Their bodies lurch forward in response to the loud, distinct pops coming from outside. They both sit up straight and look at the bedroom door.
"Jay." She murmurs causing him to turn his attention to her, finding that she's already looking at him. Her heart hammers in her chest as she holds onto his arm closest to her - clutching but not quite wrapping around the tense muscles with both of her petite hands. He quietly shushes her and points at the window just as another shot is fired.
"They're just warning shots." He whispers to assure her, even though he can't be certain that's what the shots were for. He leans over to kiss her temple quickly before reaching for the nightstand. His hand slides against the underside of the small table until he finds what he's looking for - his fingers grazing the cool metal of the gun. He checks the clip and then hands the loaded piece over to her.
"How do you know that's-?"
"Four shots in fifteen seconds intervals. It's something new, your dad and I came up with to let everyone know there's a predatory animal close by or posing a threat to the horses or cattle." He answers before she can finish asking while he starts getting dressed in hurry.
"Then why did you hand me a gun?" She looks down at the revolver in her hand.
"Just in case I'm wrong. You have something to protect yourself and Nadia with." He explains but she still looks confused.
"Do you have another one for Nadia?" She asks next just as the younger woman walks over to the open door of the room.
"Those were gunshots, right?" Nadia asks and Jay nods as he tells her the same thing he just told Erin. And even though his response causes a chill to run up and then back down Nadia's spine, she still notices how both of her friends are half dressed. She, of course, doesn't mention it or give it any more thought at that time as she begins to feel the fear overwhelm her. She's brought out of her thoughts when she hears the couple in front of her start arguing.
"I'm not staying here. I want to go with you." Erin declares while shaking her head.
"Erin, I wasn't asking." Jay's voice is even more stern than hers but Erin doesn't seem fazed as she shrugs and climbs off the bed.
"Neither am I." She says back and bends down to pull her pants on. Jay huffs and moves towards the door.
"Stay here and try to keep her with you." He whispers to Nadia and proceeds out of the room.
Erin rolls her eyes as she too, approaches the younger woman. The gun Jay pulled from the nightstand just a few short moments ago is handed over to Nadia.
"Find somewhere to hide and only come out if you hear me or Jay." Erin whispers and Nadia's mouth opens and then closes a couple times in quick succession as she tries to think of something to say but nothing comes to mind and before she knows it Erin disappears from the room too.
There's knocks at the front door, booming and echoing through the otherwise quiet cabin, just as Erin makes it halfway down to the first floor. Jay glances back at her descending the stairs after seeing her move in his peripheral. He groans in frustration and disappointment when he sees her but waits patiently for her to get behind him before he gets any closer to the entryway. He points the rifle out in front of him as he looks over his shoulder again as she fists the back of his shirt. Neither of them thinks that the person standing on the porch, knocking at the door is of any danger to them - figuring they wouldn't knock if they were there to kill them. But they still decide to proceed with caution anyway. They give each other a small nod and then Jay slowly reaches for the brass handle.
"Jay, it's just us. You can put down the gun, man." They hear Kevin's voice boom through the door.
Jay sighs in relief and lets his arm still holding the gun fall to his side so the muzzle is pointing at the floor.
"What was it?" Jay asks after the door is opened.
"We don't know but whatever it was, it took on two mares and a foal." Adam answers as he glances over at the stables.
"Which ones?" Jay questions next causing Kevin and Adam to look at each other.
"The grey and pinto." Kevin murmurs regretfully.
"They're pretty cut up. We tried calling Severide but he didn't answer his phone." Adam informs them and Jay nods with another sigh and then looks at Erin who has come to stand next to him.
"I'm going to go look at the horses." He tells her and she nods.
"You should stay here and try to get some more sleep." Jay adds, kissing her forehead and stepping onto the porch, giving her one more longing look before closing the door behind him.
She sighs as she goes to tell Nadia that it's safe to come out of wherever she chose to hide. Erin informs her of what's going on from what little she got from the men's brief conversation and lets her know that she's going out to see if they need help with anything. Nadia nods and then goes back to the guest room she was sleeping in.
