Chapter Four
MACK WASTED NO TIME, SENDING his horse off like a bullet. His little brother had gotten the jump on him, but it wouldn’t matter. Mack was something of a legend in the area for his horse riding and cutting skills. People called him a balance rider, a guy so comfortable in his seat that no matter what the horse had a mind to do, Mack would go with it and not lose a beat. He hadn’t fallen from a horse since he was five years old, and there wasn’t a cow or steer alive that could outrun or outmaneuver his horse and lasso. Within seconds he’d drawn even with his little brother.
“Heeyah!” he yelled, mostly for his brother’s benefit, but his own horse seemed inspired by it too. He left Ian’s mare behind to eat his dust, leaping over the smaller rocks and the spring that ran across the property, landing smoothly on the other side and not even breaking stride as he surged up the hill.
Mack spun the horse so sharply at the summit that the gelding reared up and let out a whinny that echoed all over the valley. All in a day’s work for Mack, he leaned forward casually, waiting for the horse to get back on all four feet and calm down. He patted his horse’s neck, whispering his thank yous for the excellent work he’d done.
Ian came galloping up, sweat running down his beet-red face, his horse with white foam gathering at the sides of her bit. “Goddammit, Mack! Why the hell’d you go and do that? You know I have to get to Portland before the tenth!” His horse had slowed to a trot and Ian bounced uncomfortably in the saddle, never one for the work of a rancher.
Mack smiled again, feeling sorry for the horse. “Don’t be a sore loser. You know Mom’ll be thrilled that her baby boy’s staying. Just don’t tell her it’s cuz you lost a bet though or I’ll pound your ass.”
“I should, but I won’t.” Ian scowled. “You suck, you know that? How am I supposed to have a good time at my bachelor party if my best man isn’t even there?”
“You’ll find a way, I’m sure.” Mack wheeled his horse around and pointed it downhill. “Listen, I gotta go find some strays. You want to earn your keep around here and help me out?”
“No, I don’t want to help you out. I’ve already earned my keep and I have to go take a shower now, my second one of the day, thank you very much. I have a plane to catch.”
“See you when you get home,” said Mack, not even looking back.
“The ticket’s non-refundable!” Ian yelled at his brother’s back.
“Shouldn’t a-bought it in the first place!” Mack responded.
Mack pushed his horse into a trot, now in a hurry to get the job done. If he was going to make that plane for his little brother’s bachelor party, he needed to hit the shower by no later than eleven-thirty.
He smiled, picturing the look Ian would have on his face as he watched Mack walk onto the plane. He and Ian weren’t kids anymore, but that didn’t mean Mack didn’t still enjoy a good opportunity for teasing when it presented itself. Vegas was definitely not his idea of a fun place to go for any reason, but he couldn’t very well abandon his kid brother on the last party night of his single life, now could he? Besides, he’d be out there and home again in two days, back in the saddle without a hitch. All he had to do was keep his headstrong little bro out of trouble and make sure he got back home in time to marry his childhood sweetheart. And staying out of trouble should be easy enough. He’d managed to do it his entire life.