What Lies Beneath (closed)

[BeachBum25]

Kevin heard barking and climbed out of bed. Moving to the door, he heard Chance barking wildly. He hurried down the steps, worried that something was wrong with Katie. As he moved down the stairs, he saw Katie with Ellie. "What's going on?"

He heard what Katie told him and headed immediately to open the stalls. Kevin did not have experience with coyotes, but he knew that it wouldn't be good if they were to get one of the horses.

After opening the stall doors and making sure the barn doors were open so the horses could get in, Kevin moved out toward the field; hoping to be able to usher the horses into the barn as Katie guided them out of the field.

He could hear the barking and the howling in the distance. Kevin called for Chance, but there was no sign of him. He was certain that Chance was out leading the way for Katie. Kevin hoped that Chance would help move the horses back to the barn and not worry about going after the coyotes.

Waiting seemed like an eternity. Then, Kevin heard a gunshot, and another. so, she went after the coyotes first instead of getting the horses. Kevin wanted to help, but did not know what to do. He was frustrated that he wasn't helping. He started making his way out into the field; figuring that if he could find a couple of the horses, he could get them back to the barn while Katie dealt with the coyotes.

It wasn't easy going. Kevin had jumped out of bed and run down the stairs in his bare feet. He didn't want to take the time to go back up and put shoes on, so, he just headed out into the field barefoot. It was hard to see in the dark, and the moon provided very little light.

"Chance..... Katie" He called loudly for them, hoping to get a response. Then, another gunshot. It appeared closer. "What the fuck... Come on Kevin, figure out how you can help." He found a couple of the horses along the fence. He called at them, trying to get them to move. Moving closer, he smacked a couple of them on the hind quarters to get them moving toward the barn, but there were only four. Where were the rest?"

 

[zydrate]

Katie could shoot a rifle but shooting one while riding a horse, that was different. Ellie thank goodness wasn’t shocked when the sound of the rifle went off close to her. At first, Katie was only shooting into the air to scare the small pack she saw near the farthest group of 3 horses. The shot scared them…momentarily.

She saw them scatter and used that to regroup in a wider circle near the horses. Katie couldn’t shoot while on Ellie so she jumped off and quickly fell to one knee, kneeling and raising her rifle. She aimed and fired again, this time, hitting one of them. She hated to do so but it needed to be done. Then, she sent Chance onto the remaining two as she jumped back onto Ellie once more. Katie was running on pure adrenaline; her heart was pounding as she raced Ellie toward the remaining two coyotes and fired once more.

This time, they took off. She then called Chance to her, and they headed toward the other horses and herded them toward the bar. Poor Ellie, she wasn’t never driven hard. Katie could only blame herself. She should have brought the horses in before the evening but also had wanted them to get out and enjoy some roaming time.

Six horses in total were what Katie managed to bring in. She again hopped off Ellie and quickly did a head count, not meaning to ignore Kevin but she needed to make sure all horses were accounted for.

They were and Katie could finally breathe. She set the rifle aside, leaning it against the barn door and helped Kevin with getting the horses secured in the stables. Her heart was still pounding as brought in Ellie and eased her into her stall, taking off the bridle.

When she calmed down a minute more, she turned to Kevin and gave him a quick nod, “Thanks for helping.” And she meant it, he did more than he knew, and she was grateful for that. Picking up the rifle, she secured the barn door and slid to the ground, “Fucking coyotes. Every goddamn year their population gets out of control…” and she left it at that. It was then she realized her left knee was bleeding. Her jeans were torn, and she saw the blood. With a sigh, she stood, “OK…great… Can anything else go wrong tonight?” She asked, not really wanting an answer. Chance was still on the ready, letting out small growls to the empty field.

 

[BeachBum25]

Kevin guided the horses into the stalls as Katie brought them in. He started to secure them and then Katie came in behind and helped him with the remaining couple horses.

"It is no problem Katie. I am glad to help. Actually, that is what I am here for... helping you." He watched as Katie slid to the ground and listened as she cursed about the coyotes. He started to ask if there was some type of program to control the population, but stopped; seeing that Katie had just dropped the subject.

Moving toward Katie, Kevin took a look at her knee. "Let me check it out for you Katie." He knelt down at get a better look at her knee, but made sure not to touch her. he didn't want his actions to be misconstrued.

"It doesn't look too bad. You will need to clean it up and put some gauze over it to keep it from bleeding all over your bed. You might need a new pair of jeans, unless, of course, you like that new look with the holes in the jeans." He looked up at her and smiled: trying to get Katie to relax a little.

Then, Kevin looked over at Chance. He certainly wasn't relaxing. He was on guard duty and was going to make sure everything was okay.

"Are you okay getting inside? Once the adrenaline rush eases, your knee is probably going to bother you. You might want to be proactive and take some kind of pain reliever."

He didn't expect Katie to say she needed help getting into the house. Kevin knew that she was a tough one and would not want to show any signs of weakness. He called Chance over. "Okay, at least let me walk you to the door, but I promise not to help you."

 

[zydrate]

Her jeans were the least of her worry right now. She just felt really guilty for not bringing the horses earlier.

