"What happened to the mustang you broke?" Harry stood in front of the empty corral that had held the pretty little horse only days ago.
"I sold him to the horse trader. I guess you were so excited about Saber you didn't even notice him being loaded up with the others onto Mr. Hewitt's trailer." Louis studied Harry's slight frown of concentration.
Harry felt a little sad, but then realized he was being overly sentimental. Again. Ranches bought and sold stock all the time There had been no reason to get attached to the mustang. There would be many more, he was sure.
That day, Harry rode Saber in order to give him the experience he needed so much. He tried to ride him a minimum of two days a week. The only way Saber was going to lose his fear of cattle was by being exposed to them as much as Harry could manage.
Sometimes he rode him for the day's work, but most of the time he rode one of the remuda horses. On the days he did take Saber out, he drilled the horse on leg cues and backing up on occasions when the guys didn't need his immediate help when fixing fences. The horses had to be super responsive. Riding fences required quick and precise obedience to the rider's legs.
With Harry and Louis working with him on weekends, Louis said they could gradually accustom him to cattle without pushing his limits to the point to where he would rebel. And after his confidence was built up, Harry could begin to get closer and closer to the cattle while working with him on the various other cues he needed to know all the while.
While he'd eventually make a decent ranch horse, he probably wouldn't be as quick or naturally skilled as the other ranch horses, or have the same drive to work cattle, since he wasn't a quarter horse, but with his willing nature, Louis felt he should be able to get most jobs done.
The cowboys had ventured to a far pasture to remove a bull from the cows he had serviced. Breeding season was more or less all year long, but this bull was causing pandemonium amongst the cows, and Louis had decided he needed to be separated from them before he caused major injuries. So he'd be going back to his pen. It was the same Angus Johnny had shown Harry when Harry had been a brand new employee. Louis hadn't yet decided what he would do with the intractable bull. The bovine's attitude was even meaner toward people than to other cattle. Even though he had no horns, the bull was still very capable of doing considerable damage because of his sheer size, huge unyielding hooves, and the force of his body weight to go with his rage.
The plan was for Louis and Leo, the most skilled ropers, to each land a loop over the bull's head from opposite sides. Then they would lead or drag him if necessary, to the open gate of his own pen, and a cowboy would prod him from behind if needed. They had tried everything else they could think of, but the bull refused to leave his harem, charging the cowboys and their horses whenever they entered the pasture. So they needed to take more drastic measures, which meant taking more risks.
Louis had instructed Harry to stay on the outside of the pen fence and watch. That way, Harry would have an opportunity to learn how to handle a fractious bull without putting himself in danger. Harry chuckled to himself. He couldn't have entered the pen if he'd wanted to. Saber was not about to get anywhere near the scent of those strange looking animals that made the oddest sounds.
So he tied Saber farther down the pasture fence, and walked to the bull pen so he could get a good view of the proceedings while perched atop the tall fence to be out of the bull's reach.
Louis and Leo, mounted on good, steady horses, slowly approached the bull, who was more than ready to put those persistent cowboys in their place. He was determined not to leave the cows, and would do whatever it took to convince the humans of that fact. He was not in the mood for games, and even Harry could see the grim warning in the animal's eyes before the one ton bull even moved a muscle. He was enormous, weighing twice as much as the average horse.
Harry feared for Leo mainly because of his young age, but reminded himself that the young man was nearly as accomplished with a rope as Louis, and had a massive amount of natural and learned skill around livestock. Harry was less concerned about Louis not only because the ranch owner had more experience, but also because he had a quick, calculating mind even when under pressure, and also had an astonishing talent for finessing animals around to his way of thinking.
Louis was pumped up. He liked this. It gave him a chance to stir up some adrenaline instead of thinking of Harry, which he did a shit-ton of every single day. It was time he get his mind off those plump, inviting lips and bright green eyes. This bull was a whack job, and Louis needed all his faculties in order to try to outsmart him. It was a welcome change to have to really use his mind and apply himself instead of feeling like a strung-out addict over Harry.
