The Claws of the Cat – Chapter 4

Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of the magnificent animal. There it was, free like the wind, his black mantle shining in the sun. The stallion reared and rushed off to join the other horses. The whole herd broke into a gallop, the manes waving, as the mares followed him as he flew across the plains in a race no one could stop.

Audra whipped her horse and in no time she, too, was flying down the hill alongside the stream. She would catch up with them and enjoy the sight of the wild beauty once again.

"Hey, get out of the way!" a voice shouted alerting her, making her stop.

"Watch out! Watch out!" She turned toward the sound and caught sight of a rider coming, galloping hard toward her.

"Get out of there!" he shouted again. It was then that she heard the sound of the hooves. She turned to see the horses come toward her, raising a cloud of dust in their restless march, crushing everything in their way. Soon, they would crush her, too.

Transfixed by something that was beyond any fear she had ever known, Audra could do nothing but watch her end come.

Suddenly, something hit her hard, dragged her out of the saddle, down on the ground. Audra didn't realize what had happened, she just knew she was rolling and rolling, until the cold water shook off her state of stupor.

She was in the river, in the arms of a young man. The man who had just saved her life.

About one year before, Jarrod had announced he was marrying a mysterious woman. No one knew nor Jarrod had cared to explain, where she came from and who she really was except that she belonged to a prominent English family.

Emilie C. Le Breton was the most captivating woman Victoria had ever known. She was confident, gentle and humble at the same time. Victoria didn't know how to explain it, but she possessed something peculiar, like a light, that surrounded her. No one was immune to her charm.

Victoria had kept an article from the San Francisco Chronicle, concerning the famous English actress Lillie Langtry, who was at the top of her career and had the fame of being the most beautiful woman in the world. The article explained that Miss Langtry had withdrawn from public life and married a famous lawyer. Months ago the newspapers had spread the rumor that the woman had a love story with no less than the Prince of Wales. The portrait of Miss Lillie Langtry accompanied the article. The resemblance with her new daughter-in-law was uncanny.

Emilie and Jarrod was the handsomest couple. It was a pure joy for the lawyer's mother to see them together, calling each other with the sweetest words of endearment, walking hand in hand and stealing furtive glances like lovers do. Victoria had never seen her son so deeply in love and, now that Emilie was pregnant with their first baby they were as happy as they could possibly be.

Unfortunately, Victoria couldn't say the same about Nick and Sabrina. Like Emilie, Sabrina was surrounded by an aura of mystery, and she was undoubtedly a very beautiful woman but, right from the beginning, Victoria had thought there was something subtle in her, something Victoria just couldn't explain. After the first few weeks in which he seemed to be in a permanent state of bliss, even Nick himself didn't seem that happy anymore. On the contrary, he often looked sad, even depressed at times..

Victoria didn't trust Sabrina.

"Mother!" Audra's excited voice abruptly shook Victoria from her reverie.

"Audra, your hair! It's all wet! Where have you been?"

"Riding…" the girl answered with an enigmatic, dreamy smile.

"Through the swamp?" asked Nick, who was just then coming down from the first floor, arm in arm with Sabrina. They all walked toward the dining room.

As they took place around the table, Silas started serving their breakfast.

"Alongside the stream on Mokelumne," Audra explained, the dreamy smile still there.

"Well, surely you didn't fall in?" Victoria guessed.

"As it happens, I was... well... pushed in by a young man."

"Who?" Nick asked with a frown.

"I don't think it's anyone you know, Nick," Audra replied.

"Audra, if you were dunked, I am merely trying to find out who did the dunking!" Nick insisted.

"He didn't dunk me. He saved my life," Audra corrected.

"Saved your life?" Nick marveled.

"From a herd of wild horses," Audra explained. "I guess it was probably the most thrilling experience of my whole life," she added.

"Whoever he was, I'm very grateful to him. I'd like to meet him and tell him so," Victoria declared, and smiled her maternal smile at her.

"His name is Lloyd, I think. But I'd know him in a minute. I mean, you just can't forget what he looks like. I don't know, just... there's something so different about him," the girl said with such fondness like Victoria had never seen before.

"How'd he happen to be up there on Mokelumne?" Nick wanted to know.

"He catches wild horses, sells them when they're broken," Audra explained.

"You seem to know quite a lot about him," Victoria noticed.

"I'd like to know more…" Audra said with a sigh of delight.

"Well, time's a-wastin'," Nick said putting his napkin on the table and rising from his chair.

He put a small kiss on each lady's forehead. "Mrs. Barkley," he whispered to his wife, who smiled at him. Falsely, according to Victoria's feelings. In fact, Sabrina hadn't uttered a word during the whole meal. Victoria couldn't help but notice the glance the woman shot at her husband while he was walking out. It was a look of pure hatred.

Victoria shivered inside.

"Thomson, you come with me," Nick commanded.

"Sure, boss," Heath said quietly, pulling his horse's bridles in order to make her turn. One side of Heath's mouth curled upside. Just like always, more often as of lately, Nick Barkley had chosen no one else but him as his partner for the day to chase and gather the cattle that was spread all over the ranch. Some animals had gone quite far. Day after day, notwithstanding Heath's attempts at avoiding any kind of bonding, something very similar to a friendship had grown between the two men.

Too bad it is going to be over soon enough.

Nick enjoyed Thomson's company for many reasons. He admired the younger man's dedication to work, regardless the task. Even the humblest job turned into something different, almost mystical, in his hands. Nick also admired Thomson's way of getting straight to the point. The young man didn't curry favor with him, and Nick didn't have to ask to receive Thomson's earnest advice, either requested or not, on anything. The boy was quiet but had guts.

Yes, Nick Barkley liked Heath Thomson quite a lot. The boy had turned down all his attempts at fraternizing but Nick knew that, somehow, he had been able to break through the walls he had raised around himself, for whatever reason.

"You know, Thomson, I just decided something. I just decided that there's no bigger waste of man hours than chasing down a spooked herd. You know what I think? I'll tell you what I think. I think them stinkin' Murphy boys are the ones that scattered 'em! You wanna know why? I'll tell you why. Because they happen to know we're in the middle of a round-up and they're just mean enough to spook them out on us!" Nick accompanied his words with an eloquent gesture of his arm, pointing an accusatory gloved finger toward the presumed guilty men.

Heath was having a hard time trying not to burst into a laugh. He had been at the ranch just a few months and he had learned there was more than one side of Nick Barkley. He had known the fair boss, the loyal brother, the devoted son, the loving husband. But, one of the things he appreciated the most was the man's comic side. "That's what you think, huh?" Heath asked, a half-smile on his face.

"That is what I think," Nick confirmed stressing each word. "I also think I ought to go over there and bash a couple of Murphy heads together," Nick continued, secretly satisfied at the other man's apparent amusement.

"Since you're getting so heated up, I think you ought to do that," Heath fueled him.

"I just might do that! You want to come along?"

"No, thanks."

"Well, I'll go alone then!"

"You know, Barkley, sometimes you get so brave you scare me."

"Yeah, well… Now, what are you starin' at?"

"I wonder what those buzzards are starin' at…"

Following Heath's gaze, Nick looked upwards. A dozen grim big birds were flying in circles. They meant nothing good. They meant death and grief.

In the brush, the golden eyes of a cougar sparkled. The animal crouched, his powerful paws ready to spring, his sharp fangs ready to stab.

For the poor calf, there was no escape. Later, the buzzards would take care of what the cat left behind.