The Taming (The Black Thunder Series) Read online

  Black Thunder Series

  The Taming

  CARY WEST

  The Taming, book one of the Black Thunder Series copyright © 2014 Cary West Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying,

  recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the above author of this book. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademark status and trademark owners

  of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  Copyright © 2014 Cary West

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN:978-14943488300

  ISBN-13:1494348837

  DEDICATION

  To Virginia City, Nevada

  May your history and legends live forever

  CONTENTS

  Acknowledgments

  Prologue

  Chapter 1. Cowboys and Barbie Dolls

  Chapter 2. Dulcet Dreams

  Chapter 3. The First Day

  Chapter 4. Migraines and Softer Sides

  Chapter 5. Propositions

  Chapter 6. Cinnamon Buns and Working Deals

  Chapter 7. Whisky and Women Don’t Mix

  Chapter 8. It’s a Laundry Thing

  Chapter 9. State Your Intentions

  Chapter 10. Just One Kiss

  Chapter 11. Endings and New Beginnings

  Chapter 12. Rock My World

  Chapter 13. This Means War

  Chapter 14. The Right Way to Ride

  Chapter 15. Glorious Mornings

  Chapter 16. Interviews and Innuendos

  Chapter 17. And That’s That

  Chapter 19. What Have I Gotten Roped Into

  Chapter 20. History Remains in the Past

  Chapter 21. Sun Worshipping and Drunken Fools

  Chapter 22. Stand By Your Man

  Chapter 23. We Regret to Inform You

  Chapter 24. Betrayal of Another Kind

  Chapter 25. Day of Reckoning

  Chapter 26. Through Eyes of a Child

  Chapter 27. Second Chances

  Chapter 28. Deciphering The Language

  Chapter 29. Flat Tires and G.E.D.’s

  Chapter 30. Brazen Behavior

  Chapter 31. Flashback From The Past

  Chapter 32. Broken Promises and Wounded Pride

  Chapter 33. Time to Pay The Piper

  Chapter 34. Running Wild

  Coming Soon

  About the Author

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  To my husband, Jon, thank you for your undying patience and for remembering what I look like from the nose down once my face was no longer plastered in my laptop writing.

  To my children, thank you for listening to my endless chatter about my work, reading every piece and encouraging me to move forward. A special note to my daughter, Jessica. Thank you for being the best critique artist as well as the best graphic design artist for the book’s cover.

  To Lisa, for all your long hours of reading, critiquing and encouraging.

  To my number one beta reader, Stephanie, I could have never done this without you. You gave me the courage to keep writing when I didn’t have faith in myself. I love you for that!

  To Debbie, thank you for being my first genuine fan and reading every single book and being “brutally honest” by saying you loved them.

  To my editor, Stacey Kucharik, thank you for saying my work was “clean” when it wasn’t and for transforming my dream into a reality. You are wonderful!

  To Amy, thank you for having eyes like a hawk and catching every little detail. You are awesome!

  To Mark, thank you for supporting me all those long years ago and telling me I was a writer. I guess you were right.

  And I want to say a special thank you to all my readers because you are what matters the most. Stories can only come alive if someone is willing to read them.

  PROLOGUE

  Kate Harris stood on the front porch and watched the movers place the last remaining box into her new place. She would have liked to call it home, but it wasn’t.

  Her home was Santa Cruz, a place where it was warm and the sun always shined with boardwalk strolls and long afternoons on the beach. She was native to California, and although Nevada was the state next door, it seemed like worlds apart. Instead of palm trees lining the streets, there was an array of tall peaked mountains, winding roads, old abandoned mine sheds, and a vastness that even Butch Cassidy could get lost in.

  Kate sat on the porch swing and watched the moving truck depart, creating a cloud of dust as it rumbled along the dirt road and disappeared from view. She stood and entered her new dwelling, a converted carriage house made into a halfway decent living accommodation with its living quarters on the main floor and a loft to house her bedroom and bath. It wasn’t fancy, but with a little effort she had no doubt she could make it a home.

  She worked most of the day unpacking boxes. It wasn’t in her nature to let things sit. When she finished downstairs, she moved to her bedroom. There was one box remaining, and she sighed knowing what it held.

  She sat on her bed and like a zipper, peeled away the clear line of packing tape from the box. She pulled out a stuffed brown bear and held it in her hands, running her fingers along its fuzzy ears and down across its tiny black nose. She pressed her eyes shut at the memory of carnival lights flashing against the black sky and she could still hear organ pipe music drift through her mind. A wash of melancholy rained on her mood as she circled the clumsy scribbling of P&K Forever in the center of its heart.

  The little bear was a prize he had won for her. She felt special back then. Kate released a despondent sigh and set the bear aside on her bed. She rummaged through the box until she found the photograph. She stared at the picture of the perfect couple.

