A Horse Wrangler for Christmas

by Cheryl Wright

  “Careful,” he said, when she began to topple backward as her feet touched the ground. His hands came up around her waist, and he held her tight. She stared up into his face, and a shiver when through her.

  “Thank you,” she said quietly, when what she really wanted to do was kiss him, but that was totally inappropriate, and she’d likely go to hell if she did.

  “Ah, good morning, Mrs Peterson, Daniel,” the pastor said as they approached. “Young Billy has already gone on ahead.”

  She acknowledged the pastor, as did her husband and they sought out Billy, then sat next to him. Of course she’d been here before when they married, but Meredith hadn’t really had the opportunity to look it over thoroughly. Organ music played while the pastor stood at the door until the last parishioner had arrived. It was a personal touch Meredith enjoyed.

  She reached for the bible and began to read silently. The words always assured her everything would turn out fine, even if it didn’t feel that way.

  With Pastor Elliott now standing out the front, the organ music suddenly became louder and they all stood. Their first hymn of the day was Heavenly Chorus, and everyone sang. Daniel reached down and squeezed her hand as they began to sing, and Meredith finally felt like she belonged.

  After church they stayed for coffee, with the aim she would meet some of the locals. Not that she would see them much as they were spread far and wide. But most attended church regularly, and Meredith would see them there.

  She met Mrs Randle, who tried to convince her to join the ladies auxiliary. Then Mrs Cartwright endeavored to do the same. Thankfully, Daniel came to her side and rescued her from being entrapped. The truth was she wasn’t a ladies auxiliary type of person, although she didn’t mind helping out when needed. “I’m always happy to supply food when needed,” she said, then Daniel dragged her away on the pretense they needed to leave.

  It was true. They needed to get back home to her roast lamb. This afternoon he’d promised to take her riding, and Meredith was really looking forward to that.

  ~*~

  Despite her excitement, Meredith slowly approached Brandy out in the paddock. She was a Palomino and was already here when Meredith arrived. Daniel watched her approach the horse, and talk calmly to her. She had never ridden Brandy, so this would be a first for them both.

  She pulled a piece of carrot out of her pocket, and Brandy gobbled it up greedily then nuzzled into Meredith’s shoulder and whinnied. She continued to talk to the mare, then slipped the halter over Brandy’s head – the movement was so smooth, he doubted the horse even realized. She led her across the paddock to the fence where she had a blanket and saddle waiting. Again, it was a smooth transition, and Brandy didn’t worry about it.

  Misty began to kick up a ruckus when she realized Brandy was being prepared for a ride and she wasn’t. Misty loved to go riding, loved the clean open air, just as Daniel did. Merri stayed talking to her horse while he saddled Misty. He could see Meredith’s anticipation growing, and he felt the same way.

  To show her around the ranch would be wonderful, but to spend one-on-one quality time with her would be even better. He studied his wife as she wrapped a thick scarf around her neck and fastened the buttons on her warm coat. She pulled on her gloves and then mounted. Brandy whinnied, then took a couple of steps backward, but the moment Meredith leaned forward and whispered into her ear she settled, and they were soon on their way.

  Locals called Uncle Willy a horse whisperer, but Daniel was convinced his wife was far more skilled than Willy had ever been.

  They headed out toward the back of the property. It was around a thousand acres, but Daniel knew it wasn’t used to full advantage. There was so much more he could do with the place. Unfortunately he didn’t have the skills, nor did he have workers with them either.

  As they began to gain speed, Daniel studied his wife. She seemed to be happier than she had been since she arrived. There was no doubt in his mind she loved horses. Some people worked with horses but didn’t necessarily like them. It was very clear Meredith adored them.

  “It’s beautiful out here,” she said, turning to him briefly. She looked so contented and in awe of the scenery. “Why do you have all these paddocks so empty,” she asked, slowing her horse down.

