Read Online Rodeo Rocky by Jenny Oldfield - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jenny Oldfield
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necklace made from leather and tiny turquoise, white, and black beads. “We’re not going on a fashion shoot!” Kirstie had cried. “We’re trail riding up to Bear Hunt Overlook, remember?”
That morning she’d pulled on an old checked shirt belonging to Matt. It was faded and torn. Her jeans were worn at the knees and rolled up at the bottom. “It looks like those are mine, too,” her brother had grumbled as she’d whipped up a breakfast of waffles and chocolate sauce.
“Don’t mess up your new jeans!” Bonnie had called to Lisa from the old Ford pickup truck she drove. The warning had drifted off on the breeze.
And now Kirstie was hurrying her friend over to the post where Lucky and Rocky were tethered because Hadley was ready to head his group of experienced riders out on the trail. There was no time to talk or worry about the ride ahead as they quickly mounted and followed the line of guests out of the corral and over the wooden bridge.
As the horses’ hooves clattered, then came back onto solid ground, Lisa saw that Rocky was edgy and urged Lucky ahead. “He’ll follow if Lucky leads,” she called over her shoulder, urging the palomino into a trot and rising neatly in the saddle.
Sure enough, Rocky picked up his pace, ears forward, concentrating on Lucky, as Hadley took a trail that led to one side of Hummingbird Rock and on through Fat Man’s Squeeze to the giant overlook beyond.
Kirstie took care to praise him for settling down. Instead of pulling at the reins and dancing sideways, he went willingly, picking up his feet and choosing the surest, safest way through the bushes and between the rocks. Soon he was confident enough to put on speed and stride out alongside Lucky, catching up with the rest of the group just as the head wrangler was instructing them to split up and lope on past Hummingbird Rock.
“Meet up at the bunch of ponderosa pines,” he told the visitors. “After that, there’s a steep climb until we get to a narrow gully. We do that part of the ride together, OK?”
The half-dozen riders nodded and went their separate ways, giving their horses their heads and loping cross-country. They ducked and dodged branches, jumped fallen logs, sometimes staying in the saddle by grasping the horn and clinging on as the horse charged ahead.
“You think you can do this?” Hadley stayed behind to ask Kirstie and Lisa.
They nodded and reined their horses around to face the slope. Kirstie could feel Rocky’s eagerness as he scented the keener air blowing from the mountaintops. When she squeezed his sides and let him go on, he surged away without even waiting for Lucky.
And they were off up the hill, thundering across the ground. Kirstie ducked to miss an overhanging branch, swept by the side of another, swayed in the saddle as Rocky swerved around a rock. Behind her, she could hear Lisa and Lucky close on their heels. Ahead, the dude riders had fanned out, each taking a different track to the finishing point by the pines. Like them, she arrived breathless and pleased.
“OK?” Lisa checked with Kirstie. The wind had blown her hair into unruly curls, the pretty necklace was crooked, but she had a huge grin on her face.
“Great. Rocky is fantastic!” She kept her voice low in case Lucky got upset and jealous. “And so are you, too!” she told him. The two horses jostled in the shadow of the pine trees, then got into line as Hadley checked that everyone was there.
“We’re gonna go through the squeeze,” he reminded them. “It’s a gully between two cliffs. Some of the horses don’t like it, but you let them know who’s giving the orders and they’ll do it, no problem.”
Kirstie knew the place. It was only wide enough for one horse at a time. To either side, the pinky-gray granite rocks rose sheer and bare. As she held back and set Rocky on the trail last in the line, she began to worry, and her edginess was picked up by the smart horse.
“OK?” Lisa turned to check
That morning she’d pulled on an old checked shirt belonging to Matt. It was faded and torn. Her jeans were worn at the knees and rolled up at the bottom. “It looks like those are mine, too,” her brother had grumbled as she’d whipped up a breakfast of waffles and chocolate sauce.
“Don’t mess up your new jeans!” Bonnie had called to Lisa from the old Ford pickup truck she drove. The warning had drifted off on the breeze.
And now Kirstie was hurrying her friend over to the post where Lucky and Rocky were tethered because Hadley was ready to head his group of experienced riders out on the trail. There was no time to talk or worry about the ride ahead as they quickly mounted and followed the line of guests out of the corral and over the wooden bridge.
As the horses’ hooves clattered, then came back onto solid ground, Lisa saw that Rocky was edgy and urged Lucky ahead. “He’ll follow if Lucky leads,” she called over her shoulder, urging the palomino into a trot and rising neatly in the saddle.
Sure enough, Rocky picked up his pace, ears forward, concentrating on Lucky, as Hadley took a trail that led to one side of Hummingbird Rock and on through Fat Man’s Squeeze to the giant overlook beyond.
Kirstie took care to praise him for settling down. Instead of pulling at the reins and dancing sideways, he went willingly, picking up his feet and choosing the surest, safest way through the bushes and between the rocks. Soon he was confident enough to put on speed and stride out alongside Lucky, catching up with the rest of the group just as the head wrangler was instructing them to split up and lope on past Hummingbird Rock.
“Meet up at the bunch of ponderosa pines,” he told the visitors. “After that, there’s a steep climb until we get to a narrow gully. We do that part of the ride together, OK?”
The half-dozen riders nodded and went their separate ways, giving their horses their heads and loping cross-country. They ducked and dodged branches, jumped fallen logs, sometimes staying in the saddle by grasping the horn and clinging on as the horse charged ahead.
“You think you can do this?” Hadley stayed behind to ask Kirstie and Lisa.
They nodded and reined their horses around to face the slope. Kirstie could feel Rocky’s eagerness as he scented the keener air blowing from the mountaintops. When she squeezed his sides and let him go on, he surged away without even waiting for Lucky.
And they were off up the hill, thundering across the ground. Kirstie ducked to miss an overhanging branch, swept by the side of another, swayed in the saddle as Rocky swerved around a rock. Behind her, she could hear Lisa and Lucky close on their heels. Ahead, the dude riders had fanned out, each taking a different track to the finishing point by the pines. Like them, she arrived breathless and pleased.
“OK?” Lisa checked with Kirstie. The wind had blown her hair into unruly curls, the pretty necklace was crooked, but she had a huge grin on her face.
“Great. Rocky is fantastic!” She kept her voice low in case Lucky got upset and jealous. “And so are you, too!” she told him. The two horses jostled in the shadow of the pine trees, then got into line as Hadley checked that everyone was there.
“We’re gonna go through the squeeze,” he reminded them. “It’s a gully between two cliffs. Some of the horses don’t like it, but you let them know who’s giving the orders and they’ll do it, no problem.”
Kirstie knew the place. It was only wide enough for one horse at a time. To either side, the pinky-gray granite rocks rose sheer and bare. As she held back and set Rocky on the trail last in the line, she began to worry, and her edginess was picked up by the smart horse.
“OK?” Lisa turned to check
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