Erin searches the cabin for another gun - quickly finding one in a dresser drawer in Jay's room before she heads out. She keeps her head on a swivel as she tip toes over the gravel, dirt and dry grass covering the expanse between Jay's cabin and the stables. Her eyes widen with every noise she hears and her pace quickens - only coming to a stop when the sound of growling next to her starts. Slowly she looks down and to her right, to find Poppy in a low stance as she stares intently at the rustling bushes to their left.
He scratches at the coarse hair along his jaw as he attempts to look at the second mare's wounds from afar - the frightened and agitated pinto not letting him get too close.
"I'm not going to hurt you." His voice is hushed as he tries to reason with her and calm the large animal down but it seems to have the opposite effect - only serving to upset her even more. Luckily her wounds look rather superficial and likely won't even warrant stitches, just needing to be cleaned and antibiotics administered.
"Woah, woah" Jay says with his hands in the air when she starts to kick and move around more frantically. He backs away and tries to think of how to care for her.
"Where's her foal?" Jay grumbles as he looks at the surrounding stalls.
"We couldn't find him, figured he was what they went after." Kevin answers earnestly while the three of them watch the horse continue to shake her head and swish her tail.
"What are we going to do?" Adam inquires while Jay continues to watch the mare in front of him.
"Try to get her some sedative and antibiotics. I'll be right back." Jay tells them as he steps away from the stall. His head is down as he starts to walk away and then his body crashes against someone else. His arms go around her waist to steady her and an almost angry look comes to his face seeing that she didn't listen to him. But then he sees the blood on her stomach and hands and his expression softens with worry.
He whispers her name, getting her to look up at him as Adam and Kevin rush over to them; the three men taking in the crimson red covering her midsection.
"You need to help him." She murmurs - her voice shaky as he takes her hands in his and flips them so her palms are up.
"Who?" Jay asks when he realizes the blood isn't hers. His eyebrows furrow as her eyes meet his again.
"The colt." She replies and he nods for her to take him to wherever she just came from.
The foal is lying down, his legs folded under him as he struggles to hold up his shaking head and Poppy is right beside him - licking his wounds.
"That'll do Poppy." Jay mutters and the young dog obediently stops what she was doing and moves over to Erin's side.
Jay squats down next to the little horse and looks him over before picking him up and carrying him into the stables. Erin watches him in awe - though her fear and anxiety is still prominent - she can't help but become enamored with how he possesses both immense strength and gentleness simultaneously. And she continues to admire that and him as they make their way back to where the injured mares are. She let's those thoughts calm her as much as possible in the moment.
"Get me some chlorhexidine, gauze, the suture kit along with both antibiotic and pain injections." Jay commands as he lays the foal down in front of the tack room.
"How much for the injections?" Kevin questions and Jay takes a minute to estimate the weight of the two month old horse in front of them. He then gives his answer causing the other two men to disappear from sight.
"Is he going to be ok?" She asks while she moves her hand up and down the foal's face in an attempt to soothe him.
Jay looks up at her and she sees the uncertainty in his eyes. She nods as her gaze adverts back to the miniature version of Zane again.
She stays put until the other two cowboys get back, then she steps away and let's them work to help the young horse.
"What do you think it was? A wolf, bear, mountain lion?" Adam asks causing Kevin and Jay to exchange a quick glance.
"See these cuts here?" Jay points at the lesions on the baby horse's side. Adam nods so Jay continues.
"They're similar to the ones on the mares. They're clean and precise slices that are too far apart to be from claws - not jagged and uneven like you'd get from a wild animal attack. Plus they wouldn't have gone after all of them. If it was an animal it likely would have gone after the foal and maybe injured the pinto while she was protecting him but there wouldn't have been a need to go after the grey." Jay explains and it causes the rest of them to look on in bewilderment.
"So the real question is not what but who." Kevin voices and Erin feels herself become sick with the notion.
Silence falls over them as the men go back to helping the foal but Erin's attention gets pulled from them when the mare in the stall next to her starts to kick the door.
"You must be his mama, huh?" She questions as the horse remains in a frantic state.
Erin goes against her better judgment and walks in with the horse. She talks to the mare and tries to reassure her as if she was conversing with another human.