  They’d already traveled quite a distance, and she was right – most of the property was empty. He utilized far less than a few hundred acres of the thousand he owned. He swallowed. Of course his wife would take him to task over it, and rightly so. “I have no idea what I’m doing. My best workers walked out ages ago, fed up with the lazy clods you’ve already met.” He ran his hand across his chin. “I should have sacked them, and looked after my best workers.”

  She nodded as though she understood. “Want my opinion?” When he nodded she continued. “To start with, you should have a breeding program. That way you’re not only relying on rounding up mustangs. The other thing you could do is pay outsiders to round up the mustangs for you, but be selective. That way your trainers can concentrate on what they do best, which is training horses.” She shrugged. “That’s what I think anyway.” Meredith pulled out her canteen and gulped down a few mouthfuls of water. “You have a great asset here. Now you need to use it.”

  He studied her. She had a point, and they would need to discuss it further. Expanding the ranch was exactly what was needed, but he didn’t have the know-how to follow through on his own.

  Meredith put the canteen away and headed toward the fence line. “These fences need work. If you’re going to run more horses, you’ll need to have them repaired.” She stared at him pointedly. “And you’ll need more workers. Decent workers.”

  Once again she was right. He’d been brought up in the city, not on a ranch like his wife had been. Willy sent for him because Daniel was the only male relative he had left, and he wanted an heir to his life’s work. In hindsight, it probably wasn’t Willy’s best moment.

  Daniel glanced about. The place was amazing, Meredith was definitely correct there. For as far as the eye could see, the land was beautiful. The grass was luscious – good horse grazing land. She climbed down from her mount and began to stroll about, trailing the horse after her. She stopped to let Brandy drink at the stream on Daniel’s property. “This is good solid land,” she said, glancing back at him over her shoulder as he guided Misty to the water. “There’s a stream running right through your land, which is an added bonus. There is so much you could do here, but only if you had the right people working for you. Get a decent foreman, employ a manager to handle the paperwork, and get yourself a good team of wranglers.”

  She swallowed hard and he knew she was thinking about the people she’d left behind. He already knew she hated leaving them, but had no choice since her father had died. The bank had already taken the ranch, so it was out of her hands. He joined her on the ground and put an arm around her shoulder. “You have some good ideas,” he told her, squeezing her shoulder. “We should discuss them further back at the house.”

  She glanced up at the sky. “We probably should go back. Those dark clouds don’t look so friendly.” As usual she was right. It wouldn’t be long and it would be snowing. The closer they got to Christmas, the more snow they would get. That also meant their training sessions would be slowed down. Things were hard enough already, and they were definitely lacking workers, but right before Christmas he doubted he’d find any decent cowboys to work with him.

  He turned her around to face him, and pulled her into a hug. “I appreciate all your suggestions, I really do. I’ve been drowning here since Willy passed on. I really have no idea about running a ranch.” He stared down into her face and watched as a smile formed.

  “Worry no more. I’ve been helping my pa run the ranch for as long as I can remember.” She nuzzled into his shoulder and a shudder ran through him. Since when did he give permission to react to this stranger he called his wife? This was meant to be a loveless marriage. She was here to cook and clean, and sure, she could help with t
he ranch. But there was to be nothing more, except the benefits of having a woman in his bed.

  For some reason, as much as he wanted to believe it, Daniel was convinced it wasn’t going to happen.

  ~*~

  Each day after a session with the mare, Meredith worked on the vegetable garden. It relaxed her after the tension of working with the mare. Although truth be told, Casey, as she’d named her, was an easy learner. It wouldn’t be long and she’d be ready to be sold when the time came.

  Since Colt had gone, she’d discovered he’d been rough with the horses, not that she was surprised – he came across as that sort of person. Had he still been here, she would have had the pleasure of sacking him herself. Why work with horses if you can’t treat them well? She would never understand people. On the other hand, horses she totally understood.

