Even before Roque stood up and went dangerously faster, Ritz was trembling with a mixture of fright and wonder.
Dont, she pleaded silently.
But he stretched both his arms out like wings.
Nono Even as she begged, her heart thrummed, and her spirit sang along with those thudding hoofs.
Yes, she breathed. Yes.
Roques wickedness and wildness made him seem like a god, who was connected by spirit and blood to the mare he rode, connected to the endless sea of purple grasses, to the darkening sky itself, to the whole universeconnected even to her. Shed felt the same thing last night, only now her feelings were stronger.
Buttercup galloped so fast, Roque did indeed seem to fly. When Caleb spread his own arms like wings and ran after his brother, she did the same thing. The three of them soared on their make-believe wings, running round and round, both flying and dancing.
Caleb and she ran after him until they collapsed in laughter, breathing hard. Ritz put her hand over her heart as the galloping horse and the bad Blackstone boy flew away. She began to laugh, forgetting all sense of ownership when Roque turned, and she realized he was galloping back to her.
Hes magical, she whispered. Hes like a centaur.
Buttercup slowed and Roque sat down again and smiled down. A stillness descended upon her when he came close and held out his hand to his brother.
Do you want to fly?
Caleb shook his head.
I do! she cried in an eager voice that did not belong to her.
Roque gave her a long look. Then he leaned down. This time when he extended his hand toward her, she grabbed it.
Sweet heat flicked through her veins like summer lightning. Oh, what had gotten into her? Was it his wildness? His badness?
Caleb shrieked with joy and ran up to them. Kneeling, he cupped his dirt-encrusted hands. As bravely as Jet, Ritz put her foot in his fingers and sprang up in front of Roque. His warm hands circled her waist, burning her skin through her thin blouse.
When he urged Buttercup into a trot, she forgot all about hating him.
Never had cantering been such a glorious experience. It was like dancing. A chemistry flowed between the three of them. They werent just a boy and a girl and a horse. They belonged to an ancient world and a primitive time that was truer than anything modern, a paradisiacal time before man had been expelled from the kingdom of nature.
He stood up and then helped her to stand, too. When she teetered, crying out to him, he steadied her until she got her balance. Soon she was holding her arms out just as he had. Slowly his thrilling hands at her waist fell away. Then he extended his arms behind hers, and they were flying together, racing in that endless magical pasture, the thudding rhythmic hooves singing in her blood.
For a few brief moments there was no high game fence, no feud. It was just Roque and her and the magic between them. Then a black pickup sped toward them on the caliche road, belching angry white fantails of dust.
For a few brief moments longer, horse and riders were free, and the range was as wild and open as their hearts. Ritzs hair blew against Roques dark face, so that she felt herself part of him as well as part of the sky.
Then the truck braked. Benny Blackstone hopped out, shaking his fists and cursing when he saw Caleb running toward the galloping riders with his arms outstretched. Not that Ritz really heard Ben.
Buttercups hoofs were thudding, and she felt too wonderful. Even when Roque turned Buttercup, so that they seemed to charge the truck and Caleb, she was only vaguely aware of his father.
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Ben leaned inside the cab and pull his Winchester off the gun rack behind the drivers seat.
Caleb Ben shouted. Sunny
Caleb stopped, but Buttercup kept galloping at him, Benny raised the rifle to his chest.
Caleb yelled when his father aimed at Roque, No! Daddy! No!
Roque let out an Indian war whoop and charged faster.
The Winchester cracked. And still Roque charged.
Almost carelessly Benny ejected the empty shell and raised the rifle again. The gun popped a second time, bouncing rocks in front of Buttercup. The mare reeled. With a scream, Ritz tumbled backward into Roque.
He grabbed her, rocking precariously, grabbing wildly at the air. Buttercup reared.
Dios, he muttered as her forelegs came down with a thud.
Ritzs heart was pounding when he slipped. Still, holding her, he shielded her somehow. His body struck the rocks first. She fell on top of him, crushing him against the ground. Something inside her knee popped. When she tried to stand up, she couldnt.
Mad with fear, Buttercup circled them frantically, got too near and stepped on Roques arm.
The bone snapped, but Roque didnt utter a sound. He lay in a broken heap like a doll thrown down by an angry child, his dark face as white as bone.
Sunny! Benny shouted. Are you crazy? He was trying to kill you! How many times do I have to tell you to stay away from him?
Caleb ran to Roque. You shot himdeliberately! Therestheres blood on the dark grass. Caleb drew back a hand, wet with the stuff, and began to cry.
