Page 2 of The Wrangler and the Tenderfoot

She didn't look convinced. "That one was a wolf for sure. Came barreling straight at me. I thought I was done for right up until it cut past and went for the boar."

"He was going for the boar, not you," I said. "Dogs, uh, wolves, don't tend to attack humans. They just don't always look like they're making that distinction until the last second."

She laughed, and I helped her stand. “Can I take you back to the Coleman place? Ghost can handle us both.”

She winced, but nodded. “I’d appreciate it. I’ve not known Wyatt Coleman for long, but I highly doubt he’s coming back for me.”

I snorted. “I’ve known him, or known of him, for a long time, and you’re right. He’s not coming back.”

She managed to hobble with me to Ghost. He stood perfectly still while I boosted her up, then swung into the saddle behind her.

"Thanks," she said after a minute. "For being at the right place at the right time. I would’ve been left for the buzzards."

"I don't care for buzzards, " I said.

She leaned back a little. "Are you cowboys all like this? I ask because I don’t consider Wyatt Coleman a real cowboy."

It was all I could do not to burst out laughing at her observation of Wyatt. "Not even close."

We rode slowly, letting the breeze dry our sweat. If Ash found out about this, she wasn’t going to let me live down being a good human and helping out a pretty lady.

Ghost wasn't built for two, but Jennie weighed next to nothing, and I could tell he liked her. Or maybe he just liked the way she smelled, of lime soap, sweat, and a little dust. She held tight to the horn, every bump and dip in the trail making her wince. I kept the pace slow, taking it easy on her.

We cleared the fence line and cut east along the dirt track that ran between Maddox and Coleman property. Most folks knew the families hated each other. We wouldn't have if the Colemans hadn’t been such assholes.

Jennie broke the silence first. "You always ride the range on horseback?"

"Usually," I said. "Truck can't get through half the terrain."

"Have you ever used an ATV?"

I almost laughed. "Naw, horses have always done well enough for us."

She twisted to look at me, one eyebrow up. "So, do you have siblings?"

"Sort of. I grew up with the Maddoxes, the family that owns the land here that borders the Colemans. The Maddoxes feel like my brothers and sister."

She nodded. "I'm also an only child, but didn’t have a surrogate family."

"What's your story?"

She shrugged. "My mom moved us a lot. I went to college in Austin. Now I do contract work for oil companies. Pays well, but it's lonely."

"Why geology?"

"I like dirt," she said with a laugh. "You can learn a lot about a place by what's under your feet. Also, rocks don't sass back."

I gave her credit for that one. Even cows sassed back. "They really think you’ll find enough to drill?"

She nodded. "Yeah, they suspect so. They want to put in test wells, see if there's something worth pumping, but it’s my job to see if the test wells are even worth it."

"Probably isn't," I said.

She shrugged again. "That's what I keep telling them. But my job's not to tell them no. My job's to collect samples and smile until they sign a check."

"Cows are simpler," I said.

She smiled. "You seem like a cow guy."