“Neither do most of our guests. That’s what my wranglers are for. They’ll teach you all the basics. I guarantee you’ll have fun.”
Lindy smiled. “I don’t know. Horses are big and scary.”
Ella chuckled. “Our horses are all gentle, and they’ve been over the trails hundreds of times. They’re safe. You just have to remember they’re not wind-up toys. Dalton can pick you out a mount that’s calm and on the slow side. He’s an expert at matching riders with the right horse.”
“You might need me for something,” Lindy stalled. “Anyway, you didn’t hire me to play with the guests.”
“Fiddlesticks. This new endeavor I’ve started is all about playing. Besides, everything is under control here. There’s nothing more for you to do. It would please me to see you enjoy yourself. I get the feeling it’s been a while since you’ve had any fun.” Ella’s gray-blue eyes twinkled with thoughtfulness as she touched Lindy’s arm, sending a warm feeling rushing through her.
It had been six years since Lindy’s father had died. Three since she’d had any contact with her mom. She missed the maternal comfort only a mother could provide. In the short two days she’d been at the ranch, Ella had become like a surrogate parent to her. Grateful for the kindness and consideration that had sorely been lacking in her life, she squeezed Ella’s hand and accepted her offer.
“If you’re sure,” she said, not wanting to take advantage of Ella’s generosity. “There’s probably something I can do around here to help you or Luz get ready for supper or the campfire tonight.”
“Go,” Ella urged. “Since you’re new to the ranching lifestyle, I think it’s important for you to experience all the activities the guests will be partaking in. In fact, when you don’t have a massage scheduled, I want you to join the guests in everything going on this week.”
“Really?” Lindy had been wondering what she’d be doing between giving massages and cleaning cabins. But to join in the guest activities was unexpected, and she grew excited.
“You don’t have housekeeping duties until the guests check out of their cabins,” Ella reminded her. “Luz has the kitchen under control, and I’ll let you know if I need help in the office. Otherwise, enjoy yourself.”
“Thank you, Ella.” Without thinking, Lindy hugged her and then stepped back and felt her cheeks warm in embarrassment. “I’m sorry.”
“Never apologize for showing your feelings, child,” Ella said, smiling. She glanced at the clock on the wall. “Hurry and get to the corral if you want to go. They’re probably choosing horses.”
Lindy gazed down at her clothes. “Am I dressed appropriately for a trail ride?”
Ella laughed. “Yes. As long as you’re wearing jeans and boots, you’re dressed just right.”
Lindy exited the house and hurried to the corral located next to the barn. Dalton’s eyebrows lifted, as did his mouth, when he saw her approach.
All the guests, except the Tammen family, she noted, were standing next to horses and getting a lesson on how to saddle. Suddenly feeling like a fish out of water, she shoved her hands in her front pockets and shifted from one foot to the other.
“Hi, Lindy,” Dalton called, waving her forward. “Have you come to join us on the trail ride?”
Eight heads, including T.J.’s and Sandy’s, pivoted her way.
“Yes, if you don’t mind. Hi, everyone,” she waved, stepping closer.
“Hi,” they replied together.
“Sandy, would you continue here?” Dalton asked. “Show them how to bridle their horses. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Smiling, he strode to Lindy. “I’m glad you’ll be going out with us.”
“Ella has suggested I take part in all the activities this week as a way of learning the business.”
His gaze moved over her face. “You’ll be a full-fledged cowgirl by the time we’re done with you,” he joked.
“I don’t know anything about horseback riding,” she warned.
“Don’t worry. Neither do any of them.” Dalton hooked his thumb in the direction of the guests. “Let’s get a horse for you. I know just the one. I’ll grab a halter and lead rope and we’ll go to the field. That’s where Freckles is.”
As they passed the cabins on their way to the field, Lindy said hello to Tony and Bobby, who stepped outside the open front door of the unfinished cabin. Both held hammers in their hands. “Going for a ride?” hollered Tony.