Things went wrong from the start. Johnny was riding Cactus up and down at the far end of the small pasture, opposite of where Saber was tied, holding the cows well out of the cowboys' path. Having them underfoot would only cause mayhem and increase the chances of complications. The other hands stayed out of the pasture and watched for trouble, prepared to pitch in and help if they could, but there was actually little they could do if something went awry. This challenging undertaking was for the most part up to Louis and Leo.
The ominous rumble of the bull's snorting sent a chill through Harry in spite of the increasingly hot weather. Leo, with his deceptively steady hand and presence of mind for such a slight, wiry, coltish-looking guy, tossed a loop when he got within ten feet of the bull, who was preparing for a charge. It landed snugly around the animal's neck. On the other side of the bull sat Louis on Joaquin.
Now was a gravely precarious moment, and all eyes were on Louis. He needed to rope the bull from his side, making it impossible for the angry bovine to charge either man. The best trained, sturdiest horses were being used today because they played a critical part in keeping their riders safe. Leo was riding a big, strapping animal that would be able to brace his weight against the powerful tug of the bull nearly as well as Joaquin.
Louis made a bone chilling mistake when he missed his throw. The timing was so important because at that moment, the bull, knowing there was a rope attached to him that would surely impede him, was preparing to charge Leo's horse.
Harry had seen Louis' eyes on him just before he had tossed his rope. The rope flew through the air, and then slid innocuously off the bull's shoulder and to the ground. Did his glance at Harry have anything to do with why he'd missed? Harry sure hoped not, as he didn't want to be the cause of a tragic disaster.
Louis reacted with lightning speed, cursing violently and reeling his rope back in for another throw. But he'd only had a couple of precious seconds' window of time, and now it was too late to attempt another throw. The bull would reach Leo first. The animal had already begun to plunge wildly, his hooves spraying up huge amounts of dust, snorting snot as he hurled his bulk at the young man on the horse.
Leo, thinking quickly, spurred his mount forward to avoid the bull's broadside charge. The bull had so much momentum in addition to bulk that he was unable to veer toward Leo in pursuit. He kept running in a straight line until he was able to plunge to a stop, wheel around and pursue Leo again.
By now, Louis was racing Joaquin directly at the bull, heedless of the danger to himself. His only thought now was to thwart the bull's attempt to catch up with Leo. Louis purposely drove Joaquin right at the bull's side, and the supremely trained horse rammed into the bull, something only a rare horse would do for their owner. Harry, holding his breath, realized in that nano-second, how much heart Joaquin really had. He gasped at the awesome courage and grit horse and rider demonstrated, but he was also scared shitless for Louis.
Louis was now readying his rope again. He was trying to get into position to advance it, but the target was wise to him, and doing a good job of dodging the rope he knew would be coming by throwing his head up and down and from side to side.
"What can we do to help?" Harry's voice was distraught from his seat on the top of the fence as he turned to find no one else there. That's right-the others were outside of the pasture. He'd forgotten he was alone. Logically, Harry knew that more people in the pasture would just make the job harder for the two men trying to right this perilous situation. It would only hinder them. All possible precautions had been taken, but that was just it. Only so much preparation was possible, the rest up to skill and fate, and Harry found himself quivering from within.
Johnny had his hands full trying to keep the cows at bay all by himself. It was like a three-ring circus. The other hands, huddled outside of the pasture, watched on helplessly and did a whole lot of praying.
Harry gulped as the bull charged Leo over and over. Somehow, after Leo had avoided the bull several times, the original rope still around the bull's neck and in Leo's hand, with Louis in hot pursuit, Louis finally got into a position to throw his second loop. Not perfect, but there just wasn't time for that. All hope was cast on Louis, and Leo had to trust Louis to throw a good one this time. Leo's faith in his boss was obviously not in question. They all missed now and then, and Leo knew Louis was unlikely to make the same mistake twice. If he missed again, the bull would be even more infuriated than he already was, and since Leo was the source of the rope that had set him off to begin with, the bull would only be more anxious to take out his wrath on the younger ranch hand.
