Stick in the Mud Meets Spontaneity (Meet Your Match, book 3)
Read Stick in the Mud Meets Spontaneity (Meet Your Match, book 3) Online
Authors: Rachael Anderson
Tags: #contemporary romance, #clean romance, #inspirational romance, #love, #humor, #sweet romance, #romance, #rachael anderson
Other Books by Rachael Anderson
© 2015 Rachael Anderson
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form whatsoever, whether by graphic, visual, electronic, film, microfilm, tape recording, or any other means, without prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief passages embodied in critical reviews and articles.
This is a work of fiction. The characters, names, incidents, places, and dialogue are products of the author’s imagination, and are not to be construed as real. The opinions and views expressed herein belong solely to the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions or views of HEA Publishing, LLC. Permission for the use of sources, graphics, and photos is also solely the responsibility of the author.
ISBN: 978-1-941363-10-2
Published by HEA Publishing
For all the fans of the Meet Your Match series.
Bless you for your enthusiasm and support.
The whirr of the helicopter blades pounded like a subwoofer in Colton McCoy’s ears, echoing off the surrounding, low-lying hills. Colton leapt over the gate and into position. Under the brim of his Stetson, his eyes scanned the horizon. It was only March, but the Nevada sun had been frying them all morning. With no clouds to temper the heat, the dry and barren desert outside of Silver Springs felt like a hot summer’s day in Colorado. Nearly forty thousand wild mustangs chose to call this place home, and Colton had no idea why. The water was scarce, the shade nonexistent, and the sun unforgiving.
Across the narrow valley floor, his friend, Will, manned the other half of the gate. Will had to yell to be heard above the sound of the oncoming chopper. “You ready for this?”
Colton’s muscles tensed and adrenalin pulsed through his body as he tugged the brim of his hat down and squinted into the early afternoon sky. Over the slight rise ahead, the whirring blades appeared first, followed by the round yellow and black body of the Robinson R22 chopper.
About two dozen mustangs crested the rise and charged toward Colton, stirring up dust into billowing clouds. The chopper followed close behind, coming dangerously close to the ground as the pilot guided the mob toward the enclosure. Fences lined each side of the small valley, creating a long, wide path that would usher the horses into entrapment.
Colton watched in awe, mesmerized by the untamed power and majesty of the approaching horses. As they neared the mouth of the enclosure, a beautiful chocolate mustang stopped and reared, slowing the other horses down. The mob began to change directions, away from the fencing, but the chopper quickly swung to the side, blocking the exit. At the same time, two trained horses were released not far from the mustangs. They darted through the fencing and toward the corral. After a moment of what seemed like indecision, the mustangs followed.
In a flurry of dust and pounding hoofs, they thundered past Colton. Wind from the chopper and horses whipped around him. He tugged the blue bandana tied around his neck over his mouth as a shield against the dust. Then he drove his shoulder into the gate, shoving it closed as quickly as he could. Will met him with the other half of the gate, and in a few deft movements, the two men had the horses secured in the enclosure. They stepped back just before a tan mustang crashed into the gate, fighting for its freedom.
The ground shuddered beneath Colton’s feet as more horses attempted escape, but the fencing was strong and resisted their efforts. The pilot in the hovering chopper gave a quick wave before veering off to search for additional herds.
A month ago, when Will had asked Colton if he wanted in on a wild mustang roundup, Colton’s response had been an emphatic yes. Get paid for rounding up wild horses? It sounded like an awesome, once-in-a-lifetime adventure to him. But now, as the horses continued to protest their captivity, the adventure lost its appeal.
Every year, the Bureau of Land Management removed thousands of wild horses from public lands. Too many horses drained the resources, making it necessary to control the population and keep the habitat healthy for the animals that remained. At the time Colton first learned about the program, it had made sense. But now, seeing the fear and belligerence in the eyes of the horses, he wasn’t so sure. The words “unjust” and “wrong” came to mind.
Will clapped him on the back and grinned. “You don’t see this every day. Pretty amazing, huh?”
