Chapter Four

Rico didn’t dare move. Domino’s nostrils flared. The big gelding could bolt right toward Rico.

“Easy,” Rico said, stepping back a couple of inches.

Today’s desensitizing training was over. The horse would kick him in the head if he made a quick move. He coiled the rope around his wrist and dropped both his hands, focusing on the animal while a drop of sweat moved like a clinging spider down his forehead. He ignored it.

Rico did the only thing he could at the moment. He talked to the horse, soothing and low, calm and sure, his right hand clutching a carrot. This horse should be used to people and yes, while a bucking horse was never easy to deal with, most were almost docile when off the job because they were left to eat and sleep and enjoy life until the next competition. But Domino seemed mad at the world, whether he wanted to buck or not.

Domino’s kicks grew lower to the ground and finally fizzled out. He’d kept his eyes on Rico this whole time but he didn’t take the food. Still stomping, the big animal lifted his head and sniffed the air.

Then he leaned his head down and took a quick nibble of a carrot slice and just as quickly, stepped back and chewed.

“Good job, buddy.” Rico let out a sigh of relief and stepped backwards toward the fence. He’d have to be ready for the stable hand to swing the gate wide so he could get through it. Tomorrow, he’d try touching the horse and maybe laying his upper body across Domino’s back so they could get used to each other.

“I’m going to ride you sooner or later,” he whispered to Domino. “And if you feel so inclined, you can buck me right off.”

Domino stared him down and advanced a bit but the big horse didn’t charge. He pawed the dirt and snorted to look scary, but Rico had his number now. Domino was still a bucker, but a stubbornness had caused him to figure out he didn’t have to do it if he didn’t want to. That and maybe a flank strap pulled a tad too tight, or a possible stomach ulcer, could have made him stop all together.

He’d want to talk to any bronc riders who’d tried to ride Domino outside of the arena to see if certain tactics had been used. He’s also talk to some of the hands to see exactly what methods James Roy had used. But he was pretty sure he knew what had happened. And it must have started recently for Domino to be this keyed-up and afraid. If someone was practicing with the horse away from an arena and they’d used a tight strap, Domino could now be associating tight strap with being in the arena. That could explain why Domino hadn’t bucked during his last rodeo. A too-tight flank strap would stop a horse cold.

Rico wanted to get Sean back out and do a few more tests to rule out ulcers or other possible intestinal problems.

“Ready,” he said to the stable hand who’d introduced himself as Eddie Anderson. Then he slowly turned to walk to the gate and prayed Domino wouldn’t come galloping over to kill him.

“Yessir.” The stable hand kept glancing toward Domino but he did his job and let Rico safely through the gate.

“Thanks, Eddie,” Rico said.

Domino came running but this time he only pawed the dirt and stared at Rico. Then the big horse lifted his head toward the direction Dyna had gone, his nostrils flaring.

“I hear you, buddy.” Rico thanked the stable hand and turned to follow. “I’m going to check on her.”

* * *

Dyna moved behind her father’s desk and stared at her phone, worry burning through her system. The third call today and this time, she’d heard a voice at the other end before the call ended.

“You’ll pay. All of you will pay.”

“Why the frown?”

Rico stood leaning against the door jamb of the office located on the back side of the house, his dark eyes causing her heart to pump too fast.

“Business,” she said. Then she shook her head. “No, not really. Over the last couple of days I’ve had more dropped calls than I can remember. I came in here to keep from distracting you, but the person at the other end wouldn’t speak at first.”

Rico moved into the spacious office and immediately made it seem smaller and more intimate. “What’s going on?”
She didn’t want him to see the fear coursing through her. “He threatened me. Said I’d pay. That we’d all pay.”

Rico held a hand to his forehead and rubbed a spot on his temple. “So someone is harassing you with dropped calls and now they’re threatening you? That’s not good, Dyna.”

“I know that,” she snapped. “I haven’t told anyone because up until now, they called without speaking. I thought it was wrong numbers or some telemarketing company. But this voice sounded familiar.”

“Do you have any enemies?”

“What do you think?” she asked, remembering all of the people she’d fired over the last year or so. “Not everyone likes being bossed around by a woman.”

