19
Ruby
One minute I’m on my back on a bale of hay being ravaged by four sexy cowboys, the next I’m riding bareback and topless across an open field; or, as we call it in Wyoming: the weekend.
I didn’t have time to process what was happening to me. I was riding as fast as I could, trying to put as much distance between me and the ranch in as short a time as possible. Only once I had cleared the field and skirted around the edge of the woods and made it onto the road did I slow down and think and assess the situation.
The first thing I did was slip on a shirt. Thankfully, in the rush of my exit, I’d had the presence of mind to take my shirt with me. It was wrinkled and torn, though I suspected that had more to do with the night before than the short ride where I’d been sitting on it like a saddle.
I checked my pockets: no phone, no house keys or the keys to my bike, no money; nothing.
Storm was fidgeting in place. He seemed anxious to get back to running.
I patted his head and caressed his neck. “What am I supposed to do now?”
Storm lifted his front legs and shook his head. He wanted to run, and I could appreciate that.
“Okay, Storm. We’ll go to Gran’s. She has space for you. Then, we’ll figure it out from there.”
Gran was on the porch knitting when Storm and I arrived. I was quite surprised to see Gran knitting. I’d never known she even knew how to knit much less enjoyed the activity. But I wasn’t nearly as surprised to see her knitting as she was to see me approaching on a horse.
She shot up, dropped her knitting, and stared at me open-mouth and wide-eyed.
“My, Gran, what big eyes you have,” I said.
“All the better to see you on a horse!” she said.
Storm and I trotted up the walkway and stopped short of the porch. Storm stood proudly and raised his head.
“This is Storm,” I said and gave him a pat on the neck. “Storm, this is Gran.”
I led Storm around to the back of the house but having nothing to tie him with and no enclosure for him, I stayed with him while Gran and I chatted.
I told her where I’d gotten Storm but left out the circumstances that led to our pairing.
“Didn’t I warn you about that ranch?” said Gran harshly.
“You did, Gran. But didn’t I tell you about the cowboys I met there?”
She shook her head. “Ruby, Ruby, Ruby. What are we going to do with you?”
“What are we going to do with Storm?” I said.
She stroked his mane then tried to examine his mouth, but he wouldn’t let her. “Is he all right?”
I furrowed my brow. “Of course he’s all right. Why wouldn’t he be?”
Gran sighed. “Ruby, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I didn’t want to upset you.”
“Tell me what?”
“That ranch…” She stopped, looked at Storm again then gazed off in the distance.
“Tell me what, Gran?”
“Ruby, I’m sorry. But that ranch doesn’t treat the animals the way they should.”
I tilted my head to the side and stared at her with a furrowed brow.
“That’s why I had to give the order to shut down the rodeo.”
“You did!?”
“Haven’t you heard?”
I shook my head. “No. I mean I heard you wanted to. But when did you give the order?”
“Yesterday,” she said. “They should be packing it in already. Nobody at the ranch said anything to you about it?”
“No.” I doubted that any of my cowboys were aware of this development. But it made sense. That was probably why Wolf had come back so soon.
“I have to go back there,” I said.
“You can’t.”
“But I have to. I left my phone there and my keys. And my dad’s bike.”
Gran shook her head. “Jeez, Ruby.”
“And I have to return Storm.”
We stood there a moment in silence petting Storm. I wondered how I was going to return Storm and get my things back. Gran surely wondered how I had gotten myself into this mess. She didn’t have time to voice her concerns, though. Our moment of silence was interrupted by the sound of a truck pulling into the driveway.
Gran turned in the direction of the sound. She wore a worried expression on her face.
Car doors closed, and multiple sets of footfalls approached the front door.
Gran and I looked at each other, not saying a word.
Someone banged against the front door.
“Stay there,” Gran whispered to me. She turned and headed back inside.
“Gran, wait.”
She didn’t turn back to me. Instead, she went inside through the back door.
“Open up! We know you’re in there.” It was Wolf. And in typical Wolf fashion, he was loud and angry.
He banged on the door again. “Open up, or I’ll blow the door down.”