Authors: Storm Riders
She shook her head. “No. I don’t care. Whatever it was. It’s over with. So are the storms.
There won’t be any more today. Come on. Let’s get this back to the lab.” Her assistant sighed but didn’t argue. They both climbed back into the van and headed back to base. On the drive back, George ran the encounter over and over again in her mind, but couldn’t come up with a rational explanation about the rider. Her mind tried to dismiss the event as something from her imagination, but now in the morning light, she knew what she saw was real. Jeremy had seen the horse and black clad cowboy stand before the storm. It had to be. It just had to be.
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“Wyatt, what in the Sam Hell was that?” Landon asked, closing the paddock gate.
Whirlwind snorted, seemingly agreeing with him. The white mare shook her head and peered at him with intelligent amber eyes. He also sensed her displeasure with his partner.
“What?” Wyatt grinned. His dappled gray mount pawed the ground sharing his amusement. He let the horse take the lead, back up, and then leap over the fence and land smoothly next to the mare. He slipped off the horse and patted him appreciating the ride they had. “Good times, buddy. Good times.” Tempest nudged his hand before bumping his head against Whirlwind, who snubbed him and turned to head into the pasture. He shook his head. “Guess she’s not happy with us either.”
“Wyatt!”
He rolled his eyes and faced his fellow Rider. “What, Landon? I didn’t do anything.” He took off his cowboy hat and ran his fingers through his sandy brown hair. The only thing he hated about his vocation was how full of dirt he got. There was no getting around it though. Wrangling twisters kicked up a lot of dust and debris.
“Don’t give me that shit eating grin of yours. How many times have I told you to stop hot doggin’ and do your damn job?” Landon crossed his arms over his chest. “I told you to turn the twister to the right and what did you do, you turned it to the left and then got out in front of it.”
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He shrugged. “I was having a little fun. Besides, the couple in the van didn’t seem to mind that I was there for the rescue.”
Landon’s expression darkened. His green eyes narrowed. The muscles twitched along his jaw. The bottom of his ears and neck turned burgundy. Wyatt rarely ever saw his partner get this pissed. “There was a van! You
let
them see you! What did you do?” He raised his hand and stepped toward Wyatt.
He put up his hands and backed up. “Whoa! Nothing happened. Calm down, bro.
I jumped over the van. They were storm chasers or something. Some chick and some young dude. They were doing the normal thing hoping to take pictures or something.
Whatever those crazies do. Who cares? They’ll chalk it up to a hallucination on their brush with death.” He began to walk toward the house to get some chow when Landon grabbed his arm.
“It’s not
nothing
,” he said in a controlled voice. “If you were seen, we have to report it.”
“Why report it? He doesn’t need to know. No one does. I’m not going to say anything. I know you’re not going to say anything. Or are you going to have another repeat of what happened before?”
Landon winced at the comment. He had hit a sore spot even though his partner was disciplined for it twenty-five ago. Wyatt remembered the time Landon had been reprimanded and he didn’t want his fellow rider to have to deal with that again.
“No. We don’t want that to happen again, but if you see them, then you have to tell me and we’ll take care of it. Raul doesn’t need to get wind of it. Promise me you’ll be more careful.” Landon rolled his shoulders, stowing his anger.
Wyatt whistled glad to see his partner calming down. “I’m sorry, man. I’ll keep my eyes peeled.” He didn’t wait for a response and walked toward the house for a shower to wash the grit from his tanned skin. The dirt and grime snuck underneath his shirt and even worked its way between his teeth.
“Back so soon?” Gina asked. He glanced over and saw her pouring over paperwork at the kitchen table. He straightened up and put on a smile. She had no idea 12
what the riders were. She got paid well not to ask questions no matter how strange it was when her bosses disappeared without a word for days on end at times.
“Yeah. Landon wasn’t feeling up for the long ride. Guess he’s getting rickety in his old age.”
Gina snickered. “Well. I wouldn’t say he’s old, but he does look damn good for his age. Not that I’m looking, of course, but mmm if I could have me some of him. That ass…” She stopped and blushed. “Sorry, Wyatt. I didn’t mean to get all personal commenting on your partner and all, but damn.”
He chuckled.
If you only knew the truth, you’d be chasing after him.
“No worries, G. I’ll let you in on a little secret. No matter what Landon tells you, he loves hearing about how good he looks. He’s really a Narcissist under that gruff exterior.” Wyatt winked at her and then sauntered off into his rooms. It was easier to put up the façade that he and Landon were lovers than explain the truth.
She wouldn’t believe it anyway. Who would?
I
didn’t when I was first offered the position and that was a long time ago. A very long time ago.
