Against the Odds Ch. 04

"Where are a rope, bridle and ATV?"

"Take mine, it's outside the back door. Ropes and bridles are in the tack room on the side of the barn. The ponies are thataway – real horses are thataway. But no way are you as a greenhorn going to rope anything on an ATV."

Twenty minutes later Mitch arrived towing a light open horse float behind his ATV, looking sweaty, dusty and very angry.

"This fucking mare – had I had a gun I would have shot her."

"A typical male outcome – blame the horse."

"You stay out of this."

"You invited me in."

"I...oh sorry sweetie. This whole thing has the makings of a disaster. TV now wants lives coverage. A dude attempting to play gunslinger."

"Give him credit you idiot – look what he went through with you and Molly. In fact if it hadn't been for him Ellis would have been in real crap. They guy is better than what he seems, give him credit."

"Have you gone soft on him?"

"I only met half an hour ago. Oh, here he comes with...oh shit... Midnight."

"Oh fuck, why did he have to pick him?"

"Because he's the outstanding horse we have. I told you he's no chump."

"Well how could he rope Midnight from an ATV?"

"He went up to him with a lump of sugar and dropped the loop over his head. Do you think that's feasible?"

":No."

"Then look at the sweat on Midnight. He's been chased for miles until Cowboy here stood up with his knees against the handlebars and roped Midnight."

"But that takes experts to do that."

"This is tedious Mitch. Acknowledge him – he is an expert and would ride the ass off you and me."

"Assholes and babies' dummies."

"I have fifty that says he will."

"That's like offering me a donation."

After lunch they set off on a three mile race around the rim of a massive sink hole, the idea being the first there would prepare a fire a light it and heat the coffee pot.

Mitch warned Troy not to be aware of the treacherous rim face and watched as Troy disappeared down the face, Mitch rode on grimly.

Gabriel being lighter and on a slightly better horse – no way would he admit she was the better rider – arrived before him at the shack, smoke already coming on the rusty chimney and as Mitch arrived Gabriel was hugging and kissing the general.

"Sorry – I cheated," Troy said grinning. "I'd sized up the horse and knew he could do it. On Sundays in South Africa we used to ride down almost vertical faces – this one was a piece of cheese cake in comparison."

"A piece of cheese cake," muttered Mitch, digging out fifty bucks to place on to the outstretched hand of his wife.

Gabriel spend all the break hunched up against Troy and laughing at every fool thing he said, making Mitch uncharacteristically jealous but then again he'd never seen Gabriel relating to another man like this. He surrendered and told Gabriel that when he and Molly were on the mission they had dubbed Troy the general as a sarcastic rebuke because he seemed to be floundering, but when the time came for covert action they had choked on their ridiculing because Troy went into action looking like Steven Seagal about to take apart a foreign military force: he was just so incredibly awesome.

When the stood up Gabriel stood beside Mitch and place an arm around his waist, possessively he thought. Now in a happier mood Mitch suggested they amble back and race the last four hundred.

Gabriel cheated and stole a fifteen yard start. Troy whooped and went after her, snatching her from her saddle. He would up Midnight really well but Mitch triumphed by almost ten yards.

"Hey guys, that was some rider he puffed, looking at the flamed cheeks of his wife and knowing what she was wanting."

"Say general, take the three horses on a circuit to cool them down and unsaddle them at the tack room. Leave everything on the floor and I'll sort it out later."

Troy took a very long time and when he arrived in for pre-dinner drinks Gabriel was in a dress, flower in her hair and looking very happy indeed. She was beautiful as a hostess.

As Troy was about to leave Mitch leaned through the open window of the SUV. "You'll need to ride Midnight hard before you ride him quietly through the city."

"Yeah – he's one powerful horse."

"So true. Dad has a full length black leather coat and Uncle Richard has a black Stetson. I'll borrow them."

"That's okay providing you tell them it's for me."

"They have been burning up inside, ashamed of themselves. They'll bear you no ill-will but all the same I'll tell them. Are you going to marry Ellis."

"Yes."

"Thought so. Gabriel is smitten by you."

"She's out of bounds."

"Thanks general. Drive safely."

