Chapter Sixteen

 

SEVERAL DAYS LATER, the radio came to life just as she opened the cabin door. She’d been outside tending to Sparky’s nearly healed wounds before the flies started pestering him and the other horses. She dropped the salve, halter, and her hat on the table, and plopped onto the chair. “Base Two. Over.”

“Hey, Roni, this is Mike. How’re you doing up there? Over.”

“Other than Jeff playing daddy, and Selena flying off somewhere in a chopper, leaving me by myself, just fucking great. Over.”

“Sorry about that. Jeff is riding up at first light tomorrow. Selena asked for a few more days. She said she had some personal business to attend to. Over.”

“I bet,” she muttered. “I thought Jeff was planning on two weeks. Over.”

“He was, until he found out you were up there alone. Beth and the baby are doing well and staying with your parents, so she insisted he go. Over.”

She laughed. “Yeah, that sounds like Beth. Over.”

“Everything going okay up there? Over.”

She debated the intelligence of not mentioning the mountain lion. But the fact that it had ventured close to the cabin and attacked a horse meant it was too dangerous not to. “We have a lion on the mountain. He chased the horses out of the meadow and scratched one of them pretty good. Over.”

There was a long pause before Mike responded. “Crap. There hasn’t been one of those bastards around for a long time.” She heard him sigh deeply. “Okay, I’ll notify the Fish and Wildlife Service, but if you see it again, exterminate it. Over.”

“Roger that. Over.” She hated hearing Mike give the order to kill it. Normally the FWS dealt with stuff like that.

“Take every precaution, Roni. I mean it. Over.”

“Okay, Mike. Don’t worry. Over.”

“I’m going to contact your father when I get off here and have him arm Jeff. Over.”

She felt the blood drain from her face. Jeff! She hadn’t even thought about him riding unprepared into a possible ambush. “Yeah, thanks, that’s a great idea. Over.”

“Base One out.”

Pleased that Jeff was coming back, she got antsy with anticipation. She spent a few minutes straightening the cabin and washing the dishes that had mysteriously piled up while she’d been alone. She’d just about decided she was done when she remembered Selena’s things were still in his bedroom.

She stood in the doorway for a few minutes, hesitant to gather Selena’s sleeping bag and the few items of clothing draped over the foot of the bed. The air smelled faintly of patchouli and like Selena. She wondered, not for the first time, if things between them would be the same upon her return. She knew she’d have to come to grips with the situation if Selena wanted only to be friends and nothing else. Wouldn’t that just be cozy? Selena and Jeff could talk about their wives, and I’ll go to the hot springs. She gathered some emotional fortitude with a shrug and a shake of her head.

“Everything changes, and everything stays the same.”

She stuffed the clothing into the sleeping bag, folded it in half, and walked out.

On her way to the small guest cabin, she happened to glance toward the meadow and watched as Sparky and one of the packhorses played face grab. Sparky half-reared, spun around, pretended to kick out, and then soundly trotted a circle around the rest of the herd.

“He obviously is feeling better,” Roni said to Puller who’d followed her out. She tossed Selena’s things into the vacant, hot cabin and turned toward the pole barn. “If Sparky feels good enough to dick around like that, he can sure as hell be ridden. But you, my little man,” she looked down at Puller, “are going to have to stay here for a couple hours.”

She took Sparky’s bridle from the hook and, holding the saddle by the horn, draped it over her shoulder and strode back. She let Puller inside and took the rifle on her way out. She expected to be riding with it until someone killed the mountain lion.

It saddened her to know that there was no other alternative. Trapping and relocation was out of the question as it was too expensive. The federal powers-that-be would rather spend the twenty-five cents for a bullet and be done with it. The cat was native to these mountains, but the intrusion of man and his cattle put it on a list of varmints. The wolf fell into the same category. She remembered reading an article that stated in 1974, the Fish and Wildlife Service listed the timber wolf as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Upon its removal from the list in 2009, most human-wolf confrontations ended up with a wolf fatality. She often heard wolves howl at night, but she rarely had the opportunity to see one.

Sparky met her halfway in the meadow. For the duration she’d been treating his wounds, she made sure she carried a treat for him. Horses, like dogs, could be very food motivated and the big gelding was no exception. She let him snuffle her pockets while she stroked his neck. She finally handed him the peppermint, and while he chewed, she slipped the halter on. A short time later he stood saddled, bridled, and ready to go.

