I reached up for the horn, slipped my foot into the stirrup, and lifted myself up and over. I settled into the seat and smiled down at Ladd.
“That’s my girl!” he said before he effortlessly got into the saddle on his horse. I exchanged a smile with Nellie, who kicked her horse into a walk and made her way next to Gus.
“How do you feel?” Ladd asked.
Glancing at him, I couldn’t help but feel that for the first time in ages, I was genuinely looking forward to what the future had in store for me.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been happier.”
He winked. “We’ll seeabout that.”
After explaining how the reins worked, we started off and quickly caught up with David, Gus, and Nellie. We rode up a trail that was a slow and steady climb. Once at the top, it offered a view of the valley that took my breath away.
“This side over here is our land, the other side is the BLM land,” Ladd stated.
“And that used to be part of the ranch?” I asked.
Gus sighed. “It was.”
I glanced around at the mountains surrounding us. “Which mountain do you own?”
Ladd chuckled. “We don’t own the whole mountain, but see that one right there, right in the direct line beyond the house?”
“Yes.”
“We own that side of the mountain. During the summer, Dad leases it out to other cattle ranchers.”
I nodded. “And you said they graze up there so you can grow your fields for winter.”
“I like this girl,” Gus said to Ladd. “She’s interested in the family business.”
Ladd laughed. “You want to train Viv to be a cattle rancher, Dad?”
“The thoughthascrossed my mind, seeing how well she’s taken to riding.”
It was my turn to laugh. “I’d be down for that.”
David walked his horse closer to his father’s. “Dad, look to the west.”
Everyone turned and looked.
“Storm coming in,” Gus said. “Let’s head on back down.”
I looked at Ladd, who must have seen the concern I felt on my face.
“It’s not a big deal. It’s a ways off, but we should get going since we don’t want to get stuck in it.”
David, Nellie, and Gus all rode ahead. Ladd had pulled his horse back to a slower pace, which in turn had mine matching his.
“So, is everything okay?”
I raised a brow in question. “Yes, why wouldn’t it be?”
He narrowed his eyes a bit. “When you and my mother got to the barn, I could tell you’d been crying.”
I blinked a few times. The way this man was able to notice every little thing about me made my heart beat a bit faster in my chest. “Ihadbeen crying, but it was nothing that your mother did.”
“I hadn’t thought so. Want to tell me about it?”
