The Cowboy Way Ch. 06

(Okay, here's the next chapter. Mandy Moore. Interesting relationship I think. I hope you guys all enjoy the story and again I encourage you to write to me and ask you to vote so I know how everyone feels about the story. Enjoy this chapter- the cowboy)

The one thing Ryley loved more than driving cars was riding horses. The thrill of being connected to an animal so powerful, and devoted to its rider, was indescribable. He had ridden horses his entire life, but the years he had spent in the saddle after the accident when that kid was killed, were some of the greatest years of his life. And he had to admit that the romantic images of the old west that riding a horse conjured up always got the ladies going.

As if in response to this thought, Cheyenne snorted, tossing his mane and causing the bridle to jingle. Ryley turned back to the horse, which had just finished drinking from the stream. He smiled and rubbed the big horse's neck, smoothing the golden coat as Cheyenne dipped his head and nuzzled Ryley's coat.

Ryley stepped alongside the horse, placed his left foot in the stirrup and swung himself into the saddle. Turning Cheyenne around he guided them back onto the trail, away from the stream where he and Brooke Burke had made love weeks before. They followed the trail in mutual silence, enjoying the profound silence of the forest around them.

Before long the trail opened up into a small field alongside the corrals at the ranch. They walked up to the door leading inside the barn and Ryley dismounted before leading Cheyenne inside. They walked to one of the stalls, whose door stood open, and then inside.

It took Ryley the better part of an hour to unsaddle, brush and rub down the big stallion. Though he didn't work for the Klines, the people who owned the ranch, anymore they had agreed to let Ryley house Cheyenne there for a small amount of money. The fact that Ryley was now 'in the business,' as they called Hollywood, meant that he was a member of the club and they were happy to board his horse.

Ryley wasn't sure if he appreciated being titled in that way, but as long as he could keep Cheyenne in a place as nice as this, he wouldn't complain. Despite all this his thoughts again drifted to Mandy Moore. It had been two days since he had talked to Steve, it had taken TJ that long to get a rig big enough to haul out all their gear to Arizona. TJ had left earlier that morning with most of the guys from the old pit crew; a few were remaining behind to run the shop. Ryley was scheduled to leave shortly.

What was he supposed to say to Mandy after all these years and everything they had been through together? The pain of their previous experiences was only sharpened by Ryley's absence from her life when her career had begun to skyrocket until it bloomed into the multi-million-album wonder that it was now.

" Well, Chey," Ryley said, as he rubbed the horse's back. " I'm headin' out for a few weeks."

The big horse merely continued to eat his oats happily. Ryley had long ago gotten over having one-way conversations with the horse. Sometimes it was just nice to talk to someone who couldn't respond. Though at times Cheyenne would respond in his own way, lending credence to Ryley's belief that animals could understand you.

" I'm gonna be seeing Mandy. Remember her?"

Cheyenne pulled his head out of the bucket of oats and turned around to look at Ryley for a moment.

" Yeah, you remember her."

Ryley stood there a moment longer, then turned and walked out of the stall, closing the door behind him.

" Wish me luck, buddy. I'll see you later," Ryley said, then turned and left the barn.

LATER THAT NIGHT

Ryley parked the Camaro next to the gleaming black Peterbilt and matching trailer that TJ had driven out from California. Alongside the trailer, Ryley saw the gleaming Cayenne red lines of the brand new 2003 Pontiac GTO. Climbing from the Camaro, he walked over to the GTO, admiring its sleek lines.

Twirling the keys to the Camaro on his finger, Ryley nodded appreciatively and walked down the length of the eighteen-wheeler. Steve had had Ryley's trailer moved out there already and he could see it just beyond the front of the rig. From the other side of the rig Ryley heard footsteps.

At first he thought nothing of it. But over the years Ryley had gotten a pretty good bead on how people acted. You could tell very easily someone's intentions by the way they moved. And it didn't take more than a few seconds for Ryley to realize that whoever belonged to those footsteps was up to no good.

Ducking down, Ryley could see someone wearing construction boots and blue jeans walking quickly, trying to be silent. As he watched, the person moved away from the truck towards another trailer, a fairly sleek, modern one. Knowing that the trailer had to belong to one of the many A-list personalities that were at the shoot, Ryley crouched lower and moved quickly underneath the trailer.