“They are amazing.” Colton watched as the animals began to calm down and accept their confinement. “I can’t believe the BLM is going to stick them into a holding facility somewhere.”
“Not all of them. A large chunk of them will be auctioned off for adoption.”
Colton focused on the black stallion that seemed to be the leader of the group. He pranced around the holding yard in an antsy way, as though still searching for a way out.
Sorry, buddy. There isn’t one
.
Better get used to those fences.
“You’re looking a little sick,” said Will.
“I’m feeling a little sick.”
“If it helps, back in the day they used to poison horses to keep the numbers in balance. At least this way is more humane.”
Colton grimaced. “That’s supposed to make me feel better?”
“You could always adopt some of them. Give them a good home and all that.”
“Maybe I will.”
His friend chuckled and shook his head. “You and your tender heart. I can only imagine what your daddy would say if you showed up with a bunch of wild mustangs.”
“I don’t have to imagine. I know,” said Colton, already hearing his father’s voice in his head.
What in tarnation were you thinking? This isn’t a charity we’re operating, boy. It’s a business. And those horses are nothin’ but bad business.
“C’mon,” said Will. “The chopper will be back soon. Let’s get these horses harnessed and loaded before they track down another herd.”
As they started toward the opposite end of the enclosure, Will nudged him with his elbow. “You sure you don’t want a turn in the heli? It’s more exciting than closing gates, breathing in dust, and loading horses.”
“Positive,” said Colton. The farthest his feet had ever been from solid ground was on the high dive at the local community center. He’d been eleven at the time, and every step he’d climbed made his knees more wobbly, his breath more sporadic, and his heart race faster. By the time he’d reached the top, a full-on panic attack seized him. A friend had to help him crawl back down, and Colton had felt like a complete wuss in front of his entire fifth-grade class. He could get bucked off the back of a horse over and over again without breaking a sweat, but when it came to anything involving heights, he was brought to his knees every time.
Going for a thrill ride in the chopper was definitely out of the question.
“Out of curiosity,” said Colton, nodding toward the enclosure, “how much do they sell for at an auction?”
“It depends. The wild ones usually go for a couple of hundred while the trained ones have sold for upwards of 10K.”
“Ten grand?” Colton whistled.
“You’re telling me,” said Will. “Every year the Mustang Heritage Foundation holds a makeover challenge. One hundred wild horses go to one hundred trainers who then have one hundred days to train them. A contest is held right before the auction and all the horses are judged. Those that make it to the top ten usually go for thousands.” He paused and studied his friend. “You should do it.”
“Yeah right.” But the seed had been planted, and Colton let it grow a little.
They arrived at the back of the enclosure, and Colton hopped over the two fences that created a chute leading from the corral to the truck. One by one, the horses would be ushered into the chute, harnessed, and loaded into the large cattle truck. It would be a rocky ride for the driver.
“You ever been tempted to compete?” Colton said as he checked over his side of the chute to make sure everything was secure.
“Me? Heck no,” said Will. “I don’t have the temperament for it.”
Which was true. Will was about as patient as a thirsty newborn colt wanting his first taste of his mother’s milk. Colton, on the other hand, enjoyed working with horses. He saw them as strangers wanting to be understood and known. Once he figured them out, there wasn’t much a horse wouldn’t do for him in return. In his experience, animals were easy to be patient with. People, not so much.
Colton finished checking the fencing and glanced up to see his friend watching him with a gleam in his eyes. “You’re considering doing that challenge, aren’t you?”
“Thinking’s not the same thing as doing.”
Will chuckled and moved to the back of the chute, getting ready to release the first horse. “It is if you’re Colton McCoy.”
Sunshine II, Samantha Kinsey’s semi-reliable yellow Volkswagen Beetle, puttered to a stop in the driveway of her childhood home. A colorful crystal sun catcher in the shape of a firefly dangled beneath her rearview mirror—a goodbye gift from her talented, jewelry-making roommate.
“It’ll bring you luck,” she’d said. “Not that you’re going to need it. You’re the luckiest person I know.”