This time, Louis' aim was true, and the two cowboys quickly dallied their ropes firmly to their saddle horns, signaling their horses to keep the ropes taut by moving sideways and bracing whenever any slack appeared in the rope. It was a tall order for the horses, but they leaned against the rope, and together they subdued the bull somewhat.
Louis and Leo half dragged, half led the volatile bull to the open gate, where Johnny would smoothly move behind the bull to urge him through the gate. Only then could the men drop their ropes, and Johnny would quickly close the gate before the bull could charge back through.
The bull, however, was not intending to give up his power so easily, planting his feet and refusing to leave the pasture when they reached the gate, so Johnny allowed Cactus to move up tight behind the animal. Sometimes Cactus' irritable disposition came in handy, Harry realized as Johnny loosened his reins, giving the feisty gelding permission to do the necessary convincing.
Cactus opened his mouth wide to reveal long yellow teeth, and gave the bull a sharp nip on the rear end, doing his job with apparent relish. Cactus' ears were pinned straight back to his head, and Harry thought he'd never seen such a look of ultimate complacency on a horse's face when the bull leaped forward to escape more of those brutal teeth.
The bull plummeted right through the gate, the cowboys tossed their ropes into the pen to be collected later, and Johnny maneuvered Cactus in a flash to the gate and slammed it shut in one smooth motion.
"Yee-haw!" the other cowboys whooped and lifted their hats from outside the pasture fence. Harry was astounded. They had worked together, even under immense strain, as if they had been doing this all their lives. Even Leo—especially Leo, who had only worked here a short time, had performed beautifully in silent communication with his boss, keeping a cool head and doing exactly what needed to be done in the presence of a high level of danger.
Harry felt a rush of admiration for these brave, strong, rugged men who he was sure would have done very well for themselves in the days of the Old West. You couldn't say the same thing for the majority of modern day men.
Now Harry saw what Johnny had been alluding to when he had told him Louis regularly bit off more than he could chew. He'd done a brilliant job, but he'd also put himself in the direct line of fire several times while trying to protect Leo. His fearless horse had not failed him, obeying even when Louis had asked him to run directly into the path of the charging bull on two occasions to divert the attack, and then even plowing right into the bull.
As much as Louis cared about Joaquin, if it came down to it, Harry knew Louis would not hesitate to sacrifice himself and his horse to allow Leo to escape.
Once out of the pasture, Louis turned to Leo.
"You're a big asset to this ranch. I'm sorry about that throw."
"No problem, boss. The bull really had it in for me, didn't he?" Leo's face glowed pink from the exertion and the praise from his mentor, whom, in addition to Harry, he idolized.
"No doubt. But we worked together, and that's what saved us. If you hadn't sidelined that bull, I'd be dead meat," Louis reminded Leo. "And if I hadn't missed me throw, he wouldn't have charged you. Important thing is, though, that we keep workin' together like that. Teamwork makes all the difference."
The next day the hired hands were riding fence when a huge dust storm was spotted by Niall. Harry looked up and saw it was easily fifty percent larger than the only other one he'd yet experienced. A tingling numbness hit him square in the stomach.
"They're common in the summer months," commented Niall as casually as if it were nothing but a puff of dust. He casually dismounted his horse, and Harry noted the others did the same, so he followed their example.
Harry remembered only too well the suffocating feeling of breathing in only dust, and wanting nothing more than to bolt to escape the situation. He fought the cascade of panic spreading through his body. Then he considered his horse, Saber. He would most certainly panic. Louis, taking control as usual, stuffed Harry's confused horse, along with Joaquin, through the opening of a pasture gate that was full of cattle.
"He'll have to mingle with the cows for a few minutes. But I doubt he'll be thinkin' about the cows. The dust storm will keep his mind occupied." Louis' eyes dazzled Harry with an impish twinkle. He had a feeling why Louis had such a devilish look about him. It had to be one of two things—he was either subtly teasing him because he was afraid, or, Harry hoped, he was anticipating Harry running into his arms again as he had with the first dust storm. Well, Harry would not give him the satisfaction of seeing him that afraid again.
