Beau: Cowboy Protector. Marin Thomas

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СКАЧАТЬ although ranching took a toll on a man’s body, his father didn’t look or act as if he was ready to spend the rest of his life twiddling his thumbs.

      “Does this urge for less work and more free time have anything to do with Earl McKinley leasing his land and moving to Billings?” Joshua Adams had punched cows for Earl’s father until Beau’s mother had died, then Aunt Sarah had talked her brother into moving closer to family and working for her husband at Thunder Ranch.

      “I don’t care what Earl does,” his father said.

      “Ever since Jordan arrived in town you haven’t cared about anything but spending time with her.”

      “You got a problem with that?”

      Maybe. “Aunt Sarah isn’t sure if she’s going to keep Midnight. If she sells the stallion then we may have to invest more in our bucking bulls and Asteroid needs a lot of attention.” Beau didn’t have time to deal with the young bull, but his father did.

      “Midnight and Asteroid will be fine. You worry too much.”

      And the old man didn’t worry enough.

      “Whatever you decide about retirement, I hope you put it off another year.”

      “Why’s that?”

      “I’m making a run at an NFR title next year. I’ll be on the road a lot.”

      “You think you can win that many rodeos?”

      “I don’t think—I know I can.”

      A horn blast sent Beau to the back door. “It’s Colt.” His cousin’s truck and horse trailer barreled up the drive. “Aunt Sarah’s with him.” Beau snatched his jacket from the hook and his father followed him outside.

      “It’s Midnight,” Colt said as he rounded the hood of his Dodge.

      The newest addition to the bucking-stock operation, The Midnight Express, was wreaking havoc at Thunder Ranch.

      “Something the matter with Midnight, Sarah?” Beau’s father asked.

      “He’s run off again. Gracie thinks one of her boys accidently left the latch on the stall door unhooked when they were helping her in the barn this morning.” Gracie was Midnight’s primary caretaker and no doubt in a state of panic over the valuable horse.

      This past summer, Midnight had suffered a flesh wound from a run-in with barbed wire after he’d escaped his stall and had gone missing for over a month. Although the horse was fully healed, Ace had kept Midnight’s physical activity to a minimum, which didn’t include a ten-mile sprint across the ranch.

      Beau’s father put his arm around his sister’s shoulder. “Don’t get yourself worked up. The stress isn’t good for your heart.”

      “What about the paddocks?” Beau asked. “Maybe Midnight jumped a fence to get to one of the mares.”

      “We checked. He’s running free somewhere on the property,” Colt said.

      Beau shielded his eyes against the bright sunlight and searched the horizon.

      “Help Colt look for Midnight, Beau. He can’t have gone far.” Joshua motioned toward the house. “There’s hot coffee in the kitchen, Sarah. I’ll be in after I check on the bulls.”

      Once his father was out of earshot, Beau asked, “Does Ace know Midnight’s on the run?”

      “Not yet. I was hoping to put the horse back in his stall before my brother got wind of it,” Colt said.

      “We’ll find him.”

      “You head north on the four-wheeler and I’ll meet you there with the trailer.” Colt handed Beau a walkie-talkie then hopped into his truck and took off.

      Before Beau forgot, he fished his wallet from his back pocket and removed the cashier’s check for three thousand dollars. “I won yesterday.” He held the draft out to his aunt.

      She didn’t take the money. “Congratulations.”

      “C’mon, Aunt Sarah.” He waved the check. “It’ll help pay for some of the expense that went into searching for Midnight over the summer.”

      The Midnight Express had cost Thunder Ranch a hefty $38,000, and when the stallion had gone AWOL the family had shelled out big bucks—money they could ill afford in this bad economy—to locate the horse. In the end, the dang stallion had been right under their noses at Buddy Wright’s neighboring ranch.

      Reluctantly his aunt accepted the check. “Thank you, Beau.” She sighed. “I’m worried I made a mistake in believing Midnight could bring Thunder Ranch back from the brink.”

      “Midnight’s not just any horse, Aunt Sarah. He’ll come through for us.” Midnight’s pedigree had been traced back to the infamous bucking horse, Five Minutes to Midnight, who lay buried at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. If given half a chance, Beau believed the stallion could win another NFR title.

      Beau opened his mouth to tell his aunt he’d run into Tuf at the rodeo but changed his mind. She was already upset over Midnight; mentioning Tuf might cause her heart to act up. “Keep the coffee hot, Aunt Sarah.” Beau kissed her cheek then jogged to the equipment shed where the ATVs were stored.

      A minute later, he took off, the cold wind whipping his face as he wove through two miles of pine trees. When he cleared the forest, he spotted Midnight drinking at the stock pond. Beau stopped the four-wheeler and pulled out the walkie-talkie. “Midnight’s at the pond.”

      “Be right there.”

      The ATV’s rumbling engine caught Midnight’s attention. The coal-black stallion pawed the ground. In that moment, Beau felt he and Midnight were kindred spirits—both needed to prove they were the best, yet neither had competed in enough rodeos this season to make it to Vegas and show the world they were number one.

      Colt arrived, leaving the truck parked several yards away. He grabbed a rope and joined Beau. “Is he spooked?”

      “Nope.” Midnight was the cockiest horse Beau had ever been around.

      “Since he came back from Buddy’s he’s been more difficult to handle,” Colt said.

      “I’ve got an opinion, if you care to hear it.”

      “Speak your mind.”

      “Midnight’s jaunt across the ranch is his way of letting us know he’s feeling penned in and he’s ready for a challenge.”

      “By challenge, you mean rodeo.”

      “Midnight’s a competitor. Bucking’s in his blood. He’s not happy unless he’s throwing cowboys off his back.”

      “You might be right. He’s probably feeling restless now that Fancy Gal’s expecting and wants nothing to do with him.”

      No wonder the stallion was acting out of sorts—his companion mare was snubbing her nose at him. “Enter Midnight in the Badlands СКАЧАТЬ