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Authors: Madeline Baker
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him. Filling a plate
for herself, she took a seat across from Lee.
“Something wrong?” he asked.
“No.”
He studied her face a moment, then sighed. “Okay, okay, I’m
sorry about that crack about the smoke,” Lee muttered.
“What?”
“Where are you this morning?” Lee waved his fork in the air.
“First you practically set the bacon on fire and now you look as if you’re a
million miles from here.”
“I’m fine. I just have a lot on my mind.”
“Anything I can help you with?”
“No.”
He frowned and then shrugged. “Funny thing,” he remarked. “I
threw a saddle on the black before I came up here. For the first time, he
didn’t fight me, so I climbed aboard.”
“And?”
“Nothing happened. He just stood there like we were old
friends.” Lee shook his head. “It was the damnedest thing.”
And that wasn’t all of it, Lee thought, bemused. The black
had whickered at him like he was glad to see him.
“Maybe he just got tired of fighting,” Kelly suggested.
“Yeah, maybe, but…”
“But?”
“An outlaw like that doesn’t just give up overnight.”
“It hasn’t been overnight,” Kelly pointed out. “You’ve been
trying to break him for the last two weeks.”
“Yeah,” Lee muttered in agreement, but he didn’t sound
convinced.
“More coffee?”
“Thanks.” Lee watched Kelly cross the room, admiring the way
she filled out her Levi’s, the feminine sway of her hips. For a moment, he
wondered if she’d been riding the black, but quickly dismissed the idea. The
horse would have chewed her up and spit her out.
Kelly refilled Lee’s cup and then her own before she sat
down at the table again.
“So,” Lee said, his hands folded around the mug, “now that
we’ve got two horses, what do you say we take the day off and go for a ride?”
“A ride? Where?”
He shrugged. “Up in the foothills, maybe. Pretty country up
there. Lots to see.”
You don’t know the half of it , Kelly thought.
“What do you say?” He lifted the cup to his lips and took a
drink, watching her over the rim.
“It’s gonna be hot again today. I’d rather ride along the
creek bed, maybe take a dip.”
A flicker of disappointment shadowed his eyes and then was
gone. “Sounds good.” Rising, he drained his cup. “I’ll saddle the horses.”
“And I’ll pack a lunch. Ham sandwiches okay?”
“Fine.”
Kelly stared after Lee as he picked up his hat and left the
room, shaken by the feeling that he knew about the gold.
She’d have to be careful, she thought, and then wondered if
maybe she should just fire him and be done with it. She considered it for a
moment and then decided that if he was really looking for the gold, she’d be
better off to let him stay where she could keep an eye on him.
An hour later, they were riding side by side along the
narrow creek that flowed down the south side of the mountain and meandered,
snakelike, across the southern portion of the Triple M.
Kelly had ample opportunity to observe Lee, since he had his
hands full keeping the stallion under control. The horse might be saddle-broke,
but he was still green. And young. He shied when a rabbit skittered across
their path, bucked when a jay flew out of a tree, wings flapping loudly.
Kelly shook her head when the stallion bucked again, this
time because he’d seen his shadow. Leaning forward, she patted Dusty on the
neck, grateful she was mounted on a reliable old gelding instead of a
high-spirited young stallion.
Lee was grinning when, a few miles later, he drew rein in
the shade of a cottonwood tree.
“He’s a great horse,” he exclaimed.
Leaning forward, he stroked the black’s neck affectionately,
thinking that maybe he hadn’t made such a bad bargain after all.
Dismounting, he turned to help Kelly from the saddle. It
shouldn’t have meant anything when his hands circled her waist. He was, after
all, only helping her dismount, but she felt the heat of his hands penetrate
her shirt,
for herself, she took a seat across from Lee.
“Something wrong?” he asked.
“No.”
He studied her face a moment, then sighed. “Okay, okay, I’m
sorry about that crack about the smoke,” Lee muttered.
“What?”
“Where are you this morning?” Lee waved his fork in the air.
“First you practically set the bacon on fire and now you look as if you’re a
million miles from here.”
“I’m fine. I just have a lot on my mind.”
“Anything I can help you with?”
“No.”
He frowned and then shrugged. “Funny thing,” he remarked. “I
threw a saddle on the black before I came up here. For the first time, he
didn’t fight me, so I climbed aboard.”
“And?”
“Nothing happened. He just stood there like we were old
friends.” Lee shook his head. “It was the damnedest thing.”
And that wasn’t all of it, Lee thought, bemused. The black
had whickered at him like he was glad to see him.
“Maybe he just got tired of fighting,” Kelly suggested.
“Yeah, maybe, but…”
“But?”
“An outlaw like that doesn’t just give up overnight.”
“It hasn’t been overnight,” Kelly pointed out. “You’ve been
trying to break him for the last two weeks.”
“Yeah,” Lee muttered in agreement, but he didn’t sound
convinced.
“More coffee?”
“Thanks.” Lee watched Kelly cross the room, admiring the way
she filled out her Levi’s, the feminine sway of her hips. For a moment, he
wondered if she’d been riding the black, but quickly dismissed the idea. The
horse would have chewed her up and spit her out.
Kelly refilled Lee’s cup and then her own before she sat
down at the table again.
“So,” Lee said, his hands folded around the mug, “now that
we’ve got two horses, what do you say we take the day off and go for a ride?”
“A ride? Where?”
He shrugged. “Up in the foothills, maybe. Pretty country up
there. Lots to see.”
You don’t know the half of it , Kelly thought.
“What do you say?” He lifted the cup to his lips and took a
drink, watching her over the rim.
“It’s gonna be hot again today. I’d rather ride along the
creek bed, maybe take a dip.”
A flicker of disappointment shadowed his eyes and then was
gone. “Sounds good.” Rising, he drained his cup. “I’ll saddle the horses.”
“And I’ll pack a lunch. Ham sandwiches okay?”
“Fine.”
Kelly stared after Lee as he picked up his hat and left the
room, shaken by the feeling that he knew about the gold.
She’d have to be careful, she thought, and then wondered if
maybe she should just fire him and be done with it. She considered it for a
moment and then decided that if he was really looking for the gold, she’d be
better off to let him stay where she could keep an eye on him.
An hour later, they were riding side by side along the
narrow creek that flowed down the south side of the mountain and meandered,
snakelike, across the southern portion of the Triple M.
Kelly had ample opportunity to observe Lee, since he had his
hands full keeping the stallion under control. The horse might be saddle-broke,
but he was still green. And young. He shied when a rabbit skittered across
their path, bucked when a jay flew out of a tree, wings flapping loudly.
Kelly shook her head when the stallion bucked again, this
time because he’d seen his shadow. Leaning forward, she patted Dusty on the
neck, grateful she was mounted on a reliable old gelding instead of a
high-spirited young stallion.
Lee was grinning when, a few miles later, he drew rein in
the shade of a cottonwood tree.
“He’s a great horse,” he exclaimed.
Leaning forward, he stroked the black’s neck affectionately,
thinking that maybe he hadn’t made such a bad bargain after all.
Dismounting, he turned to help Kelly from the saddle. It
shouldn’t have meant anything when his hands circled her waist. He was, after
all, only helping her dismount, but she felt the heat of his hands penetrate
her shirt,
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