Sweet and Wild Read online

  SWEET AND WILD

  By

  Cerian Hebert

  COPYRIGHT 2013 by Cerian Hebert

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Contact Information: [email protected]

  Cover Art by Cerian Hebert

  Cover Image from 123RF

  Visit me at www.cerianhebert.com

  Published in the United States of America

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  DEDICATION

  To Kim, who has gone back and forth with me over these characters, helping me to give them their Happily Ever After.

  ALSO AVAILABLE BY CERIAN HEBERT

  WRITING AS CERI HEBERT

  SWEET FOREVER

  WHERE ONE ROAD LEADS

  YESTERDAY’S TOMORROW

  THE BETTER MAN

  WRITING AS CERIAN HEBERT

  FINALLY HOME

  THAT KIND OF MAGIC

  SWEET AND WILD

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Epilogue

  Chapter 1

  “Come out now,” Quinn Emery demanded irritably. She refused to go inside the decrepit bunkhouse to talk to Robby. The place held too many memories. She needed to be outside and keep her temper in firm control.

  The doorway remained empty, but she heard the creak of the old cot inside.

  “I’m not going in there, Robby, so you might as well come out.”

  Quinn put her fists against her hips and glared at the dilapidated building. She knew why he chose this location for his attempt at seduction. This had been the site of many a romantic rendezvous back when they were teens. She hadn’t thought him an idiot back then. At sixteen, Robby Lynch enthralled her. Now she was twenty-five, he wasn’t so cool and she was determined to set him straight about his place in her life.

  After a few seconds, there was another creak then Robby appeared through the gloomy gray light in the doorway.

  If Quinn had been a photographer for high fashion male models, she would’ve been in heaven. Robby leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms over his chest. Somewhere along the way he’d lost his shirt and the sun that simmered down made his skin glow with a healthy tan. Under his black Stetson, his eyes glittered a tropical sea blue. He had half a smile on his lips, meant to make women swoon.

  Quinn remained unmoved.

  “You are a stupid, thoughtless man,” she told him, tight anger in her voice. “What in the world were you and Tweedle Dee thinking by calling me and telling me you were hurt and lost the cattle? You better hope Jacob doesn’t catch wind of this. He’d fire you on the spot.”

  Robby frowned and tilted his head. In the past, that expression had been a sure way to win her over from a sour mood, but no more. “Could be worth it. You sure got yourself out here in a hurry. And bareback at that. You were so worried about me that you couldn’t saddle up?”

  Quinn rolled her eyes. “I’m concerned about all the employees here, not just you. Get your shirt on so we can get back to the barn. You’re wasting both our time.”

  She stalked back to Piper, took the reins and swung easily up onto the mare’s bare back.

  Robby disappeared into the bunkhouse and came out with his shirt hung over his muscular arm. He held out a single daisy.

  Against her better judgment, Quinn felt the glacier around her heart melt a bit, as she took the flower from his outstretched hand.

  “Thanks,” she muttered.

  “You’re very welcome,” he replied with his most charming smile. Apparently, her cold demeanor didn’t put him off one bit.

  Quinn threaded the flower through the buttonhole of her blouse. “You’re still not off my shit list. And you’re still selfish. That was a completely thoughtless and unprofessional prank.”

  “So you’re not going to cut me any breaks?”

  Quinn shook her head. “Not while you’re on the time clock.” Or any other time of the day or night.

  Before he could reply, she swung Piper around and left him. He soon caught up and kept up for a good quarter mile before they slowed their mounts to a jog.

  “Why are you trying to avoid me?”

  Quinn pressed her lips together tightly before replying. “Why do you keep trying to rekindle something that’s long dead and buried?”

  “I can hope. And who says it’s dead and buried?”

  Quinn glanced at him. His unsmiling gaze stuck hard on her. The last thing she wanted was to have this conversation with him, but like ripping off a bandage, it was best to do it quick.

  “I say it is. You ended our relationship when you took off to California with not so much as a goodbye.”

  “I did,” he protested but she cut him off.

  “A letter two weeks after you’d left does not constitute an adequate goodbye to someone you claimed to love.”

  “I’m back now.”

  Quinn glanced at him again and acknowledged he was about the best-looking guy she’d seen. Hollywood should’ve been a perfect spot for him.

  After some independent film company shot a movie not far from Falstad and used Robby for some bit part, he’d become obsessed with the dream of being a big movie star. He left without saying a word to her and in the cliché-riddled letter she’d received, he’d given her a light apology and a promise always to remember her. It hurt immensely at the time, but she moved on as soon as she went to college and realized true love didn’t really exist. Not with guys like Robby.

  Hollywood had been tougher than Robby had expected. He’d landed a couple small parts, a commercial or two and a few modeling jobs, but nothing that could support him in the manner he’d believed he should be accustomed to. Waiting tables didn’t work out so well for him either, so instead of sticking it out and paying his dues, he returned to Falstad. By then his folks had sold the family ranch so he came to Long Knife Creek Ranch and Jacob hired him.