She nodded, noticing Cole’s truck parked in the grass, but not seeing him as she glanced around. Dalton cleared his throat, placed his hand on her back and nudged her along.
“That one is Freckles,” he pointed, once they’d reached the field. He clucked his tongue and a dappled gray horse walked to the fence.
Dalton opened the gate. With some hesitation, Lindy petted the horse’s neck and was rewarded when Freckles nuzzled her shoulder. “He seems very sweet.”
“Freckles is more of a teddy bear than a horse. He’s fifteen years old,” Dalton said while showing her how to put on the halter. “He won’t give you any trouble.” He thrust the lead rope into Lindy’s hand, closed the gate behind them, and they started walking back to the corral. “Stay next to his head as you walk,” Dalton advised while giving her the short Reader’s Digest version of horseback riding.
She was concentrating hard on listening and not getting stepped on by the horse. As they passed the cabins this time, she paid no attention to whether Cole was around or not.
At the corral, her footsteps halted when Cole appeared in front of her like a ghost. His gaze pinned her to her spot. “My guys said you’re going on the trail ride,” he said, inching closer. On the other side of Freckles, Lindy heard the air rush from Dalton’s mouth in a big sigh.
“Yes,” she answered, with her heart beginning to pitter. “Your mom thought it would be a good idea.”
Cole’s eyes flickered with brightness. “Great minds think alike. I agree with Mom. Anyone who is going to work on this ranch should know how to ride a horse. Think I’ll saddle my gelding and go with y’all and give you a few pointers.”
Dalton stepped in front of Freckles to stand chest-to-chest with Cole. Lindy could see the granite set of his jaw as he said, “I can show her the ropes.”
“I don’t mind,” Cole replied. “You’ve got the guests to look after.”
Lindy glanced across the corral to see that Sandy and T.J. were still relaying information to the guests. A couple of the ladies looked this way.
Dalton’s voice dropped, obviously not wanting to interrupt the lesson or bring attention to his and Cole’s discussion. “This is my job. Lindy’s the same as any other guest today. Besides, aren’t you still working on the cabin?”
“I need a break,” Cole answered matter-of-factly. “Go ahead and get Freckles saddled up for Lindy, if you don’t mind,” he instructed Dalton. “It looks like everyone else is about ready to go. I’ll just be five minutes.” He disappeared into the barn, leaving Dalton shaking his head. Lindy tried to rub the goosebumps off her arm.
When Cole re-entered the corral a short time later, he wore a brown cowboy hat and led a leopard-spotted horse by the reins.
“He’s beautiful,” Lindy said. She was sitting in the saddle on top of Freckles. She, along with the seven guests and three wranglers, had mounted while Cole was in the barn and held their reins in their hands.
Cole stepped into the stirrup, swung into the saddle, and gently nudged his horse in the ribs.
“What kind is he?” she asked, as he sidled next to Freckles.
“Appaloosa. His name’s Wildfire.”
“I hope his name doesn’t represent how fast he runs,” Lindy said nervously, thinking Wildfire might influence Freckles if they walked together. For her first outing on a horse, she sure didn’t want to be galloping across the desert uncontrollably.
“He does like to run fast, but I’ll keep him at a steady pace with Freckles. Don’t worry. That horse you’re riding doesn’t like to exert himself too much.
”
His comment made her feel much better, but her heart still pounded with an insane rhythm. When Griffin found this masseuse job, even though she knew it was at a ranch, she never dreamed she’d actually get to ride a horse. And to have Cole riding next to her was even more nerve-wracking.
Dalton waved a bandana in the air to signal it was time to move out. “Everyone ready?” he hollered.
“Yes,” came their eager voices.
With Dalton in the lead, T.J. in the middle of the pack, and Sandy in front of her and Cole, who rode side-by-side and brought up the rear, Lindy’s anxiety began to lessen. She realized all the horses seemed well behaved and were quietly following in each other’s footsteps. After a while, her body began to relax and she let her tense shoulders sag.
