Read Online Lone Star Ranger : A Ranger to Ride With (9781310568404) by James J. Griffin - Free Book Online Page B

all I can for that man,” he said.
“It’s just a matter of time until he’s gone. Carl, I’ll take you
next.”
    “All right.”
    Once Carl went in, Jeb turned to Nate.
    “Since you’re not goin’ home after all, you
need to write a letter to your aunt and uncle. They need to know
what’s happened. We’ll mail it before we leave in the morning.”
    ***
    It was well after midnight before Jeb and
Nate returned to the livery and settled down in the loft. Jeb
quickly fell asleep, but Nate lay on his back, his mind racing. His
emotions churned, from sadness at the loss of his family, to
excitement at the thought of riding with the Texas Rangers, to fear
deep in his gut. What if Captain Quincy wouldn’t let him work as a
helper? Or worse, what if he couldn’t handle the job? Maybe he should just go back to Delaware. That would be the safe,
sensible thing to do. No. He could never go back. Either he’d make
good in Texas, or he’d die trying.

5
     
    “What do you mean, you don’t know how to
saddle and bridle a horse?” Jeb asked Nate as they readied to leave
San Saba just after nine the next morning. They had waited for the
Post Office to open so Nate could mail the letter to his Aunt Ida
and Uncle Henry, then stop at the general store for supplies. Now,
they were at the livery stable. Nate had the blanket and saddle on
Big Red’s back, but was standing with the cinch in his hand, unsure
how to fasten it.
    “We never owned a horse back in Delaware.
After Jonathan got Big Red he wanted to teach me how, but I never
cared to learn,” Nate explained. “Now I regret bein’ so
stubborn.”
    “Well, you’re gonna have to learn, and right
quick. Let me finish saddlin’ up and I’ll help you.”
    Jeb finished tightening the saddle on
Dudley’s back and came over to Nate.
    “I know I checked Red’s feet for you, so we
won’t worry about those,” he said. “But tonight you’re gonna get a
lesson on how to care for your horse, Nate. Out here a man has to
depend on his horse for his very life. That’s why horse stealin’ is
a hangin’ offense. If you steal a man’s horse and leave him afoot,
you might as well have signed his death warrant. Now here, let me
show you. At least you’ve got the saddle on Red’s back, rather’n
under his belly.” Jeb stopped and chuckled. “And you’ve got the
saddle just about where it belongs. You should move it up a bit
more over your horse’s withers, though. That’s this here high point
above his shoulders.” Jeb moved the saddle forward a couple of
inches. “There, that’s better. See how the saddle fits right over
his withers? That helps keep it in place. You’ve got the cinch
strap in your hand, looped through the cinch’s buckle, and the
cinch is under Red in just about the right spot. You pull up the
strap into the buckle on the saddle, under the buckle then over it,
then slide it to the left. So far so good, right?”
    “Right, Jeb.”
    “Good. Now you bring the strap back around
and over the front of the buckle, to the right. Bring it back under
the buckle, keep it behind the loop you just made, then pull it
down. That’ll tighten it up. If there’s too much strap left, you
can either run it through the buckles on each end twice before
makin’ the knot, or just make a loop of the extra and tuck it in.
Easy enough, right?”
    “Seems to be.”
    “And it is, except for one thing you’ve
always gotta watch out for. A lotta horses’ll suck in air to blow
up their belly when you’re tightenin’ the cinch. Then, when they
let it out, the cinch ain’t so tight around their belly. More
comfortable for them. Problem with that is, with a loose cinch, the
saddle’ll slip sideways as soon as you step in the stirrup; or
worse, it’ll slip a bit later, while you’re lopin’ along. Next
thing you know, you’re on the ground, seein’ stars, while your
horse is runnin’ off, kickin’ at the saddle—which is now underneath
him. He’ll probably wreck