The Claws of the Cat – Chapter 5

"I didn't hear you come home yesterday, Audra," Victoria let on in a light tone, her coffee cup in her hands as her daughter was taking her seat at the breakfast table with a beatific smile on her face. She watched the girl serve herself a hearty portion of scrambled eggs and ham.

"Oh, we just didn't realize it was getting late," Audra said diverting her eyes from her mother. She put down her fork and knife and opted for pouring herself some coffee, instead.

"How romantic. I imagine you two have found a way to busy yourselves otherwise. It must have been easy to lose track of time," Sabrina maliciously remarked. She smiled at the embarrassed silence that followed, with Audra looking into her cup, her cheeks immediately turned red.

Victoria frowned but said nothing.

"Aren't you moving pretty fast? Why don't you slow down, little sister? We hardly know him," Nick reproached, more bothered by his wife's remark of his sister than he cared to admit to himself.

"But I do!" Audra retorted.

"Yeah, what's it been, a couple of weeks?" Nick asked curtly.

"A month, and that's long enough!" Audra was now on the verge of tears, her lower lip trembling in indignation. Victoria's gaze moved from the girl to a satisfied Sabrina and, finally, to an upset Nick.

"Look, Audra, you better do what you've been told and stay away from that tramp," Nick spat out more brusquely than he intended, and regretted his words as soon as they had been said.

Victoria's frown deepened. Why couldn't Nick see Lloyd's good qualities? He was poor, yes, but had had a good education and was a man of strong principles. Above all, it was clear to anyone with eyes Audra and Lloyd were deeply in love with each other.

Audra decided hiding her tears was pointless. Two rivulets rolled down her cheeks as she stood and tossed her napkin on the table. "He may be a tramp, but he's a complete gentleman, so different from you! Jarrod would never talk to me like that!" Audra yelled and stormed out of the room.

"Audra, I…" Nick started to rise from his chair, but Sabrina grasped his sleeve.

"You promised me you'd accompany me to Stockton, Nick. I need a new dress for the party at the Travis' next week," she said sharply.

"Yes, darling," Nick said reluctantly, beginning to follow his wife out of the dining room, just to be stopped by his mother's voice.

"Nick, can I have a word with you?"

Audra was brushing Jingo with long, loving strokes. She missed her eldest brother terribly. Riding and taking care of his horse was a way to feel him closer while he was away. Jarrod could be strict at times, but he had always respected her. Nick, on the other hand, didn't even look like himself anymore. He was nervous and snappy and looked tired.

As her hands ran skillfully on the gentle animal's coat, her thoughts flew to the man she loved. The way he looked at her, so intensely she could drown in those blue eyes. The way he said her name with his deep, caressing voice.

Audra's love story with Lloyd Garner hadn't begun under the most favorable auspices. Lloyd had saved Audra's life and for that, the family would be eternally grateful. But Lloyd had no family, no roots, he had been traveling from town to town since childhood and he didn't seem to have much to offer to the Barkleys' heiress. Audra had been very upset by the cold reception of her beau from her family, especially Nick.

Lloyd worked for a man named Turk who, along with his band of mustangers – or pack of coyotes, as Sabrina had called them – chased and broke wild horses in order to sell them. They would soon move on and Audra was scared to death at the thought her Lloyd could leave forever. What the girl didn't know was that Victoria had talked Nick into hiring Lloyd, and the rancher had promised he would have given some thought to it.

Audra raised her head to see Lloyd ride in. Tied with a rope around his neck, a mighty beautiful black horse was trotting beside him.

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.

Sky Flyer! she thought in awe, already calling the animal with the name she had given him in her mind. Lloyd had caught him!

She ran to them, beyond herself at the joy of seeing both the animal and the man, marveling yet again at the explosion of feelings in her heart.

"Where did you find him?" she inquired, breathlessly.

"About a mile from where you saw him. We had quite a chase," the young man explained with a warm smile.

"Oh, he's beautiful!" she complimented, her eyes taking in the magnificent animal, looking him up and down.

"That's why I caught him for you." Lloyd's smile widened.

"For me?" Audra asked.

"Of course, he's gonna cost you." Lloyd pointed out playfully.

"How much?" She asked stroking the horse's mane, a small smile on her face.

"A couple of hours in town tonight having supper with me at the hotel," he specified.

"Tonight? I don't know... It's very short notice," she teased.

"There's a pleasure in doing things on impulse," he stated all of sudden serious, catching her eyes.

"Oh, I love being impulsive," she responded, holding his gaze.

"I... There's a special reason why I want you to have supper with me," Lloyd added rather awkwardly, suddenly not that confident anymore.

"What is it?" Audra asked.

"Well… it's kind of a celebration for us," he explained.

"For us?" She asked.

"If it hadn't been for him, we'd never have met. It's been a month today," Lloyd said, his eyes sparkling.

"Oh, Lloyd, how thoughtful of you. I'll be delighted," she gladly accepted his invitation.

Nick's loud voice broke the spell. "Well, where'd he come from?" The young couple turned their heads to see him come with his foreman, McNally, in tow. The older man crossed his arms, watching his boss walk around the stallion, sizing him up. He winked at Audra, who smiled back at him. The man had something about him that inspired trust. He was reassuring and… fatherly.

"He's mine. A gift from Lloyd," Audra declared warily, ready to give her brother a piece of her mind if he only did as much as say something wrong.

"That's a fine-looking animal. Saddle broke?" The rancher asked circumspectly. Audra was his little sister, after all, and she hadn't turned nineteen yet. He felt it was his precise duty to surveil her and keep her safe.

"I've had a saddle on him, but he'll need careful handling for a few more days," Lloyd explained, a little uncertain where Nick was actually getting at. He knew the rancher didn't approve his relationship with Audra, and Nick Barkley was certainly a man who could strike fear into any man's heart, but Lloyd was ready to fight for their right to be happy together.

"Uh-huh. I see. Speaking of wild horses … Hey, McNally!" Nick gestured toward his foreman, asking him to come closer.

"Yes, boss?"

"Is everything ready for the rodeo?"

"Well… not exactly, Nick… You know Joshua left and you and Thomson are too busy to…"

"Tsk! Tsk!… I bet five thousand dollars with that good-for-nothing Zach Morton" Nick said, shaking his head in disappointment, "and I'll be damned if I'm going to lose them."

"Between us, boss, if you want a chance to win the upcoming rodeo, you need a professional wrangler," McNally stated with conviction.

"Lloyd, Audra's been bragging about you being the best bronco buster this side of the Divide. What do you think? Can I count you in?"

"Well you know, Nick, Turk and the boys will be moving in a short time and I… uh… I don't want to go with them…" Lloyd admitted.

"So? What do you say?" Nick pressed.

"Yes! Of course yes!" The young man rapturously agreed.

"You can start tomorrow, Lloyd. Take your gear over to the bunkhouse," McNally instructed. "Welcome to the Barkley Ranch."

"Thank you, Nick, Mr. McNally. Thank you very much!" Lloyd shook both men's hands. "Audra, I'll call for you at six," he added, and turned to leave, happy as he could be.

Audra knew all too well Nick and McNally had already agreed to offer Lloyd the job. She threw her arms around Nick's neck and tiptoed to kiss him on his cheek. "Thank you, Nick, you won't regret it, I promise… and I forgive you, big brother!" She added earnestly. She meant it.

As the girl parted and went happily back to her new horse, a lonely, well-marked dimple appeared on the right side of Nick Barkley's face, as he smiled fondly.

McNally thought it was good to see Nick smile again.