To Have and to Hold (Cactus Creek Cowboys) by Leigh Greenwood Page A

to whip him on the flank.”
    “Wouldn’t that make him mad?”
    “No. He would run faster, but we’re not going to gallop today. I think a gentle canter would be best.”
    She eyed him suspiciously. “That sounds like you’re trying to baby me.”
    It amused Colby that she was determined not to be treated differently just because she was a woman. “Trotting can be very uncomfortable unless you know how to do it, and you’ve had enough galloping for one day. A canter is in between those two.”
    “How will I know the difference?”
    Colby found it difficult to understand how anyone could grow up knowing so little about horses.
    “Don’t look at me like I’m an idiot,” Naomi snapped. “We had mules in Spencer’s Crossing for pulling a plow or a wagon. Norman was the only one with enough money to own a riding horse.”
    “Once you’ve cantered, you won’t forget. Horses are herd animals so your horse will probably stay close to mine. The main thing I want you to do now is learn to relax in the saddle.”
    Naomi eyed his saddle. “It looks a lot easier for you.”
    Colby grinned. “Want to change horses?”
    Naomi laughed aloud. “If I thought you’d ride up to the train in this saddle, I’d do it.”
    “Forget it. I’m not as brave as you.”
    Her horse kept alongside Shadow without urging. After a few hundred yards, the tension left her body. It wasn’t long before she broke into a smile. “Why didn’t anybody tell me this was fun? Can we go faster?
    Colby was proud of her courage and ability, but he cautioned, “Let’s wait until tomorrow. There’s more to riding a horse than just staying on his back.”
    Naomi scowled at him. “You sound like my grandmother. She could take the fun out of anything.”
    “It’s best not to try too much the first day.”
    Naomi made a face at him but didn’t urge her mount to go faster. However, when they rejoined the wagon train, she didn’t get the reception either of them anticipated. Her father was furious.
    “I’ve always known you were strong-minded,” he said to his daughter, “but I never thought you were completely lacking in intelligence. Get down from that horse now,” he ordered. “What possessed you to leave Colby and set off at a mad gallop the first time you were on a horse? If he hadn’t managed to catch up with you, you’d probably be lying somewhere out there with a broken neck.”
    “Just a minute, sir.”
    “Don’t try to excuse her behavior,” Dr. Kessling said to Colby. “I’ve depended upon her so much since her mother died that I’ve forgotten she’s still a young woman capable of making some ill-considered decisions.”
    “She didn’t this time,” Colby interrupted. “Her horse was spooked by wolves. She did a brilliant job of staying in the saddle. I don’t know any woman, and few men, who could have done what she did.”
    Her father seemed at a loss for words, but Ben wasn’t similarly affected.
    “Wolves!” he exclaimed. “I wish I’d seen them. How many of ’em were there? Did they howl and try to bite your horse? Did they have fangs this long?” The distance he measured with his hands was at least a foot. “Raymond said they drool something awful and have huge, blood-red eyes.”
    Colby had no idea who Raymond might be, but he obviously enjoyed entertaining young boys with tall tales. “They’re a lot like large dogs, but they’re very dangerous.”
    Ben looked disappointed, but his father was chagrined. “I guess I overreacted, but I nearly had a heart attack when I saw her horse take off like that. I could see her lying dead somewhere out there.”
    “I don’t think we’ll have any more trouble with wolves,” Colby said.
    “Good, but I don’t think she should ride anymore.”
    Her father’s sharp rebuke had shocked Naomi, but now she spoke up. “Colby said women out here have to ride. He says it’s often necessary to their survival. And the survival of their families,” she