Although Katie felt fine, she was shaking a little bit as the adrenaline wore off. What the hell did she just do? She had never wanted to hurt an animal, wild or not. But she knew that when push came to shove, it was either a little guilt over protecting a horse or losing 10 grand on one horse lost to coyote

True to his word, Kevin helped her inside. Once inside the main room, Katie sat down and looked at her knee in better lighting. It wasn't too bad. Just a scrape. She'd clean it up late

Looking up at Kevin, she gave him a small smile, "Thank you Kevin..." she stood and faced him, "I really do appreciate your help and I know it doesn't seem like it at times, but I need to learn to accept also. It's just hard. All my life I've had to fight for myself. Which I don't mind, but I know at times, I take it a little too far."

 

[BeachBum25]

"Katie, it is no problem. I am here to help you. After all that you have done for me, this is nothing. I have a long way to go before I even come close to paying you back. Hell, tonight isn't even a drop in the bucket."

He listened to Katie talk about fighting for herself. Kevin smiled at her. "Hell Katie, you are like Wonder Woman. You manage all of this by yourself, because you have had to do what is right for you. Once you have had to do it all yourself, it has to be hard to give up anything. You know you can trust yourself, and aren't sure you can trust others. I get it."

Kevin had recently learned a hard lesson in trust. Someone he had trusted in college bullied him into working for him, and then, because he spoke his mind, Kevin got his ass kicked and probably had been left for dead if Katie hadn't found him.

"You should fight for yourself. You only take it too far if it chases people away from you. I have not seen any of the men you hired leaving, and I certainly am not going anywhere. So, you just be you.... just don't try to pay me for helping you." He smiled and winked at her as he started toward the door.

"I am going to go get cleaned up and get back to bed. I will check on the horses on the way up to the loft. You should get a shower, and also clean up your knee. It isn't much, but you don't want to have it get infected. You have no idea what you were kneeling in out there."

As Kevin reached the door, he turned back. "Don't be too hard on yourself. You had the best interest of the horses in mind tonight. When it came down to it, you did what you needed to do to protect the horses... and your business. Nothing at all wrong with that. Good night Katie."

When he went into the barn, he checked in with each of the horses one-by-one; making sure that they were all okay. He saved his girl Ellie for last. When he walked up, Ellie was waiting for him and nudged him with her nose. "You did a great job out there tonight girl. You are definitely a champ." He leaned in and pressed his face to hers and kissed between her eyes while he rubbed her neck. "You did a good job protecting Katie.. you and Chance did. I have to make sure I tell him in the morning." He rubbed her neck a little more before heading up to the loft.

Kevin cleaned up his feet and climbed into bed. He laid awake staring at the ceiling. His mind was fixed on how protective Katie was of the horses and how she risked herself to take care of them. He also thought about how much he enjoyed working on the ranch and being around the horses. "Maybe I can make this my livelihood d once I repay my debt to Katie."

 

[zydrate]

“Thanks Kevin… have a good night.” She told him as he closed the door. She looked down at her knee and sighed. If all she got from tonight was a banged-up knee, then it wasn’t that bad. Better a scraped-up knee than losing any of the horses.

Once Kevin as gone, she went to her room and took off her jeans and cleaned up her wound as best she could before falling into bed from exhaustion. She had to get up in a few hours and she knew she’d be tired the next day. But at the same time, she wouldn’t be able to sleep well if there were still anything lurking near. Everything was safe for now, even Chance had come back in and lay down in a loud heap on the floor next to Katie’s bed.

***
Despite her crappy night of sleep, waking at every sound, Katie was still up at her usual time the next morning. She was dressed and ready to get to work.

The morning went by quickly, as much as she wanted to break each and every horse herself, she couldn’t. They were making progress though. Katie kept an eye on the hired hands as they picked up on how she would handle the horses and pushed that back on their own work. Today, again, she had the horses roaming the property but would make sure to bring them back in after lunch, only because it was getting dark sooner now that winter was going to come in soon.

Katie was watching from the sidelines when a sheriff’s truck came up the driveway and toward the group outside. Katie could only groan inwardly… Deputy Parks… he was a total dick. She had only dealt with him on a few occasions, mostly about Chance. Seemed Chance had the ability to transport anywhere within a 5-mile radius and kill chickens or other small animals. It wasn’t true. Chance stayed on site all night. He never left unless he was with Katie.

He was just another bully Katie had to deal with occasionally. Katie went up to him as he got out of his car, asking him how she could help him.

He had told her that someone was out shooting last night and if she knew anything about it. Katie explained to him about what had happened last night, and she was the one who was shooting, only to protect the animals from wildlife out there.

Parks laughed, not just a chuckle but a laugh that was fake and meant to be heard, “You? Protecting the animals? You expect me that little ol’ you had the guts to be out shooting…? I’m hoping you have a permit for your….” He laughed again, “Your ‘weapon’.”

“I don’t need a permit to carry a gun on my property.”

She had caught him with one. Katie wasn’t stupid, she knew she had a weapon and had made sure to get the property training on how to not only shoot them but also handle them.

He didn’t hide his shock well. Instead, he just stood there and looked around, eyeing each person who had stopped what they were doing. “How many weapons do you have?”

“I don’t have to answer that. I’m busy here Deputy, now are we done? I have a business to get back to. Or do you want to call your boss and we can all talk about this.”

“No… just make sure you don’t hurt anyone with your ‘weapons’.” With that, he laughed again and got into his truck, taking off. Everyone started to talk amongst themselves, and Katie just shook her head and watched him leave.

