Luke's Ride

by Helen DePrima

  “She does look like something out of a fairy tale,” Katie said. “Or she will when she’s fat and shiny.”

  “Supposedly she’s gentle broke,” Luke said. “Safe for a kid or an inexperienced rider. She’s going to need light work as soon as we get a little more meat on her. You interested?”

  The mare moved to the door and nuzzled Katie’s hand. “Could I really? I’d be so careful with her.”

  Luke touched the horse’s mane. “I dub thee Katie’s horse. She’ll think of a name for you.”

  They all returned to the house. Katie was grateful Tom and his family weren’t in attendance. She’d have to face him sometime but with luck not today.

  They sat down to Shelby’s gumbo with good appetites and sopped up the sauce with corn bread shaped like miniature ears of corn.

  “I’m stuffed,” Jake said after the meal. “I’ll have my pie later this afternoon.” Everyone seconded his decision.

  “I promised Katie some riding,” Luke said. “Anyone want to go along?”

  “Not me,” Shelby said. “The new Western Horseman came in yesterday’s mail. I’m going to enjoy a rare moment of leisure.”

  “I’ll keep you company,” Jake said. “Of course, I may do it with my eyes closed.”

  “I’ve got to catch up with my email,” Lucy said, “but I’ll saddle a horse for Katie. Rooster’s over at Tom’s, but Captain’s in the corral.”

  “He’ll do,” Luke said. “She’s ready for something livelier.”

  “And I bought boots,” Katie said, sticking out her foot to show off the russet leather with cherry-red uppers. “The same store where I got my work shoes. I told the clerk I’d be playing cowgirl.”

  “No playing about it,” Luke said. “You did a good job with that bull of Oscar’s. Maybe we’ll ride over and visit Auntie Rose.”

  Lucy saddled a gray gelding for Lucy while Luke put his saddle on Dude.

  “I really am glad you and Marge have gotten to be friends,” she said. “She doesn’t let many people get close, so I’m happy for her.”

  “I’m just the new kid in town,” Katie said. “She considers herself your grandmother.”

  “Dad’s parents are gone and Mom’s mother lives in Georgia, so I’m grateful to have Marge. I would have been a bigger mess after Mom died except for her.”

  “Don’t worry,” Katie said. “I’m just keeping your spot warm.”

  Katie followed Luke away from the barn on the same track they had taken when they visited the cabin. They started at a jog and then moved into a gentle lope as she became accustomed to Captain’s gaits. They passed through the steel gate onto the Bucks’ ranch and soon came to a rambling house, a log cabin with a framed addition.

  Oscar came out of the barn. “About time,” he said. “Ma’s been wondering when you’d bring your lady to visit. She’s getting her feelings hurt.”

  “Katie works in Durango six days a week now,” Luke said. “And we were a tad busy last weekend, if you recall.”

  “Yeah, we lost a couple head.”

  “Not Buckshot, I hope,” Luke said with a straight face.

  “Naw, we had him in the house with us,” Oscar said with equal gravity.

  “We’re still missing one pair, but I’m not worried. She’s a loner—she’ll show up.”

  “Not Jezebel, I hope,” Oscar said, and they both laughed. “I’ll tell Ma you’re here.” Oscar disappeared into the house.

  “Whatever you do, don’t say you’re not hungry,” Luke said. “The more you turn down food, the more she’ll try to feed you.”

  “Is that a Ute custom?”

  “No, that’s just Auntie Rose. She’d feed the world if she could. I’ll stay mounted, but you should go inside if she invites you, which she will.” He signaled Dude to lie down but remained in the saddle.

  A round, brown-skinned woman with steel-gray hair bustled out and stopped at the sight of a horse lying by her door. “Luke, my favorite boy. And your trick horse.”

  “We’re all her favorite boys,” Luke told Katie as Auntie Rose gave him a hearty hug. “This is Katie Gabriel, Auntie.”

  “I’ve heard all about you and your letters,” Auntie Rose said and hugged Katie, too, after she dismounted. “Come inside—we’ll bring food out to share.” Auntie Rose shepherded her into the house.