  She stood and brushed off her hands on her breeches. She needed a coffee and Daniel probably did too. He was inside doing paperwork, the one thing she’d always hated about ranching. Pa had always done it in the past, but had taught her just in case.

  The past two weeks had gone in a blur, and she couldn’t believe she’d been married to Daniel for so long already. The one thing she’d learned was he was a gentle man, and like her, had high standards. It was the reason she couldn’t understand why he’d kept his lazy cowpokes for so long.

  This morning she’d watched Angus ride off the property after she’d caught him mistreating Brandy. He’d been on the verge of being sacked for far too long, and that was the last straw. When she saw what was going on, she dismissed him on the spot. When she told Daniel, he shook his head and pulled her close.

  “It was going to happen sooner or later,” he said. “I’m sorry he was cruel to Brandy. No horse deserves that.”

  In the sitting room the two of them drank coffee. “I have to go into town later,” Daniel told her.

  She stared at him over the top of her mug. “Oh?” He didn’t offer an explanation, and she didn’t ask. “What are we going to do about Billy? He has been ruined by those two mongrels.”

  Daniel’s head shot up. It was the first time she’d said such a thing to her husband. His surprised turned into a slow smile. “That’s a good description. We’ll find a purpose for Billy, so don’t you worry your pretty little head.”

  She liked it when he called her pretty, even if he didn’t have feelings for her. Until she’d married, she didn’t care whether people thought of her as pretty or not. She had a job to do, and she did it. Of course she still thought that way, except when it came to Daniel. He was special. At least to Meredith he was.

  He took a last gulp of his coffee and stood. “I have to go now, Merri. You take care.”

  Merri? He’d never called her that before, but she rather liked it. It made her feel good inside.

  She stood and Daniel came to her and kissed her forehead. She wanted more, but reminded herself this was a marriage of convenience. While ever she kept house and cooked, she had a stable home to live in. He had all the conveniences of a real marriage without the commitment. Despite telling herself this was for the best, Meredith wasn’t fully convinced. She was beginning to have feelings for her husband, no matter how hard she tried to push them aside.

  Once he was gone, she went back out to work with another horse. They had a time limit, and without Colt and Angus, they’d be hard pushed to have them all ready on time. She collected Billy from the barn, and he watched her closely. She wasn’t fool enough to work with a strange horse with no one standing by.

  She had watched this horse from afar, and he seemed far more calm than most of the others, so she’d start with him. She began by sitting on the fence and studying him. He galloped around the paddock, glancing across at her periodically. His tail was raised and his head thrown back most of the time. Meredith knew it was too early to try and work with him. It wasn’t often she was fooled by a horse, but this stallion certainly did.

  “That’s enough for today,” she told Billy as she climbed down from the fence. “We’ll try again tomorrow.” The young cowboy nodded and she studied him. “How long have you been doing this, Billy?”

  His eyes opened in surprise. “Well, Ma’am,” he said carefully. “I done been here a bit over two years I think. I come ‘ere not long before Willy passed on. So I guess, yeah, that makes it a couple of years.”

  Her breath hitched in her throat. “What training were you given?” If she were to guess, Meredith would say little to none.

  He stared at the ground and shuffled his feet, squirming under her gaze. “I worked for me uncle for a time, at the livery in town.” Anticipation flooded her. “But ‘e only let me muck out the stalls. I got bored with that and left. Come ‘ere then. I love horses, see?”

  Pity about the uncle, but loving horses was definitely a good thing. “It’s alright,” she said gently. “I’m not blaming you for anything. If you haven’t had training, then it’s time you were taught.” He glanced up at her, eager anticipation written all over his face.

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah. You’ve been given a raw deal, and I say it’s time we fixed that.” She pulled her hat off her head and slapped it against her thigh, loosening the dust. “From now on, you’ll work with me unless Daniel needs you elsewhere. I’ve been watching you – it’s obvious you’re good with horses. I’ll teach you how to work with horses and break them properly, without breaking their spirit.”