“Jerk.” She muttered as she went back to work with the rest of the guys.

 

[BeachBum25]

The next morning, Kevin was up early. Heck, he wasn't sure if he had actually fallen asleep. He got up and made coffee in the coffeemaker Katie got him for the loft. After getting dressed, he poured a cup of coffee and went down to check on his best girl. Ellie was waiting for him. Kevin was amazed at how smart she was and how she seemed to know what he was thinking and how she was feeling. "Good morning Beautiful. I hope you slept better than I did. We had an interesting night last night, and you and Katie were the superheroes."

After rubbing her neck a little, Kevin moved around and checked on all of the horses before getting a start on his chores. He had made a point of talking with each horse every morning. He was trying to mimic the way that Katie was with the horses. No, she didn't come in and talk with them every morning. That was something that Kevin tried to make his own. What Kevin was copying was the calm demeanor that Katie had with the horses. Hell, it was easy to be calm with them when they were in the barn or the corral, but Katie was able to remain calm when she was thrown from one of the horses. Kevin just wanted to maintain the calm environment around the horses. Hopefully, that would help in the long run

As he walked out of the barn, he saw Katie coming toward the barn. "Good morning Wonder Woman,' he teased her. "How are you feeling this morning?" He noticed that she was moving without a limp, so her knee must be okay.

After a little small talk, Kevin helped Katie get the horses out into the field before getting to his chores. Despite the cold weather coming in, Kevin worked up a good sweat. He was enjoying the physical work, and he felt himself getting stronger and stronger every day.

He stopped for a little while and watched as Katie and the hired hands worked on breaking the horses. He was surprised, but happy, that Katie had turned over some of the responsibilities of breaking the horses to some of the hired hands. As much as she wanted to do it all, it wasn't possible. He could tell it was hard for her to trust others, but she was starting to... a little. She did, however, demand that they use her methods to break the horses.

Kevin was heading back to finish his work when he saw the Sheriff's vehicle come up the drive. Kevin moved out of sight. Not that he had done anything wrong, but he did not want to be seen by the law. He didn't know if his past exploits were going to come back to haunt him. He also didn't know if Ianucci would send someone around to see if he was there.

He watched as Katie talked to the deputy. He saw the deputy laugh, a couple of times. Kevin noticed that the deputies demeanor changed a little after Katie said something to him. It, obviously, was not a social call.

After the deputy drove away, Kevin walked over to Katie. "Everything okay?" She proceeded to tell him about her conversation with Deputy Parks. He nodded as he listened. "Some people are assholes and they will never change. He sounds like one of those people."

Kevin headed back to finish up his work He called over his shoulder to Katie, "Hey Wonder Woman, let me know when you are going to bring the horses in and I will give you a hand." He saw her make a face at him when he used her new nickname, but then she laughed a little.

It was later in the afternoon when Kevin finished up his work and headed back into the barn. He saw that the horses were back in their stalls. He was sort of disappointed that Katie hadn't asked him to help get them in, but he figured that she had used the hired hands to help her. He decided to go in and start to make dinner. He went with chicken that he would marinate in Italian dressing and then bake it, and he would cut up and boil some red potatoes. Hopefully, Katie would be okay with that.

 

[zydrate]

So far, so good. Things today werer going a lot better, except for the visit from the sheriff's office, Katie called it a successful day.

The last of the horses were secured for the night. At least tonight, she wouldn't have to worry about anyone or anything get to the horses. By the time things were done, Katie was exhausted and hungry. She realized she hadn't seen Kevin the last part of the evening. She had been too busy getting things done and everyone had their own assignment so if you were done early, you were done. She figured he was done and had gone up to his loft to rest.

Chance was laying on the porch when Katie walked up. He looked up at her and his tail wagged a little as she spoke to him, "Hard life there?" His tail wagged harder.

Walking into the cabin, Katie could smell something wonderful cooking. She saw Kevin in the kitchen as she walked in, "Hey, smells great.."

 

[BeachBum25]

The chicken was almost done. Kevin drained the water off the potatoes and then put them in a bowl. He put a plop of butter over top of them and let it melt while he took the last minute addition of zucchini and stewed tomatoes off the burner and put them in a bowl. He cleaned and dried the pots and put them away. By that time the chicken was ready to come out of the oven. He placed it on top of the stove to rest; anticipating that Katie would be coming in any second.

When he heard Katie talking to Chance, he placed the bowls with the potatoes and the zucchini and broccoli on the table. Then he went back and plated the chicken. Kevin turned as Katie walked through the door to the kitchen. "Thanks. Why don't you wash up, because it is ready."

Kevin carried the plates to the table and sat them down. He stood by the table waiting for Katie. When she returned, he waited until she was seated to take his seat. "I got everything finished early, so, I figured after you spent last night roaming the property playing with coyotes that you could use a nice meal. Well, that and your interaction with the Deputy today. It isn't anything fancy, but, of course, I am not a chef. I hope you like it."

Passing the potatoes and then the zucchini to Katie, Kevin let her take what she wanted first before putting anything on his plate. Of course, there was more than enough, but he was just trying to be the gentleman and let Katie dip up her food first.

