'The Weekenders - Part 7'
"Orion's Reach" Ranch House
McDaniels Family Residence
Appalachian Mountains , VA
Clay buckled the last cinch on the saddle and swung himself lightly onto the horse.
"Come on Casey...what is taking you so long?"
He called out to her.
"Oh it's fine for you..."
She called out from the stable stall she was in.
"...Clemene is easy to saddle...but you just try saddling Phaeton!"
Clay grinned as he leaned forward on the pommel of his saddle to wait.
Phaeton was Casey's favourite horse, a black Destrier,19 hands high and half a tonne of pure attitude...bad attitude.
They were a perfect match!
He nudged Clemene into the stable, Casey was swearing under her breath at Phaeton as she finally got the saddle fastened and settled herself onto the massive beast.
"Ready?" he asked amused.
Casey gave Clay a look that would turn most men to stone.
"Thankyou for all your help Clayton!" she said caustically.
"Anytime!" Clay said tipping an imaginary hat to her.
She poked her tongue out at him and urged Phaeton onward.
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09.04am
Saturday
Mac stood on the front porch of the house looking out at the fields of wildflowers.
She still couldn't shake that feeling of coming home she got from this place.
The old screen door gave a squeak as Harm came out to join her at the wicker table setting.
He carried the case files they had promised to work on while they were up here in one hand and balanced a tray of coffee & cookies on the other.
"Casey and Clay going out?"
He asked seeing them saddled up and ready to ride.
"Yeah, I said we'd meet them at the waterfall for a picnic lunch."
"We're not riding out there are we?"
Harm asked with a smile.
Mac tried not to laugh as she thought back to their earlier discussion about horses and the consequences of her teasing Harm.
"Uh...no, we can walk from here, it only takes about 15 minutes and Casey said it's a beautiful walk."
Harm nodded, he too was thinking about what happened outside the stables.
"Mac?" he began "About what happened earlier..."
Mac gave him a sidelong glance.
"Don't you dare tell me it was a mistake Harm..."
Harm gave her his fly-boy grin.
"Not a chance...I wouldn't change a thing...except.." he trailed off.
"Except what?" Mac asked
"Except I would have done it 2 years ago if I'd know you felt the same way."
He finished with a smile.
Mac gave him a look that made his heart leap.
He leaned over her and brushed his lips to hers.
Mac wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him in close to her, she moaned as his tongue traced the line of her lips.
Harm's heart raced, this felt so right.
The ringing of the phone interrupted their interlude.
"Someone has really lousy timing." he quipped.
With a sigh Harm released Mac and went to answer it.
"Rabb" he said as he picked up the phone.
Dead silence greeted him.
"Hello?" he said.
There was someone there...he could feel it.
"Hello...who is this?" he asked again.
The silence on the line ended as the call was cut off.
Mac walked in from outside.
"Who was it?" she asked.
Harm shook his head.
"No-one...there was no-one on the line." he said.
Mac shook her head.
"Probably kids with nothing to do." she said with a smile.
Harm nodded and smiled at her.
"Now where were we.....Oh yes right about here.."
He said pulling her into his arms again.
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11.48am
Saturday
Casey looked at her watch, they had been riding for two and a half hours now, circling the property in a wide arc.
Phaeton gave a snort and threw his head back.
Casey had kept him on a tight reign this morning, partly because he had deliberately given her so much trouble with the saddle earlier, but she knew he wanted to gallop.
"I'm gonna let Phaeton have a run...think you and Clemene can keep up?"
She asked Clay
Clay gave a derisive snort of laughter.
"You're gonna try and beat me and Clemene on that thing?" he asked.
Casey gave him an offended look.
"Race you to the waterfall spy-boy...and no shortcuts"
She said.
"Deal...loser makes dinner tonight."
"You're on." she agreed.
She gave Phaeton a nudge and let the horse have his head, he flew across the meadow towards the waterfall.
