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“It’ll just take the time it takes,” Mom retorted, ignoring Dad’s cranky attitude as per usual. “And the two of you are going to check the far east edge of the horse pasture, right?” She turned to Cheyenne and me, giving us a smile.
“Yeah, I thought that would be a good way for us to get out of the house for a while. Cheyenne has lots of riding experience, so it’ll be fine.”
“Just make sure you don’t wade out into anything deeper than the knees—and if you do go out into something that deep, you make sure you’re goingslow.We don’t need a repeat of Hazel and Bear. You can drown if you get hung up under there.” Dad’s concern was almost touching—except for the fact that he was so damn grouchy.
“Yeah, yeah,” I said. “We’re not quite as adventurous as Hazel.”
“Speak for yourself,” Cheyenne elbowed me, her eyes alight with amusement.
Surprisingly, Dad chuckled, smiling at the joke. However, he didn’t say anything as Mom handed me the bag of food she packed for us on our outing. I felt a little jittery about the whole thing...
But it was just something to do.
“Well, the two of you ought to get going,” Mom urged, shooing us toward the side door.
“And I’ll watch Takoda for you, Cheyenne,” Hazel said, dropping to her knees as the little fluffball ran up to her, climbing into her lap excitedly. “I swear this is the best dog ever.”
Cheyenne laughed. “I think he’ll be in good hands.”
“Absolutely, he will,” Hazel cooed, picking him up and carrying him off toward her own room. “Let’s go play.”
“She’s obsessed with that dog of yours.” Dad shook his head, looking at Cheyenne. “He is a smart little thing, though.”
“He is, and also very ornery.” Cheyenne smiled after Hazel and Takoda.
“Yep, and that’s why we need to go before she decides to bring him back.” I placed a hand on Cheyenne’s shoulder, guiding her toward the side door. “We will see all of you when we return, and I’ll let you know how the pasture is fairing with that last little bit of rain,” I said the last bit over my shoulder as I reached for the doorknob, swinging the door open and holding it for Cheyenne.
“It’s so nice out here,” Cheyenne said immediately after stepping out the door. She took a deep breath, her eyes closing as the sunshine made her skin nearly glow. “I feel like we haven’t seen the sun in days.”
“That’s because wehaven’tseen the sun in days.” I laughed, grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the barns. I hoped that no one was watching through the window as we headed down the asphalt path to the barn, but if they did...
Oh well.
Everyone knew that she was leaving, and I was going to make the most of the time she had left here. There was no fear of being taken advantage of when we both knew that it was going to be over between us in just a few days or so, and that allowed me to let down my guard.
Well, most of my guard down, anyway.
“So, are you going to throw me on some crazy ass horse today?” Cheyenne eyed me, as we stepped into the open barn.
“I don’t know—do youwanta crazy horse to ride today?” I raised an eyebrow at her.
“I donot. I ride horses, but I prefer to stay off the ones that might try to end my life prematurely.”
“Ah, makes sense.” I chuckled, heading to Freddy’s stall. “I’m going to let you ride my main mount, Freddy. He’s agile and so I wouldn’t say that he’s for beginners, but he ain’t into the funny business. He’s got a good mind.”
“Perfect. That sounds like my kind of guy.” She beamed as I haltered my palomino gelding. “You can use one of Hazel’s saddles. I think any of ours are going to be way too big since you’re a tiny little thing.”
“Hardly,” she snorted, but then nodded when I gave her a funny look. “I’ll use one of your sister’s saddles.”
“Cool. Let me grab Beamer and we can tack up and go.” I tied Freddy up for her and headed to grab my second horse. He was a big gray, who had a tendency to be a little hot-headed, but I knew that he would keep things interesting—and had the bravery needed if something went wrong...
Not that it would.
I just wasn’t sure what the flood waters were going to be like. I slid the stall door open and grabbed him, noting how antsy he was to get out of the stall. Things had been weird with all the rain and no power. The horses were getting minimal handling and exercise. The outdoor arenas could be confused with lakes, and the indoor arena was too dark to ride in most of the time, though Blake was working colts in it.
By the time I got Beamer out and headed back toward Cheyenne, she had already tacked up Freddy and was ready to go.
Damn, shedoeshave some experience.