She was relieved to find that Sparky’s gait stayed reliable after several minutes of walking. She urged him into a trot to see how his muscles would deal with it. Keeping in mind Selena’s observations, she kept her legs pressed lightly against his sides. She reached down every so often, patted his neck, and told him what a good boy he was. Sparky seemed to enjoy the encouraging words. His ears perked forward, and his step became a little lighter. She smiled and relaxed, although she was very cognizant about keeping her leg on him at all times.

“There may be hope for us yet, big guy.” She ran her hand up and down the crest of his mane.

When she returned, the sun was high in the sky. She didn’t want to push her luck with Sparky. Physically he did great. But she could tell when he started to tire mentally. He wasn’t as quick to respond to her leg cues. He seemed slow to grasp normal exercises such as yielding to rein pressure on his neck. Nevertheless, she was extremely pleased and planned to work with him daily.

She pulled the tack off Sparky and released him, and he put his head down and grazed. That he didn’t immediately move off intrigued her. She supposed it was possible that he’d become so habituated to being hobbled after a ride, that he was waiting for her to put them on. Since the lion attack, she didn’t feel comfortable hobbling the horses anymore. They didn’t seem to want to wander anyway. She draped the saddle blanket over the porch railing to dry and took the saddle and bridle back to the barn.

Halfway there, a horse snorted close behind her. Startled, she turned quickly and the awkward weight of the saddle made her lose her balance. Her legs twisted, her feet tangled, and she hit the ground.

“Are you on some kind of mission to put me on my ass every chance you get?” She didn’t want to scare Sparky, so she didn’t yell.

He walked over and snuffled her pockets. He gave up and looked at her with expectant eyes.

“I’ve created a monster, haven’t I?” She shoved her hand into her pocket and pulled out the peppermint he was looking for. Before she could give it to him, he moved forward and shoved her back with his nose. Flat on her back, she watched as Sparky carefully moved his feet and straddled her. “What the hell? Is this some kind of mating ritual?” She scuttled out from under him and gave him the candy. “Sorry, bud, I like the girls.”

She picked the tack up and took it into the barn. Sparky was still there when she came out. She wondered what he’d do if she ignored him as she walked past him. Her answer came quick enough. She glanced over her shoulder, saw he was following her, and took off at a run. The sound of trotting hooves followed her all the way to the cabin porch. She sprinted up the stairs and watched him as she caught her breath.

She was immensely pleased with the fact that he chose to stay with her. They were finally beginning to bond. She dug a few more peppermints out and handed them to him. “All right, red man, I think it’s time you head back to the herd.”

She turned around, opened the door, and went in. She kept the door open a crack so she could peek out. Sparky stood staring at the door for a moment before walking toward the meadow.

She couldn’t wait to tell Selena about her accomplishments with Sparky. She looked around at the empty cabin, and a blanket of loneliness fell over her. She breathed out a long sigh. At least she had Jeff’s arrival to look forward to. She could tell him about how much Sparky had progressed, but it wouldn’t be the same. Still, it’d be nice to have some company. If the weather held and he didn’t incur any problems on the ride up, he could be back as early as tomorrow night.

In a way Roni felt sorry for him. He was a new father and shortly after the birth of his daughter he had to come back here. She made up her mind to send him back down the mountain as soon as Selena returned. Stubbornness ran in the family, and she knew well he might fight her on it. Then again, as goofy as he was when Beth was pregnant, he might just take her up on the offer. Which would be all well and fine until he discovered the nuclear waste in the baby’s diapers. She laughed as the image came to her mind.

She opened her eyes the next morning to the sound of windblown rain hitting the side of the cabin. Something about rain unlocked her mind to dreaming. The steady beat, a gray softening of the edges of things encouraged a meditative state in her that could loosen the tethers of her mental conundrums. She found she was in a pretty decent mood and prepared a big breakfast just because.

The horses had sought refuge from the weather in the woods by the cabin. A few were lying in the sparse grass that grew protected under the trees between the cabin and the pole barn. None looked the worse for wear as she watched them out the window while finishing the dishes. She wondered how Jeff was faring in the rain.

She got her answer five minutes later as a few of the horses pricked their ears and looked in the direction of the meadow. Curious, she followed their gaze. A shadowy horse and rider emerged from the mist and cantered toward the dwelling. She quickly dried her hands, donned her raincoat, and went to meet Jeff.

“Nice day for a ride, little brother.” She leaned against the pole that supported the porch overhang.

“Damned rain. I’ve been riding since three. I woke up and found a stream running right through my campsite and around my ass.” He dismounted and loosened the girth of his saddle.