The ate in silence for a few minutes, before Kevin broke the quiet. Looking up at Katie, he gave a kind of funny smile. "It seems that the males that you have to deal with tend to be real pains in the ass. Well, other than me of course." He winked and smiled at her. "Well, the hired hands are okay, too. It just seems that the males that come here from the outside are looking to either see you fail or to give you a hard time."

He paused for a minute as he put food in his mouth and chewed while Katie did the same. After swallowing, he continued, "It is almost like they feel threatened by you. I think your ex is upset that you are able to make it on your own without him, and now he wants back in. The deputy, I don't know his deal, but it seems like he is trying to get one up on you, and he found out that you weren't going to let it happen. You called his bluff and sent him away with his tail between his legs. My guess is he will be back." After a brief pause, "Okay, that is all from my professional psychological evaluation of your situation. I will send you my bill later." He chuckled a little bit.

Katie was quiet and he wondered if he touched a nerve. He was going to say he was sorry if he said anything wrong, but decided to let it go. The one thing he knew about Katie was that if she had something to say, she would say it. So, if he had said anything wrong, he would be hearing about it very shortly.

 

[zydrate]

She had to laugh when he said she was out playing with the coyotes last night. It just reminded her of the cartoons she used to watch while growing up.

Katie was hungrier than she had thought and had been trying not to eat fast as she listened to Kevin talk about the hired hands. It was a small relief to her that he got the same vibe from them as he did. Yeah, it wasn’t anything new. Sean wanted her to rely on him, but she couldn’t do it. She had always been very independent when it came to her life. At times, she wondered why she even married him. It wasn’t for his money, that was for sure but everyone else thought it was.

“The hired hands are… OK, so far. I think they thought it was going to be an easy job but when they found out they had to do actual work, some weren’t happy. In fact, some I had hired had not shown up but that’s OK, better to weed out the incompetents beforehand.” She took a sip of her drink, “This is really good by the way…” she gave him a smile before continuing to eat. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence between them, just something casual.

“As for Sean…” she sighed and shook her head, “I don’t know what I saw in him and I don’t know he keeps coming back. He made it seem like him having an affair was my fault.” She shrugged to herself and took a bite of potatoes, “I mean, in truth, it probably was. He wanted someone docile, and I just couldn’t be that person. So... he turned to someone else.”

“We didn’t have a marriage. I mean…we were married but we didn’t have a marriage. If that makes sense.” Katie laughed, “I’m not making sense… am I? I mean, he can come back all he wants but I’m never going to be running back to into his arms. What we had was over the day we got married. In fact, if he does come back…” she stopped and laughed, “I’m sorry. I not vindictive but sometimes…”

“But all in all, I am pleased with the work that’s been going on so far… but,” she stopped and thought about it as she ate, “I’m not happy about the weather change come in a couple of weeks. Maybe even sooner… so I guess we’ll see.”

They ate a little more and were almost finish and Katie felt like she was more relaxed than she had been in a long time. Things were going well so far and if they continued to do so for the next few weeks, she would be ready to discuss taking on another group to train after the next spring.

“What about you Kevin? How are you doing? I know you said you’re no chef but the dinner tonight was wonderful. It really was good, so thank you…”

 

[BeachBum25]

Kevin listened to Katie as he picked at his food. It wasn't that he wasn't hungry; he just wanted to make sure Katie knew he was paying attention to her as she talked. He laughed when she said she was not vindictive. There was something about Katie that made Kevin never want to be on her bad side.

"Katie, you are making perfect sense. Being married does not necessarily mean that you have a marriage. It may be a legal bond, but that doesn't mean there is an emotional connection." He almost said sexual connection, too, but thought better of putting that out there.

Then he listened as she changed the conversation from personal to business. Kevin knew what winters were like in Colorado. He had experienced the extreme cold and the snow that marked winters here. However, he had no idea how they impacted the ranch.

"I am not sure what it is like for you and the horses with the change in weather, but I am willing to do anything and everything I can to help out and protect the horses and your ranch. I owe you, big time. One day I will have paid you back, but not yet. So, tell me what you need me to do. Teach me what I don't know, and we will get through the weather change."

He took a drink of water and listened as she asked him how he was doing.

"This may sound crazy to you considering the condition I was in when you found me, but it might be the best thing that could have happened to me. Yea, I know that sounds ridiculous, but, it got me out of the racket that I had been forced into. If that hadn't happened, working there might have been my life's work. Now, thanks to this incredible woman who found me and nursed me back to health, I have found what I really want to do. When I am finished paying my debt to you, I am going to find a place to use my degree and work with animals and work with people who really care for animals. Your passion for working with the horses has inspired me."
What he didn't say, was that he hoped to be able to stay and work on Katie's ranch. He was impressed with her, and he thought that she would build her business into something great.

"I am glad you enjoyed the dinner Katie. Living alone, I had to learn how to cook. I experiment a lot. Sometimes it turns out real well. Other times, it goes right into the garbage. Fortunately, tonight's was worth putting on the table."

Getting up from the table, Kevin began to clean up. He didn't like to relax until everything was cleaned and put away. He carried everything into the kitchen and began washing the dishes. He looked over his shoulder as Katie brought the remaining dishes into the kitchen. When she sat them on the counter, Kevin told her he would finish things up. "You have had a rough 24 hours. I know you are exhausted after last night, so, why don't you go relax. If you aren't in the living room when I am finished, I will make sure to lock up when I go out. Of course, I will check on the horses before going up to the loft."

