One

It’s been a week, exactly a week since I last talked to Andreas McKinnon on the hill and since I also haven’t been able to sleep or eat ever since. Today I have to go back there and tell him I’m sure about my decision. The same one I had already made the first time I had gone there.

It had been a mistake to go to him.

I almost peed my pants.

Just thinking about it makes me relive everything that went I through, and I did it only because I was more attached to the house, the land and everything that kept me closer to the memories. Everything that she had touched. We were close to losing it all to Andreas McKinnon.

Not only had I lied to my brother, my father and my best friend Lacey about where I was going in the middle of the night but I had to climb the hill, in total darkness to get there. The path to Kingdom ranch was watched by several of his men. He guarded his cattle and crops with nails and teeth and angry men that probably had guns, which was why he was one of the most respected and feared and desired ranch owners of the county.

I almost made it to the house without being seen, almost. And that almost is because of my damn fear of horses. You see, I found myself face to face with a big one and while I froze in fear and unable to move a muscle the damn animal started kicking the ground and neighing loudly. To what I got my hand seized me from behind and was slammed hard onto the hard ground.

“Thief. Thief!” One voice screamed, while his knee was pressed on my back pinning me to the muddy soil.

“Let me take a look at him.”

I winced in pain when a couple set of hands pulled me up very roughly. Pulling my head back into the light.

“I think is a she.”

“What the fuck? Call Wallace.”

That was it, my little stealth stunt lasted about five seconds until I was discovered. This was turning out to be something bigger than it should.

“Boss. We have a situation here.”

I heard it all. I felt it all. Hands pulling me up and straightening, a hand under my chin and a bright light blinding me. A few panicked looks but no one said anything else, no one but the guy Wallace whose breath smelled like rum and onions.

“Is McKinnon in there?” He said looking back at the big house in front of us.

“He’s in there alright.” I’m more alert now that my lungs were back to their usual intake of oxygen and I focused on my surroundings. I was being dragged by my armpits by two men while all the others trail behind me, good thing I decided to use my old boots, it still hurt but I was in no place to start complaining.

“He has company.” One of the men complained when he was sent to fetch their big bad boss. “We should solve this ourselves.”

“Well, I think he’s gonna want to know about this.” The man named Wallace sat down in front of me. He tipped his Stenson back and took a good look at me, like a good look, from head to my dusty old boots. He looked harmless, with his white whiskers and his belly, a country Santa Clause but he wasn’t giving me any friendly vibes.

“He’s not going like this, his only night alone and we’re about to cock block the boss.”

The men started to talk around me, some snickering in my direction, throwing disgusting comments my way, others just looked and the rest scattered around the area we stood. Everyone seemed anxious while I just stood there waiting for something to happen. A door was slammed and some foul comments followed.

“This better be good.” I heard a new voice above all the others, making them shut their mouths and stand in attention. The men parted, like the red sea letting the tall figure advance forward where two men held me by my arms. “What is this?”

“We found her by the new stallion. She spooked the horse.”

“Her? Who the is hell she?” The whispers around me started again.

“Doesn’t she look familiar?”

I started to chew the inside of my mouth, somehow I knew this wasn’t going to end well. I had deluded myself in a moment of weakness, it was something that only happened in those damn dramas. A couple of glances, that was all he spared towards me a couple of glances. He stood a few of feet away, standing a bit too far for me to see anything with all this darkness around even still my attention was focused on him and him only. I watched him move as he talked to his men, unable to listen what he said from afar but I could guess that the matter they discussed was me. I was the intruder that had be toppled over and manhandled.

Here he comes.

Strutting, like the big peacock he was with his open shirt showing off his bulging pectorals and his ridiculous long hair looked like someone had been pulling it or running their hands through them. From my opinion he was too attractive, too tall, too much. The rumors didn’t do him justice. It was like someone designed him; carved his face and body to perfection.

Adding the fortune to all that makes him the most desirable man in town.

Anyone could deduct what had he been busy with and why no one had wanted to go get him. I could bet my good leg that a lady friend was waiting for his return. Impatience is painted all over his face, so was the smudged red lipstick on his chin and lips, he wasn’t trying to hide it. I see the recognition in his eyes, whoever doesn’t know about me is because they are not from around here.

He likes the surprise, not too much but just enough to smile like that. I mean our path have crossed in the past, not words but we have been in the same space once or twice, those time I had avoided him like the plague. The way he usually looked at me gave me goosebumps.

To me it was a big deal that we were standing in front of each other. The hard line of his mouth turns into a wide cruel grin.

And then he started laughing right in my face.

“Well, gentlemen. It seems that you have caught yourselves a little lamb.” They all exchange curious glances. “Did you come here to offer yourself as sacrifice?”