He opened the door to his rooms enjoying the warm earth tones of the walls. A long leather couch was the focal point before a large stone fireplace. The mantle he had carved almost a hundred years ago held mementoes of a bygone era. Slipping off his coat, he hung it on the coat rack near the door and inhaled the heady smell of the sage he’d been burning before he was called away. The remnants of the herb were in a bowl before the hearth. The walls were wood panels and stone. A few plants were here and there, but most of the walls were covered with Native American blankets and rugs he’d collected over the years. He pulled off his black T-shirt and shook it out. Bits of dirt and cornstalks fell from the creases. He stopped before an old-fashioned silver frame with the picture of a woman in it wearing a high collared dress and her hair piled on top of her head. His fingers trailed over the curve of her face following a familiar smudge on the glass. The photograph had been with him ever since he became a Storm Rider. He’d had nothing to live for. Patricia had died of pneumonia after a long winter. Her loss devastated him. He didn’t care about life any longer. He frequented saloons and gambled away what little money he had. One night, when he was falling down drunk and half dead from being beaten up, he’d been given a new lease on life. The offer had 13
given him something to live for, but now little brought him joy. Riding Tempest was one of the delights in his world. In their world, they were given orders to tame storms and direct twisters. When they weren’t doing that, they had regular lives, relationships, and whatever else they wanted to do until they were called away.
Tempest and he were joined together on a deeper level than he could fathom. They sensed one another’s moods. Along with the horse, he was also granted immortality.
Now the enduring years were rubbing on him. “One day, I’ll rejoin you,” he whispered.
In all of his years since losing Patricia, he’d never found another woman who had that same spark about her. The intense feeling that he could lose himself in a woman and be happy. Now the only fun he had out of life was pushing the boundaries the way he had today.
Who cares if the storm chasers saw me or not? They’ll run back to wherever they came
from and forget about me.
Even Tempest had egged him on about showing off before them. Then Landon’s strained expression ran through his mind.
Maybe he’s right. Maybe
I have to stop.
A smile turned up his lips as he stared in the bathroom mirror. “But what’s the fun in being good, when being bad is so much better.” He might have missed his wife, but there wasn’t any point to lingering on it. Time had healed some of his wounds and he enjoyed the company of other women.
Speaking of women, that one who I saw today in the van was pretty sweet. Maybe I can
look her up. What was it that the van said? University of Oklahoma I think it was. Wonder how
far they drove to get out here? I’ll have to look her up. First shower.
He winked at his reflection and turned on the faucet. He stripped the rest of the way down, anticipating the blast of hot water on his skin which would massage his muscles.
Maybe she has a
friend. I can certainly use a night out.
He stepped into the steady stream and let the water take away his passing sorrow. He would relax a little and then get gussied up and hit one of his favorite bars.
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Landon headed into the stable to review the schedule for the next few weeks. He saw they were booked solid for riding lessons. He left the everyday planning to Gina and only got involved when he had to. Gina was more or less the cog that kept the ranch rolling and he made sure she was paid well enough for it. Sitting down, he set his hat on the empty chair next to him and skimmed the calendar to see if Gina had left any notes for him. There was one from her requesting a couple of days off. He glanced at the days and saw it was later in the month.
Damn it. Right in the middle of tornado season.
The few months when he and Wyatt were on call almost every minute of the day.
Oh well,
we just have to deal with it. She is, after all, only human.
Human. I’m not really sure I remember what that’s like these days. Wyatt’s more human
than I am. That boy just doesn’t get it. He could’ve exposed us by appearing to those storm
chasers. They’d better not have taken any photos of him. If Raul finds out about it, Wyatt will be
punished and he won’t be able to handle it. Hell, I almost didn’t handle it.
He heard a nicker next to him. Whirlwind stuck her head in through the open window sensing his mood. She nodded her head and banged the wall. He chuckled and went over to her.
“You’re such an attention whore. You know that?”
She was amused. They’d been together for two hundred and fifty years and he’d never broken the rules except once and she’d been there with him. She was one of the things that had gotten him through the months of agony. For six months, he had been 15
subjected to the tortures of the rider commanders. He’d learned his lesson and would never reveal his true nature to anyone again. The scars on his chest and back were a forever reminder of his insubordination. He knew the consequences when he first made the decision to become a rider. Interfere with the mission and suffer the punishment of the angel Commanders. If he messed up again, he was out of the riders and death would be instantaneous. It was different if he left voluntarily, then he would live out his life. He shivered at the thought of seeing one of the angels again. Raul was bad enough, but the angels were dangerously beautiful and almost impossible to look upon.
“So, lovely lady, you know you’re the apple of my eye don’t you?” He pulled out a carrot from the refrigerator that he kept in his office and handed it to her. She batted her eyelashes at him. He laughed and rested his head against hers and scratched behind her ear. In his mind, he saw a picture of a little girl seen through the eyes of his steed. The same girl, who was the reason, he had been punished some twenty-five years ago now.
“Yeah. I was thinking about her. Sometimes I wonder if it was the right thing to do.
Maybe I should have left her to the storm.”