"Shh, shh." She whispers and just that gets the mare to still but her breathing remains labored. Erin smiles sadly seeing her calm in the small way as she takes another few steps closer and places a hand on the pinto's neck and one of near her nose.
"I can imagine it's hard to watch. To see someone you love, the baby you carried get hurt or taken from you-" She stops to look over her shoulder before continuing. But Jay stands up and takes a step closer just as she starts talking again. A sad smile comes to his face seeing that she was who he needed to get the mare to calm down in a way he couldn't. It makes him think of the first time he saw her effortlessly calm a horse.
This is something new - something that he was not shown on his family's ranch or in the year since he's been here. But he feels foolish saying that to the seasoned wranglers and ranch hands around him so he remains quiet as they're each assigned different broncos to break. His name is called last and he holds his breath as he waits to hear which unruly horse he'll be stuck with for the day. He crosses his fingers that he doesn't get the buckskin that hasn't stopped moving since they all walked over to the corrals. But he's soon disappointed and his eyes slam shut when his boss points to that very horse. He nods his head and waits in the same spot until the other wranglers collect their horses to go in separate corrals. Then he takes a deep breath and heads over to his horse.
"Alright." Jay says as he climbs through the bars of the corral which causes the horse to move to the other side.
"Easy kid." He whispers as he goes to saddle the horse up. The bronco moves and kicks a little at first but then allows Jay to finish fastening the cinch.
"See that's not so bad is it?" Then he takes the lead and just has the horse walk around the corral to get used to the saddle again - since he's guessing that this isn't the first time he's worn one given how easy it was to put on him.
After a few more laps around the corral, Jay stops him and put his right foot in the stirrup to pull himself up. He doesn't even get the chance sit down before he's being bucked off.
Jay huffs as he brushes himself off and tries again. By the fourth attempt Jay feels like he's got it as the horse makes it from one side of the corral to the other but then he starts thrashing around resulting in Jay being thrown on his ass again.
His blood is boiling and he throws his gloves on the ground as he starts to pace for a few moments. Staring at the bronco in front of him the entire time before going back by him. Never in his life has he felt as frustrated with an animal as he is right now. But he knows it's part of his job, so he pushes down his frustration and trudges forward.
When he's thrown again, he becomes more agitated - even more pissed and angry. That's when he realizes that his feelings aren't geared towards the horse in this moment but at the situation itself. He's angry at his boss for ordering him to do this and he's outraged that his family is gone - taken from him and he was left to fend for himself which resulted in him being here. He shakes his head of those thoughts and stomps his feet towards the bronco. His foot is almost through the stirrup again when he hears her voice.
"Hold on there Cowboy." She stops him in his tracks and gets him to turn around with that.
"You let him get to you and you're going to end up hurting him." She adds as she gets into the corral.
"I'm not going to hurt him." Jay defends and Erin smiles knowingly.
"I know." She nods as she looks from the horse to him.
"I was talking to him." She says with a small smile still on her face and Jay instantly feels his anger dissipate with the appearance of her dimples and the sound of her light laugh.
"I don't know what to do to calm him down." He admits and she nods again as she walks over to the horse and places a hand on his mane. She whispers something to the bronco that Jay can't hear but he can see how the large animal calms right there. And he finds himself thinking that she has the same effect on him.
"How can you expect him to be calm when you're not?" She asks as she pulls the lead gently and the horse follows close behind her.
"My mom once told me that a horse can feel every little insect that lands on their backs. So I'm pretty sure that he can feel your tension and frustration - everything you're feeling." She tells him as she hands over the lead and pets the horse's face a few more times.
"Get out of your head Jay. Reset and go back to how you were when you first got in here. Then try again." She states and Jay nods in thanks.
It wasn't as easy as she made it seem then but her advice did ensure that he broke that bronco in time for lunch and it made him a better wrangler. Even if he knows that he'll never have the ability to calm a horse with a simple touch like she can.
His smile widens briefly as he takes her in again but the grin soon falls when he hears what she says next and his heart sinks as she tells the horse something he never knew. He doesn't get to dwell on the revelation as someone else walks into the stables - immediately gaining all of their attention.
