Thunder Mountain Ranch (Alexandria Whitney Mystery) Read online

  “But why do people put so many demands on a relationship? It’s tough enough to be happy with your own life, but then we want someone in it and expect them to give up their life for us. Why can’t we both compromise equally? Is that why so many people are unhappy in their relationship, because it’s always the same person doing the compromising. I know Dez was happy because we did everything her way. I guess I let myself get lost in her being happy and forgot we were a couple which means two people, not one. I could truly be happy if I knew that at the end of the day I had someone to hold me and would listen to my day as I would hers. The rest of it would be gravy if I could just have that, because I have my own social life and can find things to occupy my time. Being alone when you live by yourself is one thing, but being alone when you live with someone is unbearable.” Alex just expressed four years of frustration with Dez and knew there was no way Sam was going to be like her.

  “You don’t have to worry about Sam ignoring you.” Jessie wished she could send Sam home with Alex to prove to her how right she was.

  “I believe you’re right. Thanks for listening, Jess. I need to get to the kitchen and get the food so we can get this picnic going.” Kissing Jessie, Alex hugged her tight and realized she would really be family if she and Sam did end up as a couple.

  The dining hall smelled of tri-tip and barbecue, just as it had the first day she met Sam. It was a smell that would trigger that memory for years to come.

  Chapter 24

  The cook who had told the Halloween story introduced himself to Alex. Pablo had worked at the ranch for over twenty years and was a nephew of Anna’s. He was extremely grateful to Alex for being able to find Ramon so he could be laid to rest. After hearing her plan for a picnic with Sam and how much she loved tri-tip, he told her to leave everything to him and he would put it all together for her. Alex saw the warmth and kindness in Pablo’s eyes that reminded her so much of Anna. She thanked him after he told her he would have it ready for her in twenty minutes. The trail ride hadn’t returned to the corral, but they were expected soon.

  Looking towards the craft room, Alex wanted to stop by, hoping to find some remembrance of Anna or at least a friendly vibe. As she walked in she could imagine her sitting in her rocker taking a break from supervising her students in the art of basket weaving, beading and sand drawings. Walking over to where the picture had been, Alex closed her eyes and thought of Anna. Alex had so many questions to ask her. She wanted the advice of someone who was older and wiser. It also helped that Anna could at times see the future.

  “Anna, please come to me. Tell me if I’m doing the right thing. It feels right, but I want to know for sure. Can you send me a sign, anything, just let me know I’m following the right path.” Alex walked to the doorway and paused turning back to blow a kiss to Anna, wherever she was.

  Upon leaving the crafts room, Alex noticed the trail ride had returned and saw all the hungry guests heading for the dining hall. She wanted to help unsaddle the horses and water Bruce and Smokey before they headed out again. On her way Alex greeted Andy, who had a good looking admirer waiting for him to go to lunch. She told him to go on and that she’d finish up his part. He kissed her on the cheek and told her to have a good time. It took thirty minutes to turn out the stock and water Bruce and Smokey. After loosening the cinches to give them a breather, Alex followed Sam into the barn to hear how her morning had gone.

  “Hey there good lookin.’ How’s about you and me take us a little ride. We can take our time and come back when we all feels like it.” Using her best movie cowboy lingo, Alex approached Sam and saw a strange look on her face. “What?” Looking at her clothes and wondering if she had hay in her hair, Alex waited for a response.

  “Where have you been all my life?” Sam was happy Alex had found her way to the ranch and into her life. “Well, I grew up in a small college town. It was there I

  learned about life, and why I didn’t want to grow up and be

  like my mother.”

  Alex knew why she was asking but only got out two

  sentences before she found herself in Sam’s arms. Kissing her

  passionately, she held her tight and looked deeply into her

  eyes.

  “Well, in a way I should be thankful to your mother. If

  she would have been fantastic you wouldn’t have left home,

  you would never have met Jessie and then you wouldn’t be

  here now. So when you come to think about it, we owe it all to

  your controlling, hateful mother. Am I right?” Sam also didn’t

  mention that without her mother she would never have been

  born.

  “Oh, well then I guess she was good for something.

  I’ll send her a Mothers’ Day card the next time it lands on the

  day of a blue moon. Are you ready to ride or do you want a

  shower first?” Knowing Sam, Alex figured she would want to

  get cleaned up.

  “A shower for sure, also a change of clothes. I’ll be

  two shakes and meet you at your casita. We can leave Bruce

  and Smokey tied up here. Can I help you get lunch or dinner

  ready?” Sam wondered how long they were going to be gone

  and what kind of clothes to wear.

  “Our meal is being expertly prepared by Chef Pablo

  and we’ll have the rest of the day to eat it. So lunch or dinner

  whichever you prefer. Although I would bring warm clothes as

  it does get chilly up there.” She remembered her rides with

  Jessie and how it could get down right cold when the sun went

  behind the mountains before setting for the day.

