Cowgirl Up (9 page)

“Ouch,” she said as he landed.

The blow knocked the wind out of Gene.

“I think these two may need to take a break before lunch,” Harley said. “I’ll drive you back out and get you set up, and then come back to check on them again.”

Coal followed him to the gator and saw her tack loaded in the back. “Thanks for loading my tack.”

“No problem,” Harley said with a grin.

They drove back to the lake and she walked over to Shadow and led him over to the gator where she slipped a bridle over his head and removed the halter and lead. Harley held the reins as Coal stroked Shadow’s neck. Next, she introduced the blanket to him, laying it gently across his back. Then she picked up her saddle and draped it across his back. He stomped his feet, but allowed her to continue to cinch the girth around his belly. She draped the reins over his neck, secured them on the saddle horn, and then slapped Shadow’s back haunches to spook him. He lurched back away from her and when the stirrups hit his side, he began bucking trying to dislodge the saddle. He ran several hundred yards, bucking and jumping from side to side.

“Unless you need us, Harley can take me back, and I’ll start lunch,” Melissa said.

“No problem, I’m going to let him get used to the saddle for a while, and then I’ll mount him.”

“I’ll drive the gator back when lunch is ready and give you both a ride in,” Melissa said.

“Okay, boss,” she said as Melissa and Harley pulled away.

†

She walked over to sit beside Mary Leah and picked up her water bottle, took a drink and then turned toward her. “Now, where were we?” she asked with a grin.

“I do believe you were about to kiss me when we were interrupted,” Mary Leah said.

“I thought you were about to kiss me,” Coal teased as she leaned forward.

“Does it really matter?”

“No, it doesn’t,” she said as she reached up to stroke the side of Mary Leah’s face while she leaned forward to brush her lips softly across hers. The merging of their lips was tender at first then surged electric when Coal penetrated Mary Leah’s lips with her tongue. Tongues swirled together in a dance of dominance as her hand found the back of Mary Leah’s neck to pull her closer.

Mary Leah’s hands sought out Coal’s waist and held her close as they kissed. They were oblivious to the approach of hooves and were startled from their kiss by the sound of Shadow blowing air through his nostrils in an impatient gesture as he stood three feet away from them.

Coal looked over to Shadow and then turned back to Mary Leah. “It looks like I’m going to have to take you away somewhere to get an uninterrupted kiss.”

“Just let me know when,” Mary Leah said.

“Maybe we can go for a ride in my truck later tonight.”

“Find a place to park like a pair of teenagers,” Mary Leah said.

“That’s not a bad idea,” Coal said and quickly kissed her. “Now, I need to get back to work,” she said as she turned away from Mary Leah.

“Be careful.”

“Always,” she said with a grin.

She walked over to Shadow and ran her hand down his neck. “Are we ready to ride?” she whispered.

The young horse shivered under her touch. She continued to talk quietly with him as her left foot slipped into a stirrup. She took the reins in her left hand as she pulled her body onto his back. She quickly located the other stirrup with her right foot and squeezed her knees into his sides. She had to duck a low branch as Shadow took off in a dead run deeper into the pasture.

Coal gave him his head, allowing him to run as far as he wanted to run. He quickly worked up a lather of sweat and began to slow his speed. Suddenly he stopped dead in his tracks. Prepared for this move, she managed to keep her body from flying over his head. When he failed to dislodge her from his back, Shadow bucked wildly for several seconds, but Coal’s knees locked tight against him. When he stopped bucking, she leaned over to pat his neck and speak to him with her soothing voice. She used the reins to turn him back toward the lake and found that it was no longer in sight.

Mary Leah watched them quickly disappear into the horizon. The speed at which Shadow and Coal departed took Mary Leah’s breath and she worried for Coal’s safety when they were out of sight, but had to trust in her skills as a horse trainer to know what she was doing. Still, her heart raced when she finally saw the dust that was being kicked up by Shadow’s hooves as they came thundering back toward her.

Coal slowed him to a canter and maneuvered him through figure-eight patterns until he grew accustomed to the pressure of the reins against his neck to follow her instructions. She pulled back on the reins, pressing her knees into his sides, and he backed up quickly in a straight line. She dismounted and walked forward to turn and face Shadow. She dropped the reins and waited to see if he would run off. She smiled as he dropped his head to look at her and stood his ground. She stepped forward and placed her hand on his forehead. “Good boy,” she said as she stroked his face. Coal picked up the reins and walked to his side, and mounted him again. There was no resistance as she sat squarely upon his back.

A flicker of bright light caught her attention and she looked up to see the gator approaching the lake.
Lunch must be ready
. She urged Shadow forward into an easy canter.

“Would you look at that?” Harley said aloud. Mary Leah looked up when they heard them approach. “Lunch is ready so Melissa sent me after the two of you. Are you sure you didn’t trade out horses with someone?” he teased.

“No, sir. Shadow is turning out to be a right good cow pony,” Coal teased back. She smiled brightly at Harley. “Take Mary Leah in the gator and we’ll ride along beside you.”

