It was obvious that Jake had taken a fall at some point because his entire left side was covered in mud.

"He's on Night Storm," said Beth, her fingernails digging deep into the flesh of my forearm. "Excellent choice."

Night Storm was an award winning Thoroughbred, the fastest horse in the stables and Beaudry's pride and joy. Jake pushed the horse to its full capacity, quickly coming up from the back of the herd. As he moved his way forward, the other cowboys made way, giving him room to pass.

And boy, did he ride.

Man and beast rode as one, lightening quick, Jake's body bent low at the waist to mimic the horse's shape. He was arranging his ropes in his hand, one end grasped between his teeth.

Beth was right. It really was a sight to see.

Once he was near the leading animals, he pushed Night Storm to the right, closer to the herd. Then, Jake released the horse's reins, but Night Storm kept moving forward at breakneck speed.

My heart thundered in my throat, the sound of it louder than the horses' hooves. My lips parted to take and expel short, fast breaths through my mouth.

Now riding alongside the stampede, Jake took his rope in his hands and stood, his boots braced on the stirrups. I'd seen roping done during rodeos, of course, but it was so incredible to see it in a natural setting, when the result actually mattered.

Jake swung his loop, and within seconds, he had it circling above his head. At his command, Night Storm miraculously picked up even more speed until he was head to head with the troubling black mustang.

The rest was so fast I barely saw it happen. Jake threw his rope, I blinked, and the next thing I know, the mustang was on its side on the ground. At the sudden stop, Night Storm reared on his hind legs, his body nearly vertical to the ground, but Jake stayed neatly seated.

"Hell yes! Now that's a motherfucking cowboy!" whooped Beth, jumping to her feet and raising her fist into to air.

Shotgun blasts continued to reverberate through the canyons as the rest of the cowboys continued to work on the remaining horses. With the lead animal down, the stampede had lost its momentum, and within fifteen minutes, they were able to round up the exhausted horses.

"C'mon. Let's go," said Beth, scrambling to a sitting position.

"Go where?" I followed suit, picking off the small stones embedded into my skin.

"I'll bet he's going to try to break Satan now," she said, excitement lighting up her eyes. "I would pay good money to see that!"

"Don't you think we'll be punished? For being out here?"

She waved a hand dismissively. "What are they going to do to us? You muck shit and I haul hay. How much lower can we get in the pecking order of things?"

I shrugged. She had a point. We mounted our horses and started our descent down. We went slowly, cautious to keep from startling the horses again.

Although the dust had settled somewhat, the hum of nervous energy was still heavy in the air. Beth gave a wave when Jimmy spotted us. He shook his head to himself in response. We tied our horses and approached him.

"You girls are riding way too far off property," he said.

Beth nodded eagerly, then launched a tornado of questions at him.

He shook his head again. "Give me a minute girl. I haven't caught my breath yet."

"Are you gonna put Satan down?"

The man's sun leathered face wrinkled as he frowned and stared off into the distance. "No place here for a horse that can't be broke. Or anywhere else for that matter."

"I thought Jake was going to try and break him."

Jimmy shrugged. "It don't look good. Damned thing won't let anyone near it."

"But did you see him running? Hell, I think he's even faster than Night Storm."

"Oh, he's a beauty alright, but like I said, there ain't no use for a horse that can't be broke."

Beth looked crestfallen. "Are you at least going to let Jake try?"

"Haven't decided."

"Where are they anyway?" Beth asked, glancing around.

"Jake's still trying to run him down." Jimmy whistled. "Satan's endurance and stamina is out of this world. Never seen nothing like it."

"Can we stay and watch? We won't be any trouble, we promise," said Beth.

Jimmy looked from Beth to me then back to Beth again. "I s'pose it's too late for you girls to be riding back alone anyhow."

Beth squealed and rolled her feet. I grinned.

"Next time, don't ride out so far. And not this near sun down you hear? And stay away from the horses. They're still spooked."

We nodded and quickly made ourselves scarce, retreating to the field where we'd left our horses. We took a seat on the grass and waited.

*****

Almost half an hour later, Jake arrived on Night Storm, towing a tired, but still trotting Satan by a rope around his neck. Jimmy approached the trio, stopped a good distance from Satan and looked up at Jake. Words were exchanged, but both he and Jake used such minimal body language that it was impossible to guess what the conversation was about.