  The woman was dressed all in white with long flowing hair the color of the sun, mingling with a string of pearls and lace. A thin veil caressed the soft features of her feminine face, and her blue eyes sparkled like the ocean. The man was dark-haired and handsome with his finely sculptured black suit. They looked so happy and in love.

  But he had devastated her, shattering her world like a piece of glass. He had fallen in love with someone else. The illusion fell apart five years to the day as betrayal became her reality. It was your fault the voice echoed. You drove him into the arms of someone else by your preoccupation to become pregnant.

  It was a mistake to bring this box, she thought as tears filled her eyes. She placed the picture and the stuffed bear back in the box then resealed it and moved it to the rear of her closet, determined to start over.

  Kate went downstairs and made herself a cup of tea before walking out onto the front porch. She leaned against the porch rail staring out across the Virginia City sky. The familiar smell of coconut oil and the Pacific sea air was replaced with the sweet pungent fragrance of sagebrush and dirt. Not like home, she thought as she took a sip of her tea.

  She placed her cup on the railing and walked down the porch steps. She wandered along the dirt path heading into the foothills, treading cautiously not to step on a rattlesnake, or something worse. Her friend Clara had warned her about the dangers of high desert living.

  She should probably call her and tell her that she arrived safely. It was Clara Barton and her husband Adam who found t
he carriage house and the part-time job for Kate until the teaching position opened up in the fall. She was to clean the bunkhouses situated on this fifty-acre horse ranch in exchange for living in the carriage house.

  She met Clara in college, and they became instant friends, best friends to be exact. But after school Kate returned home to Santa Cruz, and Clara back to Virginia City. They remained close over the years, and after Kate’s divorce Clara convinced her to come out and try her town, get away from the rat race and find solace in a place where you can connect to yourself again. That’s why Kate agreed. She couldn’t deny there were wide open space and a solitude here that could beckon anyone to begin hearing their own voice again.

  Kate continued on the path entering the mouth of the canyon. She navigated the walk through sagebrush and rock when a slippery reptile, looking more like a dragon than a lizard, scurried across her path. She came to a dead halt and screeched. The lizard, startled, darted back into the sagebrush, acting more scared of her than she was of him.

  She forged deeper into the canyon, climbing the sloping terrain. Rocks slipped under her sandaled feet and Kate thought that maybe she should turn back. But just then she felt a low rumble sending tiny pebbles across her feet. She stopped, feeling the vibration beneath her soles. A tremor, she thought. She was all too familiar with earthquakes, but never having lived in Nevada, she wasn’t certain if they experienced the same earth movements like California.

  Once more the earth started to rumble, and a loud sound like thunder was heard in the distance. It was coming straight toward her. Kate looked to the left and then to the right, searching for a safe place to hide. She ran up along the rocks and situated herself on a boulder as the roaring sound whistled through the canyon like rushing wind. She stretched her neck to get a better view at what caused the thunderous sound ricocheting off the canyon walls. Mounds of dust appeared from nowhere, blinding her as the maddening train sound roared closer.

  And then she saw him, emerging from the canyon, nostrils flaring and eyes as black as night. A stallion, coat as dark as his eyes, a magnificent breed, and behind him a herd of ten or more mustangs following as they charged through the canyon road that only moments before Kate had been traveling. They forged into the foothills, hooves scraping on rock.

  The stallion paused and bid his herd to fall back and graze. He lifted his head, the wind billowing through his black mane and snorted a cry. His ear perked sensing a presence. He turned in her direction and stood on his hind legs while his front legs struck the air with strong pride.

  Kate couldn’t move, she was frozen to the rock. Their eyes met and he motioned in her direction. Once more several loud snorts escaped through the large black nostrils, moving in and out in rapid succession. Like steam pouring out of a locomotive, his breath escaped his indents. Kate’s heart beat rapidly in her chest and she felt her face wash white.

  The magnificent beast reared up again and issued a warrior-like cry. His hoof scraped along the ground, creating a cloud of dust at his feet. The stallion trotted alongside her as if he were parading his magnificence before her. He stopped in front of her and snorted, spraying her with a mist of his scent. Then he bolted, heading back into the canyon and taking his herd with him.

  Kate sat frozen, fingers scraping against rock, blinking in disbelief. Slowly she began to breathe again realizing she’d been holding her breath the whole time. Never before had she seen a horse up close, much less a wild one, and this one was magnificent. No, more than magnificent, he was majestic, almost regal. A fierce warrior, and Kate had the feeling he could have crushed her if he wanted to.

  She slid from the rock, her legs still shaking. She glanced into the canyon and wondered if it was safe to move away. She planted her feet firmly on the ground and felt for any movement then breathed a sigh of relief feeling none.

  She made her way out of the base of the canyon and onto the leveled path, then she high-tailed it out of there, running as fast as she could back to the carriage house.