  “Roger that. See you in a bit.” Sam took off running

  for her room.

  “Roger that, you are so cute.” Alex yelled out as she

  watched Sam head for the bunkhouse.

  Walking into the dining hall Alex spotted Jessie and

  let her know they would be leaving soon. She knew they were

  to take the rifle and two-way radio and reassured her they

  would be back by midnight as there was still plenty of

  moonlight to see their way home. Pablo had two saddlebags

  ready to go and by the weight of each Alex figured they had

  enough food for two meals and two more people. Thanking

  him she went back to her casita to get some warmer clothes on

  and a jacket for later. Just as she finished combing her hair and

  putting it in a ponytail she heard a knock and Sam walked

  through the door. She looked great and she had that cologne on

  again. They needed to leave now or they would never get out

  of this room.

  The girls brought along some food for the boys and

  Bruce knew it. He kept trying to stop so he could get behind

  Smokey and nibble on the hay sack. Keeping his mind on

  where he was going was proving to be a real pain for Alex.

  She missed Beau. He was a real trooper. When he had a saddle

  on his back he knew it was time to work, and when it was off

  play time. Finally deciding she’d had enough of his antics, she

  yelled at Sam she was going to take off for a short gallop, but

  not to worry. She’d be back when Bruce decided to behave

  himself. About a hundred yards ahead, she pulled on the

  brakes and turned around to see where Sam and Smokey were.

  They were loping up at a nice controlled pace. Bruce decided to behave and the rest of the ride was a pleasure at a nice even

  walk.

  Arriving at the meadow, it was more beautiful then

  Alex remembered. The little stream was barely trickling due to

  the lack of rain, but would be rushing when it did. There was a

  table which hadn’t been there before and a fire pit.
Sam told

  her Jessie had these things put in about a year ago, so she and

  Dawson could have some place to get away and still be close

  to the ranch. There was a spot cleared away for a two-person

  tent and Alex didn’t need any further explanations. Looking at

  the spot, Alex paused for a long moment and then turned to

  Sam who was taking a rolled up blanket off the back of her

  saddle. Sam wondered what she was deep in thought about and

  walked up and gave her a hug.

  “What’s playing on your mind?” It was going to take

  Sam a while to figure this girl out.

  “I was just thinking about Andy. I feel as if I’ve

  abandoned him. I’m supposed to keep those wranglers

  guessing and here I’ve been missing in action lately. They

  have to know something’s up.” Alex realized that he and Dean

  were becoming quite obvious and that she was needed to help

  dispel any rumors.

  “Oh gosh, I forgot to tell you. I guess I was just so

  wrapped up in you and the picnic.”

  Sam relayed what had happened after they had

  unloaded the hay truck and had all gone back to take showers.

  Andy told her that the other wranglers had noticed Dean

  watching him and started making vulgar comments about

  having a faggot watching them trying to work. They kept it up

  for a couple of days. But before Andy could go off on them

  Dawson had overheard the rude comments and told them that

  he had family and close personal friends who were gay and if

  they had a problem with that then they needed to pick up their

  checks and get the hell off of his ranch. It was at that point that

  Andy got in their faces and told them he was gay, and if they

  had a problem with it he would be happy to meet them behind the bunkhouse to discuss it. There was no more said about it and all seemed to be going fine. So Alex didn’t need to play

  girlfriend anymore, except to Sam.

  “Wow, that’s great. I bet Andy feels a huge weight has

  been lifted.” Alex needed to thank Dawson, not that he

  expected thanks, but it’s always nice to hear from people when

  they appreciate your good deed.

  “His personality has changed for the better. He is

  much more outgoing. It’s like he’s a new man.” Sam was

  going to keep an eye on the other wranglers. She wanted to

  believe them, but let’s face it they were rednecks. Grabbing the saddlebags with the food, Alex started to

  pull out all kinds of items. The last was a thermal bag that was

  sure to contain the tri-tip. As she unzipped it, the aroma was

  heavenly. Sam fed the boys after letting them drink from a

  small pool of fresh stream water. They were happy ponies and

  munched hay contentedly as she pulled off their saddles. Pablo

  had thought of everything and Alex needed to make sure to tell

  him how wonderful it all was. He had individual plates all

  prepared so that all she needed to do was add the tri-tip and

  to her surprise, warm garlic mashed potatoes. This was one of

  her favorites. Being psychic had to run in Anna’s family. Both

  women finished their chores at the same time, washed up and

  took a seat.

  “Wow, this looks great. How did you get Pablo to do

  this all for you?” Sam had heard that he was very picky about

  who he let in his kitchen.

  “He’s Anna’s nephew. He was so sweet and told me

  not to worry about a thing. Her whole family must be wonderful. I wish I could meet them all.” Alex thought she would

  ask Pablo tomorrow if they all lived nearby.

