Chapter 65 The Chase
Hallie looked back to find Luke about to collide with the great stallion running at him. The powerful beast reared up on its hind legs, ready to smash its opponent with its hooves.
With great skill, Luke guided his horse to swerve aside. He kept up the fast pace, leading the stallion away from the group of wild horses.
Hallie and the others followed the black mare with the saddle. The mares, alert to the riders, ran faster, and Hallie lost sight of Luke. She felt he was able to handle himself well enough, and she focused on the chase.
Bert sped up and galloped on the opposite side of the mare as Hallie closed in on her. Other horses ran past, and a whinnying mustang nearly knocked Hallie off course.
The wind whistled in her ears, and the pounding rhythm of the horse hooves grew faster as the chase heated up.
Hallie had practiced roping steers and domestic horses ever since she was a young child, but this was different. One mistake, and she could be trampled by the herd.
The mare’s big, dark eye darted at the pursuing riders. Hallie almost hesitated to capture the horse, knowing it must be panicking, having been caught once already.
Bert was first to rope the horse, throwing a loose lasso that tightened around its torso just behind its shoulders. Hallie felt she was in a good position, and she threw the next one, landing the rope perfectly around the horse’s neck.
The young guys cheered as the cavalcade slowed down, easing the horse from its mad run. Pulled by the two riders, the mare couldn’t resist, and she gradually came to stand still, her ears twitching.
The other horses thundered past, while Hallie scanned the horizon. She turned to see Luke approaching from an unexpected direction.
“I led that stud on a bit of a wild chase,” he said dismounting. “Well done, you guys! I see you got the prize.”
“You didn’t do too bad for a polo player,” Bert remarked.
One of the assistants cautiously walked up to the captured horse and put a blindfold over her head to calm her, while the other removed the saddle from her back. The horse seemed to sigh with relief.
“I’m so glad that’s done,” Hallie said. “Poor horse! Maybe we could just let her go?”
“After all that trouble you went through to catch her?” one of the young guys said.
“It’s your call, I suppose,” Bert added, looking over at Luke.
Hallie realized Luke must have spent a lot of money hiring these people to track down this particular horse.
“I was hoping to tame the horse for you, but... it’s up to you,” Luke said to her. It was hard to tell whether he seemed disappointed at the prospect of letting the horse go.
Hallie looked at the captive horse, trying to decide its fate. She felt like letting it go was the right thing. The poor mare had been through enough.
“I think the horse should run free.”
“Okay, you heard the lady,” Luke said.
Hallie beamed, not expecting him to give in so easily.
“You’re the boss,” Bert said. He signaled to his assistants to release the horse. In a few minutes, the ropes were loosened, and the black mare stood uncertain for a moment, then ran to rejoin her herd.
“Thanks,” Hallie said, “I know you had some high expectations of taming your own wild horse, and you probably spent a fortune tracking her down.”
He shrugged in a relaxed way. “It was all worth it to see you smile.”
All around them, flower petals were swept away in the West Texas wind. Hallie wanted to cling to the idea that she couldn’t get swept away too, but it was extremely tempting.
Luke made her every wish come true, and even though he was the same guy who had tried to get away with countless escapades, she wanted to be near him.
***
WHEN THEY BID GOODBYE to the horse wranglers, Luke and Hallie set up their tents near the same copse of trees where the wranglers’ camp had been. It was a beautiful area, and they went for a walk under the shady foliage while the horses rested.
“That was well done. I didn’t know you could be a team player,” Hallie said.
He smiled slightly as he walked beside her. “And why wouldn’t I be?”
“I thought you were too much of a rebel prince.”
“I was just trying to be a good sport. It seems like in your family the women run the show and the men sit back and try not to screw up, so that’s what I did.”
Hallie laughed heartily because there was some truth to what he said.
“I’ve got something for you,” she said, “Just a minute...” She rummaged in her bag and found the gift she had been saving for him. She had felt somewhat shy about giving it to him, but now seemed like a good moment.
“For me?” He raised his eyebrows as she offered him the small cardboard package.
“Yeah. I’ve been meaning to thank you for giving me a job and everything.”
He opened the box to reveal a bolo tie nestled in crinkly white paper. The clasp was a gold-plated eagle on a silver background. It was something she bought from one of the neighboring ranchers who was also an artisan.
Luke seemed both surprised and happy, judging by his sudden laughter. “Wow, a real bolo tie!”
“It was made by a real Texan.”
“Am I allowed to wear this, or am I going to look like a poser?”
Hallie scanned him up and down as if evaluating his genuineness. “Well, you’ve worked on a ranch, and you’ve helped catch a wild horse, so I’d say you’re allowed to wear it.”
“I’ve dreamed of this day! How do you put this on?”
Hallie slid the rope through the clasp to make a bigger loop and put it over his head. She tucked it under his collar and pulled it tighter around his neck.
Luke smiled, but he also seemed to shift uncomfortably as she adjusted the tie.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“I didn’t think it was that tight. Let me just...” she moved to loosen the cord, but Luke flinched away.
A sudden realization made Hallie grin. “You’re ticklish! Your neck, that’s where you’re ticklish!”
“No!” He backed away a step.
“Then I can touch your neck?” she asked, smiling innocently and reaching out a hand.
“Okay, fine, you’ve discovered where I’m ticklish. I hope you’re happy.”
“I am happy.”
Maybe Luke took it as a general statement of her happiness overall because he moved back towards her, and before she could think about what was happening, she was being held in his arms, his lips meeting hers.
The kiss not only took her breath away. It took away the memory of any other kisses before that being any good.
Blood surged through her arteries, sending her heart into a frenzy of drumming. The scent of Luke’s skin, the taste of his lips, and the pressure of his lips against hers combined into something intoxicating.
The way he held her with a growing passion and possessiveness infused the kiss with a vibrant sense of longing and a hint of danger.
She could see why all those women were left broken-hearted if he had ever kissed them like that and then never called again.