C HAPTER 1
Bobbie Walker slapped her worn-out cowboy hat against the leg of her faded jeans. It caused a small cloud of dust but she didn’t notice. Something else had her attention. Her grandpa’s old white Ford pickup was rumbling up the road toward the Rocking W Ranch.
The day she had dreaded was finally here. Bobbie’s cousin from Los Angeles was coming to the ranch to visit for a few weeks. Grandpa had left early this morning to go to the airport in Winston—nearly seventy-five miles away.
Bobbie had refused to go along. She wantedit well understood from the start that bringing Alex out here wasn’t her idea. The last thing they needed right now was a city greenhorn getting in the way of the annual wild cow roundup.
The old truck stopped in front of the house. Bobbie pulled her hat down low and moved away from the corrals. She walked to the bed of the pickup and lifted out her cousin’s expensive leather suitcase.
The passenger door opened. A tall, slender girl with long brown hair, the same color as Bobbie’s, stepped out. Her hair was parted on the side and she moved it off her face with her hand.
Bobbie looked her up and down. She wasn’t impressed and it showed. The girl was wearing tight black shorts and a black T-shirt that said PRODUCT OF THE CITY . Bobbie winced when she noticed her cousin’s feet.
Sandals.
One side of Bobbie’s mouth went up. It always twitched like that when she didn’t like something. She barely nodded at the girl and started for the house.
“Bobbie.”
It was Grandpa. His voice held a note of displeasure. “Yes, sir?”
The tips of his thumb and forefinger smoothed down his gray handlebar mustache. “I want you to say hello to your cousin Alex.”
Bobbie turned. Alex gave her a bored look under nearly closed eyelids. Bobbie shifted the suitcase and halfheartedly stuck out her hand.
Alex folded her arms in front of her. “I wouldn’t want you to strain yourself.”
Bobbie put her hand down.
“Gramps tells me there’s a lot to do out here in the sticks.” Alex cocked her head. “What do you do for fun, cousin, wait till Saturday night and count the flies on manure piles?”
“I’m sure Grandpa will find plenty to keep you busy.”
“He told me
you
were going to show me around.”
Bobbie pushed her hat back. “I really hate to disappoint you, Al, but I’m leaving tomorrow. I’ll be gone for more than a week chasing stray cattle in the brush country.”
“The name is Alex.”
“Like I said,
Alex
, every year, after we gather in the flats, we go up in the hills to look for wild cows.”
“Oh gee,” Alex mocked, “and I was really looking forward to getting to know you better—cousin.”
Bobbie held the suitcase out in front of her and let it drop at Alex’s feet. “Yeah, it’s too bad there’s not going to be time for that.”
C HAPTER 2
The next morning Bobbie was up early. Grandpa was already downstairs making breakfast. She took the stairs two at a time and burst into the kitchen.
“It won’t work, Grandpa. She’s so green … you know how it is up there. She won’t last a day.”
“I told her she could go.”
Bobbie could hear the final edge in her grandpa’s voice. But she couldn’t help trying one more time. “What if she can’t ride?”
“She rides. She’s been to one of those equestrian schools.”
Bobbie knew it was useless. She sighed and headed for the barn. When her grandpa made a decision, that was it. She would just have to get used to the idea of baby-sitting her cousin for the next week. She threw a feed can across the barn and it crashed into the wall above the door.
Alex stepped inside the barn. This morning she was wearing a denim Western shirt over a red T-shirt, a pair of stiff new jeans, and new boots. “Watch your temper there, pard, you nearly hit me.” She moved forward and half turned. “Gramps bought them for me,” she said, gesturing at her clothes. “How do I look?”
The side of
Bobbie Walker slapped her worn-out cowboy hat against the leg of her faded jeans. It caused a small cloud of dust but she didn’t notice. Something else had her attention. Her grandpa’s old white Ford pickup was rumbling up the road toward the Rocking W Ranch.
The day she had dreaded was finally here. Bobbie’s cousin from Los Angeles was coming to the ranch to visit for a few weeks. Grandpa had left early this morning to go to the airport in Winston—nearly seventy-five miles away.
Bobbie had refused to go along. She wantedit well understood from the start that bringing Alex out here wasn’t her idea. The last thing they needed right now was a city greenhorn getting in the way of the annual wild cow roundup.
The old truck stopped in front of the house. Bobbie pulled her hat down low and moved away from the corrals. She walked to the bed of the pickup and lifted out her cousin’s expensive leather suitcase.
The passenger door opened. A tall, slender girl with long brown hair, the same color as Bobbie’s, stepped out. Her hair was parted on the side and she moved it off her face with her hand.
Bobbie looked her up and down. She wasn’t impressed and it showed. The girl was wearing tight black shorts and a black T-shirt that said PRODUCT OF THE CITY . Bobbie winced when she noticed her cousin’s feet.
Sandals.
One side of Bobbie’s mouth went up. It always twitched like that when she didn’t like something. She barely nodded at the girl and started for the house.
“Bobbie.”
It was Grandpa. His voice held a note of displeasure. “Yes, sir?”
The tips of his thumb and forefinger smoothed down his gray handlebar mustache. “I want you to say hello to your cousin Alex.”
Bobbie turned. Alex gave her a bored look under nearly closed eyelids. Bobbie shifted the suitcase and halfheartedly stuck out her hand.
Alex folded her arms in front of her. “I wouldn’t want you to strain yourself.”
Bobbie put her hand down.
“Gramps tells me there’s a lot to do out here in the sticks.” Alex cocked her head. “What do you do for fun, cousin, wait till Saturday night and count the flies on manure piles?”
“I’m sure Grandpa will find plenty to keep you busy.”
“He told me
you
were going to show me around.”
Bobbie pushed her hat back. “I really hate to disappoint you, Al, but I’m leaving tomorrow. I’ll be gone for more than a week chasing stray cattle in the brush country.”
“The name is Alex.”
“Like I said,
Alex
, every year, after we gather in the flats, we go up in the hills to look for wild cows.”
“Oh gee,” Alex mocked, “and I was really looking forward to getting to know you better—cousin.”
Bobbie held the suitcase out in front of her and let it drop at Alex’s feet. “Yeah, it’s too bad there’s not going to be time for that.”
C HAPTER 2
The next morning Bobbie was up early. Grandpa was already downstairs making breakfast. She took the stairs two at a time and burst into the kitchen.
“It won’t work, Grandpa. She’s so green … you know how it is up there. She won’t last a day.”
“I told her she could go.”
Bobbie could hear the final edge in her grandpa’s voice. But she couldn’t help trying one more time. “What if she can’t ride?”
“She rides. She’s been to one of those equestrian schools.”
Bobbie knew it was useless. She sighed and headed for the barn. When her grandpa made a decision, that was it. She would just have to get used to the idea of baby-sitting her cousin for the next week. She threw a feed can across the barn and it crashed into the wall above the door.
Alex stepped inside the barn. This morning she was wearing a denim Western shirt over a red T-shirt, a pair of stiff new jeans, and new boots. “Watch your temper there, pard, you nearly hit me.” She moved forward and half turned. “Gramps bought them for me,” she said, gesturing at her clothes. “How do I look?”
The side of
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