My Indian

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Five

I didn’t wake until much later in the morning, Bella insisting I rest my muscles. For all the tea that was poured down my throat my back ached tremendously, each movement a strain up to my shoulders. Yeah, she hit me real good.

I gave the guys plenty to laugh about that was for certain. Even gruff Franklin had a grin on his face as I hobbled out of the house.

“Guess she changed her mind ‘bout you, Zack,” Wilkes shouted from across the yard, his body almost double in the saddle. “You been with another girl? Maybe she’s jealous!”

“Yeah, yeah, thanks!” I shouted back. For all the pain and humiliation I didn’t mind breaking into a smile.

Ann-Marie came out after me, touching my shoulder, “You ain’t supposed to be out here, sweetheart. You won’t be any use to the saddle if your back’s knocked out.”

She was a sweet tempered woman with a natural air of grace. Auburn hair curled about her shoulders and kind blue eyes were always laughing. I shook my head, “I’m just gunna check see if I can’t be useful somewhere else.”

“Y’know, Bella’ll kill you if she knows you’re trying to pull your weight,” she shook her head with a smile on her full lips and wandered back inside.

I’d say this for Wilkes, he had a good wife on his hands.

Rex watched me as I wandered over to the stables, his body set firm, arms across his chest. Even from a distance, with his hat shading his face I knew he was looking stern. It seemed Bella wasn’t the only one who didn’t want me out the house.

“You should be in bed, slick.”

I desperately bit my tongue. It would’ve been so easy to ask if that was an invitation.

“I know, boss, but I’m more useless asleep than I would be out here.”

“Ok, we’ll go through some paperwork. I got a new horse comin’ through so you can deal with that,” He turned his back on me before saying: “I don’t think the computer can kick you on your ass.”

I could feel his smile, the warmth in his words. He was teasing me quietly, out of the earshot of the other hands. I cried inside to see those beautifully crafted lips turned up at the corners, the intensity in his eyes soften into a smile. But no, it was only his back. Not that I minded too much – did I mention it was a fine ass he had?

For some twenty minutes we were in his office going through files and folders. I heard him cuss a couple of times at not being able to find anything. I kept quiet, watching his cat-like figure prowl around the confines of the room.

Only a pathetic fan in the ceiling and a half open window kept the air moving. It was a dead day, the dry heat filling every crevice. I was used to heat all the time, but being near the expanse of the true Wild West was not so much oppressive but certainly painful. I was gunna leak sweat for the whole damned day.

“Ok, here,” Rex pulled out a grey file and opened it, skimming through the pages. “There’s gunna be a couple of calls bout this new boy we got comin’ in from medical right through to tack. You gotta make sure all paperwork is faxed through and take down all the notes you can. Then you file them in this folder, all together under the name of the horse, the farm he came from and age and height. Then you gotta confirm when he’s showing up and make sure it’s plenty of time for us to get a stall ready for him. This one’s pretty easy, I’ve been waiting for him for a few weeks now, so it’s just finalisin’.”

It was the most I’d heard him say in three days and for the life of me I wasn’t paying attention. His thick, black, Irish hair was getting damp with sweat, and has he walked around his office a thin dark patch was forming down his spine. I wasn’t the only one not used to the heat.

“You trust all this with me?” I asked in an attempt to push my brain out of its daze.

“I got too much to do without worryin’ bout somethin’ Wilkes Jr. could do. Just get the information, shove it in the file and sign the front,” Rex lit up a cigarette and went to stand by the open window. It made no difference, the still air unable to suck the smoke out of the room. “Plus it ain’t like your ass can take much else.”

My head snapped up to look at him. There it was, the glimpse of a smile, all fire and enigma. Did I dare myself to reply?

Gaining composure I allowed myself a sly grin, “I assure you, foreman, my ass has been through worse.”

He didn’t bat an eye, “I believe that.”

“Oh you do?”

Those thundering eyes glanced my way and I was sure that the twitch in his muscles was his whole body shrugging off defences like they were a heavy coat of protection, “We don’t get boys like you round here.”

I was left silence for a moment. ‘Boys like you’? What did that mean? I asked him.

He shook his head, limp curls attempting to bounce, “I don’t think I’ve ever had my body examined by anyone like the way your eyes wander.”

I bit back a shocked squeak and hoped my eyes hadn’t grown too large. I knew I hadn’t been too subtle about it, but it seemed those dark eyes had seen more than I’d bargained for.

“I…well I just,” I sighed heavily then smiled in spite of myself, “They don’t make men like you where I come from either.”

He had the silhouette most men would die for. With the light of the window behind him he leant back on his haunches, hips pushed out but shoulders drawn forward. I just knew the muscles on his stomach were tight as he stood there, cigarette between his lips, thumbs tucked into his jeans’ pockets. Damn he looked good as he smiled.

“I bet they don’t.”

I don’t get knocked off my seat too easily, but he had me rolling on the floor – metaphorically speaking. My ass wasn’t going anywhere near concrete.

With a simple shrug, he flicked the butt of his cigarette out the window and turned to me, “So, you think you got the hang of all this filing?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“’Kay,” he picked up his black Stetson and wandered to the door. “I’m gunna be out with the boys so you call the house if you need anythin’. Bella can get me if it’s important. Oh and slick?”

He was by the door, eyes on my flushed face, “Yeah?”

“You might wanna get a nice cushion from the house, coz after five minutes if that pretty little ass don’t hurt now, it will do later.”

He closed the door.

I could feel every breath like a hammer out of my chest. Did he just call my ass pretty? And little...

Suddenly I found myself running to the window to see him leave, his body swaying gracefully in the black saddle of Saffy. I hoped to hell he’d turn around so I could see his face, but he just left the yard to head to for the fields.

The phone rang behind me.

Time to prove my intellect was higher than Wilkes Jr.