“Doing okay?” Cole finally asked after they’d left the ranch behind. She figured he could tell she was nervous and had waited to talk until now.
“Yes.” Even though he and Dalton had both assured her Freckles was a dependable mount, she was still afraid to turn her head to look at Cole. One wrong move and she could slip off the saddle. Dalton had nonchalantly fired off instructions in sixty seconds, and there’d been too much to grasp in a short time. She was trying to remember to keep her back straight, ride on the balls of her feet, and all the other things he’d told her to do to stay safe.
Seeming to read her mind, Cole chuckled and said, “It’s okay to look around while you’re riding. Freckles won’t bolt on you. I promise.”
There he went making promises again.
“You’re going to miss out on the pretty sights if you don’t look up,” he reiterated when she kept looking at her hands and the reins in them.
“All right.” With her reins gripped tightly between her fingers, she lifted her gaze and quickly looked at him.
“There you go,” he smiled. “Trust in your horse and you’ll be fine.”
That was easy for him to say. Trust didn’t come easy to her, not with what she’d gone through in the past three years.
“Take a look around. The desert is teeming with wildlife and beauty,” he said, leaning back and resting his hand on Wildfire’s rump.
“Okay.” Gazing in all directions, Lindy saw what he meant. Stretching before them was a stunning landscape of flowering cactus, sagebrush, and mesquite trees. Above her, the sky looked like it had been stroked by a painter’s brush and then set on fire.
As the train of horses in front of them walked nose to tail, Cole pointed out desert plants, including ocotillo, barrel and prickly pear cactus, and the hedgehog cactus blooming with red blossoms. When they neared a field of brilliant yellow and orange poppies that covered the desert floor like a rolling sea, the splash of color against the backdrop of gray mountains and blue sky took Lindy’s breath away.
“I had no idea New Mexico was anything like this,” she breathed, awestruck.
“I forget where you told me you grew up,” Cole said, casually.
That prickly sensation struck again, sending pins and needles up and down her spine, and interrupting the magic of the moment. “I don’t recall saying,” she replied. Locking her gaze straight in front of her, she felt Cole watching her from the side. When Freckles stumbled, she gasped and grabbed onto the saddle horn.
“You’re okay,” Cole reassured in a calm voice.
Although that misstep had frightened her, Lindy was thankful for the distraction. Wanting to change the subject before he asked more about her family, she’d just opened her mouth when someone’s horse up ahead started bucking and broke free from the group.
“Bees!” a woman screamed.
Suddenly, tranquility turned to chaos, and each of the horses jumped, reared, or darted out of the line. Lindy heard Dalton yell, “Stay calm!” right before Freckles bolted and started galloping across the desert. With her fear coming true, she gripped the saddle horn and held on tight.
Her bottom smacked against the hard leather of the saddle as Freckles ran full speed to nowhere. Behind them, she heard another set of hooves pounding the hard ground. With a loud whinny coming from that horse, Freckles skidded to a stop and Lindy felt herself flying forward.
Thirteen
Slamming her heels in the stirrups and leaning back while gripping the saddle horn kept Lindy from soaring over the front of the horse. It all happened so fast. But luckily, she’d remembered Dalton’s instructions back at the corral should this very thing happen. She’d used her head as opposed to merely reacting. That kind of situation was one she’d been in before, but never while riding a horse.
While her muscles raged and she tried to still her pounding heart, Freckles stood tranquil, nibbling weeds.
“Lindy!” Cole’s horse stopped next to her. He jumped off and dropped his reins on the ground in front of Wildfire. “Are you okay?” he asked, rushing to her side and taking the reins from her hands. Without waiting for an answer, he curled one arm around her waist. Nodding, but feeling lightheaded, she slipped out of the saddle and off of Freckles and melted into his broad chest. He dropped her reins in front of Freckles.
“What happened?” she asked, feeling every cell in her body quivering. Cole crushed her to the solid warmth of his chest and locked her in his arms.
“A few bees spooked one of the horses,” he murmured in her ear. “Then like a domino effect, they all reacted.”