Whirlwind nipped his finger and he sensed her displeasure. She sent him another picture of him holding the girl in his arms, the twister passing over both of them, and saving her from the craziness of the storm. “Ouch! What was that for? I can think whatever I want. And yeah I guess I would’ve done the same thing over again. I wasn’t expecting her to be right there in the path of the twister. It’s just… I worry about Wyatt.
He doesn’t understand what a dangerous path he dances on.” The mare rested her head on his shoulder. Her concern for him and his partner rolled through his mind. There was a questioning in her thoughts. “You worried about Wyatt too?”
He didn’t get an answer. “The little girl?”
She snorted.
“What about her?” Landon stared into her dark brown eyes waiting for an answer.
He wished they had a better way to communicate, but they had an unusual system that they both hated at times. Other riders could actually hear the thoughts of their steeds.
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Wyatt was only able to sense his horse’s moods so he was lucky that he could receive the pictures from Whirlwind. He saw the little girl and himself, with his hand covering his eyes, looking off into the distance.
“You want me to search for her?”
She nodded her head in agreement.
“Why would you want that?”
Whirlwind backed away from the window, pranced off into the field, and didn’t answer him. He shook his head and watched the mare disappear. A few moments later, a small whirlwind blasted through the window and knocked his hat off the chair. It was the horse being her sassy self. He enjoyed that she had spunk even though she was a mystical animal formed from the elements. She had chosen him when he accepted the position of rider and they fit together perfectly. He wondered what she was up too.
“You day dreamin’ again?”
Landon glanced up and saw Gina leaning in the doorway. She’d worked for him for six years now and never complained about the long hours or the strange lifestyle the two men had. She was more concerned about the horses than anything else. She shared part of the house. Over the course of the years, she’d seen a few strange things, but never commented on them.
He smiled. “No. Watching the horses. How’s everything going?”
“Did you see my leave request?”
He nodded and stroked his chin feeling the beginnings of a beard.
Maybe I’ll let it
grow this time.
“I did. You trying to escape this wonderland and go off to some tropical paradise? Or has Simpson finally won you over?”
She gave him a sly smile. “Well, he did up his offer last time I saw him.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “And what did you say? Do I lose you?” Gina remained silent, forcing him to wait. Then again, they had been playing this little game for years now. Miles Simpson was a rancher a few towns over who continually tried to steal her away.
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“Well I told him that once hell froze over then sure, I’d take him up on his offer, but that’d be a very long time. Come on. You know I’d never leave you. My sister’s getting married. I’m the Maid of Honor.”
“Well that’s wonderful. Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Landon asked.
She shrugged. “Didn’t think you’d care. I’ve noticed you’ve been preoccupied recently. You’ve been away a lot and lately you’ve been getting all these creases next to your eyes. It’s ahh…something I’ve noticed over the years. Is everything okay between you and Wyatt?”
He struggled to keep a straight face. Sometimes he wished he’d never let Wyatt talk him into letting Gina think they were together. His right hand was an attractive woman and there was more than once he thought about asking her out, but because he was supposed to be gay, that ruse wouldn’t work. So he played along, but he knew she had a crush on him. “I’ve had a lot on my mind. That’s all. Things this time of year make me tense with the weather being so unpredictable and all. Twister season blows in fast. I want to be sure we have all the necessary provisions on hand, in case something happens, so that the horses are safe. Things between Wyatt and me are fine.
Thank you for asking.”
She ran her hand over a blanket. Her brows furrowed and she chewed on her lip.
The Jeep engine gunned to life in the driveway. He glanced out the window and saw his fellow rider dressed to cause trouble.
I hope he’s not going to get into anything tonight.
That’s all I need is to bail him out of jail again because he gets into another fight.
“Well, I assume it’s okay for me to take the days off?” Landon focused back on Gina. “Yeah. Please take as long as you like. We can handle things. We did before you came on board.”
“Thanks.” She left the room, but then popped her head back through the open doorway. “You sure everything’s okay with Wyatt? I know it’s none of my business, but I’ve noticed he’s been going out a lot. He’s not messing around on you is he? I wouldn’t want to see you hurt. If you ever need to talk, I’m here. After all these years, I’d hope that you know you can confide in me.”
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“I do. And I appreciate that. Wyatt does things to his own beat. No matter what I do, I don’t control him. I can caution him, but he thinks he’s hot shit. He has to find his own way. If that means exploring other avenues then so be it.”
“So you’re telling me that he’s not sure if he’s gay and he’s out trolling for women?”
He chuckled. “You could say that. He and I have an understanding. Don’t worry about it and if you happen to find someone in the house…well just keep an eye out.”
“You’re the boss. But he shouldn’t be treating you that way.” He strolled over and kissed her cheek. “I might be the boss, but I value your opinion.” He went past her and headed toward the house. When he got to the driveway, the rubber from where Wyatt had peeled out darkened the asphalt. He sighed and walked into the house looking forward to fixing a good meal and relaxing.
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