“Mr. Wilson?”
“Hon, call me Wilbur.”
“Okay. Wilbur, could I take you up on the offer of a ride on Tutti, to have a look around?”
Wilbur smiled and said, “Sure! Let’s take her back inside and get you all set up. Normally I pasture her so she can graze, and she has her enclosure in the paddock for shelter, but I’ve been putting her up in her stall at night because it’s been so cold. I haven’t ridden her since Monday so she’ll be ready to run. Don’t let her get ahead of you. She’s got a mind of her own.”
Gwen chuckled as she examined the bridle before slipping it on. His tack all appeared in good condition, the leather supple and in good repair. “Sounds just like Zephyr. Tutti and I will get along just fine since we have that in common.”
Wilbur told her a little more about the horse as Gwen led her out of the barn. Every so often during their short conversation, Gwen noticed that Tutti would nudge at Wilbur, and each time she gradually increased her force until she pushed him hard enough to knock him a little off-balance. He mostly seemed to not notice, except for the last time.
Smiling, she waited for Tutti to do it again as they stood still talking. As expected, Tutti made a move and Gwen reached out a hand and placed it on her nose, effectively stopping her. Tutti snorted and flicked her ears up. She turned her big brown eyes on Gwen, and Gwen rubbed her velvety silver-gray nose. As they talked, Tutti tried it again several more times and each time, Gwen placed a hand over her nose and impeded her gently while Wilbur seemed to not notice.
“Well, I guess I’ve yammered on enough, haven’t I? Enjoy your ride, Gwen.”
She put her boot in the stirrup and couldn’t help the happy sigh that escaped her lips as she settled into the saddle and slid the reins through her hands. She could feel the energy Tutti exuded beneath her and knew she was anxious to be on the move too.
Wilbur waved as she trotted out of the main yard and followed the sloping lane leading to the back end of the ranch. The breeze kicked up and blew her hair around her as she and Tutti settled into a rhythm. She was a good, solid horse with a graceful gait. She had a pleasing, if spirited manner, despite her pushiness, which it looked like she got away with all the time. Gwen smiled, thinking that particular behavior would be easy enough to correct. Wilbur let her push him so she responded by pushing some more. Reminds me of a few women I’ve known over my years on the rodeo circuit.
Wilbur hadn’t lied when he’d said that his ranch was a little slice of heaven. She was thinking that very thing as she maneuvered Tutti down into the low, tree-lined spot at the rear of the ranch. Tranquility reigned supreme in the shady stretch of the Divine Creek that weaved its way through his property. The creek bank was blanketed with oak leaves that had recently fallen from the trees around her. Birdcalls and the sound of the water gurgling around the bend in the creek were all she could hear besides the sounds Tutti made as she drank.
Gwen would’ve been perfectly content way back in this section of the ranch with a small log cabin, a garden, and a gun. And a horse. She gazed around her one last time and guided Tutti from the Eden-like seclusion of the creek bank. On an open stretch of grassy pasture that undulated with the changing wind currents, she allowed Tutti to stretch her legs into a canter and then a gallop, giving her what she needed.
“Run, baby, run.”
Gwen’s heart galloped along with the rhythm of Tutti’s hoof beats and her hair streaked behind her on long drifts, just like Tutti’s long black mane, and she reveled in the cleansing feel of the wind dragging through it. Her stay there on the Wilson Ranch would be a blast if this was what she could look forward to in her spare time.
She glanced over when she heard a shrill whistle and smiled. She drew alongside the fence and waited as Julián rode up on a solid black Thoroughbred stallion that snorted loudly and nickered as Julián reined him to a halt. Julián tipped his black felt cowboy hat at her and said, “I take it if you’re out surveying Mr. Wilson’s place on Tutti that you got hired?” He reached across the fence line and stroked Tutti’s nose.
“You’d be right, cowboy. You’re looking at Wilbur Wilson’s ranch sitter and horse trainer.”
“Congratulations. So this means you’re here until March?”
“Yes, thank you. Wilbur returns on the twenty-eighth of February and said I was welcome to stay through the first week in March, since I don’t have solid plans for what day to leave. Who’s this beautiful fella you’re riding?”
Julián smiled proudly as the stallion shifted his stance so he could keep an eye on Tutti. His solid black coat gleamed in the sun as his lean muscles rippled powerfully. “This is Mick. I bought him from a rancher friend a couple of months ago. He’s temperamental at times but I’ve enjoyed working with him around here. Comes from good stock.”