Coyote Run - Can a moment in time change a life time?
Jacqueline stood gazing through the huge bay window at the cattle yard in the clearing. Three cowboys were mulled together, riding in on magnificent black stallions.
As they dismounted she was able to study them more thoroughly. Hats, jeans, boots, silver spurs - they wore the typical cowboy garb. Of the three, one had claimed preferential attention. He was taller and more muscular than his companions and appeared to be in charge. Could this be Trent Cannon, she silently pondered, the owner of Coyote Run?
Jacqueline faded into the massive den, her blue eyes fastening onto the two small children playing by the empty fireplace. Their mother, Sari Longfellow had hired her to piece together the family memoirs jumbled inside of the huge chest in the attic at Coyote Run. A work area had been established for her benefit which included a large oak desk, overhead lighting and a miniature library which she intended to stock with personal research material.
Sari had vanished into the kitchen, wanting to speak with the housekeeper regarding the evening meal. She had suggested that Jacqueline wait in the den, telling her that the ranch house was a vast structure and she didn't want her getting lost before she had even started the project. Sari had promised a lengthy tour of the house after dinner.
Jacqueline liked Sari, a tall blond-haired woman who spoke her mind. Sari and her two children were staying with her brother Trent while her husband was on a two-week business trip and she had decided this to be an opportune time to oversee the project. Jacqueline looked forward to working for her.
The children, Chelsea and Jeremiah were admiring an exquisite glass bull which they had removed from the fireplace mantle aided by an overstuffed velvet chair. Jacqueline smiled as she watched the young siblings.
"Look, Jeremiah! You can see through him," Chelsea pointed out to her small brother and he anxiously helped her steady the glass object. She continued, "He's like a looking glass...all but his two blue eyes."
Jeremiah's small hands reached out to poke at the embedded blue stones, unintentionally knocking it from his sister's grasp.
Jacqueline watched helpless as the glass collided with the stone fireplace and shattered into a thousand pieces.
Chelsea jumped from the chair, assessing the damage and little Jeremiah went into a crying fit, his voice sounding over-developed for a five year old. It was deep and very loud.
"Chelsea! Don't move!" Jacqueline cautioned, going to the child as swiftly as possible, overstepping the glass - but not quite as she felt something pierce her foot through the soft sole of her shoe.
Ignoring the stab of pain she concentrated on the children's safety, re-anchoring Chelsea in the chair beside her brother.
"It's all right," she assured, patting their small hands for reassurance. "It was an accident. You aren't hurt, are you?"
They both managed to shake their heads negatively, Jacqueline relaxing in the process.
Chelsea swallowed hard and winced her tiny mouth telling her, "Uncle Trent is going to be so mad at us. Mean old Ms. Fargo got it for him."
Jacqueline tucked a strand of the child's hair behind her ear and asked, "Ms. Fargo?"
"His old girlfriend."
Jeremiah reached out and pulled Jacqueline's hand urgently, adding, "We can't ride the ponies now."
At that, they both started crying.
Jacqueline transferred them one by one to safety telling them, "Sure you can. I'll explain the accident to your uncle. Just don't worry about it anymore." Then, "Now scoot so I can clean up the glass before someone gets hurt.
"Gee, you're swell," Chelsea eased out, a smile lighting her face.
Jeremiah simply nodded his head in agreement, and then they both sped away, the matter of the bull completely forgotten.
She was picking up the larger pieces of the shattered bull when a deep voice greeted her from across the room. "Is everything okay?"
Jacqueline spun around, her eyes connecting with the cowboy whom she'd assumed earlier was Trent Cannon. My, up close he was a handsome brute
Trent narrowed his eyes, seeing the barrage of glass for the first time. He'd been too captivated with the lady's backside to notice until now.
"Whoops, you're in trouble now," he eased out and he watched her stiffen. Tall, too. He liked that.
"This isn't what it appears to be," she tried to explain, but he only waved her words aside.
"It's perfectly okay," he told her, coming towards her. "That crystal bull has been a thorn in my flesh for two long years. Reminds me of my old lead bull that died last spring. Same blue eyes." He paused and held out his hand, introducing, "Trent Cannon. And you're?"
Jacqueline accepted his hand, elating, "Jacqueline Roberts. Your sister, Sari hired me for the family project."
"Ah, yes," he nodded in realization. "Funny. I was expecting more of an old maid type rather than....well, we'll leave it at that."
Jacqueline's eyes were taking in every inch of his rock-hard body, locking her findings into memory. With effort she told him, "About this. The kids were curious and it was an accident. They were very upset about the loss and they fear that you'll ban them from the ponies."
"So - it was the little banshees," he laughed and Jacqueline found his laugh pleasing. In fact, she doubted if there was anything about this cowboy that she wouldn't find pleasing.
Trent eased out, "I don't know why they would think I'd be angry. It was an accident."
Jacqueline eased out, "The children said it was a gift from your girlfriend, Ms. Fargo." She nervously shifted her foot, a pain shooting up her leg and she expelled a cry.
“She managed to gaze down at him, for she had been in a great deal of pain just before he had secured the glass. "Thank you, Mr. Cannon-"
"Trent," he told her. "As far as the lady killer goes-"
"Lady Killer?"
"Ms. Fargo," he elated, his mouth dusted with a mocking smile. "It was a whirlwind relationship - hello, goodbye. What a nut. And yeah, she did make a gift of the bull, then sent me the bill for it shortly afterwards. It's been a family joke - so we'll have to find something else to josh about now."
Trent extracted the paisley banana from around his neck, then applied it to her foot to stop the bleeding, telling her, "It's clean." But his mind sure wasn't. He hadn't seen anything this pretty and good smelling since Ms. Raggedy's blue ribbon apple pie at the country fair last year.
"I think the bleeding has stopped," she eased out, glancing down at Trent's large hand which was lassoed around her slim foot.
But he didn't want to let go yet, Trent silently argued. She was soft. Beautiful, soft, sweet smellin'
He told her, "I'll call someone to clean this up, okay?"
Jacqueline nodded and was surprised as Trent inquired in an offhanded tone, "You married?"
She managed to negatively shake her head, flattered by his interest.
"Engaged?" he tacked on, wanting to cover all his bases.
"No. There's no one," she added, her mouth curving into a beautiful smile, her heart in her chest. She'd never met anyone so confident, so forward and determined. And she liked that.
"Well, let's see if I can change that," Trent told her, marvelling about the power of attraction.
Ten minutes earlier, he hadn't known Jacqueline existed. And now, well....he couldn't imagine his life without her. Let the journey begin.....
You okay, pretty lady?" Trent asked, looking at the glass on the floor, then scooping her up in strong arms. She was wearing soft soled shoes and he suspected that she may have already found a piece of stray glass.
Before Jacqueline knew what was happening, Trent had scooped her up in his arms, placed her in the velvet chair, removed her shoe and extracted a chard of glass
~Sky Tayler~
© Copyright, 2010 Main Street Magazine/Rain Enterprises
As seen in the May Issue of Main Street Magazine.
Printed in Canada, ISSN: 1920-4299 by Rain Enterprises
To find out how to receive your free copy of MSM go to www.mainstreetmagazine.net
