Chance would understand, but I’ll keep mum.”

She’d always known Reed was a kind man. Without thinking, she stroked the dog’s neck, then continued petting her, running a hand down a bony spine.

Suddenly catching herself, Alcina murmured, “Oh, sorry.”

She expected the dog to slither away and was surprised when it moved closer for more.

“She must trust you,” Reed said.

Alcina ran gentle fingers along the animal’s protruding ribs. “You don’t have to sound so surprised.”

“I didn’t mean that to sound judgmental. It’s just that she’s so skittish.”

Suddenly feeling a little skittish herself, Alcina met Reed’s gaze and realized that he was staring at her. His expression was appreciative. And puzzling.

“What?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Most women wouldn’t have touched a dog that looked scruffy and sick.”

“I’m not—”

“Most women,” he finished for her. “I remember.”

Getting to her feet, Alcina asked, “So what’s her name?”

“I don’t know. She’s not my dog.”

A disbelieving Alcina cleared her throat.

“She’s not.” Reed rose, as well. “But I intend to find her a good home.”

From the way the dog was looking at him so adoringly, Alcina figured she’d already found herself one—her new owner obviously hadn’t realized it yet.

“In the meantime,” she said, “you have to call her something.”

“What’s wrong with Girl?”

“Not very personal.”

“Then what do you suggest?” he asked.

“You want me to name your…uh, her?”

“Why not? It’s only temporary.”

“Right, temporary.” Alcina looked deep into the dog’s liquid brown eyes. “Hey, Temporary.”

The dog whistled through her nose and gave a sharp bark.

“I think she likes it,” Alcina said.

Reed snorted. “Temporary? Come on, that’s a ridiculous name for a dog.”

“Then you name her.”

For a moment, she thought Reed might take her challenge. Then he shrugged.

“Temporary it is.”

Alcina grinned. They stood there grinning at each other for a moment before she remembered the festivities. She’d only meant to kill a few minutes and had lost track of time.

“I think we’d better get back if we want to send the bride and groom off with our best wishes,” she said.

“That means it’s time for you to get back into the pickup,” Reed told the dog.

He patted her and opened the door. She stood there looking at him.

Giving her a hand signal, he said, “C’mon, Temporary, get in.”

The dog jumped into the truck and onto the driver’s seat where she settled, her adoring gaze still on Reed.

“You’re her hero,” Alcina murmured.

“I only did what any decent person would do.”

She knew that wasn’t true. The world was filled with decent folks. But the dog obviously had been on her own for a while now. Only a really caring person would have taken the time and trouble with her that Reed had.

With the dog settled, they hurried back to the party to find the wedding cake had already been cut, and the unmarried men were being urged to step up for the garter toss.

Nearly two dozen men, mostly old bachelor cowboys, got into the spirit of the competition. Moon-Eye was at the front of the line, she noted; he must have finished his chores. Even Bart and Reed jostled each other good-naturedly as one of the musicians beat a tattoo on his drum.

Chance took a quick look over his shoulder, and Alcina was certain he aimed directly for Bart, who was committed, if not yet officially engaged, to Josie Walker.

Only, Reed was the one who ended up with the garter on his arm.

Alcina tried to sit out the bouquet throw, but Pru wouldn’t hear of it. Certain her friend would send the spray of flowers Josie’s way, Alcina gave in and moved to the opposite side of the much smaller group of women, the oldest of whom was Felice, the youngest Lainey.

When the bouquet wound up in her own hands, Alcina was floored.

Pru turned to face her, a sly grin quirking her lips, and Alcina knew her friend had sent the flowers her way purposely. What in the world was she thinking?

Just then, the band started a lively tune.

“Well, isn’t this an interesting development,” Pru said, drawing closer, Chance in tow. She shifted her mischievous gaze from Alcina to Reed.

“You really shouldn’t have,” Alcina muttered.

A challenging glitter in his eyes, Reed asked, “Alcina Dale, where’s your spirit of fun?”

And before Alcina knew what was happening, he’d swung her into his arms for a dance.

As they did the Texas two-step, the newlyweds grabbed hands and rushed through the dancing crowd. Catcalls about their wedding night and handfuls of birdseed followed them. Alcina watched them go with a bit of envy, the emotion exacerbated, no doubt, by the man who wrapped his arms around her.

“Amazing, Chance settling down,” Reed said. “I never thought I’d see the day.”

“People do strange things when the love bug bites them.”

Alcina was only too aware of something nibbling at her.

After the disagreement that had punctuated their reunion, who would have thought she would end up in Reed’s arms? Being there felt too good for her peace of mind, Alcina decided. He was merely getting into the spirit of the occasion, while she was feeling things that made her chafe.

She wasn’t a teenager anymore…not even a young woman…so what was her problem?

While she’d thought of Reed fondly through the years, she hadn’t kept herself on a shelf waiting for him to realize that she was the one for him. She’d gone on with her life, to other men, other relationships. She’d returned to New Mexico after college in New York, but she’d soon had reason to return to the East Coast. Working as an interior designer, she’d met plenty of eligible New York bachelors. Her friends out East had considered her sophisticated when it came to matters of the heart after her seemingly easy split with Jeffrey.

