Peace River (Rockland Ranch Series) (6 page)

             
  Her emotions were a riot of feelings ranging from sadness at leaving her friends, to excitement about this new adventure, to fear she was doing something amazingly stupid, to hope that she could finally feel safe, to a calm and a sense of tranquility.  This was the right thing to do.  She knew it.  As weird as that sounded even to herself, she knew this was right.

             
Although the cowboys weren’t on time, she never wondered if they would come.  She had always had a knack for discerning people's character.  From that first moment she’d met them in the diner, she’d known she could depend on them and had this feeling of peace.

             
When she finally saw a plume of dust far down the valley where she knew it had to be them, she breathed a deep sigh.  Logically she should be feeling absolute trepidation about literally trusting her life and such a valuable horse to these two men she knew almost nothing about, but in reality she’d never felt such a sense of relief.

                                                        ****

             
“I hope she doesn’t think we’re not coming.  I didn’t realize it would take so long to reach the place.  The gravel road slowed us down.”  Rossen was watching for the turn off in the first light of day. 

             
“She knows we’re coming.”  Slade was confident he was right.  “I think she realized immediately that we’ll do what we say we’ll do.  I don’t think she would have even considered coming with us for a moment if she didn’t believe that.” 

             
Rossen mulled that over in silence, and then agreed, “Yeah.  She looked clear into my soul those first few seconds after we met her.”  Spotting the turn, he pulled off the lane and up to the waiting girl and her horse.               

             
They smiled a greeting and then little was said as they loaded up the huge horse completely hidden by his sheet and hood.  With the animals secured, Slade hefted her bag into the living quarters. 
Holy Cow!  What did she have in here?
  Although he did have to admit that one bag, no matter how large, for a woman was not much.  After wrestling it through the door, he glanced around wondering where her truck was or who had dropped her off.  Why hadn’t they hung around to say goodbye? 

             
Seeming to read his mind, she said, “I came alone across the pasture.”  He held the door of the truck for her, now even more curious about how in the world she got that huge duffle here.  She didn’t even have a saddle.

             
Not much was said as they got on their way.  Country music was playing quietly and a few minutes later Slade was amazed to glance in the rear view mirror and see that the girl was fast asleep.  “Apparently she was tired.”  He nodded toward the back seat. 

Rossen
followed his gaze.  “Apparently she’s not too worried about you and me, either.”               

Slade
studied her in her sleep.  Her hair was pulled back into some kind of twist the same way it had been yesterday and she wore plain jeans and a simple stretch T-shirt.  Her sandals had been replaced by deck shoes and she wore small, dangly earrings.  There was no other jewelry he could see except an elegant watch and, in fact, she wasn’t even carrying a purse.  Her skin was clear and tanned and she didn’t appear to be wearing any makeup.  Not that she needed any.  Though she was blonde, she had thick dark lashes that rested on her cheeks.

             
  No fuss, no fanfare.  She had to be the most unassuming girl he’d ever met.  She couldn’t possibly be as wash-and-wear as she seemed. 

             
Rossen watched him watch Isabel.  He didn’t say anything, just gave a mellow smile when Slade glanced up at him.

                                                        ****

              It must have been hours later as they pulled to a stop for gas that Carrie, now Isabel, finally opened her eyes.  Both men in the front seat were looking back at her. 

             
“Short night?” Rossen asked the question.

             
She sat up and smoothed her hair a little.  “Several in a row.  I guess they caught up with me.  I’m sorry.”  Someone had put a pillow under her head and covered her with a small blanket.  “Thanks for letting me sleep.”  She stretched and looked at her watch.  “Three o’clock!  Is it really three o’clock?” 

             
“It really is.  We tried to wake you around noon, but you were pretty out.  We’re gonna gas up.  Do you want to grab something to eat here?”

             
She groaned.  “Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t make you lunch.  You probably think I’m a complete flake.”

Slade
only smiled placidly.  “We’ve survived for awhile.  One more day won’t hurt.  But you probably need to eat, don’t you?”

“Yes, thank you.  Food sounds wonderful.  Can I eat in your truck or should I hurry before we leave?”  She was fishing around under the seat for a shoe that had slipped off. 

He quietly reached back into the wadded blanket and handed her the shoe.  “You can eat in the truck.” 

P
utting it on, she climbed out and said, “I’ll hurry.  Do either of you want anything?

             
They both shook their heads and Slade said, “No, we’re fine thanks.”  One of them began to pump gas while the other washed the windshield, and she stopped to check on Ebony on her way into the station. 

             
Five minutes later she was back with her food and asked, “Could someone unlock the trailer?  I’d like to grab a notebook out of my bag to make some plans, if that’s okay.”  Rossen reached into the pocket on the back of the driver’s seat and handed her a small spiral bound pad.

             
“Will this do?”

             
“Perfect.”  She climbed back up into the rear seat of the cab and buckled in.  She was just starting to eat a chicken salad as the truck pulled back onto the highway and she looked around.  They were on I-5 in central California and had made good time pulling a loaded horse trailer.  As she ate she studied the two men in front of her.  She was slightly mystified with why she’d felt so comfortable with them so fast.  Usually she was slow to trust and always she was careful to the point of standoffish around men she didn’t know. 

She’d learned from Judd that some men were to
be feared and although she’d learned from her grandfather and Eli and Dante that some men were gentle and could be trusted, it usually took her a long time to feel comfortable around new people.  She loved the hands at the farm, but had quickly learned that most men were interested in her either because of her wealth or the way she looked.

