Heaven’s breathing turned ragged, and she lowered herself to the ground on shaky legs. “We can’t let that happen. Not again,” she said, her voice high pitched and shaking. “Not again. No. Not again.”
I squatted next to her and cupped her chin, hoping to bring her back to me before she got in too deep to the memory of that day. “Heaven!” The sharpness of my voice snapped her gaze up to meet mine. She stared for a moment, her breath heavy in her chest, and her eyes wild and scared. “You’re okay. We’re not going to let it happen again. We’re not going to let it happen again, okay?” I asked this calmly and with enough determination that all she could do was nod. I stroked her hair back off her face until she relaxed under my hands. “Better?” I asked, and she nodded once. “Good, come on, let’s have a drink.”
I helped her up, and we sat on the blanket I had next to the fire, my tent pitched and ready for the night. I loved sleeping outside under the stars, and the tent would go unused unless it rained. I handed her a shot ofJim Beam, and she tossed it back in one swallow, holding the glass out for another fill. I obliged. After the second shot, she let out the long breath she’d been holding since she saw the white ‘red’ dog.
“Are you okay?” I asked, rubbing her knee to calm her.
She brought her knees up to her chest and clutched them with her right hand. “I’ve had a bad night. The memories keep dragging me under, and nothing I do makes it better. I’m sorry for losing it.”
“You don’t have to apologize, Heaven. I swear you spend half your life apologizing. I’m the one who is sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up. I just wanted you to understand the significance of not only her birth but also what happens going forward.” I started rubbing her shoulder to calm her but also to ground me. I had to protect this woman at all costs from anything that might try to hurt her ever again. The realization was a hammer to my chest. So was the idea that, somehow, I had to be the one to teach her how to forgive herself for what happened in that pasture all those years ago. If I didn’t, not only was I going to lose this beautiful woman, but the rest of the world would too. I wasn’t okay with that. Not now, not ever.
She nodded, but I could tell she was still trying to process it all. “Is it a girl?”
“I couldn’t see a Mr. Monster anywhere when I used the binoculars.”
Heaven snorted and rolled her eyes to the sky. “What are you going to do? You don’t have many options if you want to keep her a secret.”
“It’s not a secret what we do on Bison Ridge. For most people, it’s no different than raising cattle for meat. The difference is, the majority of the nation doesn’t understand that bison aren’t domesticated. No matter how many articles I do, or interviews I give, I can’t seem to get that across to people.”
She stretched her legs out toward the fire and leaned back on her hand. “And the irony is, people think that just because cattle are domesticated animals, they can trust them not to hurt them. A ticked-off bull will not stop charging just because you’re in its way.”
I pointed at her as I swallowed the whiskey. “Exactly. It’s no different. Here’s the situation as it stands. That angel in there has to be protected. I can’t do that. I can’t keep her safe from natural predators, which is why the bull is in there, but I can’t keep her safe from humans either. I can’t protect her from the freak show this ranch could become if word got out that we produced a white bison. The second half of the equation is, she was born of a cow I purchased from another ranch. It wouldn’t take them too long to realize that cow was pregnant when they sold her.”
“Hey, that’s on them,” she said instantly. “If they were too stupid to check their cows, then they have no recourse.”
“No, they don’t, but they can make it aboutthemand not her. Do you see what I’m saying?”
Heaven was silent for a few moments before she raised her head. “They could demand them back, leak it to the papers, or try to poach her.”
“Right, and I can’t let that happen. I have to protect every living thing out here, humans included. To that end, I’ve decided to take a trip this weekend.”
“But the rodeo is this weekend,” she said, and I nodded, staring at the fire.
“Rodeos are for young guys, not thirty-year-old men with responsibilities. If I got hurt, this operation would go under, and then Callie’s death would be for nothing. You made me see the light on that, Heaven. We see ourselves as invincible, but the truth is, we’re all made of breakable bones. If I broke my leg, or worse, my back or neck, all of this goes away.”
“I’m sure your daddy would send reinforcements,” she said smartly. She rarely missed a chance to remind me that without my father, I would have failed ten times over. She was right in the beginning. She wasn’t right anymore. The ranch was successful now because of the sacrifices I had made along the way. I would never convince her of that, though, so I didn’t bother trying. When I didn’t respond, she finally sighed. “I get what you’re saying. I’ve lived it, and everything you said is one hundred percent accurate. I’m relieved. The idea of you out there riding bulls would just scare the crap out of me. Not to mention, I hate it for the bulls.”
“I know you do, but that’s because you respect the animals and what they do for us.” I rubbed her back again, loving the warmth as it soaked into the palm of my hand. My hand strayed to her shoulder, and I was surprised when she didn’t flinch. “Wow, Heaven, your shoulder is so much looser.”
“Go ahead and gloat,” she whispered, her voice defeated.
I squeezed the shoulder gently and let my hand fall to the crook of her elbow. “I’m not gloating. I’m relieved. Since the accident in the creek, I could feel how much pain you were in every time I stood next to you. It just radiated off you with every breath. I don’t feel that anymore.”
Her right shoulder went up and back down. “Thanks for the massager. It worked wonders. I’m going to keep doing it in hopes that it won’t knot up again. You said you were taking a trip this weekend. Where to?”
I could tell she didn’t want me to say anything more about her arm, so I didn’t. I kept my hand on her elbow and swung around to see her better. “I’m taking the cow and red dog to South Dakota. I can’t separate them for at least six months, and in that amount of time, someone will see her.”
“So you’re selling her? That’s not going to protect her,” she snarled. “You just said you wanted to protect her!”
“Shh, Heaven. Listen. I’m not selling her. I’m transferring her to a Native American tribe in South Dakota. They’ll raise her and protect her there. Once they’re ready, they’ll announce her birth.”
Her hand went to her heart, and she gazed at me with those ocean blue eyes that melted before my very own. “Blaze, that’s brilliant. I love that idea so much. She will be worshipped by the tribe, and they won’t let anything happen to her. Did they believe you when you contacted them?”
“I don’t think the tribe will believe me until I show up with the animal. You have to remember that Native Americans see a white bison as a physical manifestation of prosperity and unity. Someone claiming to have one is going to be welcomed with a hefty level of suspicion, first and foremost. Especially when it’s a white man who’s claiming he doesn’t want all the glory for himself.”
“You make a good point,” she said. “I know that’s not usually the case when it comes to a white bison. Most people profit off them in some way. Do you have a trailer to get them to South Dakota unseen?”
“I’m going to board the lower slats of my trailer to block anyone’s view of the red dog. It’s still tricky moving bison, so I have to do it with as few stops as possible. It’s only a nine-hour trip, and I decided to drive it overnight. There’s less chance of an accident or someone noticing something amiss if I have to stop to rest.”