Bucked Off

 

 

CHAPTER

           

Willy enjoyed many of the facets of her job but the one she loved the most was starting the young horses.  She excelled at it.  She loved to form their young minds and bodies into solid working animals.  She also loved learning new training methods.  Because Leland’s willingness to humor her she’d had the opportunity to ride with a number of the well-known clinicians.  Willy followed her mentors instructions doing a ton work from the ground and earning the horses’ respect so they were soft and supple before she even stepped a foot in the saddle.

The ranch raised a select number of foals a year or they would purchase some yearlings or two year olds to raise up and start.  They’d keep a couple or sell a couple depending on the horses’ personality, fit, and value.  A couple like Jack, Willy’s personal riding horse, stayed on the ranch forever.

            Ronnie and Clint stood outside the round pen and watched her as she worked a three year old. 

“Watch him, Will.  This one’s different,” Clint advised.

            “I know.” 

She didn’t take her eyes off the colt.  This three year old was one they’d picked up last year.  In Willy’s opinion, the bay gelding was drop dead gorgeous.  He was short coupled, muscular, and a nice mover on top of it.  Unfortunately his personality didn’t meet the standards of his looks.  Every time Willy had the chance she’d worked with the cot she felt like she was starting over.  He failed to retain the information day to day and often overreacted before it clicked into place.  When it did click, he acted like he’d been doing it his whole life until something else set him off.  Now as she drove him around the round pen he seemed relaxed, but she wasn’t fooled. 

“I’ve already worked him a week longer than the other three.” 

            The new man, Aaron, came up to stand at the fence with Clint and Ronnie.  Willy took a deep breath.  She pressed the nervousness out of her stomach.  It would do her no good if the colt sensed apprehension in her.

            “Are you going to ride him, Willy?” Aaron asked.

            “I guess now is better than never.”   

“Willy…”  Clint cautioned. 

            “It’s fine, Clint.” 

Willy tried to reassure him and herself at the same time.  Clint rarely worried so when he did there was good reason.  Clint worried not just for his own reasons but now he was Leland’s eyes and ears too. 

            Willy pulled the colt’s head around and lithely stepped into the saddle.  She sat down slowly and softly, letting her weight rest quietly on the horse’s back.  After a couple seconds she got off.  She let the colt settle and then she climbed back on.  She repeated this process several times until the horse seemed to relax.  On the final attempt she stayed seated in the saddle.  She began to slowly get the horse to move his front end and then his hind end by flexing him in circles.  She spent several minutes just walking him quietly around the pen. 

            “Where’s the show?”  Lee asked as he strode up with Camille at his side. 

Willy caught a glimpse of Camille in her flowery sundress.  The sleeveless dress showed off her flawless skin and her tanned shoulders and back.  Her enormous bosom nearly overflowed the meager top.  Willy tried not to take her focus off the horse beneath her but Camille’s voice as she flirted with Aaron and Ronnie pricked at her nerves.              Without any warning Camille started screeching about a bug and flapping the fabric of her dress.  Camille’s actions were incentive enough for the colt beneath Willy to react.  He bolted hard and fast before Willy could bend his head around to slow his motion.  The gelding approached the round pen fence in a stuttered step as if he couldn’t decide whether to stop or jump.  At the last second he leaped straight in the air but didn’t have enough height to clear the rail.  He crashed into it, twisting in midair and coming down hard into the side of the round pen.  Willy hung on by sheer instinct.  Her body hit and recoiled from the wall as she struggled desperately to stay with the thrashing colt.  She barely felt the impact and couldn’t think of anything but staying in the saddle. 

            Speared on by fear now, the colt leaped back up.  Willy tried frantically to regain her seat and control of the horse but only succeeded in flopping around like a ragdoll as the colt started bucking.  In three bone jarring jumps he flipped her into the air.  Willy felt herself flying and then falling, the ground came up rapidly to meet her.  She tucked herself in a ball.  The concussion hurt and knocked the wind out of her.  She wanted to stay down, but self-preservation had her rolling to her feet and running for the safety of the round pen wall.  She leaned hard on the wall trying to catch her breath even as she kept a watchful eye on the still bucking horse.

            The colt bucked violently around the round pen, huge guttural grunts coming from its throat with each step.  The colt fishtailed its hind legs in the air with every leap.  The horse was genuinely scared and angry.  Willy had never seen a horse she’d started buck like that.  It would take forever to correct the wrong in this particular horse.      

            Willy’s eyes swept past the men, who simply gawked at her in surprise, to where Camille stood.  When she met the other woman’s gaze, Camille’s lips curled into a tiny smile.  Rage coursed through Willy’s veins.  It took only two steps for her to gain the top of the round pen wall.  She dropped over the top of the six foot wall to land catlike on the other side. 

           

 

Lee had held his breath when the colt leaped into the wall.  From the angle where he stood he thought Willy would be crushed when the colt fell, but she’d miraculously maintained her seat on top of the animal when it’d sprung back up.  The colt had pitched up a storm, intent on spilling Willy from his back.  Lee inhaled sharply as he watched her crumple to the ground.  The colt had continued bucking even as he slung Willy to the ground.  Lee started to move forward when she climbed to her feet and dashed out of danger.  From the way she moved it didn’t appear anything was broken. 

She rested next to the tubular fence waiting it seemed to catch her breath.  He didn’t anticipate her next move as she climbed over the wall screaming “I’m going to kill her!” 