He saw that it had been a man wearing a denim jacket as well, with long dark hair. The man was moving quickly towards the trailer, like he had a purpose. Moving quickly and silently, unlike this man, Ryley crossed the parking lot. He watched the man sidle up alongside the aluminum trailer and raise his head to look through the window.

Ryley moved from his position at the end of the trailer towards the man. He got within ten feet of him when the guy heard him. Ryley ducked as the man spun around, his fist nearly colliding with Ryley's face. Ryley countered with a mean punch to the guy's kidneys, causing him to stagger back a few feet.

He stood up and made to swing with his left, Ryley moved to block it, but the punch was a fake. The guy's right hand landed on the side of Ryley's face, above his left eye. Ryley's vision blurred and he was knocked back against the side of the trailer with a loud bang.

When his vision recovered, he couldn't see the man but heard the sound of a powerful engine starting. Lights flashed on and within another second a bright red, eighties, Monte Carlo SS roared past the edge of the trailer across the parking lot. Ryley staggered to his feet and took a step back towards his Camaro, meaning to chase the guy down.

Something heavy struck him across the chest, taking him right off his feet and knocking him flat on his back. Ryley struggled to breathe as someone put their foot on his chest, bearing down on him. He opened his eyes and looked up. Standing over him was a huge, skyscraping black guy, with muscles bulging all over his body.

" Oh, fuck," Ryley moaned.

The black guy leaned over. " Got your ass didn't I? You sick fuck."

" What are you talking about?" Ryley asked, grabbing the man's ankle.

The guy pulled a radio from his belt. " This is Connor, I got him."

From the other side of the parking lot, Ryley heard the sound of engines starting up and the sound of squealing rubber. Flashing red and blue lights swept the parking lot as three police cars pulled up. Ryley looked over as two cops got out of each unit.

" Fuck this," Ryley swore.

He swung his legs into the air and kicked one around the front of the guy's body. It took him by surprise, especially when Ryley sent him flying through the air. Jumping to his feet, Ryley had six flashlights pointed in his face along with six guns.

" Freeze, buddy," yelled one cop.

" Get the fuck out of here," he replied. " I didn't do anything."

" Tell it to the shrink down at the station," replied another cop.

The door to the trailer swung open, banging against the outside of it. Ryley turned to look but couldn't see much because of the flashlights in his face. He did know that a woman was standing there, watching the entire scene.

" Stay in the trailer, Miss Moore," said the guy who called himself Connor.

Ryley shielded his eyes and saw her for the first time in years. She was standing there; her mouth open in disbelief, her long blonde hair, curled at the ends was hanging past her shoulders. She wore loose, flannel pajama bottoms and a white, halter-top.

" Ryley?"

He turned to her. " Mandy?"

She laughed and jumped off the steps, running towards him. Ryley caught her in his arms and they embraced, tightly, Mandy pressing her cheek to his. It wasn't the reception he had expected, but the feel of her body against his and her hair against his face caused Ryley to ignore these thoughts. He breathed deeply, inhaling the sweet smell of her.

" You know this guy, Miss Moore?" Connor asked.

Ryley relaxed his hold and Mandy stepped back, her hands staying on his arms.

" Of course, Connor. I've known him since I was like thirteen."

Connor walked up to Ryley. " Who are you?"

Ryley extended his hand. " Ryley Hale, I'm the stunt driver."

" How do you two know each other?" Connor asked as he shook Ryley's hand.

Ryley looked back at Mandy, her eyes sparkling up at him.

" She used to go out with my brother," he replied.

Mandy lowered her face for a moment, then looked back up at Ryley and smiled bravely.

THE FOLLOWING DAY

Ryley looked around the interior of the GTO, admiring the details of the car, while TJ was busy going over the engine. Pontiac had definitely pulled out all the stops in building this car, whose moniker was a legend from the muscle car heydays. This car, TJ had told him, was one of four that had been built. When it went into production he would have to get one, Ryley told himself.

TJ closed the hood and walked over to the driver's side door, leaning through the open window.

" Think you can handle this monster with all these friggin' cameras?" he asked.

Ryley looked around the interior again, noting the location of each of the dozen, digital cameras. They had been positioned strategically around the cabin to give different aspects for the video. The deal was Ryley would put the car through some high-speed maneuvers on the stretch of road that had been shut down for the shoot.