 

[zydrate]

“Yeah, I can teach you what I know so far with dealing with the winter. Although I’ve only dealt with 2 horses but now, obviously, I have more. So, we’ll see. I was thinking of getting the heaters replaced but I’m not sure. I’ll need someone to come out and look at them soon.”

In a way, Katie was really glad to have Kevin here with her. She knew the hired hands had been talking about Katie and Kevin. What was their relationship and such, but it didn’t bother her. As much as she hated the saying, it was what it was.

With dinner over, a very good dinner to boot, Kaite started to help with clearing up the table. She was lost in thought as she tried to remember if Sean had ever made dinner for her. No, he took her to dinner most of the time, but she knew he had a fancy kitchen for looks when clients came over.

Kevin was right though; Katie was exhausted from the previous night. Her shoulder hurt from the push back of the shotgun. She knew enough about how to shoot but she wasn’t experienced enough to get in the proper stance right away to just take a shot.

Even though she tried to help with the dishes, Kevin insisted he had it. For once, Katie let it go. She thanked him and gave him a quick hug… it was a hug that was something between two friends… that was it. “Thank you again…” she forced a laugh and backed up, “Have a good night, OK?”

 

[BeachBum25]

Leaning into Katie's hug just a little, Kevin kept his wet hands off of her back. It was an awkward hug.. a hug between two people who were becoming close friends. "You are very welcome Katie. Have a good night. I hope you sleep well."

After she left the kitchen, Kevin continued to clean up. He started thinking about the hug. "It was just a hug between friends, right," he thought. "People hug all the time."

As he finished the baking tray and the pots, he was thinking about the hug still. He had to admit that it felt good to be close to Katie. Yes, he found her very attractive, even sexy, but he had never really thought about her in a way of being attracted to her. She had saved his life, nursed him back to health, gave him a place to stay. For all of those reasons, Kevin only thought of her as a savior and a friend. Now, however, after that brief, innocent hug, Kevin's mind was wandering.

He finished up in the kitchen, checked around the house and turned off a few lights, then closed and locked the door before heading out to the barn.

In what had become his evening routine, we walked through the barn and checked on all of the horses. He talked to some of them, but made sure to touch and pat each of them. Some of the horses that had been a little standoffish in the beginning were now waiting at the door to the stall for him. He really enjoyed his time with the horses; they were all incredible.

As was his routine, he stopped to talk with Ellie last. His conversations with Ellie were longer than they were with the other horses. Kevin considered his time with Ellie to be therapy. Each "session" started with Kevin and Ellie touching their heads together. He would say, "Hey girl" and then they would just stay like that for a couple of minutes. There were a lot of people that would think he was crazy, but Kevin felt like they were communicating with one another.

Leaning up and looking into her eyes, he smiled at the beautiful horse. "Yes, I know I am crazy. Why would she ever be interested in me. She was just being a nice person.... a good friend. I know." Kevin continued to pet Ellie. "Why would she be attracted to me? What do I have to offer her other than to help her out around the ranch?"

Ellie nodded her head and nudged Kevin. "Exactly. She has it bad enough having to deal with her ex. Then there is that deputy who keeps bothering her. What the hell would she need to complicate her life with me for?"

He leaned his head back against Ellie's "Thanks El. I knew I could count on you to set me straight. You are the best." He planted a little kiss on her head and went up to the loft.

The next morning, Kevin was up before the sun. He got dressed and started doing his work. He figured that if he got done his work early, he could follow Katie around a little and learn more about what she does and how he could help prepare for the cold weather that already seemed to be moving in.

As he was finishing up, just before lunch, Kevin saw a giant luxury SUV coming up the driveway. He figured it was one of Katie's clients, so, he let her know she had company. Kevin watched from the barn as Katie walked out to greet the person in the vehicle. He saw a man get out of the front and then open the rear door.

"What the fuck is he doing here?"

Kevin backed into the barn so that he was completely out of sight.

The person getting out of the back seat of the SUV was....... Ianucci.

 

[zydrate]

Wow...what the hell were you thinking, Katie... she thought to herself about the hug. Actually, Katie wasn't thinking, it just happened.

As she got ready for bed, Katie thought about their dinner conversation. Although it was just small talk, it made her think more about Sean. Not in a godo way, more of a relieved way. Had she stayed with him, would she have this now. Yeah, she wasn't successful...yet, but she wasn't doing this for success. She was doing this because it was something she loved.

Besides, Sean's wife doing manual labor? Oh no. That wasn't in line with the lifestyle he wanted, that was for sure.

As she changed into a t-shirt and shorts for bed, Katie pushed those thoughts away. She didn't want to think about Sean anymore. He was no longer part of her life. Right now, she was content with what she had and she was only too happy to work for it.

***
This morning felt different. Katie could feel the chill in the air as she made her way to the barn. Of course, Kevin was there and they exchanged good mornings and she got to work. "Can you take a quick inventory on the feed please? I want to see if I can get some more bags delivered today, as well as some hay. I just want to make sure we're OK since the storm will be moving in soon."

They both worked all morning, taking inventory and making sure everything was ready in case. Katie wasn't exactly sure how to approach this storm once it hit, but she knew she wanted the horses warm and comfortable. She did end up giving Kevin quite an amount of things to do since he had said he felt up to helping out more.

