At that moment another horse was led outside by one of the ranch hands and the reins turned over to Rance. She noted there were saddlebags on his mount. Cassie had their picnic lunch packed inside for them. Rance thanked the cowboy. He made horse introductions. “This is Tony. And Miss Molly is his mother.”
“He’s even taller than she is,” Erin responded. “He also seems a bit more energized.”
“Tony likes to move, which is what he expects whenever Rance is on him. But he can be a sweetheart, too.”
“Daylight is wasting,” Rance said. “Let’s get you mounted.” He stepped over and showed her where her hand was to rest on the saddle horn, her left foot going into the stirrup, and then he assisted a little with the bounce upward and the right leg swinging over the broad back. Then he showed her the proper rein handling. He nodded at their host. “Thanks, sis. We’ll probably head over to the hilltop so she can see the valley beyond.” Rance mounted in one fluid movement.
“You two have fun and enjoy!”
“Time to ride,” he said to Erin and he led the way, keeping an eye on her as she moved up beside him once they cleared the gate.
Once they cleared the stables and set off down one of the ranch trails, he glanced over at her.
“You’re not as much of a novice as you say you are,” he noted. “You might just be a natural rider.”
“I feel like a novice, though. But it is so much fun. I love Miss Molly here. Her color is so pretty…gray with a coal black mane and black on her legs. She is a beauty.”
“You look good on her. I’m sure Cassie wouldn’t mind you claiming her each time you might come to ride.”
Erin laughed, but then it faded. Had he said something wrong?
“Well, it is a bit of a drive from the city, but it’s a nice thought that I could come back and visit,” she responded. “Not all of us jet around in helicopters like some people I know.” She tossed a look in his direction, and the grin was back.
His smile dimmed a bit. “Speaking of helicopters…the boss called and our ride is busy so it will probably be another day or so before we get you home.”
There was silence and he looked at her when he could stand it no longer. She wasn’t smiling, just had a thoughtful look on her face. “I see. Well, then we’ll just have to enjoy today and let tomorrow take care of itself. And since I might not get another helicopter ride, perhaps someone will give me a ride out here to see Miss Molly again.”
“Maybe I might be disposed to give you a ride in my truck and show you the quickest way to get here.”
“Guess you might have to do that.”
They rode for a while on the dirt road and then he edged them across a meadow before they reached the tree line and began to climb a series of small hills.
A few minutes later, they came out of the trees into a clearing with green grasses waving in the gentle breeze.
“I didn’t realize that we were going upwards so far,” she commented, admiring the views and taking note as they rode toward a trio of taller trees. Rance reined in his horse, and she did the same next to him.
“Oh my, this is amazing,” she said, delight in her voice. “We came up so high that I didn’t notice. But you can see so far up here… Is that the town way down there?”
Rance nodded. “This is a bird’s-eye view of the whole of Destiny’s River…from the springs where it begins—” and he pointed to his left “—over the town, the valley, and in the far distance, you can see Red Cliffs, our neighboring town and where Cassie’s ranch begins. This is a pretty special place up here. I thought it would be a good spot for our picnic… You agree?”
She nodded. “I do indeed. And I hope I can stand when I climb down from Miss Molly.”
He dismounted first, his reins dropping to the ground. That concerned her.
“Shouldn’t you tie her to something?”
Rance grinned. “I forgot you’re a greenhorn. But these are ranch-trained horses, and they know they must not deviate from where their reins are dropped. It’s a great skill for a horse to be taught…just in case there are no fences or bushes around. Miss Molly is trained the same way.”
He stepped up and took the reins from her. “Let’s see how you dismount.”
She held on to the saddle horn and swung her right leg over the back and then when it touched the ground, she removed her foot from the stirrup, but it wasn’t as graceful as she’d hoped, and there she made a misstep but luckily Rance could catch her before she had an embarrassing fall.
He held her until her feet got reacquainted with terra firma once again. And he didn’t seem to be in a hurry to let go.
*
“I feel like this is one of those scenes from a romance movie,” she said, nervous but excited like some schoolgirl, “a damsel being helped off a horse into the arms of a handsome cowboy and there is romantic music playing and the moment is perfect for that onscreen kiss.”