To Clay's surprise the large horse was amazingly fast, he watched with some admiration as Casey and Phaeton jumped over a fallen log.
Clemene, although a much smaller horse was not to be outdone.
She gracefully galloped her way across the meadow following inches behind Phaeton.
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11.48am
Saturday
The sound of thundering hooves caught Mac and Harm's attention as they set the picnic basket and blanket down near the waterfall.
Hearing a shout of laughter they turned around and in the distance they could see Clay and Casey streaking across the meadow on horseback, each trying to out-race the other.
Casey gave a shout of triumph as she reached the spot where Harm and Mac waited.
"I won...you make dinner"
She said to Clay as he reigned in Clemene beside her.
"You cheated!!" Clay said slightly breathlessly.
Casey threw back her head and laughed.
"I cheated? You're just sore because you lost!"
Clay gave her a disgusted look.
"Your horse in on steroids...I demand a drug test!!"
Mac and Harm watched as Clay (ever the gentleman) dismounted then walked over top Casey's side and helped her from Phaeton's back.
"We let you win y' know."
He said with a grin as he set her on the ground.
"Sure you did Clay...and I'd like dinner by 8.00pm"
She said as she prepared to set Phaeton loose in the paddock.
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14.00EDT Saturday
Lunch was long since over, but they had stayed by the waterfall enjoying the serenity of the spot.
"Ooh I feel like I'm gonna explode I'm so full."
Mac groaned as they lay on the picnic rug .
"Why don't we go for a walk?" Harm suggested.
Clay and Casey said they'd pass, but Mac keen to do anything that involved her and Harm alone agreed to go for a walk.
Harm and Mac set off on the trail that lead up to the bluff.
"Race you to the top?" Mac asked.
"What does the winner get?"
Harm asked with a leer.
"Whatever they want"
She said with a suggestive smile.
"Deal"
Harm said as he took off at a run leaving Mac behind.
"Harmon Rabb Jr. you cheater!!"
She yelled after him.
She took off after him, sprinting along the shadow darkened path towards the bluff. As she rounded the corner she saw Harm fall over a tree root.
"Serves you right for cheating"
She yelled as she easily passed him.
"Mac...wait up.."
Harm called out as he got to his feet.
He ran after her, but as he rounded the next bend he could see all the way to the top of the bluff...Mac wasn't anywhere to be seen.
"Mac?" he yelled out "C'mon Mac you won, I lost I admit it. Come out!"
But Mac never answered.
After half an hour of calling out her name and checking in the nearby area Harm got worried.
He walked back to the picnic area where Clay and Casey sat talking.
"Hey!" Casey said surprised to see him back.
"Have you seen Mac?" he asked.
Clay and Casey shook their heads.
"She was with you, she hasn't come back yet."
"What happened?"
Harm told them about his falling over and then coming around the bend and Mac was gone.
"Maybe she got lost and is trying to head home?"
Clay suggested.
Casey nodded.
"I'll head back and see if I can see her on the way, you two keep looking out here. Clay I'll call you on your cell phone if she turns up at home...you do the same if you find her?"
Clay nodded.
"I got a bad feeling about this." Harm said looking at Clay. "Something is wrong , Mac wouldn't just disappear like that."
Clay agreed but kept it to himself.
Casey saddled Phaeton again and headed back towards the house at a gallop.
She agreed with Harm, something about this situation didn't feel right.
20 minutes later after a quick search of the house revealed Mac wasn't there, Casey headed to the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee.
It was then that she noticed the light on the answering machine blinking.
She pressed the button to listen to the message.
"Hello Harm old buddy. Just thought I'd do you the courtesy of letting you know that I have the lovely Major with me here. She's a little tied up right now and can't come to the phone, but she sends you her love. *sigh* you two would have made such a lovely couple."
Casey gasped, it was a voice she could never forget.
Clark Palmer had Mac and he was after Harm to get her back.