With her body humming, she breathed in his scent and felt the fire igniting between them as he petted her head. Was it his touch, or the realization that she could have been killed, that sent a jolt of fire racing through her?
“Is everyone else all right?” she asked, still captured in his protective embrace.
“I don’t know. You were the only person I was concerned about.”
Feeling her pulse slowly returning to normal, she stepped out of his hold and searched his face. “Thank you for coming to my rescue. That was a frightening moment, but I’m okay now.” Her hand skimmed down her right arm, which was throbbing.
With worry etched on his handsome face, Cole’s eyes assessed her with such relief and passion that she shuddered under their intensity. It wasn’t a far stretch to imagine those blue eyes filled with desire, with hunger. A hunger she could not encourage.
“That kind of thing is rare,” he said. “I’ve hardly ever seen bees out here. Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Yes.”
Finally, a smile cracked his face. “You stayed calm and handled yourself well. It’s when people freak out that they can get hurt.”
Lindy returned his smile. “I’ve been in a few tight jams before. Usually, a cool head can mean the difference between life and death.”
When Cole angled his head, she knew she’d said too much again. Nothing got past the guy. Luckily, she wouldn’t have to explain, because galloping toward them was another rider. With her hand, Lindy shielded her eyes from the glare of the sun to see the rider was T.J. His horse slid to a stop.
“You guys okay?” he asked.
“We’re fine,” Cole answered. “Were any of the guests or horses injured?”
“Nope. All are intact. We rechecked cinches and everyone wants to continue on the ride, so we’re headed to the old windmill and watering hole. Dalton sent me back to check on you two.”
“Do you want to continue with the others?” Cole asked Lindy. “Or go back to the ranch?”
She hadn’t given up when Skin shot her that horrific night, or when his gang had threatened to torture and kill her if she testified against him. Nor had she abandoned her fighting spirit the two times they’d nearly caught her in California and Wyoming. Although a tragedy had turned her life upside down, and there were times when she wondered how she could live another day hiding and lying to everyone she met, there would never come a time when she’d let an obstacle stand in her way. Surrender was not in her vocabulary.
“I’m not a quitter,” she said, retrieving the reins from the ground and sticking her foot in the stirrup. Freckles stood like a perfec
t gentleman when she swung her body into the saddle and adjusted her seat. “T.J., tell Dalton we’ll meet you at the windmill.”
“Yes, ma’am.” T.J. grinned and then turned his horse in a circle and kicked him in the ribs. With desert dust swirling, he raced away headed toward the mountains.
Cole patted Freckles on the neck and grinned up at Lindy. When his hand landed on her calf, a pleasant burning sensation spread up her leg and rolled through her torso.
“I’m proud of you,” he said. “I wasn’t sure you’d want to go on. I wouldn’t have blamed you if you’d wanted to turn back and head home.”
“Like I said, I’m not a quitter.”
“Yeah, but that was quite a first ride for a greenhorn.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “I may be a beginner to all this cowboy stuff, Cole. But don’t let the way I look fool you. Inside this greenhorn is a warrior.”
His grin faded. She knew he’d had reservations about her since the day they met. But maybe it was the emotion in her voice that would convince him she was telling the truth this time.
****
“After your horses have gotten a drink from the trough, you can tie them to the trees,” Dalton instructed the group once they reached the spot where the old windmill stood. “No need for tight knots. These horses won’t go anywhere.”
As Wildfire slurped water from one of the round stock troughs, Cole watched Lindy maneuver Freckles between two other horses so he could drink. Her words kept skating through his mind. What had she meant she was a warrior?
Could it be she was former military? A soldier? His gaze moved up and down her petite body knowing it was not impossible. There were thousands of enlisted women, many of whom had seen battle in Afghanistan and Iraq. This could account for the warrior comment and also for her arm having been wounded, but not for her other secretive behavior. If she’d been in the military, why not tell him? Serving her country would be something to be proud of, not to hide.
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