We head over to the big barn and retrieve our rides. Coati and Kit‘s horses are already gone. We gather up the rest and head for Spud’s place.
Buzz gets to ride Bogey, the almost-a-lynching horse. I watch Buzz closely and see that he takes all the usual precautions to ensure he ain’t killed in a maladjusted tack wreck. Happens all too often.
He does it right, checking and adjusting the cinch. He looks over the bridle fit. He gathers his reins with one hand and the horn with the other and hops aboard. He doesn’t need the stirrup, and he keeps the horse in check like a pro.
We ride side by side behind Spud and Wolf, who are deep in conversation. After warming the horses for a ways at the walk, they jump up into a jog. Buzz passes the test there, too. Man, or Bãngh, has a natural seat.
“Where’d you learn to ride Buzz?” I ask.
“Bãngh,” he says.
“Oh, I should call you Bãngh?”
“No, sorry, Bãngh is the name of my people. We who are from the planet Bãngh.”
“Oh. You have horses there?”
“Of a sort, yes. We learn to ride as early as we learn to walk,” he says. “In fact, I have been watching. You also ride like a Bãngh.”
“Oh, is that a compliment?”
“Few in all the Cosmos ride as well as Bãngh, in fact. You, I think, have the potential to be a fine rider.”
“Thank you, I have ridden long enough to have discovered that learnin’ to ride is a lifelong endeavor.”
“Yes, there is always the potential to improve. Always a new horse, each is different.”
“You said somethin’ the other day that surprised me. Well, several things in fact, since yore my first alien.”
Buzz laughs and says, “I like that, ‘your first alien’. Jolly good show.”
“Oh, well we ain’t had sex, but yore the first alien I have met. Far as I know.” Oh jeez, do Bãngh even have sex? Or sex organs? Me an’ my big mouth. My foot in mouth disease has come to the forefront once again.
Buzz looks at me, waiting patiently.
“Anyhow, the thing that I am referrin’ to now is that maybe instead of you lookin’ human, maybe we look Bãngh ?”
“Yes.” Buzz says. “Would you have ever thought of that?”
“Well. No, but in my defense. All I ever saw was humankind. As far as I know.”
“True. You see, when I was first sent to Britannia I thought the same. Of course, it was from my perspective. I thought humans looked remarkably similar to Bãngh. Except you are, in general, shorter. You and your comrades are the exception of course, being almost as tall as Bãngh.”
“You mean Bãngh are taller than me? If I went to Bãngh I would find a slew of men who would date me ?”
I look over at Buzz, he is laughing.
“My apologies,” he says. “I have unintentionally mislead you. On Bãngh, the women are taller. You may need to find a short Bãngh to instill interest.”
“Jest cowgirl luck, kickin’ me in the ass. Again.” I say disgruntled. Then I look over at Buzz. “Hey, yore not just pullin’ my leg are you?”
“Oh dear, one wouldn’t want to injure a limb,” says Buzz, laughing. “But, in fact, I was just joking, or joshing as you say. Bãngh men also like to be taller than their mates. Perhaps you would fit in well there.”
“Cool.”
After a while, we pull up at the corral, unsaddle and feed. Then we head straight for the hot pool.
“Last one in is a heathen redskin,” I yell as I run and try to strip down all at once.
Spud and Wolf both pass me. They dive in just as I arrive. Ooh doggies, sure glad I didn’t miss that manly, muscular display.
I run through a fine fantasy in my head. Then I jump in, too.
After a full body dip and a little lap, I head over to my favorite rock. Spud has a bottle of spirits to pass around. Oh yeah.
Then I realize Buzz is still standing on shore.
“Problem, Buzz?” I ask.
Spud steps out of the water and speaks to Buzz for a minute. They walk off a ways conferring quietly. Then they head back toward the house.
Wolf comes over and plants a nice kiss on my lips.
“Them aliens must be shy,” I say.
“Spud and Wolf toss coin.”
Light bulb!
“Ooh,” I say and kiss back.
Much later, Wolf heads for his teepee and I go into Spud’s log house.
“Ever’thing work out?” Spud asks.
“It all came out fine in the end,” I reply.
“You are a good woman to take care of my ugly brother like that.”
“It is a large sacrifice,” I say with a straight face, then break out laughing. I am no good at lying. In this case, anyway. Wolf is too damn handsome to describe adequately in words.
The I ask, “Where’s Buzz?”
“He was plumb tuckered. Went to bed.”
“Me too. You ready?”
“Yep.”
We head up to Spud’s comfy bed, fit fer royalty. Beats the dickens out of the hard ground I have been sleepin’ on. Funny, we don’t go to sleep right away. Things get recreational for a bit. But that there is private.
23 Worlds
Cowgirl Thrillers Page 75