Rico picked up a miniature bronze horse statue she kept on the desk. “James Roy, maybe?”

“He did leave on ugly terms,” she admitted. “But … I don’t see him making prank phone calls.”

“This isn’t a prank if someone threatened you.”

“No, it isn’t. I’m going to see if they call back.”
“We can have the call traced,” he said. “We should call in my cousins. This is the kind of thing they can handle.”

“Not yet,” she replied. “I’ve got enough to worry about without bringing in another outsider.”

His expression changed from concerned to aggravated. “You mean, like me? You don’t want me here because I’m an outsider, someone you can’t trust.”

“I just trusted you with this,” she said, wishing she hadn’t blurted out what the caller had said. “I haven’t told anyone about the calls and I hope you’ll respect my wishes to keep it that way. The last thing I need is my mother fretting about a couple of weird phone calls.”

“I don’t repeat anything I hear or see when I’m working,” he replied, “even though I’m an outsider.”

Dyna let out a sigh and sank down in her daddy’s worn leather chair, the ache of needing him here so powerful she white-knuckled the worn brown leather. Her father was here in spirit. “Have a seat, Rico,” she said. “Dinner will be ready soon.”

“Who said I wanted to stay.”

“I’m asking you to stay. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply anything. You handled Domino better than anyone else who’s given it a try. I think you’ll find out what’s wrong with him.”

Rico picked a chair and sat down, one long leg bent over the other. “A compliment. I’ll take it.”

Why did he have to look so good, sitting there? And why did it feel so good to have an interesting man here in the office with her, listening to her, trying to help her in spite of everything?

“What about Domino?” she asked to calm her jittery nerves.

“I think I know what’s wrong with him,” Rico said. “But we’ll get to that later. Right now, I need to understand what’s wrong with you.”

Dyna didn’t know how to answer that. She opened her mouth to speak but no words would come. She wasn’t used to opening up and sharing her feelings with anyone. Maybe because no one around here ever asked her if anything was wrong. They all assumed she was fine and dandy and way too bossy.

“I don’t know,” she said. “I guess this stuff with Domino has thrown me for a loop. I’ve always raised winners, Rico. And Domino is the best of them. What if—”

The house shook and the window panes rattled. Then the night sky went gold with shooting flames.

Rico jumped up and followed Dyna to the big window where they had a clear view of the stables and outbuildings behind the house. Bright flares of gold and blue shot out over the moonlit night while a hissing sound and more booms echoed over the canyons and hills.

“Fire,” she shouted, already pushing past him, her heart in her throat, her pulse beating warning shots against her temples.

“I’m right behind you,” Rico said, his hand on her back.

It didn’t matter now about her feelings. Because right now, a rancher’s worst nightmare shined brightly against the night.

A barn fire.

Dyna ran out of the house, sprinting toward the burning building., Shouting the location on the phone to the 911 operator, she prayed the grooms and other ranch hands would manage to get all the animals out of the stables in time and not get hurt or worse in the process. By the time she’d reached the small barn where the explosion had happened, one whole side of the building was fully engaged.

This smaller barn and attached shed housed supplies and feed, and opened into a small turnout that they rarely used. Issuing orders and trying to pull what she could out of the part of the building that was still intact, Dyna did a head count of employees as each came running.

“Are all the horses safe?” she called out after everyone had checked in.

“Yes, ma’am.” Eddie ran by, nodding, his long blond hair flying out behind him.

Workers scurried all around, grabbing hoses and trying to contain the fire. The ranch hands were trained to open the stables and send the horses out into the big pasture when a fire was anywhere near. They’d be safe there until the building was contained. Itching to go and check on them herself, she had to trust her men. Dyna didn’t dare leave the scene right now.

When she heard sirens echoing through the canyons, Dyna let out a sigh of relief. The monster growled and hissed like a snake as it moved up the walls and shot up into the night sky.

Rico came up beside her, sweat pouring over his face and neck and drenching his shirt. Without a word, they pulled supplies and equipment out of the open door that was still intact.

“I can’t believe this,” she said, shouting over the fire’s wrath.

“Like I asked before,” he replied, “do you have any enemies?”