* * *

The next morning there was gloom throughout the office – two of the senior lawyers had lost a high-profile child custody case through no fault of their own as the mother had lied, even to them, and denied she had a drug problem but the other side produce inconvertible proof to reveal that she had, including testimony from unshakable witnesses including two drug counselors. Ellis herself had lost a tax case in negotiations with the authorities for a prominent citizen who'd promised he'd transfer all his business to her if she won the case for him. During the depth of her despair at the executive conference next morning Troy attempted to suggest that perhaps that what not the right sort of client to welcome aboard but was promptly told that sort of comment was inappropriate.

"Understood, I'll empty the trash cans he muttered and received a bevy of black looks.

An hour later Troy was wandering the main thoroughfare wonder where to have lunch when he spotted Ellis' mother ahead of him. Ah, the chance to do good.

"Mrs Jefferson, hello – I'm one of your daughter's co-workers, Troy Gardiner."

"Which daughter?"

"Ellis."

"Do I have a daughter named Ellis?"

"Indeed you do. She is a lawyer."

"Oh, that one. Why didn't you say?"

Troy thought the old dear had lost her marbles so he performed rudimentary tests."

"What time is it Mrs Jefferson."

"You have the watch – look at it."

"What is the date Mrs Jefferson."

"God you're stupid. Please leave me alone," she snorted and crossed the street.

"Oh hello – frightening off old ladies," giggled Molly.

At last Troy felt the world was regaining its property tilt. Molly was intelligent, Molly was sane. He hoped Molly was the pillar he needed.

They talked as they walked and she suggested the drop in to a pizza bar.

"Pizza is fattening." Mrs Jefferson was right; he really was stupid.

"I'll let that one go. There's something I need to tell someone; you are not the right person but you'll have to do."

Oh great Molly, thank you, thank you Troy groaned internally.

"I'm pregnant," she wailed, loud enough for half the restaurant to hear.

"You can't blame me," Troy shouted before remembering to keep his voice down.

"Of course not – oh, you're such a fool. Don't you think I'd remember you shafting me?"

Troy decided to ignore everyone around them holding pizza with open but unfilled mouths, looking as if they were frozen in time.

"My over-sexed husband has made me pregnant," she hissed.

"Are you delighted?"

Troy realized that was perhaps inappropriate when he saw Molly flexing both hands in a strangulation grip.

"I'm really as mad as a meat axe Molly."

"That confession is the only sensible thing I've heard you say all day," she said, smiling through tears. Troy decided to shut his mouth while he was ahead.

"We had wanted to upgrade from a farm to a small ranch, hoping to reduce our workload," she said. "The arrival of the baby will set up back five years."

"Take out a loan, sell and buy wisely, and ask Ellis is act as guarantor."

"What?"

"Take out a loan..."

"Shut up, I heard you the first time. Do you think she'd do that?"

"For you Molly, yes providing she was adequately covered for risk. For me, I don't thing so."

"I'll accept that distraction – she does have a reputation for making sound decisions."

"Thank you Molly."

Molly and Troy returned to the office and both feeling depressed; it had not been a great day for either of them. They went in to see Ellis. Molly had agreed that Troy should open negotiations on her behalf because she was so pent up she'd likely to be too upfront.

"Molly is pregnant and needs you to back her bank loan for $500,000,"

"Who said $500,000," Molly shouted.

"I did – it's a ballpark figure."

"Oh Molly, pregnant," Ellis said running round her desk to kiss and hug Molly. You must be ecstatic."

Molly responded by bursting into tears.

"I'll act as guarantor on any reasonable figure you require," Ellis said.

"You will?"

"Yes, of course, you are my friend."

"B-but I don't want you helping me out."

"Yes you do Molly; you're just a little distraught."

"Shut up Troy."

"Yes shut up Troy," echoed Molly.

Ellis advised Molly to commission an appraisal on the McGeorge ranch "Mr and Mrs McGeorge are involved in a matter I cannot discuss with you but I can suggest that the outcome means they will no longer require their ranch. They have had a water supply problem but because they have built up a litany of disagreements with their neighbor Philip Elliot and family they have been unable to secure a water supply agreement. I could negotiate a supply at reasonable cost once you secured the sale; at present it is best to leave the supply unresolved."

"That's a risk but in my opinion it favors our side Molly," smiled Ellis. "Philip Elliot is attempting to claw back his reputation as a model citizen. Say no more."

Molly threw herself into Ellis's arms and thanked her for finding the possible solution.

Troy left the room feeling slight punch drunk. "What was my role in that outcome?" he said. "Say no more."

TO BE CONTINUED