“Tack room, back shelf.”
“Thanks, Micky.”
He nodded, the brim of his hat casting a shadow over his eyes, then walked out the back of the barn.
Ryan retraced her steps through the dim corridor until she rounded a corner and found Elsie, the cow, standing squarely in the barn’s center. A warm, slightly sour aroma of fresh manure and sweet hay filled the air. When she shook her head, the large cowbell around her neck clanged.
“I bet you escaped again, didn’t you?” Ryan laughed, reaching out to scratch the cow between her horns. Elsie mooed, large eyes blinking slowly.
“I’ll get her, ma’am,” another cowboy called, striding forward in well-worn jeans and scuffed boots.
“Thanks,” Ryan said, rubbing Elsie’s forehead. “I met her the first day I introduced myself to Seth, then stepped right in one of her patties.”
The cowboy chuckled. “That’s why Seth keeps her penned up, but she’s crafty.”
Ryan extended her hand. “Ryan Carroll, Western Living magazine. Pleasure to meet you.”
He tugged off one glove and his hat, revealing blond sun-streaked hair, then offered a firm handshake. “Name’s Buck.”
“Is that your real name?” she teased.
He grinned. “No, ma’am.”
Ryan laughed. “And that’s all you’ll tell me, huh?”
“Yes, ma’am. Take care.” He tipped his hat and strode away, leading Elsie and leaving only the faint jingle of the cowbell.
Alone, Ryan pushed open the tack room door. A rich bouquet of leather and saddle soap greeted her, rows of saddles polished to a muted shine, bridles hanging like jewelry against the walls. She spotted a line of black walkie-talkies resting on a dusty back shelf, their chargers blinking red and green. She gingerly lifted the middle unit and flicked the power switch and immediately heard chatter. Once it stopped, she pressed the talk button.
“Seth?”
A beat of silence, then; “Yes, ma’am?” That low timbre made her pulse quicken.
“Cull’s out working. What should I do?”
“Well, since Cull’s off fixing fence, you can go ahead and leave for the day. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Okay. I’ll do that.” Damn, she was disappointed, but she decided to hang around until Seth returned. “How long will you be?”
“We’re on our way back. Should be there within fifteen minutes.”
“Alright.”
She turned off the radio, slid it back into its charger, green light glowing steadily, and stepped out of the barn. The afternoon air felt cool on her skin, carrying faint hints of tobacco smoke and pine. She’d take photos of the house, barn and the men working around the barn, so she could see Seth again.
“Damn, you have it bad,” she murmured.
She snapped photos of the inside of the barn, along with the tack room, stalls, and then walked toward the arena. She took photos from outside, then entered and snapped more of the training area. She knew Seth didn’t want any personal photos about his work, but these she would keep for herself.
When she headed back to the barn where Pearl was, she saw Sean and Seth riding into the yard, and she quickly stepped inside the building to wait. She stood beside Micky and Red and took pictures of them too.
Seeing Seth on that beautiful horse made him look like the essential cowboy, while Sean… well, he didn’t. She bit her lip as he followed Seth into the barn. She watched as Sean slowly got off the horse but when his feet hit the floor, he winced.
“I’ll get you a jar of salve,” Seth said as he dismounted, then entered the tack room.
Sean stood in one spot as if afraid to move.
“It looks like more than your feet hurt,” Ryan said to Sean.
