Page 7 of Roping Her Alien Ranchers

The pasture ground was dew soaked and the world fell silent as I swung open Sass’s exterior gate to let her prance out and join Mystery. I really didn’t understand why he hated her so much. She was a sweet thing. Though, she’d given as good as she took a few times, teaching Mystery that she wasn’t a complete pushover.

Artie whinnied as I began to stride out through Sassafras’s gate. I backed into view and smiled at him. “I’ll come let you out just as soon as I know those two aren’t going to be at each other’s throats.”

He stared at me with his docile, shiny eyes and pulled his head back over his inner gate.

The rising sun hit the fence posts, light inching across the grass farther and farther. I strolled slowly to Mystery, keeping in front of him, making sure he could always see me. “Now, we’re going to take this real slow, okay?”

He stood stock still as I took the reins. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing, or if he was biding his time until he could bite me properly. But, as I started walking, he followed behind with little hesitation. Maybe we were getting somewhere. Hope fluttered in my chest.

“We’re just gonna walk over to Sass. See if we can’t get within a few feet of her before you act like a jerk.” I kept talking to the horse, trying to put him at ease.

But as we got nearer to the mare, Mystery's reaction was immediate and depressingly familiar. His ears pinned back flat against his skull, and he snorted with such disdain I could practically hear him saying, "You expect me to mate with her?"

“Just a little closer. You can do this. She’s a great girl.” I pulled, but now he was locked in place, refusing to follow me. I tugged at the reins and, in response, Mystery turned sharply, presenting his hindquarters to us both—the equine equivalent of a middle finger.

"Oh, for God's sake," I muttered, dropping the reins and walking over to Sassafras. The mare lowered her head as I lifted my hand to stroke down her nose. "Give her a chance, you stuck-up jerk."

When I stopped petting her, Sassafras nuzzled my pockets for treats. When I didn't immediately produce something yummy, she lost interest and wandered away. By this time, Mystery had turned around. He wasn’t one to be left out when it came to treats. He took a tentative step forward. Now, I did reach into my pocket and grab two of the baby carrots I’d taken from the kitchen.

Mystery moved another foot or two nearer. Sassafras, interest piqued again, started moving my way again… closer to Mystery. The stallion stiffened, muscles tensing beneath his glossy coat.

"That's it," I encouraged, stepping between them and holding both arms up, hands holding carrots. "Just get to know each other. No pressure."

For a brief, hopeful moment, Sassafras continued to approach Mystery, her steps tentative but steady. Mystery even took another two steps. Then, as if remembering their mutual antipathy, Mystery let out a warning snort. Sassafras responded by braying loudly, her hind hooves stamping the ground roughly. They looked like they were going to get into it again, and I didn’t have the mental energy.

"Gosh damn it!" I hissed, tossing the carrots in opposite directions so they’d be distracted and move farther away from each other. "What is wrong with you two?"

For the next hour, I tried every trick I could think of. I led Mystery around the paddock on a lunge line, hoping the sight of him moving with such power and grace might ignite some interest in Sassafras. The mare watched from the corner, looking more bored than aroused.

When that failed, I reversed tactics, putting Sassafras on the lunge line while Mystery grazed nearby. The stallion deliberately turned his back, focusing intently on a patch of clover as if it were the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen.

Sweat trickled down my spine as the sun climbed higher, the morning coolness burning away to reveal another scorching Kansas day. My throat was dry, my patience thinner than my wallet, even if I cashed out my bank account in ones and fives to fold inside it.

"One more try," I muttered, bringing the horses close together again.

This time, Mystery pinned his ears so flat they practically disappeared into his head. Sassafras, meanwhile, alternated between trying to nuzzle me for treats and kicking out at Mystery when he shifted even slightly in her direction. It was like watching the world's worst first date, except with fifteen hundred pounds of stubborn horseflesh instead of awkward humans. And we were way past the first dang date.

That was when I lost it. The pressure of the past months—dwindling hope, the mounting bills, Derek's smug voice echoing in my head—it all crashed down on me in that moment. I ripped my cowboy hat from my head and threw it on the ground with such force that dust puffed up around it.

"You are damn stubborn animals!" I shouted, my voice cracking with frustration as it echoed across the empty pastures. "Do you have any idea what's at stake here? Any concept of what happens if you don't make a baby? We lose everything! Everything!"

Mystery merely tossed his mahogany head, looking almost smug as he trotted away. Sassafras whinnied nervously, retreating to the far side of the paddock. Neither appeared the least bit moved by my outburst.

I stooped to retrieve my hat, dusting it off against my thigh before jamming it back on my head. "Fine. New plan. You guys go into the other pasture, duke it out or get along, I don’t care. But Artie deserves to enjoy himself without you guys stressing him out.”

First, I took Sass’s lead and walked her to the long gate, currently closed, set into the fence that separated this large enclosure, and the adjacent. I undid the padlock and pulled off the chain, swinging the gate outward to make a gap. I walked slowly, in no hurry to navigate another disappointment. When I dropped the mare’s lead, she galloped off, hoofs kicking up dust. I didn’t put the horses in this side often. The grass wasn’t as nice, not great for grazing. Plus, the horses liked to roll in the dirt here. Or mud, if it was a rainy day. And then I’d be stuck scrubbing them clean.

Returning to Mystery, I glared at him when he tried to turn around and give me his haunches. “Nope, not this time,” I chided, grabbing his reins. “You’re going in with your girl whether you like it or not.” He huffed, and I swore rolled his eyes. “Yes, your girl. She’s the only one you get, bud, so better get with the program. I can barely afford your feed, let alone a different mare for you to reject.”

Maybe it was my tone, or the firm way I began tugging at him, but Mystery actually complied, walking beside me to the gate I’d left ajar. I took him through and let him go.

"Maybe a change of scenery will help," I said, watching Mystery stand still for a moment, shake his mane, and then trot off. "New place, new attitude. Worth a shot."

It wasn't worth a shot. Mystery immediately claimed one corner of the paddock, while Sassafras took the opposite. The invisible line dividing their territories might as well have been an electrified fence for all the crossing that happened.

I marched back through the gate, securing it closed this time, and headed to the stable and Artie. I felt like I’d neglected him while trying to save a lost cause. Not just today, but all the recent days.

Walking into the stables through Mystery’s stall, I went to a shelf at the back of the building and grabbed a few sugar cubes from an airtight container. Those were for Artie, and, after a moment’s thought, I grabbed a whole handful of the sugary, rectangular prisms. "Bribery couldn’t hurt," I said softly.