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Authors: Kathie DeNosky
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no...but—”
“Then why do you think I’d miss doing something as important as catching you if you fell?” he asked. “And for the record, I’ve been tossing around bales of hay that weigh more than you do every day since I was fourteen or fifteen years old. The day you’re too heavy for me to catch is the day they bury me.”
“But what if—”
“You can’t let all of the what-ifs in life hold you back, Karly,” he interrupted. He let go of the mare’s bridle and continued to walk beside her as they made another trip around the inside of the round pen. “If you don’t take a chance once in a while, you’re just marking time. You’re not living.”
It was something his grandfather had always told him and Blake firmly believed it was true. It was one of the reasons he’d been so quick to ask Karly to marry him. He’d known what he wanted and he’d made her his. It was also the reason behind him asking her to stay at the ranch while he tried to find out why she’d been hell-bent on divorcing him. He might not like what was behind her abrupt decision, but at least he’d know for sure why she’d decided he wasn’t the one for her.
Karly stared at him for several long moments. They both knew he was talking about more than her riding a horse. But she didn’t seem willing to talk about it and he wasn’t going to press her on the issue just yet.
Smiling, she finally shrugged. “If I didn’t step out of my comfort zone once in a while, I wouldn’t be on this horse now, would I?”
“And you’re doing a great job of riding her on your own, too,” he commented, holding up both hands to show her she was riding the mare independently.
“Oh, dear Lord!” From the look on Karly’s pretty face, he knew she was a hair’s breadth away from all-out panic.
“Don’t freak out,” he said calmly. “I haven’t been leading Suede since the first trip around the pen and you’ve done just fine.” When they reached the gate, he opened it and stepped out to untie Boomer while the mare continued to walk slowly around the inside of the pen.
“B-Blake?”
“I’m just going to get Boomer so I can ride beside you,” he reassured her. Swinging up into the saddle, he guided the gelding into the pen and caught up with Karly and Suede as they made another trip around the inside. “There are a few more things I want to show you, then we’ll be ready to leave the round pen and start the ride up to the pasture.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Karly asked. “I’d hate to have to spend eternity haunting you.”
“I’ll take my chances on that, sweetheart,” he said, laughing.
As he showed her how to guide Suede by doing nothing more than touching the reins to either side of the mare’s neck, he noticed that Karly began to relax. She sat looser in the saddle and actually started moving with the mare instead of remaining as stiff as a ramrod.
On the third trip around the inside of the circular fence, Blake nodded toward the open gate ahead. “It’s time we take this show on the road.”
Karly looked doubtful. “I really don’t think—”
“Good idea,” he said, grinning. “Don’t think. Just do it.”
When they rode the horses out of the round pen, he could tell by the tightening around her mouth that Karly was anything but confident. But he admired her willingness to give riding a try. He just wished she had shown that kind of consideration to giving their marriage a chance.
* * *
By the time she and Blake reached the pasture where the herd of steers had spent the summer, Karly was feeling a little more sure of herself. Suede had proved to be as docile as Blake had promised and once Karly relaxed in the saddle, riding the mare wasn’t bad at all.
“Are these mountains part of the Rockies?” she asked, gazing at the splendor of the high mountain meadow.
“Yup. The Laramie Mountain range is part of the eastern edge of the Rockies,” he answered, stopping his horse to
“Then why do you think I’d miss doing something as important as catching you if you fell?” he asked. “And for the record, I’ve been tossing around bales of hay that weigh more than you do every day since I was fourteen or fifteen years old. The day you’re too heavy for me to catch is the day they bury me.”
“But what if—”
“You can’t let all of the what-ifs in life hold you back, Karly,” he interrupted. He let go of the mare’s bridle and continued to walk beside her as they made another trip around the inside of the round pen. “If you don’t take a chance once in a while, you’re just marking time. You’re not living.”
It was something his grandfather had always told him and Blake firmly believed it was true. It was one of the reasons he’d been so quick to ask Karly to marry him. He’d known what he wanted and he’d made her his. It was also the reason behind him asking her to stay at the ranch while he tried to find out why she’d been hell-bent on divorcing him. He might not like what was behind her abrupt decision, but at least he’d know for sure why she’d decided he wasn’t the one for her.
Karly stared at him for several long moments. They both knew he was talking about more than her riding a horse. But she didn’t seem willing to talk about it and he wasn’t going to press her on the issue just yet.
Smiling, she finally shrugged. “If I didn’t step out of my comfort zone once in a while, I wouldn’t be on this horse now, would I?”
“And you’re doing a great job of riding her on your own, too,” he commented, holding up both hands to show her she was riding the mare independently.
“Oh, dear Lord!” From the look on Karly’s pretty face, he knew she was a hair’s breadth away from all-out panic.
“Don’t freak out,” he said calmly. “I haven’t been leading Suede since the first trip around the pen and you’ve done just fine.” When they reached the gate, he opened it and stepped out to untie Boomer while the mare continued to walk slowly around the inside of the pen.
“B-Blake?”
“I’m just going to get Boomer so I can ride beside you,” he reassured her. Swinging up into the saddle, he guided the gelding into the pen and caught up with Karly and Suede as they made another trip around the inside. “There are a few more things I want to show you, then we’ll be ready to leave the round pen and start the ride up to the pasture.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Karly asked. “I’d hate to have to spend eternity haunting you.”
“I’ll take my chances on that, sweetheart,” he said, laughing.
As he showed her how to guide Suede by doing nothing more than touching the reins to either side of the mare’s neck, he noticed that Karly began to relax. She sat looser in the saddle and actually started moving with the mare instead of remaining as stiff as a ramrod.
On the third trip around the inside of the circular fence, Blake nodded toward the open gate ahead. “It’s time we take this show on the road.”
Karly looked doubtful. “I really don’t think—”
“Good idea,” he said, grinning. “Don’t think. Just do it.”
When they rode the horses out of the round pen, he could tell by the tightening around her mouth that Karly was anything but confident. But he admired her willingness to give riding a try. He just wished she had shown that kind of consideration to giving their marriage a chance.
* * *
By the time she and Blake reached the pasture where the herd of steers had spent the summer, Karly was feeling a little more sure of herself. Suede had proved to be as docile as Blake had promised and once Karly relaxed in the saddle, riding the mare wasn’t bad at all.
“Are these mountains part of the Rockies?” she asked, gazing at the splendor of the high mountain meadow.
“Yup. The Laramie Mountain range is part of the eastern edge of the Rockies,” he answered, stopping his horse to
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