Read Online Fugitive Fiancée by Kristin Gabriel - Free Book Online Page B

unmoving as the horses approached. They didn’t look happy, and Mimi didn’t blame them one bit.
    Garrett climbed off his horse and swung open the wide gate. Then he walked over to her, rainwater running off his cowboy hat as he looked at her on her horse. “We’ll herd them along that shallow ravine until we reach the corral just east of the barn.”
    Herd them? She glanced at the truculent cows, then at Garrett. “What if they don’t want to go?”
    â€œThen we’ll be out here in the rain a hell of a long time,” he said, trudging to his horse. He climbed on, then trotted into the pasture.
    Mimi followed, wishing he’d provided a few more details. Exactly how did one herd cattle? Was she supposed to yell at them? Wave her arms in the air? Give them a map?
    She watched Garrett ride his horse along the perimeter of the herd, and she did the same on the opposite side. The cows slowly lumbered toward the gate. Garrett and Mimi gradually contracted the perimeter until the cows were in a tight group. The herd began to head through the open gate, rain still falling from the sky and soaking into their thick hides.
    Mimi was just congratulating herself on how easy this herding business was when one of the cows balked and turned right in front of her, galloping back into the pasture. She looked frantically at Garrett, who was busy keeping the cattle moving through the gate and hadn’t noticed the escape. She opened her mouth to call for help, then closed it again. Somehow she knew a real ranch hand wouldn’t run to the boss each time something went wrong. Besides, it was just one cow. How hard could it be to bring her back to the herd?
    She tugged on Pooh’s reins, wheeling the horse around and galloping into the pasture after the stray cow. The animal stared at her for a long moment with soulful brown eyes. Rainwater glistened on the long, sharp horns. Then the cow turned and bolted into the ravine.
    Mimi glanced over her shoulder at Garrett. He sat on his horse watching her as the rest of the cattle moved meekly through the gate. She lifted her arm and waved to him. “Go on,” she shouted. “I’ll catch up with you.”
    He hesitated, then waved to her before following the rest of the herd.
    She turned her attention to the recalcitrant cow. “All right, I know it probably isn’t any fun to have to move to a new place in the rain, but you really don’t have any choice in the matter.”
    The cow ignored her, lowering its head to tug on a wilted weed. Mimi edged her horse closer, hoping she didn’t spook the cow. It turned and looked at her, contentedly chewing on the weed, half of it sticking out of its mouth.
    â€œLook, I know I’m new at this,” she said, gently nudging Pooh’s flanks to move the horse even closer. Pooh tossed his head in the air to protest the idea, but Mimi remained firm. “But I’m trying to make a good impression on Garrett. He’ll kick my butt back to Austin if I can’t do a simple job like herding.”
    The cow kept chewing, seemingly unmoved by Mimi’s plight. Thunder rumbled in the sky, and a gust of wind blew the hood of the slicker off her head. She reached to grab it as rain plastered her hair over her eyes.
    At that moment, the cow decided Pooh was too close, and she lowered her head and charged. Pooh reared on his hind legs, and Mimi, her hands on the slicker hood instead of the reins, slid backward off the saddle, over Pooh’s broad rump and onto the soggy ground.
    She sat there, stunned for a moment. Then she wiped the rain and splattered mud off her face just in time to see Pooh lurch forward and take off at a fast gallop toward the far end of the pasture. The cow stood her ground, eyeing Mimi distrustfully.
    Mimi took one look at those sharp, lethal horns and scooted backward in the mud. “Nice cow.”
    The cow took a step toward her.
    â€œGo away, nice cow.