            Willy charged Camille.  Lee reacted as Willy swept by him.  He grabbed her, wrapping his arm around her whipcord lean stomach as he held her back.  Her long body flailed against his as she twisted to get free.  Cursing, swearing, and hitting Willy fought against him.  Lee struggled to maintain his hold on her.  Opposite them, Camille’s eyes were as large as saucers.  She looked surprised and afraid all at the same time.  Her fear goaded Willy on.

            Lee threw a glare at the other three men who watched with shocked but amused expressions.  The look cost him.  Willy slammed her boot into his instep and as he bent in reaction he got a sharp elbow to the stomach.  He loosened his hold and Willy leapt forward.  She shoved Camille’s shoulder with enough strength to knock the smaller woman back.

            Camille stumbled and then screamed as she tripped and went down hard.  Lee regrouped and caught Willy again before she could do any more damage.  Ronnie had come to his senses and joined forces with Lee to help secure Willy. 

            “I dare you to get up!”  Willy snarled at Camille despite the secure hold Lee and Ronnie had on her. 

            Lee wrapped both of his arms around Willy pinning her arms to her side.  “Willy, you need to calm down right now,” Lee ordered in her ear.  Willy gave an exasperated scream.  When she was unsuccessful in breaking out his hold she relaxed, letting her body go limp.  Cautiously Lee loosened his hold on her.  He remained prepared to reel him back in if necessary. 

            “I’m all right,” Willy said as she shook Lee and Ronnie off.

            “Are you hurt, Will?”  Clint asked, glowering at Lee who bent down to assess Camille. Lee ignored Clint’s look, but listened for Willy’s response even as he assisted Camille to her feet.  He was worried about Willy. 

            “Yes.  No. I don’t know.”

Lee shot her a quick assessing glance.  Now that the adrenaline was wearing off she slumped back against the round pen rails.  She looked as if every breath hurt. Lee wavered on what to do.  He wanted to check her from head to head for injuries, but what would he do if one of the guys took a spill from the horse?  Would someone mistake his feelings for something more?  Instead of acting, he sat back and observed her from a safe distance.

“That dumb b***h cost me a week’s worth of work with that colt.”  Willy scowled at Camille.  

            “B***h!?!”  Camille screamed and lunged at Willy.

Lee didn’t anticipate Camille’s reaction to Willy’s attack and comment.  She surprised him.  She had more guts than he gave her credit for, but he wouldn’t have advised her pitting herself against Willy.  He moved to stop her as Camille attempted to wrap her fingers in Willy’s hair.

“Cat fight,” Aaron hissed from next to the fence. 

Willy’s response was quicker than Lee’s.  She ducked under Camille’s arm and packed a punch directly into Camille’s soft center.  With an audible whoosh the air left Camille’s lungs and she collapsed on the ground. 

Camille’s eyes were wide and frantic as she struggled to draw a breath.  When she finally caught her breath she broke into sobs.  Knowing Willy had packed all her anger into that punch, Lee sympathized with Camille.   

            “Lee, you should pick up your trash.  You know how Papa G feels about garbage on the ranch.” Wily snarled from her position over them. 

            He bent down and picked Camille up from the ground, gently cradling her in his arms.  Willy’s injuries forgotten and beyond annoyed having to take Camille to the house and calm her down, Lee glared at Wily over Camille’s head.    “I’ll talk to you later,” he threatened.

            “I hope he drops her,” he heard Willy comment.  When he cast a glance over his shoulder, she was already headed back to the round pen to catch the horse.  It was just like her to care only about the damn horse.

 

 

            After Lee got Camille calmed down and spent time babying her and apologizing for Willy’s behavior, he went in search of his father.  He wanted to tell him what had happened before he heard it from anyone else.  He hadn’t been fast enough.  He paused outside his father’s office when he heard Clint and his father’s voice.  Clint appeared to have come straight to the big house to tell Leland what had happened.

He paused there not wanting to eavesdrop but not wanting to intrude either. 

“Is she okay?” he heard his father ask. 

“She said she was, but you know her.  She was as determined as ever to get back on the colt.  I don’t know what happened though.  I thought she was going to kill that darn fool woman your son is so enamored with.”

Lee had started to walk away, but he paused again. It interested him on one hand that Clint believed he was enamored with Camille.  He wasn’t, but if his dad believed it maybe his dad would still focus on that and on his fight against the cancer that ate away at him. 

“And what was Lee doing during all this time?” 

“Trying to pull them apart.  He didn’t look none too happy when he was carting Camille off.  I think this is pushing them further apart.”

Leland sighed. “Maybe I should just tell Lee.”

 Lee listened intently.  What did his dad intend to tell him? 

“All I can say is you better figure out a better plan and soon!”  Clint told Leland. 

“I’m not going to live forever. I thought Camille would shake things up.”  

            “They’re shook up alright.  Are you ready to go?  Willy jumped at the chance to drive you today- I think she wanted to escape the ranch.  I told her your appointment was later than it was.”

            “You lied to her?”

            “I figure you’ve been doing enough of it.  I might as well start too.” 

            Lee heard his father chuckle and then footsteps as the two men moved towards the door.  Lee hurried out of their way.  He wondered now what his dad was trying to shake up and what he’d been lying about.  Things were clearly not what they seemed.