  Inside, a kaleidoscope of brilliant colors assaulted Katie’s eyes—Auntie Rose’s magenta skirt and scarlet blouse, bright crocheted afghans draped over chair backs and hanks of yarn in rainbow colors hung from pegs on the rafters.

  Auntie Rose turned on the burner under a huge pot on the stove. “Some fry bread first, just to keep you alive while I heat up the lamb stew.” She pinched Katie’s cheek with gentle fingers. “Too thin—men like a little meat on a woman’s bones.”

  Katie laughed, despite her resolve not to insult her hostess. “Honestly, Mrs. Buck—”

  “Please, you call me Auntie Rose, like Luke does.” She took a ball of dough from the refrigerator and flattened it with deft strokes. She dropped it into the now simmering fat for a few seconds until it rose to the surface as a puffy golden disc. Without spattering a drop, she flung it onto a paper towel and dusted it with sugar and cinnamon before handing it to Katie.

  “Take this out to Luke—he looks so thin—while I make another for you.”

  Katie carried the treat outside, where Luke and Oscar were deep in conversation about range conditions and beef prices.

  Luke thanked her with laughter in his eyes.

  “More coming, I guess,” Katie said and turned as Auntie Rose appeared carrying a second piece of fry bread.

  Katie bit into hers and exclaimed with surprised delight. How could mere dough cooked in fat emerge so feather-light and delicate?

  “Marge said you make the best fry bread she’s ever tasted,” Katie said.

  Auntie Rose beamed. “You keep this one, Luke,” she said. “She knows how to eat. But she’s too thin.”

  “I’d sure like to,” Luke said.

  Katie looked at him with startled eyes. Just teasing, or a public declaration? She couldn’t guess.

  “I’ll put the stew on now.”

  “We’d love to stay,” Luke said, “but I promised Dad I’d check on the cabin roof after the storm, and we want to get home before dark. We’ll come again when we can stay to eat.”

  Her face fell then brightened. “Wait, I’ll get you some cookies to eat on the ride home.” She hurried into the house, returning with a paper sack, which she handed to Luke. “Pine nut cookies, your favorite.” She hugged him again.

  She hugged Katie, too, before waving them out of sight, her figure as bright as a tropical bird against the brown and green of the landscape.

  Luke and Katie rode in silence until the house lay well behind them and then burst into laughter.

  “She’s wonderful,” Katie said when she caught her breath. “I see why you wanted me to meet her.”

  “Nothing she wouldn’t do for her family, and everyone’s family to her.”

  “You think she’d teach me to make fry bread? Or give me the recipe?”

  “I doubt she has a recipe, but she’ll show you how to if she likes you. And she’ll like anyone who’s special to me.”

  Katie reined in her horse. “Tom told you, didn’t he?”

  “Whoa, Dude.” He twisted in his saddle to face her. “He figured he’d better before half of Durango did. I’m honored you care so much what happens to me. And you will see me come walking in, sooner than later.”

  He grinned. “Then I’ll have earned that kiss.”

  Her embarrassment blew away like a burst soap bubble. She had acted on instinct, a loving gesture that had landed on the wrong recipient, a laughable mistake, nothing more.

 
“Count on it,” she said.

  He reached across and squeezed her hand before they rode on. They passed the turnoff leading to the cabin, but Luke halted Dude before fording the creek.

  “I just had a notion about our missing cow,” he said and turned his horse to retrace their path. “There’s a little draw near the cabin—water and good shelter. She might be hanging out there.”

  “Will you try to drive her back?”

  “I’d like to. Jezebel shouldn’t be out here all alone. Her calf would be a tempting morsel for a cat.”

  Katie stiffened in the saddle. “Like a wildcat?”

  “More likely a mountain lion. They’re around, but don’t worry—they won’t bother us on horseback.”

  She shivered and looked over her shoulder. “Do you name all your cows?”

  “Not hardly. Jezebel’s a special case. We really should send her to slaughter, as much trouble as she is, but Dad feels responsible for her getting scared half to death as a calf. She’s plain crazy and wild as a deer.”

