some.”
“No, I don't.” But she stopped crying. She'd
never been much of one for tears.
Chapter
Eleven
Even though she was no longer an official
wrangler, Mel continued attending to any horse that seemed
neglected. She cleaned wounds, bandaged legs, made poultices to
draw out the infection in a puncture wound, and treated swollen
joints with cold water and leg wraps. Jeb had to be aware of her
volunteer doctoring, but he didn't thank her, didn't even offer so
much as a grunt to show he'd noticed.
One evening the regular chitchat around the
staff's supper table took an interesting turn. They began by
talking about why the new beds they'd been promised hadn't arrived.
It seemed the owner of the ranch who lived in Arizona was short on
cash this summer. Some big family group celebrating a fiftieth
wedding anniversary had cancelled because of a death in the family.
And now the cook, who had been there forever, was quitting to get
married.
“How'd she find a man? She never steps out of
the kitchen,” Jeb said.
“That's where he found her,” Sally, who knew
everything, said. “He's the guy delivers the meat.”
“No kidding,” Jeb said. “So they putting you
in charge of cooking for us, Sally? Might get some use out of you
that way, though I don't know as our stomachs could take it.”
Mel turned to see if her mother had caught
Jeb mocking Sally, but Dawn was busy cutting her meat.
“Pasta every night if you put me in the
kitchen,” Sally said. “It's the only thing I can cook. My Italian
mama taught me.”
“We know, Sally,” Jeb said. “Anyone can see
you're a pasta eater. Anyways, I hope your mama taught you to make
good red sauce.”
“No, that was my father who came from
Norwegian stock,” Sally said. “He made the best spaghetti sauce in
our town. Of course it was a little town.”
“Where was that, Sally?” Her mom looked up
from her plate to ask.
“In Texas,” Sally said. “My father was a farm
boy who joined the navy to see the world. He married my mother in
Italy and brought her back to his ranch, but he lost the
ranch.”
Her mom smiled. “And then you became a
cowboy.”
“Well, I had a thing for horses, like Mel
here,” Sally said.
Sue, who hadn't said a word up to that point,
suddenly leaned forward to get everybody's attention. She said,
“You know how Mr. Jeffries lets us ride through his ranch to get to
Cathedral Rock? Well, this morning I was leading a group through
his fields, and you'll never guess what I saw him unloading into
that big empty pasture he fenced off.” Expectant faces turned her
way, and she told them. “Three mustangs! He told me he bought them
at a government auction a year ago. You should have seen those wild
horses race around like crazy when they were let out of the van.
They were something else.”
“Jeffries got himself mustangs?” Jeb asked
with a grin. “ He's something else. Him and his wife only use
their fancy spread weekends. I wish I had half the dough he's gotta
have to run that place.”
“What's he going to do with the mustangs?”
Sally asked Sue.
“Just watch them I guess,” the girl said.
“They were amazing. I wanted to stay there and watch them
myself.”
“Can you imagine what it'll cost Jeffries to
feed them when the snow starts in a couple of months?” Jeb
said.
“Want to go down and take a look?” Sally
asked Mel. “You could ride double on Rover with me.”
“Or she can ride in the truck with me,” Jeb
said. “Soon as I finish off this apple cobbler, I'm going down
there. How about it, Dawn?” he asked Mel's mother, who was sitting
next to him. “Want to see some wild horses?”
“Not especially,” Dawn said. “I have some
personal correspondence to take care of tonight. You and Mel can
go.”
“I'll go with Sally,” Mel said.
“I'm not going to eat you,” Jeb said. “You as
afraid of me as you are of riding?”
“I'm not afraid of riding,” Mel said.
“You don't
“No, I don't.” But she stopped crying. She'd
never been much of one for tears.
Chapter
Eleven
Even though she was no longer an official
wrangler, Mel continued attending to any horse that seemed
neglected. She cleaned wounds, bandaged legs, made poultices to
draw out the infection in a puncture wound, and treated swollen
joints with cold water and leg wraps. Jeb had to be aware of her
volunteer doctoring, but he didn't thank her, didn't even offer so
much as a grunt to show he'd noticed.
One evening the regular chitchat around the
staff's supper table took an interesting turn. They began by
talking about why the new beds they'd been promised hadn't arrived.
It seemed the owner of the ranch who lived in Arizona was short on
cash this summer. Some big family group celebrating a fiftieth
wedding anniversary had cancelled because of a death in the family.
And now the cook, who had been there forever, was quitting to get
married.
“How'd she find a man? She never steps out of
the kitchen,” Jeb said.
“That's where he found her,” Sally, who knew
everything, said. “He's the guy delivers the meat.”
“No kidding,” Jeb said. “So they putting you
in charge of cooking for us, Sally? Might get some use out of you
that way, though I don't know as our stomachs could take it.”
Mel turned to see if her mother had caught
Jeb mocking Sally, but Dawn was busy cutting her meat.
“Pasta every night if you put me in the
kitchen,” Sally said. “It's the only thing I can cook. My Italian
mama taught me.”
“We know, Sally,” Jeb said. “Anyone can see
you're a pasta eater. Anyways, I hope your mama taught you to make
good red sauce.”
“No, that was my father who came from
Norwegian stock,” Sally said. “He made the best spaghetti sauce in
our town. Of course it was a little town.”
“Where was that, Sally?” Her mom looked up
from her plate to ask.
“In Texas,” Sally said. “My father was a farm
boy who joined the navy to see the world. He married my mother in
Italy and brought her back to his ranch, but he lost the
ranch.”
Her mom smiled. “And then you became a
cowboy.”
“Well, I had a thing for horses, like Mel
here,” Sally said.
Sue, who hadn't said a word up to that point,
suddenly leaned forward to get everybody's attention. She said,
“You know how Mr. Jeffries lets us ride through his ranch to get to
Cathedral Rock? Well, this morning I was leading a group through
his fields, and you'll never guess what I saw him unloading into
that big empty pasture he fenced off.” Expectant faces turned her
way, and she told them. “Three mustangs! He told me he bought them
at a government auction a year ago. You should have seen those wild
horses race around like crazy when they were let out of the van.
They were something else.”
“Jeffries got himself mustangs?” Jeb asked
with a grin. “ He's something else. Him and his wife only use
their fancy spread weekends. I wish I had half the dough he's gotta
have to run that place.”
“What's he going to do with the mustangs?”
Sally asked Sue.
“Just watch them I guess,” the girl said.
“They were amazing. I wanted to stay there and watch them
myself.”
“Can you imagine what it'll cost Jeffries to
feed them when the snow starts in a couple of months?” Jeb
said.
“Want to go down and take a look?” Sally
asked Mel. “You could ride double on Rover with me.”
“Or she can ride in the truck with me,” Jeb
said. “Soon as I finish off this apple cobbler, I'm going down
there. How about it, Dawn?” he asked Mel's mother, who was sitting
next to him. “Want to see some wild horses?”
“Not especially,” Dawn said. “I have some
personal correspondence to take care of tonight. You and Mel can
go.”
“I'll go with Sally,” Mel said.
“I'm not going to eat you,” Jeb said. “You as
afraid of me as you are of riding?”
“I'm not afraid of riding,” Mel said.
“You don't
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