Free Love me ... Again by Delka Beazer Page A

further confusion.
    As I gape two groups of cattle dart off, running right towards the fiery mountain.
    Colt pulls his horse up sharply beside me, he pauses, reaches over and grasp my reins, “Come with me,” his eyes are hard.
    I look beyond his shoulder and see Jett, Michael, Marjorie and the ranch hands thick in the midst of the stampeding cattle, spurring their horses forward, desperately trying to get the cattle to turn back.
    Colt is headed straight for them, “No!” I gasp, shake my head.
    Colt eyes get harder, he doesn’t let go of my reins. He glares at me, “You’ll fucking chicken out now?
    I grasp at straws, will him to see beyond his own desires, “this … this isn’t the right time,” I stammer my mouth dry.
    Colt’s smile is harsh, he gaze rakes over my frightened face, “Don’t lie to me!” he snaps.
    I gulp, hang my head in humiliation. Colt is right. I can’t hide from this anymore. I nudge my horse forward. Satisfied Colt releases the reins. We gallop towards them.
    Jett sees us first. He comes over, his confused eyes go first to my face, then Colt’s, “Angie, where have you been?” Jett’s blue eyes are guileless and it hits me that he doesn’t suspect.  Beside me Colt watches us with an unreadable expression.
    “I was with Colt.”
    Jett quirks a brow but he doesn’t seem to get it. The knot in my throat constricts cutting off my air, I lean towards him, his eyes are still mildly curious, he’s impatient to get back to rounding up the cattle and get to them out of danger is the number one priority, not my whereabouts. I reach for his hand but drop it midway, I don’t have the right to touch him anymore, I pull in a broken breath and blurt it out, “Colt and I were together,” I repeat and I wince as my words come out with a high squeak. Shame burns my cheeks much like the fire eating the trees alive.
    There is a startled, rough sound from Jett. The distraction falls away from his face and he stiffens up as his gaze cuts between Colt and me and back again. Each time our eyes connects, guilt drives deeper into my soul. The golden diamond on my finger bites into it.
    A roar … one sudden, yet expected rents the silence between us and everything is in motion. Jett charges Colt, Colt is not moving out of the way and I start to scream. The words coming out of my mouth make no sense because I just want them to stop!
    I kick into gear without taking time to think. I charge with breakneck speed towards the dangerously diminishing space between the two men. One thought overwhelms all others. I have to stop this.
    “Angie, stay back!” Colt barks, his eyes fixed on Jett.
    I don’t. I thrust the head of my horse, who rears and whinnies from my harsh handling between the two men.
    Jett’s horse rears up.  Frustrated its steel clad hooves claw the space between us. He balances in the saddle like an acrobat, sticks a gloved finger across at Colt’s granite face. Jett’s eyes glitter with frustrated rage, “you fucking bastard!” his roar echoes around us, I turn at the intrusion of another sound and see with horror Marjorie riding up to us. Her face is impassive.
    She doesn’t waste words. Shooting a glance of disgust at each of her sons, she snaps, “What the hell is going on here? Are you idiots insane? We’re losing our herd and you’re fighting over a woman?”
    She gives me a long, telling look.  I wince, satisfied she goes back to her sons, “Your woman can wait, the herd comes first!”
    Mortified I wish for instant annihilation. She’d known all along.
    Colt and Jett go around me and head towards her. She jerks her chin in the direction of the spreading herd, “We’ve got some groups streaking up into the mountains and another somewhere west of here,” her steely eyes fix on Colt, “Only you can find those.”
    Colt nods briskly, pauses and throws me a reassuring look, his mouth is grim but his eyes are determined. They say he will have me, come hell or high water