Fixed position cameras were going to record his antics and later some model guy would drive the car with Mandy in the passenger seat. Then the interior cameras would broadcast simultaneous images to the computers that the tech guys had set up. The director, some avant-garde dweeb that Ryley couldn't stand had explained it all to him.

The message they were trying to convey was the tumultuous nature of today's relationships. They figured using a high performance car was the best way to convey to the audience how relationships always hung on the edge of stability and a fiery wreck. Mandy had done a better job explaining after the director had left.

The video was supposed to be a hot, sexy way to portray her; the GTO and her make believe relationship with this model guy. Looking at Mandy, whose attire for the shoot consisted of leather pants and a sleeveless, button up leather top, both of whom matched the finish on the GTO, Ryley liked her description better. His eyes kept going back to her incredible body, long blonde hair and angelic face. Maybe it was just his imagination, but something was different in the way she acted towards him.

For his part, Ryley was definitely acting different towards her. He had only ever known her as his brother's girlfriend. She had always been cute and Ryley had known she would grow into a good-looking woman, but this had belied his expectations. Mandy was drop dead gorgeous.

It had been probably five years since he had seen her in person, which had been at his brother's funeral. After that he had dropped out of her life, leaving for Colorado. Since then, she had grown up a lot.

He looked over at her as she danced outside a picturesque roadside diner, surrounded by other girls, also dancing. From his position inside the car, Ryley could just hear her voice as she sang the song for the video. The way her body moved was almost hypnotic.

" Hey, wake up, partner," TJ said.

Ryley turned back. " Sorry, bro."

" She sure has grown up a lot, hasn't she?"

He nodded in reply. " When was the last time you saw her?"

TJ thought a moment. " A few days after Sean's funeral. She came to the shop to say goodbye. That was right before she left for LA, I think."

Ryley nodded as he pulled on the headset he had been given in order to communicate with the director and the cameramen. He positioned the boom mike in front of his mouth and pulled his gloves on.

" You know why she came to the shop?" TJ asked.

" Yeah, you just said so. To say goodbye."

TJ shook his head. " She was looking for you."

Ryley sat speechless as TJ turned and walked over to the director as they finished with the dance sequences. Mandy walked over, drinking from a bottle of water and listened as TJ spoke with the director. She looked over at Ryley and waved. Ryley nodded to her, unable to do much else. The headset crackled to life.

" Ryley, you hear me?" asked the director.

" Yeah, go ahead."

" We're going to let your associate, TJ, convey my wishes to you. Is that all right?"

Ryley tried not to laugh. " Yeah, no problem."

" Ryley, you ready, man?" asked TJ.

" Lets kick the tires and light the fires," he replied.

TJ laughed as Ryley watched half a dozen cameramen position themselves around the GTO, some kneeling, others standing and some on hydraulic platforms. Ryley started the 340 horsepower engine of the GTO and grabbed the gearshift. He revved the motor, smiling at the vicious sound of the LS1.

" All right, buddy, here's the deal. Start off with a nasty little burn out. Give 'me plenty of smoke. Then keep it goin' into a nice long circle, kicking out the passenger side. Then take off up that road going into the mountains."

Ryley took a deep breath. " Pontiac tell us how complete this thing is? I mean can I really lay into it?"

" Pontiac's guy assured me this thing can take whatever you can throw at it."

" Okay, they asked for it," Ryley said.

He revved the motor, shoved the stick into first gear and dumped the clutch. The rear tires went up in a haze of smoke. The sound of burning rubber and the roaring LS1 filled the air as the GTO began to roll forwards.

Ryley let the car gain traction and roar forwards before he cut the wheel and powershifted into second. The tires broke loose again as the car began a graceful slide, the rear kicking out to the passenger side as Ryley counter-steered. He held the car through the slide three hundred and sixty degrees until it was pointed out onto the road. Letting slightly off the gas, he brought the car back under control and roared onto the road.

Powershifting into third, he flew up the road, gaining speed until he was doing over a hundred miles an hour. Following TJ's instructions, Ryley took the GTO on a perilous run along the winding mountain roads. It took the better part of three hours to get the shots down just the way the director wanted them. When the guy was finally satisfied, Ryley drove back to the diner.

