“Hi Mavis,” Tracy said to the black mule and held her apple to the animal’s mouth as Cash had. “I miss my dog.”
“You have a dog?” Cash asked, and she nodded. “Where is your dog this week?”
“Doggy day care in the Springs,” Tracy said.
“What breed?”
“German shepherd. A year and a half old,” she said. “He was an owner-surrender at the pound. I made sure that the complex I chose to live in allowed for animals. I adopted him the same week I moved into my apartment. He’s been a great companion this past year.”
“I wish I’d known. We make exceptions for breeds that are typically good around horses. I would have let you bring him with you.”
“I had no idea.”
“Yeah.” Cash chuckled and shook his head as if in disbelief. “Coop has an Australian cattle dog named Davy Crockett. Crockett for short. But I’ve recently been thinking of getting a dog and a German shepherd had crossed my mind.”
“German shepherds are really smart and protective.”
“My brother-in-law, Derek, who’s a former cop, was saying that just the other day,” Cash said. “The house I grew up in has aGone with the Windstaircase and my sister has a big, black cat named Scarlett O’Hara.” He chuckled. “I’ll give you one guess what they named their German shepherd puppy.”
“Rhett Butler?” Tracy said with a romantic sigh.
“Hell no.” Cash laughed, enjoying teasing her. “Spike.” Tracy laughed and with a pat to the mules’ noses, Cash said. “Come on, let’s go catch our supper.” As they made their way to Cash’s tent, the most secluded of all the tents, he asked, “So what’s your dog’s name?”
“He was used to his name by the time I adopted him when he was six months old, so I kept it,” Tracy said. Cash cocked a brow while waiting for her to answer. “When I tell you his name, you’ll laugh.”
“Try me.”
CHAPTER TEN
“Dude.” Tracy smiled.
“Seriously?” Cash asked and when Tracy nodded, he chuckled. That was an ideal name for a dog on a dude ranch. Would he have come up with it for his dog? No idea. “Dude is a perfect name,” he said. Could this girl be any more perfect? Perfect hair. Perfect face. Perfect body. Perfect personality. Perfect dog. “I’d like to meet Dude.”
“I’m sure Dude would like to meet you too,” Tracy said a bit shyly.
Cash wondered if Tracy had just opened the door to him visiting her in the Springs. They had reached his tent and, like Sam had said, his fishing gear was waiting for him. Outside each tent were two camping chairs. Inside were lanterns, pillows, and bedrolls on cots.
“I never get tired of this,” Cash said to Tracy, looking around the campsite, pond, creek, trees, hills, and endless land.
“I’m going to quote you on that simple but telling statement in the story,” Tracy said, just as Jacob walked toward them. “Jacob, can you take a picture of Cash in front of his tent?”
“Absolutely. I’m getting a bunch of great photos today,”Jacob said and snapped a couple. “I’ll take some of the folks fishing down by Turkey Pond too.”
Cash picked up his gear and handed an extra pole to Tracy. They made their way down to the pond where ladies and wranglers were sitting here and there. Ed and Larry tossed in their lines and helped some guests do the same while Jeff and Sam walked to the creek to assist those who wanted to fly fish. Still, others preferred to relax while they watched and enjoyed nature. There was a wooden dock that extended out over the water. Cash walked almost to the end of it and set his tackle box, net, and pole along one side of the dock.
“We’ve got canoes and paddleboats in that barn across the way,” Cash told her as they sat down on the dock side-by-side.
“I’m going to stick my toes in the water,” Tracy said and took off her boots.
“Okay, do that.”
“You do it with me, Cash.”
Tracy inched forward and dipped her toes into the pond. When she nudged him and grinned, Cash realized he hadn’t done so since he was a kid. Without thinking twice, he pulled off his boots and socks and rolled up his pants legs. Sinking his feet in to the ankles, Tracy gently seesawed her feet back and forth in the water. Cash watched her feet with reddish-orange toenails wiggle in the pond.
He teased, “This is a well-stocked pond with plenty of largemouth bass and channel catfish. The reason we don’t skinny dip in this pond is because bass are predators and catfish are scavengers. Either way, they’ll think your toes are pyracantha berries and have a nibble.”
“Yikes!” Tracy giggled and pulled her feet back onto the dock. Sitting crossed-legged and barefoot, she said, “Between your chickens and your fish, I’ll be lucky to go back to Colorado Springs with all ten toes.”