  He nodded, a grin spreading across his face. “For now, take this boy to the isolation paddock. Then come back here and we’ll check the tack. After that you get to muck out the stalls.”

  “Yes, Ma’am,” he said, his grin plastered to his face.

  She’d never seen anyone so happy to be told to muck out stalls. It made her feel warm all over.

  ~*~

  It was almost supper time when Daniel arrived back home. He wore the biggest smile, and she couldn’t work out why. “You look pleased with yourself,” she told him, and couldn’t stop herself from smiling too.

  “Uh-huh.”

  She gazed at him. What was he up to? “Did everything go to plan in town,” she asked, hoping to glean some information that way.

  “For sure.” He pulled off his hat and hung it up at the door. “Something sure smells good.”

  She stared at him. What was the big secret? If he didn’t want to tell her, she couldn’t make him. “I’m going to start trainin’ young Billy tomorrow,” she said suddenly. “Unless you need him elsewhere.”

  He looked thoughtful for a few moments. “That’s probably a good idea. Without Colt and Angus here to ruin him, he should do well.”

  “My thoughts exactly.” As she continued to gaze at him, Daniel had the tiniest of smiles. It was gone almost the moment it arrived. Had she imagined it? “Clean yourself up and supper will be ready soon. Hopefully Billy can drag himself away from muckin’ out the stalls.” She chuckled and busied herself with the food.

  She pulled a beef stew with dumplings out of the oven and sat it on a wooden board next to the freshly baked bread. Daniel came closer. “You spoil us,” he said, leaning in and taking a deep breath. His arm came up around her shoulders, and he moved closer still. “It’s a pity there are only three of us now, but I’m sure it won’t go to waste.”

  She glared at him. “Nothing goes to waste in my kitchen.” He held his hands up and backed off, feigning fear. The grin he wore negated the fear-factor. “Get cleaned up.” She told him again. “Or go hungry.” That wiped the grin off his face.

  Billy entered the kitchen, his hair still slightly damp. It was nice to see a young man take pride in his appearance. “Evening, Ma’am,” he said, as he sat at the table. “The stalls is all mucked out, and the horses fed.” He looked proud of himself. “It felt good doing a full day’s work.”

  “As it should.”

  She dished up the food and they all joined hands. Daniel said the blessing. “Thank you Lord for this wonderful food Meredith has prepared for us. We also thank y
ou for the riches that surround us. Amen.”

  “Amen.”

  “Tuck in before it goes cold.” Which was highly unlikely since it had been cooking for most of the day.

  “Delicious, as always,” Daniel said. “I am convinced I’ve put on weight since you arrived here.” He patted his belly.

  “It feels like I have too,” Billy said, grinning. “You make good tucker, Ma’am.”

  “Thank you, Billy, Daniel. It’s just good country food, nothin’ special.”

  Daniel reached under the table and squeezed her knee as he was known to do. “When you’ve lived on beans and bacon and eggs, it’s pretty darned special,” he said as he chuckled. “Isn’t that right, Billy?”

  Billy glanced up as he was about to take a mouthful of food. “Oh, yes Sir. It’s good alright.”

  Meredith frowned. “For goodness sakes, Billy. Can we stop with the Sir and Ma’am already? You make me feel old.” She grinned. “Or perhaps a bit distinguished.”

  They all laughed, and went back to their food.

  Meredith dumped her empty plate in the soapy water and opened the oven door. The aroma wafted out across the table, and the men breathed it in.

  “Baked apples with clotted cream,” she announced. She loved having a milking cow, even if it did mean extra work. “I hope you both like cinnamon – I sprinkled some on top for extra flavor.”

  “I like anything you cook, Ma’am. Er, I mean Miz Meredith.”

  She placed their food in front of each man, but as she turned to walk away, Daniel grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her into his lap. “It smells wonderful.” He put an arm around her shoulders to bring her closer, then kissed her. Right in front of Billy!