Coming Home To The Cattleman. Judy Christenberry

      “That’s a hard life.”

      “Yes, it was, but he was playing it straight. He didn’t drink because his parents had died in a wreck with a drunkard. He said that saved him. It’s hard to be foolish when you’re sober.”

      “I can imagine,” Jennifer answered, and realized there was much more to the surly man she had shared lunch with only moments ago. He had a depth that surprised her and he had clearly been a good influence on her father.

      “Ready?” Sam asked, interrupting her thoughts.

      Jennifer nodded and swung up into the saddle. Lifting her reins, she guided the mare out of the barn. She felt like she’d come home once again.

      “Where are we going?”

      “Out to the north pasture.” After a minute Sam added,

      “We’re going to separate the herd. It’s gotten so large it’s hard to handle, and we need to put the cows into two different pastures. Do you think you can herd cattle?”

      “I think so,” Jenny answered, but the butterflies tumbled in her stomach.

      “I guess we’ll find out.”

      They rode at a lope—a nice, easy gait. Jennifer eventually relaxed in the saddle, looking around her at the green pasture. It all seemed so familiar to her, as though she had never been away. When they reached the north pasture the large herd was in and Jason already had the cowboys separating them by age. He looked so in control that Jenny just sat for a moment looking at him. He was certainly at home on a ranch. Jennifer watched for a moment longer and noticed how his tough working jeans molded to the muscles in his legs, and also his white cotton shirt accentuated the dark tan of his arms. Totally transfixed, Jenny didn’t notice that Jason was looking at her, too, and she blushed when they made eye contact.

      Quickly trying to cover herself, Jenny turned to Sam and asked, “How do they know the age of the cows?”

      “They’re guessing, but if the cow has a young calf, you figure she’s pretty young. We’re going to help maintain the herd until they finish dividing it up. Then we’ll push the new herd into the next pasture.”

      “Okay.” She followed her father’s lead, slowly approaching the herd and trying hard not to look in Jason’s direction again.

      Sam told a couple of the cowboys to join Jason in cutting out the cows he wanted while they took their places.

      “Oh, Jennifer, I forgot to tell you your horse is trained for cutting, so she may make sudden moves. Just grab the saddle horn, if you need to.”

      She nodded, but she vowed not to do such a thing. She’d been taught without a saddle horn, and she now managed by staying alert and moving with her horse most of the time. Only a couple of times did she have to resort to grabbing the saddle horn.

      “Good job, Jenny,” Sam said, riding toward her. “Let’s join the others and move the other herd.”

      She followed him, not tiring yet. It had been a pleasure to work the herd. Even more, she loved hearing praise from her father. She hadn’t expected that. Several of the cowboys they joined nodded to Jennifer. She nodded in return and continued to herd. She didn’t think anyone would remember her from when she was little. Cowboys moved around a lot, and she was sure that none of the current cowboys were still the same as when she’d been at the ranch as a youngster.

      “Is that little Jenny?” a voice called.

      Jennifer looked around and was amazed when she saw a face she did recognize, saying in amazement, “Is that you, Buster?”

      “It sure is! How are you?”

      “I’m good, all the better for being back here.”

      “Them are mighty fancy duds you’re wearin’,” he said, scratching his head.

      Jenny blushed, knowing for certain that her outfit wasn’t right, now. “I know. It’s what I wore in New York. I don’t have any jeans.”

      “You’d better get some jeans if you’re going to stick around here, girl.”

      “I will, but it’s good to see you. I didn’t think Sam would still have anyone around from when I was little.”

      “Yeah, I refused to run off when he was drinkin’ so heavily. I figured he’d come to his senses sooner or later.”

      He continued to ride alongside her. “Were you happy in New York, Jenny?”

      “No, not really, but I didn’t exactly have a choice.”

      “I figured you did when you turned eighteen. That was a while back, wasn’t it?”

      Jenny swallowed hard, knowing that she was going to be faced with this kind of questioning while she was staying on the ranch, but how could she explain why she hadn’t gotten in touch with her father, because the thought of him rejecting her again had been too much for her still-young heart to take. It had been her mother’s death that had finally made her realize that she was truly alone in the world and that she needed to finally move on with her life.

      She turned to face the man she’d known as a young girl and smiled at him fondly. “I…I can’t explain it, Buster. But all I know is I’m glad I’m back now.”

      “I’m glad, too, little Jenny. Real glad.”

      Jason kept his eye on Jennifer all afternoon. She was a good horsewoman, he’d have to admit. She’d handled the mare he’d trained beautifully, not being overly aggressive or too hesitant. He’d expected her to mess up a lot more.

      They hadn’t spoken for most of the day, but Jason couldn’t shake the moment they had shared when he had caught Jenny staring at him. He had seen what was in her eyes, and her quick blush had given her away. There was a lot more to this city girl than first met the eye, and even in fancy clothes, Jason had to admit she was a beautiful young woman.

      When they dismounted at the end of the day, she didn’t ask for any help with her mare. After she unsaddled her, she rubbed her down before turning her out into the pasture. With a final pat, she watched the mare gallop to the other horses in the field.

      “Did you enjoy riding her?” Jason asked behind her.

      She whirled around. “Yes, yes, I did. Sam said you trained her. You did a good job.”

      “Feel free to ride her while you’re here.”

      “Thank you. That’s very generous of you.”

      “No, you’re a good rider. Otherwise, I wouldn’t offer her to you. She’s a quality horse and deserves to be treated well.”

      “Well, I appreciate that. Thanks.” For a moment they both just stood staring at each other. Then, without waiting for either him or Sam, she walked off back to the house.

      By the time Jason and Sam got to the house, Jennifer wasn’t in sight. Rachel was busy preparing dinner.

      “Evening, Rachel,” Sam said.

      She turned and smiled at him fondly. “Good evening, Sam, Jason.”

      “Did Jennifer come through here?” Jason asked.

      “Yes. She went to take a quick shower. You have time to take one, too, if you’d like.”

      An image of Jenny taking a shower flashed into Jason’s mind. Quickly he shook his head to dispel it, but the heat that flared inside him was going to need some cooling down.

      “Actually, a shower sounds good,” Jason answered, and it was going to be nice and cold!

      Jennifer changed into slacks and a blouse and drew her hair back in a ponytail. Then she headed downstairs to help Rachel prepare dinner.

      Without asking, she set the table and then asked Rachel what else needed taking