ignorance. She knew how self-conscious Sage felt when her hair wasn ’ t pulled back into a tight knot. She also knew how beautiful Sage ’ s hair was, how it softened her appearance to have it down or folded into a soft braid.
“I- I… ” Sage stammered.
“ For pity ’ s sake, Sage. We ’ ll miss all the excitement, ” she said, taking Sage ’ s hand and leading her out the door.
“ Slow down, Mary! ” Livie hollered. “ We want to get there alive, ” she said, one hand holding her weathered straw hat on her head, the other hanging onto the buggy for dear life.
“ Whoopee! ” Rose shouted as Mary snapped the lines at Drifter ’ s back , increasing his pace.
Sage giggled as she saw the rare expression of freedom and joy radiant on Mary ’ s wrinkled face. Mary hid her emotions well most of the time, but this was one of the infrequent moments when she could not mask her delight.
Eugenia coughed as the dust kicked up by the herd filled her lungs. The dust irritated Sage ’ s eyes too, and she wiped at the moisture in them.
“ Hurry up and pass them, Mary, before I choke to death, ” Livie whined.
As the buggy carrying the five women moved up alongside the herd, Charlie Dugger rode over to greet them.
“ Hey there, ladies! ” he shouted. “ Ya racin ’ us to the ranch? ”
“ We ’ re beatin ’ ya to the ranch, boy! ” Mary shouted in return, snapping the lines again.
“Wooo w hooo! ” Rose hollered. “ Fresh air and cowboys! Nothin ’ like it in the world! ” Sage laughed, entirely amused by Rose’ s antics.
She sighed , delighted in the knowledge she would see Reb again. The night before had been the stuff of dreams , and although she knew he would never see her as anything more than a friend, she also knew he cared about her. Hadn ’ t he worried for hours over hurting her feelings? Hadn ’ t he waited for her, apologized to her? Her heart swelled at the memory of his tender kiss on her fingers.
“ We ’ ve got ’ em now, gals! ” Mary exclaimed as Drifter pulled ahead of the herd.
“ Good! ” Livie sighed with relief. “ Now can we slow down, Mary? ”
“ Show some gumption, Livie, ” Mary chuckled. “ We gotta get breakfast on ’ fore they get there, ya ninny. ”
Reb sat on the front porch of the ranch house watching the sun rise higher in the sky. Yellow and pink had given way to bright blue as morning arrived , and Reb had enjoyed watching the change. Bullet sat next to him, begging for another strip of jerky by tipping his head from one side to the other as he looked at his owner.
“ Yer nothin ’ but a begg a r, ” Reb chuckled, placing a piece of jerky on the dog ’ s nose. “ Stay…stay… ” he said. Bul let remained still (except for his tail) waiting for his master ’ s permission to chomp down his treat. “ There ya go, boy, ” Reb said. Bullet tossed the piece of dried meat in the air , catching it in his mouth and chewing it only thrice before swallowing.
Reb chuckled. “ Yer a spoiled begg a r…that ’ s what ya are, ” he told the dog. Sighing he looked back toward the sky. He had hardly slept a wink si nce returning from the boarding house late the night before— his mind awhirl with confusing thoughts and emotions.
He had been disgusted with himself for slighting Sage the way he had done in town. Of course, he had finally confessed his behavior to his Aunt Eugenia, but even that hadn ’ t made him feel any better. So, he had waited. He had waited for hours and hou rs—waited through suppertime—through sunset— until Sage had finally come home. Then he had waited even longer. Waited until she was half undressed before he had finally revealed his presence and begun to apologize to her. And he had made his peace with her…hadn ’ t he?
Reb shook his head, uncertain what to make of the moments spent with Sage in the parlor. Truth be told, he had almost taken her in his arms and had his fill of kissing her! That
“I- I… ” Sage stammered.
“ For pity ’ s sake, Sage. We ’ ll miss all the excitement, ” she said, taking Sage ’ s hand and leading her out the door.
“ Slow down, Mary! ” Livie hollered. “ We want to get there alive, ” she said, one hand holding her weathered straw hat on her head, the other hanging onto the buggy for dear life.
“ Whoopee! ” Rose shouted as Mary snapped the lines at Drifter ’ s back , increasing his pace.
Sage giggled as she saw the rare expression of freedom and joy radiant on Mary ’ s wrinkled face. Mary hid her emotions well most of the time, but this was one of the infrequent moments when she could not mask her delight.
Eugenia coughed as the dust kicked up by the herd filled her lungs. The dust irritated Sage ’ s eyes too, and she wiped at the moisture in them.
“ Hurry up and pass them, Mary, before I choke to death, ” Livie whined.
As the buggy carrying the five women moved up alongside the herd, Charlie Dugger rode over to greet them.
“ Hey there, ladies! ” he shouted. “ Ya racin ’ us to the ranch? ”
“ We ’ re beatin ’ ya to the ranch, boy! ” Mary shouted in return, snapping the lines again.
“Wooo w hooo! ” Rose hollered. “ Fresh air and cowboys! Nothin ’ like it in the world! ” Sage laughed, entirely amused by Rose’ s antics.
She sighed , delighted in the knowledge she would see Reb again. The night before had been the stuff of dreams , and although she knew he would never see her as anything more than a friend, she also knew he cared about her. Hadn ’ t he worried for hours over hurting her feelings? Hadn ’ t he waited for her, apologized to her? Her heart swelled at the memory of his tender kiss on her fingers.
“ We ’ ve got ’ em now, gals! ” Mary exclaimed as Drifter pulled ahead of the herd.
“ Good! ” Livie sighed with relief. “ Now can we slow down, Mary? ”
“ Show some gumption, Livie, ” Mary chuckled. “ We gotta get breakfast on ’ fore they get there, ya ninny. ”
Reb sat on the front porch of the ranch house watching the sun rise higher in the sky. Yellow and pink had given way to bright blue as morning arrived , and Reb had enjoyed watching the change. Bullet sat next to him, begging for another strip of jerky by tipping his head from one side to the other as he looked at his owner.
“ Yer nothin ’ but a begg a r, ” Reb chuckled, placing a piece of jerky on the dog ’ s nose. “ Stay…stay… ” he said. Bul let remained still (except for his tail) waiting for his master ’ s permission to chomp down his treat. “ There ya go, boy, ” Reb said. Bullet tossed the piece of dried meat in the air , catching it in his mouth and chewing it only thrice before swallowing.
Reb chuckled. “ Yer a spoiled begg a r…that ’ s what ya are, ” he told the dog. Sighing he looked back toward the sky. He had hardly slept a wink si nce returning from the boarding house late the night before— his mind awhirl with confusing thoughts and emotions.
He had been disgusted with himself for slighting Sage the way he had done in town. Of course, he had finally confessed his behavior to his Aunt Eugenia, but even that hadn ’ t made him feel any better. So, he had waited. He had waited for hours and hou rs—waited through suppertime—through sunset— until Sage had finally come home. Then he had waited even longer. Waited until she was half undressed before he had finally revealed his presence and begun to apologize to her. And he had made his peace with her…hadn ’ t he?
Reb shook his head, uncertain what to make of the moments spent with Sage in the parlor. Truth be told, he had almost taken her in his arms and had his fill of kissing her! That
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