Jake dismounted and Jimmy led Night Storm away by the bit.

Beth's fingers clasps my forearm again, hard enough for it to hurt. "He's gonna do it," she squeaked, "He's really gonna do it."

I had to smile at her enthusiasm - it was infectious.

The other cowboys too, gathered in a semicircle around Jake and Satan. Satan was panting hard, his head drooping, foam dripping from the corners of his mouth. Jake approached slowly, using the ropes around Satan to pull him closer to his body. Despite his obvious exhaustion, the horse's body immediately tensed in resistance. Arms crossed tight over his chest, Jimmy's lips pessed into a tight line.

"They can smell your fear you know," Beth whispered. "You can't show fear."

Jake gave the horse some space by loosening the reins and started walking slow, wide circles around it. Satan was wary, kicking up his heels and jerking his body away from Jake.

"What exactly is he trying to do?"

"Hard to say, it's not a normal case."

Jake knelt and threw the rope around Satan's forefoot.

"Oh, he's going to try to get him down on the ground."

We nudged our way closer to the group, stopping just outside the semi-circle. I nearly yelped out loud when Satan reared and bucked, his eyes wild and panicked. Jake barely escaped being trampled by dodging the horse's hooves.

"That's enough Jacob!" said Jimmy, stepping forward. "He ain't having it."

"He's got this," said Jake without turning around, "Give me a minute." He released the horse's foot from the ropes.

Jimmy shook his head. "It's over. I'm pulling the plug."

Jake turned, his eyes flashing. "There's no such thing as a horse that can't be broke. Give me another minute," he said. It was difficult to read the expression on his face, but Jimmy grumbled and stepped back.

Jake untangled all the ropes from the horse and threw them to the ground. He rubbed his hands together and faced the horse. His lips were moving, so I knew he was talking to it, but I couldn't make out the words.

"Jimmy, if he lets me on him right now, I get one month's time to break him," said Jake.

"You ain't getting on that horse boy," said Jimmy. "He's determined to fight you to the death."

"If I do," repeated Jake, "he gets a month's reprieve."

Jimmy stroked his chin thoughtfully, then gestured the go-ahead.

Up close, Satan was massive. He really was an incredible horse in prime condition, well-muscled and powerful. He still paced, tossed his head and snorted, his entire body wired with a visible nervous energy.

"He's not just going to jump on that horse, is he?" I asked under my breath. "That's crazy."

"I don't know," Beth said, never taking her eyes off the spectacle. "Normally that would be insane, but I know they've tried everything with him." She shrugged. "No two horses are the same. Who's to say what will and won't work for this one?"

I swallowed hard.

Jake approached the horse, slowly, with a calmness that he had to be faking. The horse back stepped. Jake raised his hand and held it to the Stallion's face, holding it there with infininte patience until he sniffed. Then, he ran it alongside his mouth, collecting the froth gathered around it.

Beth squealed softly in delight. "Ahiga Saganey."

"The what?"

"He trained Earl Waites. I mean, say what you want to about the guy, but before he got lost in the bottle, he used to be one hell of a horseman and a famous horse whisperer. Ahiga Saganey was stable master before him and trained him - the old Navajo way. He must've been nearly a hundred years old when everyone realized that Earl Waites wasn't going to get better.

They said he jumped out of his death bed and taught Jake everything he knew for a month. Every single day from dawn to dark, he worked with Jake and then he died. He's buried on property, you know, both he and his wife are."

I winced as Jake took his saliva covered hand, put it in his own mouth and rubbed his fingers along his own gums. Then he smeared the froth on either sides of his neck and finally ran his hand through his hair. All the while, he kept his eyes trained on the horse, watching and whispering in a language I couldn't understand.

I don't want to say it was magic, because that seems silly, but it kind of was.

No, Satan didn't instantly calm down and take Jake on without a fight. Oh no, he struggled until the very end, but Jake did, in fact, manage to mount him. And he stayed on the bucking and rearing horse for a good minute until Jimmy nodded and told Jake to get off.

Beth verbally confirmed Satan's stay of execution by yelling across the field. When Jimmy confirmed, Jake jumped off the horse, landing on his hands and knees on the dirt, then rolling onto his back and breathing hard.

He turned his head, and noticed for the first time, that I was standing there.

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