The last thing Leland would have expected, upon first meeting Jamie, was that an older, widowed woman would turn to him for help. There was something he’d done or said to make this good connection with her, and it was something Leland heartily approved of. That was the behavior that made a new rider feel safe. Made a good ranch hand. Made a good man.
Leland watched as Jamie stepped close and helped Dorothy mount Travelle, then kept watching, like some kind of fool with nothing else to do. Jamie double checked that Dorothy’s yellow slicker was securely tied on, then patted Travelle’s neck, talking softly to Dorothy all the while.
Leland wanted to step close and hear his words, wanted to make a difference—anydifference—where he wouldn’t have to feel like a complete asshole in all of this. But that was his burden to bear.
Anything that had happened between them and the fallout from his backing away—all of that was his fault, and his fault alone. He deserved to feel lonely. Deserved to walk away and mount Marduke, a plain looking ginger horse with amazingly long legs.
Marduke’s trot might be choppy, but his walk was smooth. He could canter for miles and when he did, his ginger mane floated in the air like cotton candy. Except for that mane, though, he was not Instagram worthy. Leland’s throat closed up as he mounted, his anger flaring at all the focus on what something looked like rather than what it felt like. But those were the changes the world was going through, and he either needed to understand those changes or throw in the towel.
The trail ride must go on, and so when Brody mounted and clicked his horse into action, taking the lead, Leland waited till all the other guests slowly guided their horses into line. The horses were experienced at this, knew the drill, and lined up without a fuss, each following the other as they left the corral and headed up the low slope to the path along the foothills.
Jamie got ahead of Dorothy and smiled back at her as he nudged Dusty into motion. Leland steered Marduke behind Dorothy, both to keep an eye on her and, also, yes, to watch Jamie as he rode.
Jamie’s back was straight, and when he looked at Dorothy to check on her, he looked at Leland, too, and then flicked his eyes away. As though Leland was a stranger. As though Leland was the enemy, which he probably was. But that’s the way it had to be. Leland was the boss and couldn’t be panting after his employees. It wasn’t right. Wasn’t ethical. Put a strain on things, like it was doing right now. If he’d not come on to Jamie, then the two of them could be on this trail ride together, sharing a laugh, taking care of Dorothy between them. But no, he’d screwed up.
Despite Leland’s dark thoughts, the trail ride was glorious. The clouds came and went, making dappled patterns across the landscape and seashell shapes along the horizon, shifting the shadows on the foothills from blue to pink and gold, then back to blue.
A brisk wind came down from Iron Mountain by the time they went over the rise. Bits of rain spattered in the sky, but it was mostly virga from the clouds, vanishing before hitting earth. Even so, when they rode into the bottom of the valley, Brody had the guests stop and dismount.
Everyone had a fine time helping each other untie their yellow slickers from behind their saddles, and everyone did their best to put their slickers on without flapping around too much. There was happy laughter and much circling of horses, and all the while, Jamie quietly helped Dorothy.
He wasn’t an experienced rider and couldn’t have done much, had there been a serious problem. Just by being there, though, he was helping Dorothy stay calm and giving her the experience she’d come out to the ranch to have: that of being on horseback in a clean, unspoiled world.
Leland’s throat closed up at the thought of it. He’d thrown Jamie off the property, and had that decision followed through as he’d expected it, then Dorothy wouldn’t have Jamie’s shoulder to lean on, his patient presence standing by as she mounted up again, the tails of her yellow slicker flapping all around her.
“Mount up,” Leland said, using the words to clear his tight throat.
“Mount up, everyone,” said Brody, tapping his hat to Leland. “If it starts to rain hard, we’ll head back. We’ll be fine, don’t worry. Rain won’t melt us, as we’re not made of sugar, and the horses are used to this kind of weather.”
Everyone mounted up, and the horses walked for a good long way along a tributary of Horse Creek, where the rain cast was casting dimples on the smooth surface of the water and stirring the green grasses. The guests chattered amongst themselves while Leland kept an eye on the weather.
When Brody pointed, Leland looked and spotted lightning on the horizon. The flash of light was so thin and so small, they probably weren’t in any danger. Still, lightning could arc across great distances, especially in open areas like the high plains, so it wasn’t a good idea to be caught out in the middle of nowhere.
When another shard came, silver-white against the darkening sky, Brody and Leland looked at each other and nodded.
“Looks like we’ll be turning back, folks,” said Brody, his words coming out exactly the way they should, calm, steady, dependable. “We’ve got more weather coming in than we expected, so it’s better safe than sorry. Take a quick drink from your canteens, then we’ll turn ‘em around and head back to the ranch. There, you’ll have a nice hot supper, and if it’s not raining, we’ll have dancing in front of the dining hall.”
Leland looked over at Dorothy. Her face was white, and she’d balled up her reins in her hands, gripping the saddle horn the whole while. In her face, he could see what she was afraid of, of being in the middle of nowhere while the elements swirled all around her, out of control. Even though he knew there was very little to fear, to her there was, and he needed to take care of it.
Just as he was about to go over and offer assistance and maybe some gentle reassurance, Jamie rode close to her side, reaching out to her. And he didn’t just pat her hand, he made her drink from her canteen, and took a drink from his own to show her how it was done. Gave her something specific to do, to focus on.
Leland didn’t know what Jamie said to her as they put their canteens back, but she looked at him and nodded, her eyes wide. Then she got right in line with the others, guiding her horse, and while her knuckles were still white, there was a firm set to her jaw, and she concentrated on Travelle, patting the mare, talking to her all the while.
Leland got brave himself and rode up on the other side of Jamie. Marduke’s hooves were off the path, and they were now riding three abreast, which wasn’t exactly safe. But he would only be there a moment, and reached out to touch Jamie’s thigh.
Jamie’s head snapped in Leland’s direction, like he’d said something harsh. His green eyes glittered, and his mouth was a firm, thin line.
“What?” he asked.
“What did you say to her?”
Jamie took a long breath, checked to make sure of Dorothy, then shifted his body in the saddle and leaned toward Leland. “I told her Travelle needed her to guide her back to the barn. That it was up to her to make sure Travelle was safe.”
“You flipped a switch,” Leland said, and he’d never been so proud and amazed. By making Dorothy more aware of her horse’s needs than her own, Jamie had done exactly the right thing. “Well done.”
For a moment, long and sweet, there was a smile in those green eyes, a curve to Jamie’s lovely mouth, but then he ducked his head and turned back to Dorothy. And there was nothing Leland could do but slip back into place at the end of the line, riding behind Jamie and Dorothy.
Everyone arrived back at the barn just as it started to rain, which wasn’t odd up in the high country in June. The rain would be brief, and when they let the horses go for the night, they’d be just fine out in the fields. But in the meantime, guests needed to be kept dry and comfortable, and the saddles needed to be removed, the horses groomed.