  “But you still worry about her.”

  “Of course. Yeah, our cattle end up as steak and handbags, but we make sure they have good lives while they’re in our care.”

  They stopped at the mouth of a ravine choked with brush just coming into leaf. “You wait,” he said. “I’m going to see if she’s in here. Don’t get in the way if she comes out.” He rode forward and disappeared into the tangle.

  Katie held Captain back when he tried to follow. “We’ll wait here,” she said. “And don’t play cow pony if you see something to chase.”

  Luke seemed gone a long time, although no more than five minutes had passed according to her watch. Just as she began to worry, she heard a yell and a crashing of brush. A reddish-brown cow followed by a calf shot past, their tails in the air.

  “Luke,” she called, then again louder when she heard no answer. “Luke, are you okay?”

  “Sort of.” His answer came faintly. “Mostly, I guess.”

  She kicked Captain into motion, following the trail of broken branches that marked the cows’ flight. She and Captain emerged into a small clearing. Luke lay on the ground with Dude standing nearby, his saddle askew.

  Katie flung herself off her horse and dropped to her knees beside Luke as he lifted his head.

  “Are you hurt?” She ran her hands over his arms and legs.

  He answered as he had the night he’d fallen during the nightmare. “Just my pride.” He pushed himself into a sitting position. “We came on that danged old cow all of a sudden and sort of surprised each other. She knocked poor Dude sideways.”

  He wiped the dirt from his face. “I wouldn’t mind getting that kiss right now.”

  She responded without a second’s hesitation. The spark she had felt when they first met had glowed hotter the next day when his hand covered hers on the reins. She had tried hard to smother the growing attraction, rewarded by learning to value him first as a friend rather than a lover. Her good intentions had gone up in flames when she had rained a storm of kisses on Tom, mistaking him for Luke.

  Now going into his arms was as natural as breathing.

  “Wow,” he said when they came up for air. “That was worth hitting the ground.” He reached for her again.

  “Not so fast.” She brushed another light kiss on his mouth, then sat back. “I’m a sequential person—I don’t even start a fresh tube of toothpaste till the old one is empty. I’m still married. I guess I’m old-fashioned that way.”

  She stood. “You sure you’re all right?”

  “I feel like a million bucks right now.” He whistled for Dude, who came to stand beside him. “You think you can straighten my saddle? Just loosen the cinch a little and get it level before you tighten it again.”

  She followed his instructions and he nodded with approval before cuing Dude to lie down.

  “Do you need any help getting on?”

  “Naw, I’ve fallen off before.” He flexed one shoulder. “Well, maybe a little help—if I could put my arms around you...”

  “You phony,” she said when the “help” turned into another long embrace. She helped him to sit sidesaddle and then swing one leg across Dude’s neck.

  “Is it my imagination, or were you able to do more of that yourself?”

  “A lot of good stuff happening in PT,” he said. “You want to come watch? I’ll try for an afternoon appointment this week.”

  “Try keeping me away.”

  She remounted Captain as Dude regained his feet. They rode at a sedate pace to open ground.

  “At least we know Jezebel and her calf made it through the storm,” he said.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  “WHAT THE...?” JAKE jumped to his feet, sending his copy of Working Ranch flying. “What have you two been up to, mud wrestling?”

  “I found Jezebel,” Luke said as Katie closed the kitchen door behind them. “Or rather, she found me. I thought she might be hanging out in that little draw near the cabin. She charged past me and knocked Dude clean off his feet.”

  “Is Dude okay?” Shelby asked, hurrying into the kitchen in response to Jake’s yell.

  “He’s fine—the ground was soft. My saddle went sideways, but Katie got it straight again.”

  “We visited Auntie Rose first,” Katie said. “I tasted my first fry bread.”

  “If I pounded on her door at midnight, she’d have fry bread ready in five minutes,” Jake said. “It’s her remedy for everything.”

  Katie laid a hand on Luke’s shoulder. “You’re sure you’re all right?”

  The glow from her kisses warmed him again. He’d take a fall every day of the week and twice on Sundays for that kind of reward.