She watched with an amused smirk. “Is that right? The brother I know is an excellent tracker, but he really sucks at picking out a campsite.” She caught the saddlebags he threw her way. “You don’t like waterbeds?”

He grunted in response, pulled the saddle off his horse, and removed the bridle. The horse moved off toward the rest of the herd as he set the saddle, horn down, on the only dry spot on the porch. “You wouldn’t by chance have any coffee on the stove would you?” He took his hat off and shrugged out of his oilskin long coat.

“Nope. Fresh out. But you’re in luck. I just filled a thermos.” She turned to go inside and he grabbed her by the shoulder. She turned around and found herself engulfed in her brother’s strong grip. He squeezed her tight and lifted her a few inches off her feet.

“It’s good to see you, Roni.”

She returned the hug. “I’m glad you’re here.” She yanked on his arm. “Come inside and tell me all about the birth of my niece.”

After he seemingly swallowed a cup of coffee in one gulp, he took a hot shower and changed into dry clothes. She threw together some breakfast as he got dressed.

“I am positively starved, thanks.”

“Don’t get used to it. I only did it because you looked like a lonely drowned rat when you rode up. Hell, your horse looked better than you.” She poured him another cup, made herself some tea, and sat down at the table. “Okay, tell.”

“You want to know all the gory details, too?”

“Absolutely. Since I couldn’t be there, I want to live vicariously through your experience.”

“Coming from somebody who stops to look at road kill, I’m not surprised.”

“Hey, it’s not often you see a dead mountain goat alongside the road.”

“I guess I should consider myself lucky you forgot your knife that day.” He pushed his empty plate away from the edge of the table and picked up his coffee. His dark hair was damp and disheveled, but his handlebar moustache was, as always, perfect. He could come out of the woods looking like a smelly, crazed wild man, but his moustache was nearly always flawless.

She frowned at the memory of finding the animal on the side of the road. She would have loved to get a handful of the goat hair. It was thick and every strand was a hollow tube. It acted like natural insulation and kept the animal warm in the coldest mountain temperatures. She shoved the regret out of her mind and refocused on Jeff.

“So, start at the beginning. Did Beth know she was going to pop that day?” She sipped her tea and leaned forward in anticipation of Jeff’s story.

“No. She was busy making plans to go shopping with Mom. As if they hadn’t already amassed enough baby clothes and diapers to clothe all of China. We were in the kitchen, and I was helping her with dishes. I was washing and fumbled a fork to her. It fell on the floor, and she went to pick it up. She was wearing one of my T-shirts that barely covered her ass. As she bent over, her water broke and it squirted all over my leg.”

Roni snorted tea through her nose. “Oh my God! Did you totally gross out?”

“Beth had no idea her water broke, and I didn’t even feel the wetness on my pant leg. Then she laid into me about making a mess. I looked down at my leg, and we both realized at the same time what happened.” He drank some coffee and waited for her to stop laughing. “Can I continue?”

Roni waved her right hand and wiped the residual tea from her nose with her left.

“So while I went to change my jeans, Beth was shuffling from room to room giving me orders about this and that. She didn’t slow down or shut up until a contraction doubled her over again. As big as her belly was, she could still move around pretty damned good. While she changed into a maternity dress, she yelled at me to call her doctor. I found her cell phone in the hallway and called. By then, she came waddling out, we grabbed her suitcase, and off to the hospital we went. She had a couple of hard contractions during the ride. Her screaming drew a lot of attention through town because the windows were down and everybody seemed to have picked that day to wander the streets.” He pushed his sleeve up on his right arm. Four yellowish-green stripes adorned his forearm from where Beth had apparently clamped on. “Her grip on me was worse than any old horse bite I’ve ever had.”

Roni’s eyes widened. “Oh my God, she really latched on to you!”

He pulled his sleeve down and finished his coffee. She poured him another cup and encouraged him to continue.

“We got to the hospital, and of course all the nurses converged on Beth. They put her in a wheelchair and shoved me into a room to put on a surgical gown. At this point I could still hear her screams and thought she was just next door. When I came out, I kid you not, they’d taken her one floor up. I was starting to worry. I was thinking if she could yell that loud, the baby would probably break the sound barrier. By the time I found her, she was in a room by herself, on a bed with all kinds of monitoring wires attached to her. I asked her where everybody had gone, and in just the sweetest voice she could muster, she told me they didn’t think she had dilated quite enough. I gave her a magazine, and she put her feet up in the stirrups and relaxed. About forty minutes later, she started having contractions again, and before I could get a nurse, the door opens and in walked this little Chinese woman carrying a tote box. The way Beth looked at me I knew I had fucked something up. ‘You idiot,’ she said, ‘you called my pedicurist.’ I told her I didn’t. I dialed the contact she had in her phone, the one that she had listed under Ped. I thought it was her pediatrician.