As soon as he climbed out of the car, he knew something was wrong. The director was speaking frantically into the phone, yelling at someone. Mandy was standing speechless, her hand over her mouth, while Connor stood behind her. TJ came trotting over, a grim expression on his face.

" What's going on?" Ryley asked as he walked towards the diner, removing the headset and his gloves as he walked.

TJ fell into step beside him. " Okay, remember that guy you ran into last night?"

" Yeah."

" Well, Mandy has had this guy stalking her for months now. And now this guy who was supposed to be in the video, you know the boyfriend? Well we just found out he was cut up pretty bad last night?"

" What? Was it the guy who's been stalking Mandy?"

TJ shrugged. " Don't know for sure, but I'd say so."

" All right, I'm gonna go talk to her," Ryley said, patting TJ on the shoulder and handing him the headset and gloves.

He walked across the parking lot to Mandy. She greeted him with a brave smile.

" Hey, Ryley," she said. " Nice driving."

" Thanks," he replied. He put his arm around her waist. " Come on, walk with me."

She walked across the parking lot with him, away from the gaggle of cameramen, producers, extras and other people. Ryley smiled to himself as Mandy placed her arm around his waist as well. When they were out of earshot of everyone, he turned to her.

" TJ just told me someone's been stalking you?"

Mandy sighed. " Yeah. I mean every now and then you get these weird letters and stuff. You learn to ignore them, but this guy is certifiable. The things he says in his letters," Mandy said, and Ryley could feel her shiver. " . . . the things he says he wants to do to me, are horrible. No one has ever scared me like this before. And now he attacked this guy James who was supposed to be in the video."

" You think it was him that did it?"

Mandy nodded. " It had to be. I mean it's like a message, you know. Now we're not going to be able to keep working on the video, today."

Ryley nodded. " Well, we'll figure something out."

" I guess," Mandy replied, kind of disheartened. Then she looked up at him. A smile spread across her face after a few moments. " I know," she said. " Why don't you do it?"

Ryley laughed. " Me? I don't think so, Mandy. I'm no model."

" No, you're better. I mean you're way more bad ass than anybody they'd find to play the part. And that's what I want. I want a real tough guy kind of look for this video."

Ryley couldn't help but smile at Mandy's excitement. She seized his hand and led him across the parking lot back toward the director. They stopped next to him just as the guy hung up the phone.

" Michael," Mandy called, and the director fixed her with a tired look.

" What is it, Mandy?" he asked, his voice whiny.

" Let's use Ryley to play the part."

Michael scoffed. " Ridiculous, he'd never do."

" Says you. I told you I wanted a guy that looked tough for this part. Are you telling me that Ryley doesn't look like a total bad ass?"

Michael's eyes traversed Ryley form head to toe. " Well, maybe you're right, Mandy. How about it, Ryley, you think you could handle working with Mandy?"

" I've never acted before."

Michael nodded. " Well I could take you through-"

" I'll take him through it," Mandy said, interrupting him.

" It's settled then," Michael proclaimed. " Okay everyone, break it down for the day. Makeup and costumes at seven-thirty tomorrow morning, filming starts at nine."

Ryley looked down at Mandy, who was smiling up at him.

" I'll be at your trailer at six so we can go over everything," Mandy said, then turned and walked across the parking lot towards her trailer.

Ryley whistled under his breath as he watched her gorgeous ass swaying all the way into her trailer. He shook his head, amazed at how sexy Mandy had become. The night could definitely get interesting.

LATER THAT EVENING

Ryley couldn't believe the way he was acting. He had turned down TJ and the boys when they said they were going out to eat. The GTO sat outside his trailer alongside the Camaro, his for the taking according to Pontiac. Any other night and Ryley would be out with that incredible car wringing every single horse he could from the engine.

Instead he had spent the better part of two hours cleaning his trailer until it was spotless from top to bottom. He was even going to set out a bottle of wine or something, even though he didn't drink the stuff, until he remembered Mandy wasn't twenty-one. Now he was pacing up and down the floor, nervously adjusting the fresh sheets on the bed every time he stopped in front of the bedroom at the one end.

He wasn't sure what Mandy really had in mind. She used to go out with his brother for Christ sake. What the hell was he doing? She was almost nine years younger than he was. Could he just be misreading the signals? God knows it wouldn't be the first time he had made that mistake.