WHILE BETH WAS still enjoying her triumph at the Ball, Lachlan and Steve reached the summit of the Laird's Hill, with the sun setting, reflected in the distant Sulis River. The fields below them were already completely shadowed but the two riders and their horses were sharply silhouetted against the sunset.
'By this time tomorrow, Steve, it will all be over,' said Lachlan. 'What you have got to remember is not to let them trap you before you get to the river. Keep your eyes open. Keep watching, 180 degrees,
360 degrees if you can, because they can come at you from anywhere. Beware of anyone who tries to persuade you to follow them. An old trick that. Thanks to Prince – oh yes, you'll be riding Prince – you can always outride anyone. On the island you will find a pile of stones in the shape of a chair, a kind of throne. Sit there. Savour your victory. Wait for us to come for you.'
Steve nodded his understanding of these instructions. But then he seemed hesitant to say what was on his mind. Lachlan examined the young cowboy's face. He clearly had a question he was half afraid to ask.
'Yes, Steve? What is it?' asked Lachlan quietly.
'Well, I guess it's like this, sir. Does it matter to you that I like think you guys are out of your minds with this Laddie game?'
'Does it matter to you that you think that?' replied Lachlan.
'Hell no!' laughed Steve. 'For me it'll be just one great ride all the way and I sure intend to win. But you guys seem to take it real serious. But it's just a game, isn't it?'
'It is a game alright, Steve,' reassured Lachlan. 'Important to us. Like your Super Bowl or World Series are to you.'
Steve seemed suddenly relieved. The Border Riding, weird though it still seemed to be, now had a context he could understand. He gave a little sigh of comprehension.
'I got it,' he said. 'That's cool, sir.'
'If it is cool with you Steve, it is cool with me too,' said Sir Lachlan.
The sun had by now dipped behind purple hills, leaving crimson streaks in the underside of some rain clouds approaching from the west. Lachlan turned Prince's head towards the lights of Tressock, which were just now coming on. Did Steve worry about Beth as he trotted in Lachlan's wake? No, he thought about the ride that tomorrow would bring. Still, Beth was there in the back of his mind. Later, he'd write her a note. But he'd want to be sure he got the hunting saddle he'd used when with Lolly that morning, not the much fancier, stiffer ones both Prince and his horse were carrying right now. It started to rain and he pulled level with Lachlan, who agreed immediately with his suggestion about the saddle and said he'd tell Lolly. The two men spurred their horses to a canter and discussed saddles the rest of the way to the inn.
When they reached the Grove, the cowboy slipped from his saddle and gave his reins to Lachlan, who said a cheery 'good night' and trotted off with the two horses towards the castle's stables.
Standing opposite the inn, sheltering from the rain at the bus stop, a boy aged approximately ten had been watching for Steve's return. Now he ran across the road to intercept him, shouting:
'Hey, Laddie. Can I have your autograph?'
Steve was startled but he stopped and smiled at the boy, the first kid he had seen. His hat was behaving rather like a chute, sending a steady stream of water ahead of him as he bent down to talk to the boy.
'Sure thing, kid,' he said. 'But why don't we go inside in the dry?'
'I'm no' allowed,' said the boy, clutching his autograph book inside his anorak to keep it dry.
'OK,' said Steve. 'I'll take the book inside and sign it. You wait here. I'll be back in a minute. What's your name?'
'Angus. Thank you, Laddie.'
With which, Steve disappeared inside for what seemed to Angus quite a long time. However, as it turned out, the wait was well worth it, for Steve reappeared with the autograph book wrapped in a piece of newspaper. He also had a five pound note in his hand.
'Angus, I've signed your book. Now I got something real important I'd like for you to do for me. OK?
'Important. Is it secret?' asked Angus anxiously.
'No, not secret. Just real important. Big time important. I want you to give this note to a lady called Beth.'
'The singing lady?' The awesome responsibility of this mission for Angus was evident in his voice.
'Right, the singing lady. You try and give it to her in person. You say it is from me, Steve, the Laddie.'
'Sure thing, Laddie,' said Angus, staring at the five pound note.
'Yeah,' added Steve, as if he had forgotten. 'This is for you. Don't spend it all at once. D'you know something? You're the only kid I've met since we got here. Are they all away at school someplace?'
'There are very few kids here since the accident,' said Angus. 'I was born just after it happened. But you'll see a few my age or a bit older tomorrow. So where are your shooters, Laddie?'
'I left my shooters behind in Texas, Angus. Those dumb airlines don't like you to carry them onto a plane. So what was this accident?'
'Ancient history, my dad says. I wish you had your shooters, Laddie.'
'Angus, that message is real urgent,' said Steve, who was just beginning to wonder whether Beth spent as long talking to each of her many fans as this, when Angus took off, running down Main Street towards the castle gates.
Before going to bed Steve had a drink at the bar. There were less than a dozen people there, but the attractive middle-aged woman was playing the piano, singing a ballad he'd heard before somewhere since he'd been in Tressock.
'Delightful is the land beyond your dreams,
Fairer than your eyes have ever seen
There all the year the fruit is on the tree
Nor pain nor sickness knows the dweller there
Death and decay come near you never more…'
The song made him think of Beth. He would like to have had her hear it. The new type of music she was planning to sing when she returned to America might include songs like this. He felt guilt about Beth, like an ache. He had never dreamed that sex could be as wonderful as it had been with Lolly. But Beth was still his buddy, his friend of so many years – and yes, of course he still loved her. But Lolly was, he felt sure of this, unique. Probably never to be repeated. She was like some wonderful wild horse. Never meant to be tamed. He opened the window. Somewhere in the distance there was the rhythmic sound of dance music.
He was happy to feel that the note he had sent to Beth would restore peace between them, at least for a while. His conscience clearer, well a little bit clearer, he got into bed.
But before he was quite asleep the sound of an ambulance's whining siren disturbed him. Its lights briefly flickered on his ceiling and then it was gone. Steve slept.