  Now finished with college, Quinn had to deal with him.

  “Yes, you’re back and things are different. I’m not some naïve teenager ready to swoon over any little bit of attention from you. I’m not interested. Period.”

  Robby chuckled, moved his horse over so their legs bumped intimately. He leaned toward her and pulled the elastic out from the end of her braid. “I’m going to work on changing your mind.”

  Quinn grabbed the elastic back, wrapped it around the end of the braid and was about to reply when a voice spoke from the walkie-talkie she carried in a holster on her belt.

  “Quinn, this is Jack, you out there?”

  She shot one last glare at Robby and pulled the hand-held out to answer Long Knife Creek Ranch’s foreman. “I’m here, heading back from Running Foot Ridge paddock. What’s up?”

  “Good, you got Robby and Lance with you? Got a problem over to the Shady H.”

  She glanced at Robby. The bad boy glint had left his eyes. The Shady H was his brother’s ranch, well, technically hi
s ten-year-old niece’s ranch.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Little girl has gone missin’. She’s been gone for about two hours. Can you get going in that direction? Give Craig and his men a hand?”

  Without hesitation, Quinn and Robby swung their horses around and headed southwest toward the Shady H. “We’re on our way. Lance is ahead of us. Send him toward the road and we’ll take it from this direction.”

  She replaced the walkie-talkie and nudged Piper into a steady lope.

  “Stupid kid,” Robby muttered.

  “Knock it off. You don’t know what’s going on.”

  “I know they’ve been back for only two weeks and Marisol’s been giving Craig the cold shoulder ever since. Now she pulls this.”

  “We don’t know what she’s ‘pulled’. From what you’ve said, her life’s been turned upside down the past few years. Give her a break.” Quinn’s insides went cold. Dealing with lost people out here happened, especially on a guest ranch. It didn’t happen often, but here were always some cowboy wannabees who thought they could take a horse and explore the land on their own. Maybe they wanted to go see the pretty butte on the horizon, not realizing just how far the ride was, or thought it would be fun to pretend they were alone on the prairie, a la Kevin Costner in Dances With Wolves, one with the grass and birds and whatever.

  This was different. Not some adult on a soul search. This was a kid. One of their own.

  It didn’t take long to reach the fence separating Long Knife Creek Guest Ranch from the Shady H. Quinn pulled Piper to a halt and studied the fence line that, at some point connected with the main road.

  "She's going to find a fence any direction she walks in," she said when Robby pulled up next to her. "Hopefully she'll follow it instead of going through it."

  "If she follows it the right way."

  Quinn grimaced. “I don't know what kind of sense of direction she has."

  "She's ten. What kind of sense of direction does a ten year old have?"

  "I had a great sense of direction. But I knew this land like the back of my hand. She's had two hours. She could make this fence easy in that time, unless she's stopped along the way. We should ride to the first gate. I'll head toward the road and you go straight across and up Hat Top Hill. You'll be able to see pretty much anything for miles. If she's in that direction you should spot her."

  Robby nodded and they nudged their horses into a lope. Quinn scanned the endless landscape for Marisol. They rode down the fence line until they came to the first gate. Robby went through to the other side and headed toward Hat Top while Quinn continued to follow the fence south.

  Normally this would constitute a perfect day. She loved the absolute freedom she felt riding on the prairie. Though clouds gathered low on the horizon to the west, the rest of the sky remained clear, and the powdery blue expanse met the pale green and gold hills. High overhead, two hawks made lazy circles, and lower to the earth, another bird swooped, climbed and dove. With every breath, she drew in sweet, succulent air, but she didn’t have time to bask in it. She had to keep an eagle eye out for Marisol.

  She might as well been searching for a needle in a haystack. But there were always tell-tale signs that could be followed, not to mention the "what would a ten-year-old city girl do" mind set Quinn put herself into. At ten, she flew around the prairie on the back of a little Pinto. She thought she was invincible and nothing in the world would hurt her. But she was smart enough to know if she did get lost and came to a fence, she needed to stick to it. Most fences led to civilization at some point.

  She, however, she was lucky enough to have Tommy Red Tail, one of her dad's best friends back then. He'd taught her some about tracking, animal prints, being able to tell by the way the grass was bent what had been moving through it. If only she'd started out from the Shady H, maybe she could track Marisol that way. But she had to rely on what she hoped was the girl's common sense. Common sense said stick to the fence line. If Marisol had found herself here, surely she wouldn't cross over. She'd walk along it and Quinn would meet up with her at some point.

  She rode on for nearly ten minutes, searching both sides of the fence, looking for anything that seemed out of place, until a sound that didn’t belong rose up ahead of her. A human cry.

  She and Piper jogged several yards in the direction of the sob and halted. A girl sat against one of the old worn posts, her legs drawn up tight against her chest, one cheek rested on a knee. Whether her face was red from crying or the sun or both, Quinn wasn’t sure, and even though she’d never set eyes on the girl before, Quinn knew this had to be Marisol Lynch.