But that resolve weakened when the dust storm drew nearer and Harry saw just how much larger it was than the last one. It was not coming directly at them, but it was so enormous that it didn't really matter. They'd still get the brunt of it.
He reflected on how his lungs had felt last time—like bellows that wouldn't work, how his heart had jumped into his throat and thundered in his ears, how alarmed he'd been, almost to the point of believing he would go mad if he couldn't escape.
Harry stood and watched the other hands either holding their horses if they believed them to be steady enough, or putting them into a handy pasture. Leo, the boy-man adopted Louis' and Niall's ho-hum, "here comes another boring dust storm" attitude. He leaned against a fence post, unconcerned enough to light a cigarette. Since when had he picked up that habit? Louis was a bad influence, concluded Harry.
"Better put that thing out, Leo. No use wastin' a perfectly good cigarette. Put it back in your pocket or it'll be shredded like cheddar," drawled Louis.
Harry laughed in spite of his uneasiness. Louis' humor came so naturally that half the time he didn't even know he'd said something funny. It was just part of his dry, sarcastic style.
"What's the matter with you?" Louis said this quietly so it wouldn't carry to the others, his eyes snapping shocking sapphire at Harry, glowering at him in mock anger.
"You're funny. Your metaphors crack me up. Oh, me hat!" Harry gripped his very expensive, beloved hat. The dust will ruin it!"
"No, it won't. These Stetsons are made to stand up to harsh conditions, otherwise cowboys wouldn't buy 'em," Louis assured him. "They withstand years and years in rain storms, snow storms, and yes, dust storms." His bright white teeth and sassy smile tickled Harry's stomach.
The dust storm finally reached them, bringing with it a strong wind that grabbed Harry so hard he almost toppled into the fence. Louis caught him and held him firmly by his upper arms. Disappointment cut cruelly through Harry before he even knew why. He'd expected Louis to hold him as he had during the first dust storm. But of course, cowboys just don't do things like that. Silly and totally mad of him to even harbor the thought. The last one had been Harry's first dust storm, and Louis had felt an obligation to tamp down his panic. But this time he'd have to man up.
Louis was slightly disgusted. Damn if Harry was going to act like a baby. He had to get used to dust storms some time if he was going to stay in Texas. And he couldn't expect Louis to embrace him every time one scared him. Oh, but how he craved it!
Louis removed his bandana and placed it over Harry's mouth and nose. Harry quickly found out Louis' warning about dust storms was crucial—don't open your eyes. When he did, there was nothing but red dust, and it stung when it hit his eyeballs. He lunged forward, the panic winning the battle, right into Louis' arms, not being able to control himself. A sense of de ja vu engulfed him. He hid his head in Louis' chest, and it was essentially a replay of the first time this had happened.
Harry breathed deeply, trying to find some oxygen, yet only succeeding in filling his nostrils with Louis' pleasant, masculine scent. Within seconds, he thought he felt, (or was it his imagination?) a growing hardness against his upper thigh, and damned if he didn't bless that wild dust storm for just a little while. Yes, it was difficult to breathe, but being this close to Louis was affecting him the same. The man's closeness was all it took to have Harry panting like an animal. Could Louis feel his own arousal too? If so, they were in a problematic, inelegant position.
Right about then, Louis shifted his lower body away from any contact with Harry's own body. He was mortified. He'd been so frequently disturbed by his body's reactions to Harry, but this went way beyond embarrassment. He grasped desperately at the hope that Harry hadn't felt it.
Meanwhile, Harry was wondering why Louis had only to look at him in a certain way, or touch him, like right now, and he felt like a slave to the boss' male appeal. The boss had only touched him a few times in the presence of the others since he'd been employed here, and each time it was totally devoid of anything remotely resembling intimacy, but Harry's body had reacted with hunger each and every time.
Harry's stomach somersaulted wildly and a warmth suffused him. When Louis shifted his hips, Harry missed the body contact instantly. But he'd unwittingly stolen just a moment to indulge himself. The way he ceased to care about the rest of the world when Louis was this close was terrifying.
"I need at least one dust storm a day," Harry said, immediately knowing he couldn't retract the words.