  “That would be a great idea. It would give you

  something to do in the morning.” Sam was wondering if Alex

  wanted to go into town and do some antique shopping for their

  afternoon outing.

  “I think so. Do you have any suggestions for tomor-

  row’s afternoon adventure?” Alex didn’t want to hog all the

  decision making. This was a democracy, and besides, she only

  had two plans in her repertoire and now they had done both of

  them.

  “Well, I was wondering if you would like to go into

  town. There’s a street that has about eight or nine antique

  stores, plus a couple of thrift stops to check out.” Suddenly it

  sounded really boring after all Alex had been through. “Really? I love window shopping. There’s something

  about looking at antiques. Some of those old items are so great

  just to have as knick knacks. Maybe we could find something

  for my new place.” Just being able to spend time with Sam

  away from the ranch would be enough.

  “It’s a date. We can spend the rest of the day shopping

  and then in the evening have dinner at this restaurant I’ve

  heard Andy talk about. He says the owners are gay and great

  hosts.” Sam needed to ask Andy if she had to make

  reservations.

  Their late lunch was delicious and filling. Afterwards

  they decided to stretch out under a tree and let everything

  digest. The ground was soft from the lush grass and leaning

  against the tree Alex felt sleepy. Sam told her to put her head

  on her lap and take a nap if she felt like it. So Alex requested

  she tell her a story about her childhood, like what she and her

  family did for vacations and the holidays. Listening to Sam’s

  low, soothing voice as she talked about growing up with her

  siblings and visiting cousins, Alex learned a little bit about her

  and Jessie’s childhood. Trying to stay awake, as Sam ran her

  fingers through her hair, was getting tougher by the second.

  The last thing she remembered was a story about how she beat

  her brother at Indian wrestling when she was twelve. Awakening to gentle nudging, Alex wondered how

  long she had been asleep. She then realized the nudging was

  coming from Smokey, who had untied himself and was

  wondering what these two were doing. Raising up, she realized Sam had fallen asleep too. She got up quietly, retied Smokey, and gathered all the hay into a pile to keep both horses occupied. She looked at Sam sleeping and decided to take a little walk. Not wanting to scare Sam if she woke up and found her gone, she planned to stay within sight of her. Walking to the far side of the meadow and thinking of Anna and Ramon, she wondered if life really could be perfect if you found the right person, or was finding your “soul mate” just something

  that sounded good and made for great movie love stories. Looking off towards the mountain, something caught

  her eye in her peripheral vision. As she turned, thinking it

  could be Sam coming to join her, she realized there were two

  pairs of eyes watching her. Alex froze for a moment. She had

  never seen wolves out in the wild, only on television or at the

  zoo. They were beautiful as they looked at her and just

  watched. One was larger than the other and a beautiful black.

  The smaller one was pure white and appeared to be leaning

  against the other’s shoulder. It rested it’s head as if they were

  an old married couple very much in love, watching the world

  go by. Looking at them, Alex thought of Anna and Ramon as

  well as Jessie and Dawson. This was a picture she thought

  would make a great anniversary card for your fiftieth. As she />
  looked back to see if Sam had awakened yet, she realized she

  should be afraid, but had never heard from Jessie of any wolf

  attacks happening in these parts. She wished Sam was awake

  so she could see this sight, but then when she turned back they

  were gone. She looked around but couldn’t spot them

  anywhere they seemed to have disappeared in a matter of

  seconds. Maybe because she hadn’t moved the wolves hadn’t

  thought of her as a threat and had left her alone.

  Alex looked at her watch, which she had brought

  along so they could make curfew. It was getting cold fast. She

  thought maybe they should leave early to get back to the

  ranch and her warm casita. Walking back she picked up a long

  blade of grass so she could wake Sam by tickling her nose.

  This little trick must have been used on Sam before. She never opened her eyes, but reached out to grab Alex quickly and

  pulled her towards her.

  “What have you been up to young lady?” Sam had

  been watching her walking in the meadow.

  “Thinking about life, love, soul mates, old movies and

  stuff like that.” Alex was going to answer all questions as

  truthfully as she could.

  “Wow, you do think about a lot of different things.”

  The “soul mates” part was always a touchy subject with Sam

  as she had heard so many women tell her they had found their

  soul mate and then six weeks later they hated each other. “Aha, that’s one of my little quirks. Sometimes I think

  someone has the remote to my brain. It channel surfs to all

  different subjects. I can start off thinking about us and end up

  thinking about what I want for dinner. I amaze myself

  sometimes at where my mind goes.” Alex didn’t want to admit

  that right now her mind wanted to question everything she did

  with Sam. It was something she needed to get a hold of. “Oh,

  but you’ll never guess what I saw on my walk?”

  “A ghost!” Sam really hoped she saw anything but

  that.

  “No, I saw two wolves. One was black the other white.

  They were so beautiful. I think they were mates. We just stood