  “Hey there, Marisol.” Quinn dismounted and went to the fence. She knelt in the grass. “You’re awfully far from the ranch house.”

  The girl nodded and wiped at the tears.

  “Everyone’s been looking for you. Did you walk all this way?”

  She nodded again. “I don’t know how to ride. My dad wanted me to get to know the land so I decided to take a walk. I got lost. I found the fence and thought I’d come to a road or something if I followed it.”

  Quinn sighed. The poor kid had had a hard time these last few years. But she was at least relieved to know the girl had inherited some of her parent's sense for the prairie, whether she knew it or not.

  “We have to get you back to your dad. He’s frantic with worry. It’s too far to walk so I’ll give you a lift. The road isn’t far, maybe another quarter mile. Another eighth or so and you’ll be back at your place.”

  Marisol looked hopeful for the first time. She pushed herself up off the ground and brushed off the seat of her pants, then eyed Piper, her brow furrowed. “You don’t have a saddle.”

  Quinn grinned and stood too. “Don’t need one. Piper is the best horse in the state. We can ride her together. You’ll be completely safe.”

  Marisol continued to frown and didn’t budge.

  “I promise. We can get you home in a quarter of the time it would take to walk. You have my word, Marisol.”

  Marisol shrugged but the frown remained and she hugged herself with her arms.

  Quinn held out her hand. “I’m Quinn Emery of Long Knife Creek Ranch. Nice to meet you.”

  The girl accepted her hand, her lips lifting in a slight smile. Tightlipped and anxious, but a smile nonetheless.

  The girl bore a strong resemblance to her mother, Elise. Marisol’s hair fell long and straight, a light brown with blond highlights. Her eyes were big and hazel and already she stood nearly as tall as Quinn. Elise had been an inch or two shy of six feet. Marisol would follow in her mother’s genetic footsteps.

  Once upon a time Quinn had been extremely jealous of Elise, but she’d been ten when Craig and Elise exchanged their vows. That day left Quinn broken hearted because she was supposed to marry Craig, if only he waited for her to grow up.

  “Okay, I’m going to give everyone the heads up I found you. You have quite a search party looking for you. I’m sure they’ll be relieved to hear you’re safe.”

  Quinn pulled the walkie-talkie from her belt and called Jack. “I found Marisol. She’s fine. You can call in the troops and get in touch with Craig to let him know. I’m heading to the Shady H.”

  “Knew you could do it if anyone could.”

  They signed off and Quinn returned her attention to Marisol.

  “I’m going to hop up on Piper then give you a lift up. You can sit in front of me.”

  Quinn gathered the mare’s reins, put her hand on her withers and swung her leg over the horse’s back. Once settled, she held her hand out to Marisol. “Take my hand and put your left foot on mine. You can use my foot like a stirrup and I’ll pull you up.”

  Marisol hesitated, then followed her instructions. Quinn had her mounted in front of her in a matter of seconds.

  “You can hold onto Piper’s mane. I’ll have a good grip on you. Believe me, riding this girl is like sitting on a rocking chair.”

  Marisol didn’t respond, but the te
nsion in the girl’s back was indication enough that she was going to need more convincing. Quinn started Piper off at a walk even though a lope would get them to their destination faster.

  She shrugged off the backpack and put it in front of Marisol. “There’s a bottle of water in the front pocket. Drink some of it,” she suggested.

  Marisol did as instructed, still silent. She didn’t even make a move when Quinn put her own hat on the girl’s head.

  “I knew your dad a long time ago. I used to bug him nonstop.” Quinn hoped conversation would help ease the girl’s frayed nerves. “I followed him around everywhere he went. As a matter of fact he rescued me from the prairie once.”

  “What was he like then?”

  Quinn smiled. “Outgoing. Hard working. He could ride any horse around. He knew this land like no one else, except maybe my brother. They were good friends back then.”

  “I wonder why he left if he loved it so much.”

  “Because he loved your mom more,” Quinn replied gently and smiled at the memory of what that had done to her.

  She tightened her hold on Marisol. “Okay, I’m going to let Piper go faster. Lean back against me. If you feel like you’re going to slip tell me right away and we’ll slow down.”

  The girl nodded and Quinn squeezed her heels a bit and made a clicking sound with her tongue. Piper went into an easy, ground-eating lope.

  Marisol turned out to be a trooper and didn’t say a word as they made it to the end of the fence line. They came to an access road Donald Hahn and Quinn’s father built years ago between their two properties. They followed the road the rest of the way to the Hahn ranch yard.

  The Shady H looked a lot like what Long Knife Creek Ranch had at one time. The buildings were faded in the sun. Grass grew sparsely in the yard, except by the house and alongside the buildings. It was a working ranch, no doubt about it, while Long Knife Creek had been transformed into a luxurious tourist destination.

  Quinn felt a hell of lot more at home in this setting than at the neatly landscaped guest ranch.

  She pulled Piper to a halt in the middle of the stable yard. It was empty but she heard horses mulling around by the barn and chickens across the drive, scratching and clucking. She swung down, and helped Marisol off. The girl rubbed her behind.