“Completely oblivious, the Chinese girl pulled up a stool and sat between Beth’s legs and started buffing her toenails. ‘We make toes nice and pretty for when baby come,’ she said. Beth stared at her and then turned to me and said, ‘You are such an ass. I’ve blown more intelligence into my handkerchief than what you have.’ I have to tell you, Roni, childbirth made her really mean toward the end. I’m not sure if I want to have another kid, you know?”

She nodded and blinked back tears. She’d put her knuckles in her mouth and bit down so she wouldn’t interrupt his train of thought by laughing. It was evident the way his eyes had glazed over, that he was reliving every moment.

“I gave the Chinese lady a twenty for her troubles and ushered her out. Meanwhile, Beth was busy calling the real doctor. It took another hour and sixteen contractions, each getting worse, and I know this based on how hard she squeezed my hand and how bad her cussing got, before Doctor Nelson shows up. Oh my God, Roni, I thought Beth was going to kill me when Nelson told her she was too far along for pain killers. I think the only reason she didn’t kick me out of the delivery room was so she could try to kill me by squeezing my hand off at the wrist. After the baby finally popped out, I don’t remember much because they sent somebody in to examine my hand. It was all swollen, like it’d been stuck in a car door for six hours. After Beth passed the afterbirth and they gave her the baby, she calmed down a lot.”

“I bet she did.” Roni got up and gave Jeff a pat on the shoulder before putting their cups in the sink. She knew parts of his story were bullshit, but it was funny all the same. “Is all forgiven?” She turned around to look when he didn’t answer. He had a frown on his face, and she knew it wasn’t good if she could see it past the mustache. “What else did you do, Jeff?”

He seemed to have deflated in his chair. “That night after she’d fed the baby and we had our dinner, I wheeled her down to the nursery. We looked through the window, and I made goggle eyes and awed over our baby.”

“Yeah, and what’s wrong with that?”

“Um, I was looking at the wrong baby.”

“Oh shit, you didn’t.” He nodded. “Yep, one more fuckup in a day full of them.”

“Oh, Jeff, that’s bad.”

“Well, son of a bitch, they all look the same when they’re that young.”

His look of incredulity and the enormity of what his day had been like, struck Roni all at once. She started giggling and it turned into uncontrollable hysterics. Jeff, unable to resist, soon joined in. After several minutes, they were able to stop, but only if they didn’t look at each other. It took some time before they could regain their composure. Roni’s stomach hurt and her head pounded. It had been awhile since she’d laughed that hard, and it felt good for a change. She was able to push thoughts of Selena away, albeit for the moment.

“You do know you’re never going to live that down. Beth won’t let you.”

“Neither will Mom. She was so mad at me. Probably still is.”

“Who, Mom?”

“Beth. Well, no doubt Mom too.”

“Where was Dad during this whole clusterfuck?”

“Branding calves.” He looked at her indignantly. “Dad hasn’t helped with the branding in years, and he conveniently picks that day. I swear it was a conspiracy.”

She started to snicker again and bit her lip to stop. “Dad couldn’t possibly have known that Beth was going to have the baby that day.”

“I think he had a vision.” He shook his head. “Hopefully Beth will have gotten over it by the time I get back.”

“She’s still mad?”

“You know how she holds a grudge. She swore she was never going to have sex with me again.”

Roni fought another snicker. “She told me that long before she delivered.”

“She did? Crap. She’s probably having divorce papers drawn up right now.” He followed an imaginary sentence with his finger in the air. “Seeking divorce because of irreconcilable idiocy.”

“You’re being ridiculous. Beth loves you. Yes, sometimes you get on her nerves, but you do mine too, so what’s the big deal? She’s not going to kick you out.”

“Would you if it happened to you?”

“Well, yes, but I’m not having sex with you.” She faked a shudder and smiled reassuringly. “Jeff, when Selena gets back, go home for a while. Beth needs you, and you’re not doing her any good up here.”

“I’ll think about it. Maybe I can bring Beth and the baby up here in a few weeks. We can use the same packs Mom and Dad used to put us in. What do you think?”

“I think that would be absolutely great!” She meant every word. Since Selena’s absence, her mind often wandered to Beth and the fun and mischief they used to get into. Having Beth up here would be just like old times, except with the addition of the midget.