Colorado Courtship

by Cheryl St. John

  Cody didn’t cow one bit. “What I do know is, is you should stick to dressing up in pretty dresses and acting like a lady rather than trying to play cowboy. Like I told you before, ranching is no place for a woman. Women can’t do what a man can.”

  That did it. Sunny set her plate off to the side, stood and put both hands on her hips. “Tell you what, Cody. What do you say we have ourselves a little competition to see whether that’s true or not?”

  “What kind of competition?” Suspicion crowded his voice.

  “Oh, let’s see. Who can stay on a bull and an unbroken horse the longest. Rope a heifer the fastest. Pen three cows the quickest. And...” She paused, thinking for a minute. “Skijoring, too. Everyone in the county loves skijoring. Nothing finer than being pulled behind horses on a set of skis. The harder the course, the better.”

  “You? Ride a bull? As little as you are, that thing will devour you in a second.” Cody frowned.

  “I could say the same about you, Cody. You ride a bull? Hmm, we’ll see. But then again, we won’t. As tall as you are, you won’t be able to ride it, those long legs of yours will straddle it.”

  “She got you again,” George said through a titter.

  Cody’s eyes narrowed at George, then he looked at her. Sunny braced herself waiting for his comeback. “What is skijoring?”

  Hmm. No comeback. That was an improvement. “You’ll see. To make it more interesting, we’ll invite the neighbors to see if they want to participate and we’ll charge a small entry fee for each event. The winner will take home the purse for each event. What do you say? Or are you too chicken to ride a bull?”

  “I say you’re on. And I ain’t afraid of no bull. Just you name the day and time and I’ll be there.”

  “Before we do anything, let me clear it with Uncle Emmett and Jed first.”

  She looked at Jed, who had sat quietly through the whole exchange. This was one time she wished she could read his mind. Did he think she’d gone too far? If he did, he was sure in for a surprise. They all were.

  Chapter Nine

  Word about the competition spread quickly. Uncle Emmett had agreed to be the host as long at it took place before calving season in mid-March and it didn’t interfere with their work. Convincing her uncle to let her participate in the events had taken a heap more talking but he’d finally agreed.

  Over the past two and a half weeks, when the chores were finished, everyone had pitched in to prepare for the big day, including Cody. She figured the reason he had was to taunt her about what a fool she was going to make of herself, and how once she realized she couldn’t do those things, she’d give up her ridiculous notion of ranching once and for all. Sunny smiled. If only Cody knew what she’d done.

  On this third day of March, snow covered most of the high country and most of the ground, except around the corrals where the ground was bare, but that didn’t stop the neighbors from showing up for the day’s get-together. Some came from as far as five miles away and arrived two hours before the noon meal.

  Everyone who wanted to participate in the events signed up and paid their entry fees. Everything was going pretty good until the menfolk found out Sunny had signed up for all the events, too. Then they all gathered around her.

  “Sunny.” Mr. Wright looked at her. “We’re concerned for your safety. We mean no disrespect, but you being a woman and all, a little one at that, we don’t think it’s wise for you to participate.”

  Sunny eyed each man. They all nodded their agreement. Her anger soared higher than the sky. The whole idea of this competition was to prove to Cody and men like him that she was more than capable. She silently willed herself to calm down, then drawing in a deep breath, she spoke as calmly as possible. “Gentlemen, I appreciate your concern, and I mean no disrespect either, but this competition was my idea.”

  A look of shock flew across each man’s face.

  “Well, if we’d a knowed you planned this here shindig and that you was plannin’ on participatin’, we’d a never come,” one of the neighbor’s hired hands tossed into the conversation.

  “Well, if you’re afraid of competing against a woman or you don’t like the way this was set up, then please feel free to get your money back and withdraw from the competition. Because I have no plans of withdrawing from any of the events.” She plastered on a “friendly” smile.

  “Even the bull riding?” Mr. Wright asked. Concern dotted his face.