Katie put in the order for the feed and hay to be delivered later that evening.

Until then, after lunch, she had planned on bringing out Duke once more. Other's had tried during the but Duke wasn't having it. It would take a little more time with him, that was for sure.

Chance had let out a low growl and Kevin let Katie know that she had a visitor. She made a face as she wasn't expecting anyone. Her first thought was the Sheriff once there to bug her. As she walked out of the barn, she saw the huge SUV drive up and park. Setting the broom aside, she walked outside to see who it was. A man stepped out and Chance made a louder growl, causing Katie to shush him.

Walking up to the SUV and the man, "Hi, are you lost?" Nothing from the man, so Katie sighed, "How can I help you?"

 

[BeachBum25]

Trying to see what was going on while remaining completely out of sight was difficult. Kevin watched through a small opening in the barn. He could see Ianucci standing there with a smug look on his face. What he wouldn't give to have the opportunity to punch that look off his face.

Kevin was sure that Katie would have no idea who the man she was talking to was, but he was certain she was going to find out very soon.

Ianucci's driver started walking toward the barn. Kevin could see Katie say something, but he could not hear what she said. The man stopped. Then, he slowly turned around and headed back to the vehicle. Katie, then, returned to talking to Ianucci.

Kevin wondered what the hell Ianucci was doing out here. He had never known Ianucci to care about horses in any way other than betting on them at the track. There was only one other reason Ianucci could be out here.... him.

Ianucci knew where his goons had dumped him after beating the shit out of him. Ianucci knew everything his people did. Of course, he would want to know what happened when they were finished with him. There was no other reason for him to be here. He never left the city unless it was to travel to some luxurious resort.

"So much for my plans on staying here after working off my debt."

He watched the two men get back in the SUV. As soon as the engine started up, Kevin made his way to the stairs and moved up to the loft. Katie had been too good to him. He could not be responsible for all of her hard work being put in jeopardy.

He grabbed a backpack he had and started stuffing a few items of clothing into it. He looked around the loft that had been home to him thanks to Katie, then he went down the stairs. Moving immediately to Ellie's stall, he was disappointed to find that she was out in the field. He was going to miss her.

Walking out of the barn, he saw Katie heading his way. As she got closer, he said to her quietly, "I'm sorry. I appreciate all you have done, but it is time for me to go. Him coming here is not good for you. Sorry, to get you involved."

 

[zydrate]

The man looked around the place as Katie approached him. The guy who drove and opened the door for the man stayed near the rear of the SUV, as he took looked around, taking in everything.

"Well?" Katie said, impatient about all this. The man was someone that reminded her of one of Sean's clients. The kind of man who expected women to be in the kitchen and serving the male species.

The man at the rear of the SUV started to walk toward the corral and Katie spoke up, "Move any closer and I'll let my dog loose on you." Chance, who was sitting protectively next to Katie seemed to be extremely guarded with their visitors.

"Now," she turned her attention to the man again, "Either tell me what you're doing here or leave. I'm very busy."

The man just smiled before speaking, "About 6 weeks or so, a man was... lost up in this direction. He had called us... well, he called me, telling me he was lost and well, we hadn't heard from him since. I was wondering if maybe you've see anyone strange to this..." he looked at the span of the farm, "place? Perhaps near here?"

So this must have been the man Kevin was talking about...

With a long pause, her expression not changing, "Listen, Mister..."

"Ianucci, Paul Ianucci, I-"

Katie interrupted him, "Mr. Ianucci, I'm not sure who you're looking for but all I have here are hired hands, several horses and a dog that is very hungry right now, so, if you don't mind, I have to get back to work."

They held each other's stares for a while before the man relented. Katie knew it was best to be direct with men like him. She wasn't up to playing games. She knew who he was looking for but why? She wasn't sure. She also had a feeling this wasn't over.

Watching the SUV drive away, Katie thought it was probably time to get a locked gate or something where they needed her OK to come onto her property, all in all, she could write it off as a business expense saying it was for the safety of the horses...?

When he was gone, Katie turned and called out to the hands take a lunch. She saw Kevin with a bag in his hands and immediately realized what was going on, "Whoa... no no..." she nudged him to the back of the barn, away from prying eyes, "Kevin, you don't have to go anywhere, I mean, you can if you want, but seriously? That was the guy?"

"I truly don't think you need to worry about anything, OK? It's going to be fine... everything will be fine. Let's just see what happens from here... sound good? It'll be fine."

 

[BeachBum25]

Allowing Katie to nudge him to the back of the barn, Kevin didn't want to make a scene in front of the hired help.

"Yes Katie. That's him. That is the guy who gave me a job in college, then forced me to work for him, then had my ass kicked and left for dead on the edge of your property. If I would have had a gun, I may have shot him and buried him in the back field with his bodyguard."

He looked at her. She was one tough cookie. She really was Wonder Woman. The way she handled Ianucci and his goon was pretty damned impressive.

"Katie, you don't know that guy. If he was here looking for me, it means he won't stop until he knows where I am or what happened to me. I am not worried for me. It is you Katie. It is you I am worried about."

Pausing for a second and looking around to make sure nobody had come back in their direction.