Mary Leah stood up and stretched. Callie, who had been dozing in the shade, rushed up when her master stood to leave and ran to her side. She jumped into the gator, and sat on the seat between Harley and Mary Leah.

†

After lunch, Coal unsaddled Shadow and returned him to the corral so she could begin training another of the young horses. She returned to the house to change back into shorts and a tank top for another round of swimming with the horse. When she returned to the corral Harley had placed a halter and lead on a big, strong filly. “I thought she would do nicely for your next big adventure,” he said as he handed her the lead.

“Thanks,” she said and led the horse from the corral as Gene and Lucas attempted to stretch out sore muscles. “I really feel for you guys,” she said.

“I’m almost tempted to try your method,” Lucas said. “My ass is killing me,” he added with a grin.

“Come down to the lake and watch if you’d like,” she offered.

“That’s not a bad idea,” Stan said. “I’m getting tired of picking y’all up off the ground.”

“I’ll wait if you want to go change into something more appropriate for swimming,” she told them.

“Go ahead, and we will find two easy ones for y’all,” Harley teased.

Gene and Lucas disappeared into the bunkhouse and returned a few minutes later in cut-off shorts, T-shirts, and their dusty boots.

Harley and the crew whistled at the boys as they strode across the yard to the corral. “Have them legs ever seen sunshine before?” one of the men called out.

Lucas looked at Gene. “Just ignore the old farts, they’re just jealous.”

“I really don’t care about showing off my white legs, if it will save the pain in my backside,” Gene said.

“This really is a Kodak moment,” Melissa said as she walked up to the corral.

“Okay, guys, let’s make hay while the sun’s still shining,” Coal said.

Melissa and Mary Leah took the gator, while Stan and the rest of the crew loaded up on the flatbed and drove to the lake.

“When we get to the lake you two need to ditch those boots. Then we will lead the horses into the lake and let them swim until they are good and tired.” Coal looked up at the sound of thundering hooves to see Shadow running toward them.

“I don’t think he was named Shadow for nothing,” Lucas said. “I think you have got a new best friend.”

“It sure looks that way,” she said. “Anyhow, when they are tired from swimming we will bring them closer to shore until they can get their footing, and we will mount up bareback to let them get used to having a rider on their backs.” She looked at Gene and smiled. “Then we will walk them parallel with the shore in shoulder deep water so they can get accustomed to our full weight. If they start to buck turn them toward deeper water and tire them out swimming.”

They had reached the shore of the lake and Coal had kicked her sandals off while Gene and Lucas took off their boots. Gene looked nervous. “Are you okay, Gene?” she asked.

“I’m not the best of swimmers,” he admitted.

“Let the horse do the work, and hold onto his mane down on his withers so he can pull you along, but don’t hesitate to holler for help if you need to,” she added. “Are we ready?”

Both Lucas and Gene nodded their heads. “We have the whole lake, so spread out some. Let’s hit the water.”

The small crowd watched as the three ranch hands led the horses into the lake. Gene was very tense at first. When he relaxed, he allowed his body to get accustomed to the water. They allowed the horses to swim for a half hour, and then she told them to mount.

The sorrel stallion Lucas was training immediately started trying to buck when he mounted, and he turned him back into deeper water just as Coal had instructed. She smiled as she watched them take control of their mounts. An hour later, all three had their mounts walking calmly in the shallow water.

She slipped off the filly and led her out of the lake followed by Lucas and Gene. They tied the horses to a low branch and walked to the group. “Y’all hop on, and we’ll drive back to the house so you can change clothes and we’ll pick up your tack,” Harley said.

“You have a deal,” Coal said as she slipped back into her sandals and they loaded onto the back of the truck. “We have time to rinse off quickly,” she told them as they bounced across the pasture.

“That part went surprisingly well,” Stan said as they watched the truck roll toward the house.

“It’s amazing what Coal had Shadow doing in such a short time,” Mary Leah said.

“She definitely has a way with the horses,” Stan said.

“With the guys too, I think they are already appreciating the fact they aren’t hitting the hard ground every few minutes,” Melissa said.

“Heck, I think even us old farts could help out with training like this,” Stan said.

Melissa chuckled and he looked at her with a raised brow. “You don’t think we could handle it?”

“I’m not sure we could handle seeing a bunch of old farts in shorts,” Melissa teased.

“You’re probably right. Mine are just as white and covered with more hair than Gene’s or Lucas’s,” he said.

“That is a visual I can do without.” Mary Leah chuckled.

When the ranch hands returned with tack and fresh clothes, they saddled the three horses, and Coal took them through the steps she had taken with Shadow. Gene hit the ground once when his horse crow hopped and he wasn’t expecting the move. He climbed right up, and minutes later had his mount cantering in a figure eight behind Coal and Lucas.

After another hour of maneuvers, she led them back to the crowd at the tree. “That is so much less painful,” Lucas said.

“Yes, it is, for both rider and horse.” Shadow trotted up to her and nudged her knee.

“I think someone wants to be ridden,” Stan said.

“I’m thinking you’re right,” Coal said. “Have you two had enough for today?”