  “I’m sure, but I’m going to grab a shower before we tackle the pie,” he said. He’d pop a couple Advils in private. He was feeling a little more beat-up than he’d admitted to Katie—nothing serious, but he’d be moving a little slow the next morning.

  Katie looked at the mud on her knees. “I should sponge this off.”

  “Nope, just let it dry—it’ll come off easier,” Jake said. “An old cowboy told me once, ‘If someone throws mud at you, let it dry before you brush it off.’”

  Luke rejoined them twenty minutes later with his damp hair slicked back. He’d changed into clean sweatpants and a black T-shirt printed with Red Pony Bar and Grill that set off his dark good looks.

  “Ready for pie?” Katie asked. “It’s warming in the oven.”

  Jake yelled up the stairs, “Pie’s on, Red.”

  Lucy’s voice floated down. “Don’t call me Red.” Apparently her mood had lightened a little.

  They gathered around the table with coffee while Katie cut her pie and Lucy served. Everyone took a bite in silence and then another.

  “What’s in this apple pie, Katie?” Shelby asked. “It’s almost creamy.”

  “Grated cheddar cheese,” Katie said. “Cheese with apple pie is an old Yankee tradition.”

  Jake held out his empty plate. “Keep it coming.”

  They sat swapping tales about weather and rogue cattle, Auntie Rose and bull riding and funny anecdotes from the Silver Queen as the sun sank toward the horizon, sending long beams slantwise through the south-facing window.

  Luke finally pushed away from the table. “I’m chasing Katie out of here,” he said. “I don’t want her driving home in the dark.”

  Jake and Shelby exchanged amused glances, and Lucy said, “You don’t mind my coming home after dark.”

  “You know the road, kid,” Luke said. “I’m going out to check on Dude.” He turned to Katie. “Want to come with me?”

  She followed him, first thanking the Camerons for their hospitality.

  “We owe you,” Jake said. “We li
kely wouldn’t have found Jezebel if Luke hadn’t taken you to visit the Bucks. We’ll be moving the rest of the pairs over to that range next week—she’ll mix in with the others then.”

  “I’m not sure finding her is much of a plus,” Lucy said, “but at least we know her calf is okay.” She gave Katie a quick hug. “Pass it on to Marge for me.”

  Katie followed Luke to the barn. As soon as they were deep in the shadows, he pulled her into his lap for another kiss until she beat on his shoulders in mock distress.

  “Cowboy,” she said in a breathless voice, “we’ve got to stop meeting like this.”

  He frowned. “How come? You’re practically divorced.”

  “Practically doesn’t cut it for me.” She pushed her hair from her face. “Giving in before I’m free would make me no better than my soon-to-be ex.”

  He sighed and released her. “How soon is soon?”

  “My lawyer is sending me documents to sign—they’ll probably be in my post office box tomorrow. I have to send them back notarized for him to file. If Brad doesn’t contest it, the divorce could be final in less than a month.”

  “And if he does? Contest it, I mean.”

  “Push harder, I guess. I have online access to all his past credit card bills—I should be able to ferret out the hotel stays for Mr. and Mrs. Garrison while I was taking care of my mother, although maybe he just took women to our house. I wouldn’t mind nailing him to the wall, but all I want is out.”

  “How stupid could he be to risk losing you?” He pulled her closer and kissed her forehead. “I guess I’ll have to settle for waiting. And I respect that you won’t pay him back in his own coin.”

  “That would be an insult to both of us. There’s an expression...”

  “Yeah, there is,” he said, “but you’re too ladylike to say it.”

  He tipped her face up for a last gentle kiss before nudging her off his lap. “Get moving, cowgirl. I’ll let you know when to join me for PT.”

  Luke checked the horses, spending extra time with Dude, who stood with his head hanging over his master’s shoulder. Luke scratched under the horse’s jaw, picturing the day when he and Katie would ride out together with no more parting at the end of the day. The palomino mare would be a perfect horse for her, gentle but lively. Maybe they’d breed her to Ghost—Katie would get a huge charge out of being godmother to a foal, gold like her dam or silver like Ghost.