             
It must have been that she had a sense of rightness with them because she knew when she'd prayed about doing this that she'd felt such a sweet inner river of peace.  She knew it would work out—she just knew.  Somehow she had an innate sense it would all be okay with these two.  They inspired confidence and trust.  Just like Anna, she knew they were the answer to prayer.

             
She finished her salad and picked up the notebook and asked, “Can I pick your brains?  What do you like to eat?”

             
For the rest of the afternoon they talked and planned for how to best take advantage of having some help traveling with them and she planned menus.

             
They told her they tried to end each day where there were stalls available so the horses could rest from the trailer.  This didn’t always work, but for the most part it did.  They would pull the trailer in and park near the horses for the night.  In the past they’d existed largely on fast food and frozen entrees, but were hoping Isabel could find a way to prepare real food in their trailer kitchen between stops.

             
Isabel hadn’t seen the inside of the living quarters, but from their description she didn’t think this would be difficult.  When they stopped, she could cook while they tended to their horses, and when she needed groceries or they needed errands run, they would unhook the truck and give her money.  She would try to have lunches ready so they could eat in the truck as they drove, and on days they were actually at a rodeo, they would adjust things as needed. 

             
Once she felt somewhat comfortable with what her responsibilities would be, she leaned back into her seat and watched the scenery until her head began to bob.  When it did, she unbuckled her seat belt and stretched out full length on the seat with her head on the pillow once again. 

             
The pillow smelled faintly of aftershave and she was surprised she hadn’t noticed when she was using it before.  She’d been so tired.  At home she hadn’t slept well for who knew how many days.  She hadn’t felt safe there for awhile.  She didn’t know if she’d ever felt truly safe there.  Her whole life she’d never known when Judd would act up. 

She felt safe in this truck and drifted off to sleep wondering which of the two in the front had lent her his sweet smelling pillow.

             
                                          ****

Denzel Judd had no idea when he dragged himself out of bed late that June morning that his life had quietly turned itself inside out in the darkness of the night.  Half hung over, he scrubbed at the stubble on his jaws with a hand that smelled of cigarettes and tried to focus.  Memories of the day before deepened the scowl permanently etched into his forehead and compounded the headache between his eyes.  After confronting Carrie two days ago, he and Deek had lost a lot of money yesterday.  Now he owed his bookie even more.  How had they blown it so thoroughly?  That stupid horse in the third race was supposed to have been a sure thing!  He’d just have to speed up collecting something on that monstrous, black demon horse of Carrie’s.

             
He tried to focus his eyes again on his watch to see the date.  He thought there was supposed to be a broodmare arriving in the next day or two.  What day was it anyway?  He couldn’t remember.  And where was Deek?  He couldn’t recall him coming home with him, but then he couldn’t remember coming home.  He dug through the medicine cabinet in search of some mouthwash.  He could hardly stand himself. 

             
In the kitchen he considered food and decided on a drink instead.  He was sure he had a bottle here somewhere if he could figure out where he'd put it.  He couldn’t recall that either.

             
A shower, shave, and Bloody Mary later, he was feeling marginally better.  Sipping his drink, he watched out the kitchen window to the yards, wondering where everyone was.  Typically there was more going on out there, and by this time he could usually smell Carrie cooking lunch.  He could hear nothing from her house next door.  Maybe he’d actually made it out of bed before lunch.  He was still having trouble focusing on his watch.  

             
Deek apparently hadn’t made it home.  His car wasn’t out there and he didn’t think his bed had been slept in, although it was hard to tell from the stale pile of wadded bedding.  He walked outside and seated himself at a patio table, then went back inside for a pair of sunglasses.  This glare was killing him. 

             
Dante led two of the colts out to the track rail and spoke to the Mexican riders for a minute or two before legging them up to the small exercise saddles.  Then he stood at the rail to watch as they warmed up the horses on the back side of the track.  Judd could occasionally see a glimpse of stable hands in the barns and runs as morning chores were finished and horses were brought out to exercise and then cool down. 

             
The big oval paddock in front by the drive was conspicuously empty and he wondered why no one had brought Ebony Wind out to run loose there for the day.  Now that was a horse, even if the animal did seem to hate him.  Judd was the only one the horse had it in for.  He never even tried to approach him anymore for fear the beast would come right over the fence at him.  He’d take into him with a chain and teach that horse a lesson if he wasn’t so stinkin’ valuable.  

             
Judd’s attitude soured further when he contemplated the fact that no one else had any trouble with Ebony.  But what did he care if he couldn’t handle the horse, as long as it brought in the money he needed to get out of this mess with his bookie, Tony.  He smiled a grim smile and rubbed his hands together in anticipation.  Now that the old man was gone, he had to get on with his plan to run this place like he wanted.  He needed to settle this issue of Carrie’s marriage to Deek, then he could start legal proceedings to contest the old man’s will to get Eli out of the picture.  At that point he could really get the ball rolling. 

             
Where was Carrie?  He had yet to catch a glimpse of either her or the stallion. 

             
A raised voice drew his attention to the gravel area near the office.  He walked around the corner of the building to see a truck and trailer parked there, and two men he recognized as Eli and the owner of the mare he’d arranged to be brought in.  He was right then, today was the day.  He was rubbing his hands together again in anticipation of the breed fee, when what they were arguing about registered.  The irate mare owner was shouting at a very calm Eli, “What do you mean the stallion isn't here?  I’ve paid thousands in booking fees!”