Carrie did the same and then said, “We’ll leave a third to graze for the next couple of weeks and come back before it snows.”
Zoey was catching on. Leaving a third of the herd behind meant a third less feed and that much more money saved. Besides, eating the grass was good for the land and helped it replenish. And with that many cattle together, they’d be protected.
Hunter lifted his hat and wiped at his brow. “Sounds about right.”
“All right,” Tom said. “Let’s get these heifers moving!” He let out a whoop and started pushing the herd.
Hunter leaned toward Zoey. “We’ll help them get the cows moving, but then we’re staying back. I need to bring in half of my mares—you okay with that?”
Zoey took a swig of her water and nodded. “Okay with some alone time with my favorite cowboy? You betcha.”
He grinned and turned his horse toward the back of the herd, giving her instructions on where to go to be helpful and safe.
The sound was deafening as cowboys and cowgirls whooped and hollered in an effort to get the cattle moving. There were a couple border collies barking and running back and forth along the rear. Cows mooed and bellowed in response, shaking their big horns and snorting. Their hooves kicked up dirt and dust, creating a moving cloud of it that settled on Zoey’s shoulders and hat. Hunter’s tan hat was now a nice shade of dirt. She grinned, thinking that he’d have it cleaned up before he went to bed that night. The man took care of his hats.
After they got the cows moving, they turned their horses in the general direction of the farm but farther to the south.
As soon as they were out of sight of the others, Hunter dismounted and helped Zoey off her horse. Her legs were stiff and sore in ways they hadn’t been since her first riding lesson. She didn’t dare sit down for fear she’d never get up again. Walking wasn’t much of an option either.
“What are we doing?” she asked, just before he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. She gasped quickly, feeling her stomach drop to her spurs. Then she was all in, wrapping her arms around his neck and pushing his hat back on his head so she could get closer.
Hunter gave her one more quick peck, then leaned back. “I’ve been wanting to do that all day.”
“Worth the wait?” She batted her lashes at him.
“Don’t look at me like that, or we’ll never get out of here,” he teased. “And it’s going to be dark soon.”
They walked around for a few minutes, stretching their sore muscles. Then they got back on the horses and back to work looking for Hunter’s herd. A half-hour later, they spotted one of his horses.
“Finally,” Hunter said. “They’re usually closer to the cattle. They don’t normally head this far out on their own.”
“Is that a bad thing?” Zoey asked.
He thought about that for a moment, then shook his head. “No. We’re only about a forty-five-minute ride from the house. I’m just not used to them going so far south; they usually stay closer to the river.”
“Do you think they were looking for better grazing? Or maybe they got spooked?” Zoey offered.
“Maybe.”
They soon spotted his lovely Dalmatian-print horse among a group other horses, all different breeds.
“Hunter, all these are yours?” She couldn’t help but sound awed. He really was moving toward his dream of getting Hunter Westbrook horses in ropings and rodeos. He was amazing.
He grinned, pleased by her reaction. “Yes, ma’am. I’m leaving Tornado and the broodmares, but we’ll need to bring in the rest.” He pointed to the Dalmatian-spotted one. “Including that little girl, Perdie.”
“Sounds good,” she said, adopting his suddenly businesslike tone. She liked seeing this side of him.
He glanced around. “Looks like a few are missing.” The line of his lips tightened. “I’m going to look around, see if I can find them before we head out.”
She stayed back, keeping an eye on this group as he rode off in a good clip. Tornado stomped around and threw his mane at Cherokee. Cher Bear didn’t respond. He was used to having a lot of strange animals around—and their sometimes territorial behaviors. She leaned down and patted his shoulder, whispering “good boy” in his ear.
As much of a show as Tornado put on, it wasn’t him she was really worried about. The lead mare had her ears pinned back and was pacing in front of the others. If she thought Cher Bear was here to stay, she’d challenge him and make sure he knew his place. Zoey turned Cherokee to the side so he wasn’t facing the mare. The mare continued to pace, but her ears perked up.
A few minutes later, Hunter came back. No other horses were with him.
“No luck?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I’ll come back out tomorrow or in a couple days and look again.”
