Read Online Riding the River by Jeanne Harrell - Free Book Online Page B

laughed.
    “... No, just Cooper.”
    “Sorry.”
    “… Anyway, we drive a herd of fifty or so
horses from one seasonal pasture to another.”
    “What does that mean?” Sarah knit her
brows.
    “We’ll move the herd from a pasture west of
here to one farther north. There’s better grass for grazing up near
the Jarbidge Wilderness and so we’ll put them up there for a few
months. It’ll take two days to drive them up and get them settled,
but only a day to return. It’s quicker without the herd.” He winked
at her and she smiled.
    “And you don’t mind taking us city slickers
along with you?”
    “Absolutely not. You’re quite welcome.” He
looked at her. She was stroking a horse’s flank and seemed easy
around horses. She noticed that he was looking at her and raised an
eyebrow.
    “…um…”
    “Sorry, I didn’t mean to stare. You just look
so much like my daughter. How old are you? Twenty-four?
Twenty-five?”
    “Wow…asking a woman her age. You’re pretty
brave and yes, I’m twenty-five.”
    “Okay, sorry again… Why did you come in the
barn? Do you need a horse saddled?”
    “I do indeed. I wanted to get in a quick ride
before dinner.”
    He began saddling a horse for her.
    “How’s your day been?”
    “Great.” Sarah’s eyes lit up. She was
pretty. “I had a riding lesson this morning and a shooting
lesson after lunch.”
    “Wow… You’re taking in the Old West for all
its worth, aren’t you?”
    She smiled. “I plan to fill every minute with
learning something new. It’s all been extraordinary so far.”
    “Really? Well, good for you. I’m glad you’re
enjoying yourself.” He walked the horse up to her. “You’ve had just
one lesson. Are you all right on your own?”
    “I don’t plan to lose sight of the ranch
house. I just want to practice some more.”
    “All right. I’ll watch you for a while and
then I’ve got to get busy.”
    “Don’t worry about me.”
    Cooper held the horse for her to mount. “Now
this is Thunder.” Her eyes widened hearing the horse’s name. Cooper
laughed. “Don’t worry. The only thing tough about this horse is his
name. He’s a real sweetie.”
    Sarah let out a breath. “Thanks, Cooper.” And
she took off walking her horse until she went past the corrals.
Then she let him go and Thunder galloped up towards the hills.
Cooper watched for a bit and decided she’d do just fine on the
horse drive. She was definitely comfortable in the saddle.
    She galloped out past the ranch house up into
the low hills. Sarah had purchased a cowboy hat – And with jeans
and a Western shirt, she fit right into the landscape. The wind
picked up the hat and blew it off her head, so it hung down her
back. Sarah smiled… Just a cowgirl out for a ride… It was a
delicious thought.
    She rode through the hills and onto the back
part of the property where Richie had taken them this morning.
Seeing the wildflower meadow and stream, she headed right for that
area. Sarah breathed in the moist air from the cold stream, stopped
Thunder and dismounted. She let him drink while she looked around
at the gorgeous meadow. Sitting down in the yellow, blue and white
wildflowers, she picked a few and then lay back to look at that
big, blue sky. She laid her cowboy hat on the ground beside her.
The flowers were soft on her back as was the ground by the
stream.
    Lying there, she watched the puffy clouds
roll lazily by. She had never seen a sky that immense… It seemed to
go on and on and on… Thinking about the difference of life here in
Nevada with the hustle and bustle of life in Baltimore… There was
just no comparison. It was ‘ Big Country’ come to life
and
    she loved it. Sure, there were a few problems
– communication being one and distance between towns being another.
Somehow, that didn’t faze her. She got up and took a bottle of
water out of her saddlebag, thought again and got out the horseshoe
too. Sarah took a swig of her water and lay down again in