The mother-son embrace continued, her head against his chest, Bart holding his mother tight.
To Molly, Clint said, “Beautiful set up you have here.”
“I grew up here and feel very lucky to have inherited what my great grandfather started over a hundred years ago.”
He nodded respectfully. “I know that exact feeling.”
The mother-son embrace finally broke as Cassie turned to approach Molly. She was tall, lean, tanned, and beautiful. Molly recognized the blue eyes and perfect white teeth. Molly stuck out her hand but Cassie brushed it aside and moved in for a hug. This hug didn’t last as long before Bart’s mother released her and backed away.
“We may be just meeting, but I feel like I know you. I can’t tell you how much we appreciate your hospitality and this chance to see our long lost wayward son.”
She gave Bart a meaningful look. He looked un-fazed as his father walked up for a man to man handshake. No hugs there. Bart and his father were the same height, over six feet, both lean and muscled, tanned, and very western in jeans, buckle belts, and cowboy hats.
Molly said, “I’m so excited to meet both of you. Welcome to Summer’s End. We thought you might want to unload the horses before checking into your cabin.”
As Molly and Cassie were walking to the back of the horse trailer, she was conscious that she was being watched carefully by all three McKinnons. Were they just checking out Bart’s girlfriend, or was something going on? She looked at each of them working to suppress grins. Somethingwasgoing on, and she had no idea what it was. Clint and Bart moved by the women to take charge of the unloading as Molly and Cassie stood by. A silence had fallen over the group. Something was about to happen, and Molly didn’t have a clue, but everyone except her was in the know.
Clint opened the gate and backed a large, beautiful palomino stallion down the ramp. That had to be his horse. Then Bart moved into the trailer and backed Ginger out. But, wait a minute, that couldn’t be Ginger. Ginger was in the corral. Molly was blinking and double taking and shaking her head. What was going on?
Cassie moved in to take her arm. Molly looked at the giant grins on all three McKinnons and understood immediately what was going on. Ginger was related to Bart’s mother’s horse because they were absolutely identical in coloring and characteristics.
All Molly could say was, “Oh my God.”
The McKinnons were laughing.
“Is someone going to tell me what’s going on?”
Bart said, “We’re going to let Kitty tell you the whole story. It’s really quite amazing. But, yes, obviously, Ruby and Ginger are full siblings from the same dam and sire, two years apart. Ruby is four and Ginger is two. And, in my opinion, the two most beautiful horses God ever created.”
“Oh my God.” Molly walked over to examine Ruby. The similarity to Ginger was stunning.
Cassie asked, “How do you like riding Ginger?”
“Are you kidding? She’s a dream.”
“I’m sure the siblings will be excited to see each other.”
“Ginger is in the corral. Follow me.”
Cassie took the rope hanging loosely around Ruby’s neck and the entourage walked toward the corral where Silas was standing dumfounded, his mouth open, looking back and forth between the matching horses. Okay, then, Silas didn’t know this part of the story either. He opened the gate as Cassie removed the line and shooed Ruby into the corral. The family lined up to see the two nearly identical chestnut mares move immediately to the other and rub noses.
Molly asked, “Were you still interested in exercising Ruby this afternoon?”
“Yes, if that works. What a beautiful set up you have.” The McKinnons were looking at the stables, the corrals, the extended workout field, and the snowcapped peaks of the North Cascade range in the distance.
“I’m guessing it’s a lot like your ranch.”
No one responded to that. Bart hadn’t said a word.
Molly said, “Why don’t we saddle up while Bart takes Clint down to get you checked into your cabin? He can give him the full tour and then come back here, or head to my cabin, or greet the rest of the family.”
They rode side by side in a light trot out from the stables toward the workout range.
Molly said, “I can’t keep my eyes off the two horses together. Isn’t it amazing?”
“I can’t tell you how much I looked forward to this moment. It’s really fun.”
“I have so many questions, but I guess we’ll wait for Kitty.”
