Chapter 4
Vicky
“As you can see,” I said to the crowd of people who were on horseback with me, “Sierra Rose Ridge has a lot of history. And we’re gearing up for our Monsoon times.”
“Vicky,” someone called from the back, “is this the time for the lighting shows?”
“Great question. It’s a little early for a lot of lighting shows, but some do come in.” I held my hat on my head as I looked up at the clear, blue sky, the dusting of fluffy white clouds in various spots, the only sign I needed. “Looks like we might have one this afternoon.”
The nine other people with me looked around, their brows slammed together in confusion.
“There’s nothing here,” someone muttered and I grinned.
Inhaling deeply, I could smell the rain on the horizon.
Which might sound odd, or make me sound like a pirate, but it’s a distinct smell that anyone who’s lived in these parts would know about it.
One of the biggest beauties in the Southwest, besides the killer sunsets or sunrises, was the beautiful lighting shows.
There was always a lot of history and lore behind those events, which is what Sierra Rose Ridge was built upon, legends and lore. Because beyond all the events we have around here, it’s still a town built in the southwest with cowboys and mayhem.
“I know you can’t see it,” I told them, turning my horse around and walking down the trail, “but it’s there, a scent I love and one I can always pick up on.”
I rode in silence for a few minutes, letting the people take pictures of nature around them. The sky, the red rocks, the trails, hell, even the cactus. Because that’s what people wanted when they booked these nature walks; to take pictures and experience all of this.
“A little further up, we can stop and you can have some more pictures. It’s only about fifteen minutes away. It’s also a great spot to have lunch at. And it has an overview of Red Rock Ridge where a lot of Monsoon shows happen. So, if you stay, you’ll see where we go.”
I walked down the trail, coming up to the open spot a little later. I secured my horse, giving him an apple before helping everyone else as well.
The crowd stopped to take pictures, and I set the food out on the picnic tables that were there. A breeze hit, lifting my hair and I saw the few dustings of clouds had grown, moving closer together.
“Yup,” I muttered, holding onto my hat, “getting a show tonight.”
“Thank you, Vicky,” someone called out, and I sent a smile that way before grabbing the last of the items to place.
They all finally sat, digging into their lunch, talking about the sights and how beautiful everything was. I kept an eye on the clouds, however, knowing how fast these types of storms could move in and if you weren’t careful, you could easily die in those types of flash floods.
I grabbed my phone, pulling up the weather app, which was supposed to update every fifteen minutes, but it all said the same thing, that it was clear skies.
The wind picked up and I looked around.
“Okay, hate to eat and run, but we’re going to have to make this quick.” Everyone looked at me, before looking at the sky like I was crazy. And if it was any other time of the year, I would probably say they were right. But I know how these things went, how the sky could change on a dime.
Within twenty minutes, we were back on the horses and moving back to the Inn where everyone was staying. A crack of thunder could be heard and I glanced up, seeing the clouds had gathered.
“And that’s how fast the monsoons can come in.”
I circled back on my horse, heading over to the Lone Trail, the spot that traveled between Red Mesa Ranch and Desert Bloom Ranch.
I ran down the dirt road, the wind picking up, as was the sound. I winced as a loud crack shook the ground I was on and then stopped, seeing the fence broken in multiple spots along the Red Mesa Ranch side. I also saw Jose working on a post, so I made my way over there.
“Jose,” I called, trying to get over the wind. He glanced up, seeing me.
“Get out of here. That’s a big storm moving in and it’s about to cut loose.”
“Yes, I know, which is why you can’t do this alone. Jose, please let me get help.”
“I’m fine,” he said. I groaned, drawing my reins on the horse and turning around. I kicked my heels onto his sides, making him run back the way we just came. Within minutes, I was outside the store, calling Tim.
“What is it?” he called, glancing at me.
“Jose needs a hand. He’s got multiple posts broken and down and this new storm is going to make things a lot worse. He’s going to lose a lot of cattle if that fence can’t get set, even a little bit.”
“I got you, Vicky. Jose should be lucky to have a friend like you.”
He might just hate me after this, but oh well. I wasn’t about to let him suffer when I knew he could use help but refused to just because he was stubborn.
I turned the horse again, racing back to his ranch. I ran into his field, slapping the ass of the horse, who trotted back to the safety of the barn while I started helping him.
“What are you doing?” he grunted, wrapping the wire around a post.
“Helping you because you’re too damn stubborn for your own good.”
I grabbed an extra pair of gloves from his pocket and started yanking the wire.
“I wasn’t ready for this,” he mumbled and I rolled my eyes, because that was evident. Actually, I don’t think anyone was. This storm moved in far faster than was pegged.
A few minutes later, with another major gust, I heard the sounds of cars and looked up to see some men running over to the other posts, trying to get things moving quickly.
The first splatter hit me, and I looked up, the sky had turned black in the last few seconds.
“We got to hurry,” I said, making everyone work faster.
Within ten minutes, we had a rough fence up. It wouldn’t hold forever, but it would work for now and keep his property right on his land.
I looked up, grinning as more drops fell down and he looked at me, his brows lifted.
He took his hat off and ran his hand over his hair before nodding at the guys.
“Everyone can come on up to the house.”
His body said he was pissed, but his eyes, the one part I loved the most, said he was grateful.