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HE MUSTANG GALLOPED AROUND the corral in a fury. She snaked her neck and rushed at the cowboys on the fence. Brewster called me over and pointed at the fiery black and white pinto. “This here’s the devil mare that’s been stealin’ our horses, Jess.” His eyes narrowed. “I saw a horse like this years ago in Mexico. Looked just like her. Could’ve been her mother. Ran a herd without a stallion. There’s always a lead mare, but it’s rare not to have a stallion. Maybe he died. It makes no sense. This one here took over our pastures with her mustangs. Pushed our stock around. Lured several mares to join her. It ain’t natural. Damned mare fought with three of our best horses. I had to put one down.” I was a fresh face at the ranch, green as springtime and humming with excitement. The horse was a legend around here. The cowboys said she was cursed and elusive as hell. We’d cornered the herd in a box canyon after chasing them for hours. Brewster culled out our stock and kept two wild yearlings. He freed the rest of the horses. They huddled on the far ridge, cryin’ out for their leader.
It was gettin’ dark. Brewster and the men rode back home for the night. They left me alone to guard the corral until morning. “Stay here, Jess,” Brewster had ordered. “Build a fire and hunker down. Some stragglers might come in off the hills for her at dawn. If they wear our brand, capture them. Then put a bullet in that damned mare. This has to stop.” My hands shook thinkin’ about it. I never killed nothin’ in my life. When the mare looked at me, it gave me the willies. It was as though she could read my mind. The horse was a beauty. There was pride in the way she pranced around the enclosure, tail set high and neck arched. She pressed against the fence and whinnied across the valley. I chewed on it all for a while, then settled in under a tree. All night long that devil mare kept me awake, screaming like a banshee and pacing. Her herd answered from the ridge. I have to tell you, it made my hair stand on end. It was like a bunch of witches plotting together to make mischief. At dawn, two branded horses wandered close