  “Gentlemen, why don’t we let Miss Weston decide what she can and can’t do? After all, she is a grown woman.” Jed stepped up alongside her, dressed in a black cowboy hat, a blue shirt that made the color of his bluebird eyes stand out even more, chaps, spurs and cowboy boots. He looked more handsome than a man had a right to look. Her heart leaped in her chest. “I, for one, am looking forward to seeing what the lady can do.”

  “Well, I ain’t gonna compete against no woman,” the same cowboy who’d spoken up earlier said again.

  “That’s fine, Herman. Then go see Mrs. Wright and she’ll give you your money back and strike your name from the events you entered.”

  “Ah, come on, Herman. Don’t ya wanna watch that cocky little lady fall flat on her face?” Adam, the burly moustached cowboy standing next to Herman, asked.

  Like a raw blister inside a new leather boot, another round of anger rubbed against Sunny. She opened her mouth to let the man have it.

  “Adam,” Jed interrupted before she had a chance. “You and Herman need to get your entry money and leave. Now.”

  “Why? What’d we do?” Adam asked.

  “I will not have you disrespecting Miss Weston like that. So you need to leave now.”

  Adam frowned, then removed his cowboy hat and bowed his head. “Sorry, ma’am. Meant no disrespect. I apologize for my comment about you being cocky.” When he looked up at her, Sunny saw genuine remorse.

  “Me, too,” Herman added, then looked over at Jed. “If we mind our manners, can we stay?”

  Jed looked down at Sunny, his eyes questioned hers.

  She nodded.

  “Okay. But, I’m telling all you men right now, if any of you talk disrespectfully to or about Miss Weston again, you will leave immediately. Is that understood?”

  Everyone agreed.

  Sunny wanted to grab Jed and hug him. She’d always stood up for herself before, but as much as she hated to admit it, it felt real nice having someone else do it for a change. Someone she admired and had grown to care about. Deeply.

  “Whenever you’re ready to start, Miss Weston.” Jed smiled at her.

  In front of all these men, Jed showing his respect for her like that made her feel taller than a full-grown aspen tree.

  “Everything’s ready. Gentlemen, if you’ll come this way.”

  She led them over to the course they had set up for the skijoring.

  Eighteen people had signed up for the event. The contestants strapped on their snow skis. Several people were ahead of Sunny. Her turn finally came up. Jed got his horse, and Sunny grabbed the long rope tied to the back of Jed’s saddle.

  At her nod to the timers and Jed, he coaxed his horse into a gallop.

  Sunny braced herself as she lunged forward on her skis. She held on tight to the rope as Jed’s horse pulled her fast through the snow.

  The first ramp came into view. Sunny shot up the snow-packed incline, flew in the air and landed safely on her skis several yards past the ramp. She wove back and forth through the short poles they’d put out to outline the course. Then she shifted her weight and headed toward the two upside-down L posts and grabbed the hoop hanging from each one.

  Not missing either one of them, her insides pranced like a proud filly. But she couldn’t get too smug—she had one more jump to go.

  She prepared herself as the second snowy slope came into view. Up she went, flying high in the air again, landing several yards from the ramp. She snatched two more hoops that were situated like the first two she’d gathered. She weaved back and forth o
ver the last of the course. Past the finish line Sunny coasted on her skis up to Jed.

  “Thanks for not taking it easy on me, Jed. That’s some fast horse you have there.”

  “I knew you could handle it, Sunshine.” Jed’s smile was brighter than the sun bouncing off the snow. And the man had just called her Sunshine. No one else but her uncle and her pa had ever called her that. It seemed so personal, but she found she liked it. No, make that she loved it and wanted to hear him say it to her again. With any luck and a whole lot of prayer maybe she would, too.

  When they got back to the starting line, several men congratulated her on her fast run. While that shocked the daylights right out of Sunny, it hadn’t Jed. He just smiled at her as if he’d expected it.

