Chapter 8

'The Temptress'


Chase woke up around eight the following morning. He showered, changed, and ate quietly. He looked for his baseball cap, and found Lebonnie sleeping on it on the couch. This was part of Lebonnie's plan. She knew Chase wouldn't go anywhere without his hat, so she purposely laid on top of it, so when he would grab it, he'd wake her up.

"Sorry baby, just need my cap." He said, pulling it from under her thigh.

"Chase!" She shouted sitting up. "Yer calling in sick today!"

"What?" He asked with a confused look on his face.

"You need to come see this new mare at my parent's ranch. She's absolutely..."

"Skip work to look at a horse?"

"Please baby!" She begged holding his hand. "It means alot."

Chase laughed and let go of her hand. "Honey, yer being ridiculous. I ain't gonna skip work. I'll go see her tomorrow..."

"I'll do that thing you've been wanting me to do tonight..." She tempted. "...All night..."

Chase thought about this for awhile. He scratched his chin, and looked at his wife. "All right. Git in the truck."

"Yes!" She said, jumping up to hug him. "I love you!"

"Yeah yeah, hurry up."


Chase parked the truck outside the house. Lebonnie jumped out and knocked on the door. 'It's close to nine o'clock, most of the family should be up by now.' she figured.

Luanne opened the door smiling; that is until she noticed who was standing on her doorstep. "Hey dear." She managed to get out, half-heartedly. "Do you need something?"

"Hey Mom." Lebonnie said, forgetting their fight. "I just wanted to show Chase that new mare yall have..."

"Go ahead." Luanne said cutting her off.

"Thanks!" She said, still smiling. "Is Hunter back yet?"

Luanne rolled her eyes and sighed. "No. Don't stay too long...we have things to do."

Lebonnie was too excited to notice her Mothers rudeness. She, hopped back in the truck, and gave Chase the 'OK.'

They drove down the road to the barn, when Jorjanna cut them off on a 4-wheeler. "Hey yall! Whatcha doin' here?"

"Hey sis!" Lebonnie hollered back. "We come to see that horse again!"

"Hop on, I can take ya there!"

Lebonnie got on the back of the quad, and Chase followed behind them in his truck. "This horse better be something' extraordinary." He said under his breath. He didn't like to skip work, especially to look at an animal.

Jorjanna stopped at the barn. "I'm gonna git her tack; hold on k?"

"Are you gonna ride her?"

"Nope." She replied, getting off the quad. " You are."


Jorjanna threw the heavy saddle on the back of the 4-wheeler, and gave the bridle to Lebonnie to hold.

"Are you sure Dad's not gonna care?" Lebonnie asked as they took off for the pasture, with Chase and Dixie behind them.

"Nah. If he'll let me ride her, you sure as hell can."

The gray was at her usual place. She stood alone, eyes wide, tail high. Even with the massive manure stain on the side of her face, she still looked beautiful.

"Baby! Isn't she pretty?" Lebonnie asked running up to the truck.

"Yup." He agreed. "Looks expensive."

"Think she's pretty Dixie?" Lebonnie asked in hope of a more encouraging answer then the one Chase had just given her.

"All of them?" Dixie asked.

"No the gray one; over there." Lebonnie answered pointing.

"I can't see!" She yelled.

Chase unstrapped her from her car seat and put her in his lap. "That one right there." He said.

Dixie thought for awhile then simply said. "Breezy is even prettier than that one."

"No she isn't." Lebonnie said grumpily. "I'm gonna go ride her. Meet ya at the house." She finished then stormed off.

"Mommy's a little grouchy." Chase whispered to Dixie as she giggled. He got out of the truck, put Dixie on his shoulders, and followed Lebonnie to the mare.

"Say you think the horse is beautiful, k?" He whispered to his daughter so Lebonnie couldn't hear.

"Why?" She asked.

"Cause if ya do, then Mommy won't be bitchy."

"Why?" She questioned again.

"Because if she ain't bitchy, then she'll be in a good mood. Which means, you git some ice cream, and I git some action."

"Why?"

"Cause that's how grown women work."

"Why?"

"K, now yer being annoying." He said putting her on the ground.

Lebonnie walked up to the mare with the bridle. The Temptress pinned her ears, and trotted off to a different side.

"She's a pain in the ass to catch!" Jorjanna hollered from the 4-wheeler.

Lebonnie chased her along the fence line for awhile until the mare finally gave in. "Thank you." She said slipping the snaffle bit in her mouth. "Now that ya got that out of ya, be good all right?"

She lead the mare over to the 4-wheeler where, Jorjanna heaved the heavy saddle on her back and cinched it up.

"T.T's fun to ride." Jorjanna said as Lebonnie mounted. "She's like a volcano between yer legs, ya just gotta..."

"...Nothing she ain't use to." Chase interrupted grinning.

"Yeah, I don't think yer daughter and I care to hear that information." Jorjanna said putting her hands over Dixie's ears. "Anyway, before I was interrupted, ya just gotta make sure you don't put a lot of pressure on her mouth. She hates to be tugged on."

"K." Lebonnie said as she squeezed T.T into a brisk trot. The mare held her head high and trotted so forwardly, it felt as if she was skipping on rocks.

"She definitely feels different then Breezy!" Lebonnie shouted as she squeezed her into a lope.

Her lope was not a smooth, comfortable gait like Breezys. It was choppy and quick. So far, Lebonnie was less than pleased about what she felt.

She brought her down to a walk and directed her back to the 4-wheeler. "I guess looks are deceiving." Lebonnie said disappointed as she halted in front of them. "You said she's got professional training?"

"Run her." Jorjanna said simply. "You haven't tested all the gears yet. Run her."

Lebonnie sighed and tightened the reins. "All right."

She trotted T.T in a large, bouncy circle, then asked for a lope. Again, Lebonnie felt as though the four-year-old didn't know how to work her legs.

She gradually pushed her into a faster lope when Jorjanna yelled, "Run her already!"

Lebonnie leaned forward and gave T.T a kick. What a kick it must have been.

The Temptress didn't need to be asked twice. She lunged her front legs forward and kicked from her powerful hindquarters. Her head was no longer bolt right in the air, but pulling with every muscle.

Lebonnie even had to grab on to the saddle horn to stay seated; something every county girl was taught not to do.

Chase and Dixie's jaws dropped. Jorjanna smiled and gave an, 'I told you so' look. That mare shouldn't be on an old Arkansas ranch, it should be in the Kentucky Derby.


"Good golly Miss Molly!" Lebonnie said as she trotted back. "This horse can run!"

"No shit Sherlock." Jorjanna said smiling. "Yall look great together too."

Lebonnie dismounted and gave a hearty pet on T.T's sweaty neck. "Thanks. It felt good."

"Mommy that was real fast!" Dixie said as she walked over to T.T. "Can I sit on her and go fast too?"

"No." Chase said seriously.

"You can sit on her." Lebonnie said as she heaved Dixie into the saddle.

Chase kicked the ground uncomfortably. 'He's already so protective of Little Dixie, how's he gonna act when she starts receiving 'male callers.' Lebonnies Grandpa George would always say. 'She won't be able to date until she's married!'

"Now wouldn't this be a pretty picture?" Lebonnieasked grinning.

Jorjanna fumbled around in her coat pockets for awhile until she pulled out their Dads camera. She'd been taking photos of her horse Bronc the following evening. "Actually, it would. Chase git in there!"

"That's okay." He said as he leaned against the quad.

"Damnit Chase! Come here." Lebonnie hollered impatiently

"Yes Ma'am." He said under his breath as he reluctantly staggered over.

"All right. That looks good. Now say cheese..."