“I think I’m ready,” she replied. “Will Ben get another cookie when we get home?”
The big buckskin paused in his turn flicking his ears up and facing Jace expectantly. “Oops, I guess I shouldn’t have said that out loud.” Angie couldn’t contain the laughter as she turned Ben back to his owner who pulled a cookie from his pocket and handed it to the buckskin.
“If you keep saying that word my horse is gonna get fat,” Jace teased. He waited until the horse had finished his treat then walked toward the gate of the corral. “Bring him around here and then we’ll ride out.” He opened the gate and Angie guided Ben through. The old horse was so calm she was pretty sure her directions didn’t mean much to him overall. He seemed to sense what she wanted and moved easily from place to place with little prompting.
Jace pushed the gate closed behind them and latched it then leapt into the saddle of a dark palomino in one smooth motion, making Angie gasp in surprise. She had seen that move in old westerns she had watched with her father, but to see someone do it in real life was a surprise.
“I didn’t know people really mounted a horse that way,” Angie said eyeing him more closely. “It seemed almost effortless.”
“When you’ve been all but born to the saddle it comes natural,” Jace said his neck growing red. He hadn’t thought about how his action would be perceived and hoped Angie didn’t think he had been showing off. He knew it was hard for her to have to be lifted into the saddle yet he loved the opportunity to hold her in his arms for those few moments before setting her on Ben’s back.
“I was just surprised,” Angie said softly. “Now, where are we going?”
Jace moved his horse in beside Ben and pointed down a dim trail. “There’s a nice trail that leads up into the hill behind the creek,” he said. “I thought it might be an easy ride, but away from the other guests. Will that work?”
“It sounds perfect. I bet you can see a lot of the range from up there.”
“It’s pretty nice.” Jace kept his horse at an easy pace and Angie had no trouble sitting tall in the saddle as Ben moved easily over the ground.
“Jace, can I ask you a question?” Angie spoke after a few minutes. They had crossed the shallow stream where it broke away from the ranch proper and were headed across a trail in the green grass.
“Anything you want,” the cowboy grinned.
“If you weren’t here, working on the Broken J, where would you be?”
The only sound for several minutes was the soft thud of horses’ hooves on the grass and the sharp call of a bird in a distant tree. Angie started to think she shouldn’t have asked the question. Just because Jace had been friendly and helpful didn’t mean she had the right to pry. She was about to apologize for the intrusion into his private life when he began to speak.
“I can’t say I rightly know,” Jace said, his voice pensive. “All I’ve ever know is horses, cattle, and wrangling. I worked with my father on my grandpa’s ranch for a long time, then when he joined the military my mother and the rest of us moved around to different bases, but always ended up back on the ranch. When Dad was done with the military, he moved back home, but granddad couldn’t keep up with the ranch anymore, and it was subdivided among his children. Dad took a job as a wrangler with the rodeo, and we did that for a while before he and Mom decided it was time to settle somewhere. They took up the little patch of land left to them and kept a few horses. By then I was out of school and restless. I worked a few ranches then ended up here last year. My brothers and two sisters are all married and living throughout Wyoming, but I just can’t seem to find my space.”
Angie nodded but didn’t speak. Something told her that Jace wasn’t done talking and that his ramblings would lead them back to the original question in time.
“I like it here on the Broken J. The work isn’t hard. It’s all familiar, and I know the crew. Chase and Phil are fair, and they trust the people they have working for them. It makes for a nice work environment. The pays all right, I have days off and time to visit family over the holidays. That’s always nice. I guess winter can be a little rough working with Kade to move stubborn cattle, but I’m not complaining.”
Angie grinned. So far the man had only told her why he would want to stay at the Broken J and part of her could understand it. As a teen, it had been the best holiday of her life, and she had wanted to return ever since. Now she was here, and thanks to the man riding next to her, she was sitting on a horse without panicking. She couldn’t fault him for liking what he did. It must have been rewarding to help her achieve this goal.
“As to where I’d like to be if I weren’t here, I don’t know. I think I’d like to help people. It was nice knowing you trusted me enough to get on old Ben there. I guess whatever I do I’d like to keep working with horses and people. I can’t say I’m anyone special, or that I have unique skills, but I believe that we’re here to help our fellow man in whatever way comes to us.”
The horses topped the low rise they had been climbing for several minutes and Jace pulled his mount to a stop. Mirroring him Angie drew Ben