  Two more contestants ran the course before it was Jed’s turn. They decided to use Jed’s horse because the gelding was faster than hers.

  “Don’t hold back now.”

  “Wasn’t going to.” She winked at him, and her eyes widened when she realized what she’d done.

  Jed grinned at her and gave her a wink of his own. Why did those winks of his make her heart flutter like a feather in the wind?

  “Ready?”

  “Yup. Whenever you are.”

  Jed nodded to the timers, and Sunny set the horse to galloping through the course, pulling Jed behind her. He never lost the rope, never fell and never missed any of the four rings like some of the other men had. So far he and Sunny were the only ones to get all four hoops. That was another thing that surprised her, because skijoring was so well liked here.

  At the end of the course he glided up to her. “Thanks for not holding back.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  They looked at each other for a few moments, then Jed stepped back and said, “Let’s go see what the last two contestants do, shall we?”

  “Yup.” They chuckled, and she pulled him back to the starting line.

  Cody waited there with his skis on, while Matt sat atop Cody’s horse, getting ready to pull Cody.

  Side by side Sunny and Jed stood, watching Cody run through the course. He did really well until he missed the last ring.

  Sunny found no joy in it.

  After that event ended, they all removed their skis and forged their way to the table covered with food she and Aunt Minnie had spent days preparing. Twenty minutes after everyone’s bellies were filled, they announced it was time for the next event.

  Spurs clinked and chap fringe flapped as everyone headed over to the corrals where the roping event was all set to go.

  Fifteen people had signed up for the roping event.

  Uncle Emmett, Mr. Miller and a circuit preacher, Silas Yohansen, who was staying with the Millers, used the second hand on their pocket watches to time the event. They added their times and divided them by three.

  Half an hour later, several men had completed the event.

  Sunny was up next. She grabbed her coiled rope and built her loop to the size she needed. Her stomach jittered with excitement as she kept her eye on the heifer in the chute. The second the yearling darted from the opening, Sunny dug her heels into her horse, bolted after it, twirled her rope and threw the loop around the animal’s neck.

  Judging by the distance, she knew she’d roped the heifer the fastest so far. She hid her smile, waiting until it was confirmed and until after Jed took his turn. She loosened her rope from around the heifer and headed out of the corral and stood with the rest of the men.

  “Lucky catch,” Cody sneered from beside her.

  “Well, let’s see if you’re as lucky as I am, then.” Sunny draped her arm casually over her saddle horn in hopes of showing Cody he hadn’t riled her. Even though he had, she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing that. After all, she still hadn’t gotten over his comments about her and ranching. Who was Cody to decide what she was to do or not do with her life? That was God’s place, not Cody’s, not these men’s here and not anyone else’s.

  “Great job, Sunny.” Jed winked at her, then rode into the corral. The wink wasn’t flirtatious, but rather one of a shared secret that needed no words.

  Sunny watched. Her stomach felt as if a million flying leaves were scattering about inside it. She prayed Jed would do good, but not as good as her, though. As awful as that thought was, she didn’t feel real bad about it because unlike Jed, she had something to prove. Everyone here already respected Jed, including her.

  The heifer darted out of the chute. Jed bolted after it, catching it with the first loop he tossed.

  Sunny cheered, wondering how close their times were to each other.

  Cody was the last roper. Inside the corral he gathered his loop and sent her a smug look as if to say Just watch how a man does it. Humph. A man who had been nothing but disrespectful to her. The heifer took off, and Cody chased it down. He threw his loop and missed.

  “Go ahead and gloat,” Cody said as he passed her.

  This was a chance to put him in his place, but seeing how he looked lower than mud on a boot sole, she refused to make him feel even worse.

  With the roping event finished, they ran the heifers out and brought in Uncle Emmett’s small herd of wild mustangs he’d gotten last summer.

  Twelve men had signed up for this event. Sunny made the count thirteen. Each horse had been numbered. Those numbers were put in a hat and each contestant drew a number. That number was not only for the horse they would ride but the order in which they would ride. Sunny happened to draw number one.