Ritz knelt over Roque and choked on a sob. Roque! Hes not moving.
Through her sobs Ritz heard Calebs muted pleadings. His father stalked toward them, his Winchester lowered now, his expression grim.
Move, kids. Benny sank to his knees and examined Roque. When he was done, he stroked Roques black hair for a long moment. Hell be all right. His voice was strange, hoarse. Take more than a fall to kill a devil like him. Broken arm. Lets hope itll teach him a lesson. He shouldnt have charged me. Run get a blanket, Sunny.
When Caleb loped off, Benny fiddled with his radio, shaking it and cursing. In a few minutes Caleb was leaping back through the tall grasses with the blanket. His father took it and threw it over Roque.
Youd better git, he said to Ritz.
My knee
Damn. I cant get anybody on the radio. Im going to have to call the ambulance from the house. Can you stay here with him until I get back? Ill phone your parents and tell them whats happened. If he comes to, dont let him move
Her eyes widened. You cant call my daddy! When you come backif youll just put me on Buttercup and leave the gate open.
He shook his head. Im liable for you. You stay here. Roques just crazy enough to hurt himself if he comes to alone and is disoriented in the dark.
She looked at Roques crumpled body and then at the black sky. Then she rubbed her burning eyes and nodded. Daddys going to be so mad.
Benny stood up. Come on, Sunny.
I want to stay with Roque, too!
This wouldnt have happened, if youd stay away from him.
Benny Blackstone seized Caleb by his collar and pulled him, his boots scuffling across the rocks, all the way to the truck. They roared away in geysers of white dust.
Ritz swallowed a hard lump in her throat. Roque lay so still. He was very white, and his hair spilled like rich black chocolate across the rocks and grass.
Roque? Leaning closer, she caught his scent, which was musky, and clean, all male. Roque! she yelled.
When he didnt answer, she brushed a lock of his hair from his brow and gasped. His beautiful face was swollen and out of shape.
When he didnt answer, she brushed a lock of his hair from his brow and gasped. His beautiful face was swollen and out of shape.
Oh! No! She pressed her hand to his temple. When her finger came away sticky, she didnt dare shake him. Roque! PleasePlease wake up!
High above them, the evening star twinkled like a lonely sentinel in an opalescent, purple sky. Then a gray owl swished low over their heads toward the oak mott, melting into the dense shadows of the brush. A chorus of night bugs began to sing.
His pulse! Thats what she was supposed to check for!
At the thought of laying even a single fingertip on that dark throat, she sucked in a quick breath. With an eye on his still, white face, she lowered her hand and ran it along his warm skin all the way to the base of his throat.
Finally, when her fingers were still, she felt a flutter. She pressed harder, and the pressure of his hearts slow, steady thudding, made her own heart leap.
Dont die, she whispered. Pleaseplease
She lifted her St. Jude medal and said a fervent prayer to the saint. And then she looked up at the new stars and the moon and prayed to God, too.
Hardly knowing that her fingers unfastened the silver chain, she removed the medal. She caught her breath. Aunt Pam had given her Uncle Busters medal at his funeral. Ritz had promised to treasure it always.
With a heavy sigh, Ritz fastened the medal around Roques dark neck.
Save him, she murmured. Please, Uncle Buster and St. Jude, and you, too, God.
Roques eyes remained tightly closed.
After that, time passed in slow motion. Ritz rubbed her neck, and felt all alone and scared as she thought of the puma and those pointy ears shed seen earlier.
When a pack of coyotes began to yip off to the north, she began to shake as hard as a rabbit or whatever little animal they were terrorizing. The sky and brush blackened ominously.
Aloud Ritz said, Roque, Ill stay out here all night longin the dark, no matter how scared I get, if you just, pleasepleasedont die. Ill even take back every mean thing I said. Youre not nastyoror pure sinjust cause you wear tight jeans. Im sorry I watched you pee. It was fun flying with you. The most fun I ever had in my whole lifeuntil you charged
Clasping his lifeless hand, she bent closer, so that she could broadcast straight into her powerful medal.
You won Buttercupfair and square. You can have her, tooif youll only wake up. Andandyoure not stupid, even if you flunked a grade. Nobody but a rare, genuine genius could talk horsecould learn it from a bookwhen you can hardly read. Andand it wasnt Jet last night. It was me! I watched you dance, so dont you dare die.
Horror mingled with delight when he stirred and she felt his gaze.
Youre just scared there wont be anybody to teach you horse if I die, jeered a thready voice that made her heart leap.