Cowboys & Nightmares

Chapter Thirteen

As Snipe plunged the iron back into the flames, he glanced up at a cloud of dust approaching. "Oh shit, Foreman comin'." He turned to me, the look on his face reminding me of my father when Mom came up with another potential date. "Rylie, watch yourself," he warned.

The truck rumbled up, Ronnie jumping out as it sputtered to a halt. "Boss said you guys may need a little help on this job, what with the calves being bigger and all," he sneered. "So I volunteered Leroy and I to come out and show you guys how it's done." He turned as Butch brought close another calf, this one even larger than the last. "Leroy," Ronnie called, "you take Rylie's spot, and I'll brand."

As the calf was brought to the ground, the passenger door slowly opened, and Leroy dribbled out into the heat. He was his typical drunk self, and I considered taking my place back. There was no way Leroy could hold the calf. However, he joined everyone in the dog pile as I watched from the sidelines. Ronnie pulled the iron out of the coals, its tip white hot, then strode to the calf. "Just watch this, beautiful," he smiled wolfishly. "I'll show you how to brand something."

But he made a mistake. He's started to walk towards the calf's flank from the front side, where everyone else was situated. Snipe had approached from the back, walking parallel to the spine instead of near the legs. Not only that, but this calf was even stronger than the one before, and I should have been helping out instead of Leroy.

Now, as Ronnie rammed the brand into soft muscle, the calf whiplashed, his legs tossing Snipe and striking the source of pain. Ronnie stumbled backward as the calf pulled the quick release, freeing his legs. As Ronnie tried to catch himself, the hand that held the still hot iron swung wildly, then he was on the ground by my feet.

The smell of burnt denim and flesh erupted as I screamed in pain. I was down in moments, my eyesight redding out with the intensity of the burn. My leg felt like it was on fire, engulfed in imaginary flames. Around me, I could hear the hands shouting, one voice bellowing about the calf that got loose, another chewing out Ronnie for his incompetence, and still another yelling for a first aid kit. But all I knew was pain, searing pain that surrounded my leg.

I finally was able to distinguish Joe picking me up off of the ground. "Ronnie, I'm taking Rylie back in the pickup; you take my horse back. Butch, take Arion back. Hasty, ride ahead and get Boss, tell him what happened." His voice softened as he spoke to me. "You're going to be okay, Rylie. Just relax."

Thunder sounded in my ears as a horse right next to us took off- Hasty. Then I was in the truck cab, and all sounds were muted. A door opened, slammed shut, and Joe was cranking the ignition, starting the engine with a bang and heading for the ranch. My head was reeling with pain, and I searched for the first solace that came to mind. "Dune," I muttered when I found the strength to speak. "Dune, help me."

"We're almost there, Rylie," Joe repeated over and over, even as we pulled into the barn lot. Voices shouted as my door was opened.

"What happened?"

"How bad is it?"

"Where's Boss?"

"Did Ronnie do it?"

The questions were overwhelming me, and as someone lifted my leg to see the wound, I gasped loudly, biting my lower lip and tasting blood. Pain was running up and down my leg, putting white spots in front of my eyes; I could barely see anything.

Joe picked me up and started to carry me to the Big House. "Doc's on his way out to see the burn, it'll be about fifteen minutes," Hasty stated as he came alongside. Something bumped my leg, and I dug my fingers into his shoulders as more pain swallowed my leg. "Easy, it'll be okay."

The door was opened for us, and I almost dared to open my eyes to see who it was when my nose caught the all too familiar scent of Dune. He followed Joe as he laid me down on the couch, then gingerly stretched out my leg. I gasped, and Dune squeezed my hand. Oh God, that hurt.

Joe accepted the ice pack from the maid, carefully placing it on my leg. When I moaned in pain, Dune stood up and moved away. It wasn't long before I heard the door open and shut.

"Where'd he go?" I asked, gritting my teeth through the pain as I longed to hold his hand again.

"By the look of how white he was, probably the bunkhouse," Joe replied. I peeked out of one eye to see him gazing toward the door, a sad look in his eyes. "This is probably reminding him too much of Adrian."

The ice pack was slowly numbing the pain, and I carefully brought myself up to a sitting position. "Tell me about her," I said.

He turned to me sharply, his face paling a little, before he sagged. Letting out a slow breath, he balanced the ice on my leg before perching next to my hip on the couch. His hands were clasped loosely, his head bowed, and for a moment he looked the same way my father did when he came to talk to me about Jonathan. I swallowed as he began speaking.

"Dune came to our ranch when we were nineteen," he started. "He quickly moved up through the ranks, and was the foreman within a few months. About the time that he got promoted, my sister came back from boarding school."

I stared at his face, realization sinking in. "Adrian."

"Adrian." Joe nodded, facing me as he continued. "She was planning on going to an art institute, so she'd come back to get a few paintings of the horses for her resume. She and Dune hit it off the first day they met." He smiled wanly, remembering fonder times. "They completed each other, and he'd go out with her when she went to get photographs of the horses in pasture- so she could paint them later. In fact," he added, "The painting in your living room is one of hers."

I smiled. "She's very talented."

He nodded, then his face kind of soured. "Dune is probably remembering her accident. The same bull that ran you down did the same to Adrian. We ended up having to put her horse down, and she was laid up for over a month with a bum leg." Then he laughed. "At one point, she had Dune piggy-back her down the barn so she could say hi to the horses." He chuckled again. "She was funny like that sometimes."

My eyebrows scrunched together. Was? "What-"

Before I could finish my question, we heard a car pull into the driveway, and a car door shut. Joe stood up. "It's the doc," He said, and removed the ice pack as Boss walked in with the doctor. 

^^^

Duh duh DUH!!! Well, now you know who Adrian is. What do you think happened between her and Dune? Where is she now? Come on, guys, I wanna hear your ideas!!

So I've kind of caught up to where I was writing. Hopefully I'll get back ahead of things, and be able to publish Chapter 14 next week. Here's hoping!