"Katie, I care about you. You went out on a limb and you took care of me... saved my life. Then you gave me a chance to pay off my debt to you by working around here and I found my calling, but I am not going to put you in danger. If he did what he did to me.. someone who was a college roommate of his son and who had worked for him for years.... he will have no problems with doing something to someone he has no connection to. I can't take that risk Katie. You have too much going for you. You have done an amazing job here and it will only get better. I am not going to be responsible for messing that up.... or for putting you in danger."

Without thinking, he took Katie in his arms and hugged her. Whispering, "I wish I had been able to spend more time with you. You are an incredible woman who is going to do great things." He kissed her cheek, then looked into her eyes. "Sorry I got you involved in this."

 

[zydrate]

Katie listened to Kevin and his reasoning; she understood what he was saying. “OK, Kevin, I get it…just slow down, OK?” She looked around, making sure no one was near, “If you leave, I’m not going to stop you. But just think about it, if you leave now, you’ll be right behind him if he stays around in town and starts asking questions.”

Chance came over to watch them, sitting between them as he often did.

“Let’s wait, OK? Give it a few hours and later this evening, I can take you wherever you need to go.” She let it sink in. Like she had said, she wasn’t trying to keep him there but if this Ianucci guy came back around, surely, he would see Kevin walking on the side of the road if he was lucky to a ride out of town. “Seriously, what if the sheriff saw you also? Like I said, I’m not trying to stop you, just think about it and how it would be better to leave later tonight.”

“Think about it, OK? I hate to see you go. And I’m not talking about this debt you want to owe me. But I understand your reasoning behind it…” she had wanted to say more but now wasn’t the time to get sentimental… if he stayed until later tonight, they could talk more?

“I would say go upstairs, stay up there and just… wait until nightfall, is that OK?”

 

[BeachBum25]

Listening to what Katie said, Kevin remained quiet and contemplated what she was proposing. She did have a point; if he left now, he might just run into Ianucci out on the main road or in the town. He definitely should wait for a while and let Ianucci make his way back to Denver.

"You may be right Katie, but the longer I am here, the more trouble it could be for you. I would rather put myself in danger than put you in danger." He looked into her eyes. "Listen, I am not going to go upstairs. If I am going to stay here, I am going to work. I can stay inside the barn and I can clean all of the stalls. I know they were supposed to get cleaned this afternoon. You can have the guys who were supposed to do the stalls do something else."

He was not going to be sent to his room to hide. "When I finish up here, then, I will get out of your hair and not be a bother to you anymore."

Kevin did not wait for a response from Katie. He put his bag down and moved around her to start getting to work in the stalls. He did not turn around to see if Katie objected. He just went about doing what he said he was doing.

Working on the ranch was not glamorous work. It was dirty and sweaty and often smelly, but Kevin actually enjoyed the work. He felt like working on the ranch was honest work where the harder you worked, the greater the reward was that you received. He was going to miss the ranch, and he definitely was going to miss Katie.

As darkness set in, he finished up his work, and he helped usher the horses into their stalls. He spoke to each of them as he put them away. Then, he spent a little time talking with Ellie. Besides Katie, Ellie was the one he was going to miss the most. He rested his head against Ellie's. "I wish I didn't have to go girl, but I can't risk it. I can't put Katie in jeopardy. I care too much about her."

 

[zydrate]

After a quick shower, Katie got dressed in a pair of yoga pants and t-shirt. She tossed her hair into a messy bun before grabbing her coat and heading out the door. She had plans today to try another round of short rides with Duke but after this afternoon’s fiasco with Ianucci, she had put that on hold and would do it another day this week.

Yes, she had told Kevin she wasn’t going to keep him here but in reality, she had gotten used to his presence. Not just with his help but just having him in general. They had each other to talk to… she had grown to care for him over the past few weeks even though her mind seemed to be mostly on making her business work. Hell, she didn’t think she’d be able do to a lot with out Kevin there to help. It just felt… right…

Stop it, Katie… she thought to herself as she grabbed her keys and looked around to make sure she wasn’t forgetting anything. Chance, sensing Katie was going somewhere, got excited and walked with her as she walked to the door.

After locking up, which Chance right behind her, Katie headed to the barn to get Kevin. As she reached the fence, she heard a vehicle driving up the driveway and Chance immediately barking. Without hesitation, Katie went to her jeep and grabbed a shotgun from the back, not sure who would be showing up at this time of night. She leaned the gun against the front of jeep but out of sight as she stood by it while the vehicle approached.

She recognized the SUV.

Ianucci. Great… what did he want again?

 

[BeachBum25]

As he talked to Ellie, Kevin heard a vehicle pull up the driveway. This was not normal. Kevin knew it wasn't good. It was either Katie's ex, or the Sheriff, or..... fucking Ianucci.

Of all of the bad choices, Ianucci was the worst. Him coming back just meant that he knew. Either he knew that Katie had helped him, or he knew Kevin was here, or both. No matter what, it wasn't good.

He moved to where he could watch Katie talking with him. He could make out the shotgun leaning against the front of her truck. She was no joke. She was going to meet Ianucci head on. Damn, was she special.

It appeared to Kevin that the conversation was not going well between the two. Kevin could see Chance move from a sitting position to a standing position. Even from this distance, Kevin could see the hair standing up on Chance's back.

There was no way that Kevin was going to let Katie take all of the heat. Kevin moved out of the barn and started walking toward them. When the bodyguard started to move in his direction, Kevin said to him, "You take another step and the dog will eat real well tonight. You won't have an opportunity to get the gun out of your holster, I promise you that."