  “You sure you don’t want to change your mind?” Mr. Wright asked. “Them there mustangs ain’t gonna take it easy on you.”

  “I’m sure, Mr. Wright.” She laid her arm on his and looked him in the eye. “Thank you for caring, but I’ll be just fine. You’ll see.”

  The concern on the older man’s face never let up.

  “Trust me. I know what I’m doing.” She leaned over and for his ears only said, “I’ve done this for over fifteen years now.”

  He gave a short nod.

  She’d had this same conversation with her uncle when they’d talked about the events that would take place. She’d shared how she’d done this many times before, also supplying the outcome of each ride.

  To prepare for today’s events she and the hands had spent the past two weeks earning the untamed horses’ trust from the ground so they could put a saddle on them today and mount them.

  Jed and Matt snubbed—wrapped the rope around the post—and blindfolded the horse Sunny drew. Sunny placed her blanket and saddle on the horse and climbed aboard. The black-and-white paint horse trembled underneath her. She knew exactly how that horse felt. While she’d done this many a time, each time her pulse quickened and her tongue went drier than a dead leaf.

  She glanced at Jed. No fear showed on his face, only a look that spoke of the confidence he had in her, giving her the extra boost of self-assurance she needed to make this ride. She tugged her leather gloves on tight and clutched the rope reins attached to the horse’s halter. “Ready,” she said to the men holding the watches and to Jed and Matt.

  They removed the blinders and released the untamed horse.

  First the mare took off running, then she arched her back and crow-hopped, coming down hard on all four legs each time. When that didn’t work in dumping Sunny off, the mare shot her front legs straight out and lunged in the air, dipping and swinging her neck. Sunny held on even tighter. The horse continued to buck, and Sunny’s legs and knees ached from holding on so tight.

  All of a sudden the paint stopped bucking, but Sunny knew the horse wasn’t finished, she could feel it under her. With a quick shake of its head the mare went to bucking again, hard and fast. Sunny hung on until the horse took a sharp turn and Sunny went flying off, landing on her knees and hands.

  Jed rushed to her. “You all right?”

  She flashed him a smile. “Yup. I’m fine.”

  “You sure are.”

  At his words Sunny’s heart bucked faster and hard
er than the horse she’d just ridden. She only hoped that meant he liked her as much as she liked him.

  Jed offered her a hand up. She wanted to keep hold of that hand even after she stood, but she didn’t. Sunny gathered her cowboy hat that had flown off sometime during her ride and settled it back onto her head.

  The other men ran their turns. Only one other person had stayed on as long as she had and that was Jed.

  Cody lost his saddle and was tossed off on the second hop. This time he didn’t say a word to her when he passed her. It was the same way with the last event of the day, which was the bull riding. She’d hoped things would be different after he’d seen how well she’d done, but they weren’t. She sighed. Well, she couldn’t make someone see things how she saw them.

  With the competition now over everyone got themselves something hot to drink, and those who’d entered the events gathered around the table where Uncle Emmett, Mr. Miller and Reverend Yohansen were seated, adding up the scores. When they finished, they announced the winners.

  “First place in the skijoring goes to Jed. Congratulations, Jed.” Reverend Yohansen handed him an envelope.

  “Thank you.” They shook hands.

  “Congratulations.” Sunny couldn’t keep her admiration from showing on her face. And it hadn’t even disappointed her that he’d won first place.

  “Second goes to Miss Weston.” Sunny stepped forward to receive her envelope from Reverend Yohansen and thanked him.

  “Third place, Herman. Congratulations, Herman.” The two men shook hands.

  Sunny placed first in roping, first in riding the untamed horse and first in bull riding. Jed placed second in each of those three. Cody placed third in the bull riding.

  When all the envelopes were handed out, the men gathered around Sunny and shook her hand, telling her what a great job she’d done. Some even apologized for doubting her abilities, for making fun of her and for criticizing her.