"I get a call to get back here and this is what I needed to see? What the hell is going on? And why are you two on my property with my animals?" Hank snarls as he stops in front of the stall where Erin is still stroking the pinto mare's face.
"They were saving your horses' lives and I came over to see if they needed help." Erin explains as she holds her dad's gaze.
"Last time I checked that wasn't your job." He glares at his daughter in a way that she knows is meant to scare her - to get her to back down and leave. But she makes sure to show he's not intimidating her and it causes him to look away - turning his head towards Jay in an ominous way.
"And it's certainly not yours anymore. You quit, remember?...So unless you want me to call the sheriff, Commissioner, I suggest you both leave now." Hank quips as he looks down and opens the door to the horse stall Erin's in.
"That's an odd way to say thank you to him for helping two of your mares - not to mention a foal that'll probably be worth close to a hundred thousand dollars alone." Erin scolds as she comes to stand between her dad and Jay - the latter wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her back a little to put space between her and her dad.
Hank lifts his gaze again and looks at the horse in front of them. His jaw clenches and he lets out a huff with his daughter's remark. "Go home Erin."
She shakes her head at him again and then turns away. Her hand slips into Jay's as they leave the stables to go back his cabin.
Once back inside they go and take separate showers and then try to get more sleep but neither of them can even close their eyes. So after a couple hours they decide to get ready for the day.
Nadia walks back into the kitchen once she's done getting ready and sets out to make coffee while Erin finishes their breakfast.
"So you think that Andrew was a part of what happened last night?" Nadia picks the conversation back up once the water is poured into the machine.
Erin just nods as the images of her most recent ex, the smashed car window and the injured horses flash through her mind one after the other.
"Are you going to stay here until he's caught?" The younger of the two asks next.
"I agree with Jay, and think you and I should both stay here until Andrew's caught." Erin makes them plates and covers Jay's food before pushing the pots towards the back of the stove.
"I'm pretty sure you don't want me interrupting your getting back together with Jay." Nadia answers, remembering the state she found her friends when those shots were fired last night.
"Whatever it is you think is happening or has happened, hasn't. So you're not interrupting anything."
"I don't know, it definitely looked like something was going on last night." Nadia smirks.
"What?" Erin lifts an eyebrow at her friend.
"Oh please, I may have been scared out of my mind but I didn't miss the fact that you were both half naked when I walked into your room last night. No wonder you sleep better when you spend the night with him." Nadia admits just before she takes the first bite of her food. Erin just chuckles and shakes her head as she starts to eat too.
"Speaking of, where is he?" Nadia asks and Erin's eyebrows furrow because she isn't sure what's taking him so long to come downstairs, so once she's done eating she grabs two cups of coffee and takes them upstairs.
She holds onto the handles of both mugs with one hand as she closes the door with the other. Her approach is slow - taking him in as he stares out the window towards the stables as he slowly buttons his shirt. His shoulders are tense and his expression stoic as he remains deep in his thoughts.
Her feet move of their own volition and she practically tip toes towards him. His name coming off her lips as a whisper – just wanting to alert him of her presence. His only response is to sigh.
She sets one of the two mugs down on the wooden chest at the foot of the bed. While he's distracted, she keeps trying to read him and what he's feeling as he continues to stare out the window in front of them. She can see that moral compass and huge heart of his causing him to overthink and question his part in the care of those animals last night.
She kneels on the bed behind him and moves forward until her chest is flush against his back. The mug gets passed to him as her arms wrap around his shoulders, and when he takes the coffee, her hands slide under his partially open shirt and come to rest on the skin and rigid muscles of his abdomen and chest. Her thumbs immediately begin to sweep back and forth gently. She leans over his shoulder a little, her hair swaying with the movement as she places a soft kiss to his jaw before following his gaze - seeing Kevin and Adam talking with a few other wranglers before the men disperse and go separate ways.
"I feel like I failed them." He admits and it gets her to look at him again - her eyes settling on the side of his handsome face as she waits for him to elaborate.
"I quit and just left them behind." He adds and she rubs soothing circles into his skin.
"Jay." She murmurs against his neck - attempting to let him know he's being too hard on himself without actually saying that.
"They were my responsibility as much as they're your dad's and I just abandoned them." His shoulders deflate with those words.