But suddenly she was thrust back to the uncertainty of her youth. Sweaty palms. Palpitating heart. Overactive imagination.

Surely it was only her sentimental streak at work. That and a healthy libido.

The moment the music ended, Alcina thought to put a stop to her renewed attraction to Reed right then and there, but the band merely swung into a softer, easier piece, and he pulled her even closer. They fit together perfectly, his chin resting against her temple. His warm breath drifted across her forehead and shot goose bumps down her spine.

Alcina groaned.

“Am I holding you too tight?”

“No…yes.”

“Make up your mind. Which is it?”

Alcina made a big show of adjusting the bouquet that lay along his back. She murmured, “There, that’s better,” as if holding the flowers had been her problem.

“Mmm.”

She wasn’t about to let him know that he was the cause of her discomfort. But now his breath was tickling her ear. A tiny thrill traveled all the way down to her toes. She tightened her hold on the bouquet, and the fingers of her other hand pressed into the garter.

The significance of the wedding tokens didn’t escape her.

Despite her being a rational, sensible, self-reliant woman, she wished—only for a moment—that old traditions had some basis in fact. That a bridal bouquet and a garter really were good-luck charms that could turn her youthful fantasies into adult reality.

Then Reed turned his head to gaze into her eyes, and his face slowly inched closer, and a little smile played across his lips, and crazily—only for a moment—she thought he was about to kiss her.

Pulse jagging, reality returning in a rush, Alcina ended that moment fast.

She stopped dead on the dance floor and pushed at Reed’s chest until he released her. Staring at him, hardly able to catch her breath, she felt too foolish for words.

“Something wrong?” he asked, that knowing smile still flirting with his mouth.

“Something, yes…”

Like her heart pounding as fast as a freight train…

…and her knees softening to Jell-O…

…and her brain turning to mush.

“But don’t worry about it, okay?” she gasped.

With that, Alcina rushed off the dance floor and cut through the noisy revelers.

“Alcina, wait a minute,” Reed called.

Not stopping, she nevertheless glanced over her shoulder and saw him still standing on the dance floor, hands on his hips and staring after her as if she were a crazy person. So much for any attraction that had sparked between them, she thought. After this, added to their earlier fight, he’d be sure to keep his distance.

Chagrined, she fled toward the buildings and the refuge of her car that was parked on the other side. Not that she could go home, she realized—she’d promised Pru some quality time with her new husband.

She was thinking that she’d go for a long drive and was trying to visualize where, when a series of weird noises cut through her jumbled thoughts.

A muffled boom was followed by a high-pitched outcry…several horses, she realized…horrible noises tearing from their throats.

Equine screams that sent gooseflesh down her spine.

The music died abruptly and voices rose behind her as she ducked between buildings. Drawn to the disturbance on the other side, she gasped in shock and fear, and for a moment stopped, frozen at the sight.

The barn was ablaze and three horses milled about before it. The animals were trapped in the small corral adjacent to the burning building.

“Dear Lord!”

The blaze was growing, and as sparks shot into the dry brush surrounding the fence, the lines of fire spread so fast that Alcina could hardly take in the reality of what she was witnessing. Inside the corral, the screaming horses—three of them—stood out in dark silhouette against the orange glow. One of them reared, frantic hooves slashing at the pipe and wire fencing.

The gate!

Dropping the bouquet, Alcina ran for all she was worth as another explosion shot the flames higher and wider. If the horses weren’t freed fast, they would either burn to death or injure themselves, perhaps fatally, while trying to escape.

Unlatching the gate, she swung it open wide. Immediately one horse popped out as if greased and goosed.

Alcina whistled and shouted, “C’mon!” to the others. She stood back to give them a wide berth.

A second horse shot past her.

But a third continued to screech and dance in circles, seemingly too terrified to recognize the safety of the opening. And another whistle from Alcina didn’t seem to cut through his panic.

A roar of voices behind her told Alcina that help was on its way. Someone else who knew more about horses would have a better chance of rescuing the creature. A glance over her shoulder assured her that she was the only one close enough to help now before it was too late.

Heart pounding, she ducked through the opening. Someone cried, “Alcina, stop!” but she was too focused on the terrified horse to heed the warning.

“Easy,” she crooned. “I’m going to get you out of here. You’ll be all right.”

The horse snorted, threw up his head and rolled his eyes at her in distrust. He wasn’t going to come easily, that was for certain. Maybe if she got around behind him, she could drive him out.

As Alcina drew closer, the terrified horse acted cornered. Screaming, the bay reared, then bolted forward as if ready to drive right through her. Alcina tried her best to get out of his way, but she wasn’t fast enough.

Half a ton of panicked horse glanced off her shoulder. Alcina flew back, stars of pain and orange flames and flailing yellow silk filling her vision for the few seconds she was airborne. Then she landed hard, all the breath knocked out of her.

She couldn’t move.

The fire raged closer…its greedy heat licked her.

Stunned, she watched a spark land on the tip of her silk wrap.

Like a fuse, it ignited.

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