Hi Molly,
Brett and Darcy are in. They read your agenda for the weekend and committed. They’re bringing their own horses. Brett is an expert at roasting pigs, so he’s asked to be a part of that team, especially the carving.
See you soon.
Kitty
Chapter 19
Molly woke up Wednesday of Stampede week already exhausted.
All the details had been driving her crazy.
She delivered the pups to the professional trainer and left them for the week, so they were out of her hair, but so was Shadow, and she missed having Shadow at her side.
Willie, Buck, and Becky had helped with yard set up. She’d gathered comfortable wood outdoor chairs from every source she had, including Betsy, Mack, Evelyn, and Silas. She had a dozen situated around the fire pit for happy hour and the after-dinner fire.
Willie and Buck had set up an open air tent protecting a serving table from the sun. All food would go on the table and everything would be served buffet style. They set up a long table in the shade for the sit-down meals. August at Summer Lake was hot. Molly wanted happy hour to be stand and mingle, but she wanted dinner at a common table. Becky set up a kick-ass outdoor sound system complete with western music playlists. Her final count was fourteen with Cheyenne’s kids, and her table worked perfectly, two on each end, five on each side. She’d put Bart’s parents at one end and Bart and her at the other.
At noon on Thursday, Willie and Buck would bring a giant self-draining chest of beer, white wine, and soft drinks. The bottom was lined with ten pound blocks of ice. The drinks would go on top of that and bags of cubes on top of that. The chest was designed to supply four days of drinks, with a daily replenishment of cubed ice. She wouldn’t have to worry about beverages.
Molly checked the set up hourly for two days, adjusting this and that, until she finally released on it.
She was ready.
The main item on the agenda for Wednesday was an appropriate show of appreciation for Bart. The gift of Ginger was over the top. She knew how much horses cost and Ginger was an expensive horse. Had they been dating three months? Well, sort of. Three months of two days a month. So, they probably hadn’t spent ten days together. That was a wildly extravagant gift for ten days of dating.
But it felt like more than that to Molly, especially with Ginger in the mix. It felt like there was a relationship and that it was maturing nicely. She just didn’t know where it was headed. And she wasn’t sure how long she’d put up with the two day a month program. She suspected not much longer. Either he was interested enough to spend more time with her, or he wasn’t. That would be the measuring stick for his level of interest, and the future of the relationship. Was he willing to sacrifice his beloved wilderness life to be with her? She wasn’t going to press on this yet, but it was seriously on her mind.
Heaviest on her mind was saying thanks to Bart. Since the moment Ginger became hers, sexual fantasies were flooding hermind. She wanted her thank you to be personal. Very personal. And memorable. A sexual adventure he’d never forget. Tingles ran up her spine each time she thought about it.
Her plan was coming together, but she was nervous about it.
Since the decision to join the relay race, Molly worked daily conditioning Ginger: full out sprints, long, sustained gallops, and timed runs around the quarter-mile track. Ginger was in amazing condition and maybe the fastest horse she’d ever ridden. She was as fast as Jo, possibly faster. Ginger’s power surge from a dead stop was breathtaking and her staying power impressive. Molly didn’t think she would ever enjoy riding a horse other than Jo, but she looked forward to her daily workouts with Ginger.
She wanted to get a session in before Bart arrived Wednesday afternoon, so she quit work early and took Ginger out at 1:00. They were just finishing a vigorous workout when she saw Silas and Bart watching from the corral. She started the cool down, once around the track in a slow trot, then back to the corral.
Molly felt Bart’s eyes on Ginger as she approached. She slowed her beautiful horse to a walk a hundred yards before the corral as they ambled up to Silas and Bart.
“Howdy, Cowboy.”
“Nice horse.”
“Thanks to you.”
“Huh, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He was grinning ear to ear, beautiful pearly white teeth flashing, and those blue eyes piercing right through her. God, he was handsome. And he looked happy. She could see it in his faceand eyes. It fit perfectly with the feelings that were warming her heart.
“Cute. I understand there’s more to the story.”
“More to the story? Gee, can’t wait to hear that myself. I’ve never seen this horse in my life.”
He was having fun, and she was enjoying the banter. She slid off, and the two of them walked Ginger to her stall. They ran into Becky on the way, and Molly did introductions, asking if Becky could brush Ginger down and set up her feed.
Bear was searching for Shadow, not happy. Molly leaned down to talk with him, mentioning Shadow’s name repeatedly so he’d know what she was talking about. “I’m sorry Bear, but Shadow is with her pups. Shadow and the pups are at the trainer for the week. Maybe Bart and I will take you down for a visit later to see Shadow so you’ll understand what’s going on. But, everything’s going to be okay. Shadow is missing you too.” Molly used her most soothing voice. All Bear would understand is that she was talking about Shadow in a reassuring way that signaled everything was okay.
Bart picked up his pack, and the two of them headed down the dirt road to the cabin, Bear at their side, letting out the occasional bark and continuing the search for Shadow.