"Do you regret quitting?" She asks and she's sure he can feel her heart against his back as it begins to pound in her chest. But she takes a deep breath and tells herself that this isn't about her.
"No." He answers honestly and she sighs in relief before going back to her point.
"They came to get you because they knew you'd help. And you went out there and you helped them - your friends and the horses. Even when you didn't have to - when you had no obligation to. And no matter what anyone says, you didn't fail any of them. What you did was the right thing babe." She kisses the back of his head and her hold tightens as he leans back into her embrace.
He turns to look at her after a while, their faces just an inch or so apart and he leans in for a kiss.
"Thank you." He whispers against her lips and she gives him a light peck before asking what he's thanking her for.
"For this." He replies simply as he kisses her again and she gives him a small, tired smile.
She moves to grab her mug from the chest at the foot bed. Both of them taking a sip as they come to sit side-by-side. She nearly spits out her coffee when she sees the look that comes to his face. It's obvious he's more taken aback than he is disgusted but she can tell he didn't like the taste of the sweet flavored coffee that Nadia made for herself in addition to the regular java that was brewed for Erin and Jay.
"What is that?" He asks as he sets the mug down on the nightstand next to him.
"I must've grabbed Nadia's mug on accident." Erin chuckles as she hands over the cup in her hand while reaching over him to pick up the other mug. He wraps his free hand around her to ensure she doesn't loose her balance and fall on the floor which ends with her somehow on his lap facing him as they both take tentative drinks. She sips some of the warm, dark beverage and nods - now knowing that what she said is exactly what happened.
She cups his jaw and her thumb sweeps over his beard before her hand moves to the nape of his neck and weaves through the hair there. They both lean forward again; their lips meeting in the middle for another soft kiss.
"Mmm, that tea tastes so much better on you." He hums approvingly against her lips and it causes a uncharacteristic giggle to bubble from within her.
"I'm pretty sure it's coffee babe." She argues and he shakes his head.
"Coffee is not supposed to taste like that." He replies and she can't find anything to refute with so she just nods with a simple shrug.
He cups her cheek and gives her a small smile but she can see that there's still something bothering him and it's not the same thing as before.
She furrows her eyebrows - a silent way to ask what's wrong now and he sighs.
"I heard what you said last night, when you were talking to that mare." He states as he looks down and she pushes herself back in his lap a little.
He takes both of their mugs and places them on the nightstand so he can pull her into him more.
"I didn't think anyone was listening." She whispers as tears come to her eyes.
"When did it happen and why didn't you tell me?" He asks next and she moves off his lap this time - despite him trying to hold her close.
"We should probably get going - Nadia's waiting downstairs." She tells him as she moves into the bathroom to brush her teeth. She feels tears still stinging the back of her eyes and a lump forming in her throat. So she takes a few deep breaths and moves towards the sink to brace herself on the vanity.
Once she pulls herself together and brushes her teeth like she intended to do she exits the bathroom. She had hoped that Jay would have gone downstairs to wait for her but instead he's sitting on the side of the bed facing the bathroom. She gives him a sad smile and goes towards the door but he stands up and takes one big step to reach out and gently grab her wrist to stop her.
"Can we just talk about it later, please?" She can't look at him, choosing instead to stare at the floor under their feet.
"I'm sorry." He whispers against her skin just as he places a kiss to her temple. She nods and turns to walk away.
"Hey." He says to stop her from continuing out of the room.
"We can talk about it whenever you want - if you want to." He clarifies as he takes a couple steps to close the distance between them. And she turns back towards him and leans in to place a kiss to the corner of his lips.
The day goes by rather slowly as they both seemingly avoid the other - they're impending conversation weighing on their minds. Neither of them knowing what to expect when they get home.
A/N: These next few chapters will be like this one, a filler with some rustler related ramblings mixed in. I'm still on the fence on whether the full amount of chapters will be posted for this fic. But your nice reviews certainly helped push me to continue on with my original outline. And as always those sweet reviews were and will always be much appreciated! I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint because it was one of the harder ones for me to write despite the simplicity of it. Thanks as always to those still reading and following along and I hope you all have/had a nice weekend!