Then Kevin looked at Ianucci. "What is it that you want? Why don't you just leave the lady alone. Wasn't it bad enough that you had them kick my ass and shoot me? What is your worry, that I am going to go to the authorities? If I was going to do that, it would have happened a long time ago. I wouldn't have gone to the locals, either. I would have gone to the feds because I know you are paying off the local cops in Denver. You forget, I was a straight A student, and I am very observant. Now, leave here and leave the lady alone. If anything else happens around here, or if anything happens to either one of us, or to the dog or any of the horses there is an attorney who will follow my instructions and deliver a large envelope to the FBI."

Kevin shrugged his shoulders as he stared down Ianucci. He had no idea whether Ianucci would fall for his bluff. If he did, Kevin knew what he had to do real soon.

 

[zydrate]

Why was she not scared? Katie wondered to herself. Normally, she figured this was the type of guy who was used to his mere presence to intimate people but for some reason, Katie just wasn't bothered by it. She held up her own when the man, Ianucci stepped out of the vehicle once more as he did earlier that day. She was leaning against the grill of her jeep, the shotgun within her reach.

Again, the big man's good stepped out with him.

With a huge sigh, Katie had her arms crossed in front of her, "Back again? What do you want?"

The man didn't answer and only smiled at Katie... as she ignored the good with him.

They stared at each other for a big before the big man spoke, "I asked about you around town... seems you have some strange 'man' living with you. He doesn't talk.. wasn't brought on with your hired hands, I-"

Katie interrupted him, "Get to the point."

The man seemed taken aback. Katie returned his glare. Poor Chance, he was on edge... he wasn't used to having a lot of people on the property and had just gotten used to the hired hands... at least a little bit...

That's when Kevin came out, confronting Ianucci. Katie tensed up but did her best not to show it. She just continued to stare at both men and their exchange. She didn't question Kevin about what he was talking about but she did wish he hadn't come out. She had things under control... right?

No, not really. Truth was, Katie was scared. But she remained calm.

When there was a tense silence between all, Katie spoke up, "Now... please leave Mr. Ianucci before I call the Sheriff. And trust me, he doesn't care who you are or where you come from, he'll just be happy to meet his arrest quota for the month."

 

[BeachBum25]

Kevin continued to stare right at Ianucci. He was tired of worrying about whether they would come looking for him. He was angry that Ianucci had returned and was giving Katie a hard time.

"This will be the last time that you or any of your goons will visit this ranch. In fact, it would be in your best interest to know have anyone come anywhere near here or the town. I am going to be contacting the attorney, and changing my instructions. If I so much as stub my fucking toe on a piece of furniture, that package goes to the FBI. In essence, you are now the personal protectors of anyone and everyone and everything that has to do with this ranch. Make sure your fucking cronies know it."

He remained surprisingly calm but was forceful with his words. He had spent years under this man's thumb. Now, he wanted Ianucci to know he was not playing his games anymore.

"Don't worry about contacting any of your connections in the local FBI offices. I am not dumb enough to do it here, so, save your breath. Now, it is time for you and your ass kisser to be going. Oh, and I am going to recommend that the property owner contacts the Sheriff to let him know that you have been told you are not welcome here and that you and anyone you know that comes onto the property is trespassing."

Looking at the driver, Kevin smiled. "You heard what the lady said... get out and take him with you. This is the last time I expect to see either of you in this lifetime."

 

[zydrate]

Katie was ready. She didn't know for what but she had the gun within reach. Again, she had never thought of shooting anyone but if given the need in defense, she knew she could.

She watched Ianucci and his goon. After what seemed like forever, she saw Ianucci just smile and look at Kevin before looking back at Katie. He winked at her. Katie could only glare at him. What the hell was that for?

No one said anything as the men got back into their vehicle and drove out from the driveway and back toward the entrance. Katie refused to move until they were out of sight and by then, Chance hadn't calmed down yet... and neither had Katie.

After a bit, she grabbed the gun and picked it up, and placed it back securely into the jeep's underside backseat. She then looked over at Kevin, "What now?" She wasn't sure what he wanted to do. Did he still want to leave? Was this all over? Did she just help open up a can of worms? "Do you really have all that on him? You know, those papers for the FBI?"

 

[BeachBum25]

Kevin watched the smug look on Ianucci's face as he looked at him, then looked at Katie and winked. He was such a piece of shit who thought he was better than everyone else.

When they drove away, Kevin did not stop watching the SUV until he could no longer see the taillight, and then he kept looking for a little longer.

He waited for Katie to put the gun away, and was about to tell her that he was sorry for getting her mixed up in all of this, but she spoke first.

"Katie, I don't have anything. I have nothing, and he knows it. He just backed off because he needs to make sure. He knows where I am, so, he can take his time and verify, or refute what I said. Then he will be back.... No, he won't come back. He will send his goons. Fortunately, what it does is gives me time to get out of here and to make sure he knows I am not here anymore. If he wants to get me, he is going to have to hunt me down."

Before she could say anything, Kevin turned and headed toward the barn. He called over his shoulder to her. "Thanks for everything Katie. I am not going to be here in the morning. I will lead him away from here."

He was telling partial truths as he walked away from Katie. The one thing that was accurate was that he wouldn't be here in the morning.