  One

  Cowboys and Barbie Dolls

  What did you say?” Kate leaned forward trying to hear Clara over the crowd and noise. They were celebrating Kate’s arrival, and there was no better place in Virginia City than The Bucket of Blood Saloon.

  The elongated bar was filled with tourists along with the locals; Nevada men, rugged and wild wearing cowboy hats, spurs, and cigarettes rolled up in their sleeves. Two bartenders wearing old-timey shirts and red garters on their arms kept up easily with the crowd’s demands. They were large, like bouncers, and Kate had a feeling they would have no trouble handling a rowdy patron and tossing them out on their ear. Kate and Clara sat along the wall, having found a table before it got too crowded.

  “So what do you think?” Clara yelled over the loud roar of patrons, country music, and the jingle of slot machines.

  “It certainly is different than going to the Martini Bar back in Santa Cruz,” she returned a shout as a long haired cowboy with handle bar mustache bumped into her chair.

  “Sorry darling,” he slurred with a sloppy grin, holding her shoulder a little longer than she liked as if for support.

  Kate nodded and watched him stagger on then gave her friend a worried look. “Relax,” Clara laughed. “He’s harmless.” Kate wasn’t so sure, eyeing the intoxicated man sling himself onto another woman and kiss her. “Are you excited to start work on Monday?” Clara asked pulling her friend’s attention back to her.

  “I guess so,” said Kate wondering what she had gotten herself into. She saw a group of bikers enter the bar and followed them as they stationed themselves at the bar top. “They look scary,” she whispered loud.

  “You’ll get used to it after a while. Here, finish your beer. It will make you feel better.” Clara pushed the drink into her hands and wasn’t satisfied until she finished it.

  “Have you heard anything from the school board?” Asked Kate, gaining the courage from the gold liquid warming her belly. She didn’t want to become a nuisance, knowing Clara had helped her with that too, but it was the reason why she moved out to this desolate brown town to begin with.

  “Adam says they’re still reviewing the applications. But he put in a good word for you and they were impressed with your résumé.”

  “I hope so. I need that teaching position Clara.”

  “You worry too much.” She brushed off her fear knowing her friend already had the job and the interview was just the formality. “You always did have to have everything tied together in a nice neat package. Sometimes you have to go with the flow.”

  “I don’t work that way.” Kate stated as her eyes popped an anxiety blue, thinking about her summer job. “And I never thought I would be here housekeeping for a living.”

  “It won’t be so bad. You have a measly five bunkhouses to clean on the ranch. You’ll be done by noon and then you will have the rest of the day to do what you want.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of.” She fumbled with her empty glass. “What am I going to do with all that free time?”

  “Be adventurous for once in your life,” encouraged Clara. “Live a little. Do something spontaneous for a change.”

  “I can be spontaneous,” she said defensively.

  “Really?” Clara lifted her brow and tilted her head.

  “Okay, so I like my life planned out. It gives me a sense of security.”

  “You can’t plan everything darling. That’s when life backfires on you.” Clara had a point. Her planning had backfired on her big time, and now her head was spinning. “Quite thinking so hard or you’ll give yourself a migraine.” Clara eyed her friend shrugging off her rising anxiety. “I think it’s time for another round.” She stood from her seat, ignoring Kate’s protests. “I’ll be right back. Don’t run away, yah hear?”

  Clara sauntered up to the bar, shimmying herself between two ruggedly handsome men, local cowboys smelling of earth and beer. She leaned her elbow on the bar top and called out to one of the bartend
ers above the crowd. “Two more of everything Frank.”

  “Coming right up Clara,” he called back.

  Clara turned her head and looked at one of the cowboys. He was tall, rugged, and definitely all male. From under his cowboy hat a lock of dark brown swept low over the arch of his brow as cactus green eyes caught sight of her feminine frame. “Hey there Clara.” His lips parted to show a perfect set of teeth.

  “Hey yourself stranger,” Clara smiled at her old friend. “I didn’t think I’d see you here tonight.”

  “Needed to unwind a spell. You here with Adam?” He glanced around the room for her husband.

  “No, I’m here with Kate.”

  “Who-” He asked returning his attention back to the short red head.

  “Your new tenant and employee.” Clara shot him a dirty look.

  “Oh, her.” He shrugged as if he didn’t like to pay much mind to such matters, which he didn’t. He let his ranch manager take care of those details.

  “You have met her, haven’t you?” She lifted a curious brow.

  “Been too busy,” he said as a pretty little brunette caught his attention and an admiring smile formed on his face, watching her leave the saloon.

  “Jack McBride, I swear you have the manners of a mule.” She scowled and smacked him on the arm regaining his attention. “Well, she’s over there if you want to say a friendly hello.” She pointed toward her friend.