Page 22 of Wellspring
That didn’t even earn him a glance.“If you’re looking for youramant, he’s already in the paddock so you might as well get to work.”Chel mounted and kneed her horse into a gallop, leaving Cade scrambling to follow her.
“He’s not my anything,” Cade protested when he’d caught up.He didn’t know what the word Chel had used meant, though he could make a good guess.If only she were right, but for once, her instincts had missed their mark.
“You want him to be,” she retorted.“Though volunteering for double night shifts is not going to help you with that.”
Cade shrugged.“It was the right thing to do.Mac needs Kit around, especially at night.That’s more important than maybe starting something with Erick, assuming he’s interested, which is a big assumption.”
He could say it to her, the things he would never say to anyone else, the things he couldn’t even say to Erick, the person he mostwantedto say them to.She would never judge.She might chide him for not guarding his heart.She might scold him for falling for someone unattainable.She might tell him love was a fairy tale.But she would never judge.
“Cade,petit loup, I know men.What La Fleur blanche did not teach me, working at the Lucky Penny did.Trust me, he’s interested.But if a month on the road together was not enough to show him you’re not averse to a relationship with another man, how are you to do it now if you are never together at the same time?”
“It’s not forever.Just until Mac is doing better again,” Cade said, even though he would miss time spent with Erick.“And it’s not like we’d be together all the time anyway.He’s up in the paddock working with the mustangs while I’m out here keeping an eye on the herd.I’ll still see him at breakfast and dinner, even if I’m on night shift.”
Chel rolled her eyes and muttered something in French under her breath.
PAYNE WASN’Tin the barn when Erick arrived, making him wish he’d taken the time for another cup of coffee.He walked down the line of stalls, stopping to greet Zephyr with a pat on the nose and a promise to check back with him later.The far end of the barn opened onto a fenced-in field where a half-dozen horses grazed.He leaned against the fence and watched them for a few moments.They were smaller than the horses he was familiar with, but their bodies looked strong.
One of the horses, a chestnut mare with irregular white markings, lifted its head and stared at Erick.He held its gaze, and it slowly walked toward the fence.They’d been handled enough to become accustomed to people, then, at least somewhat.That would make his job easier.He should have picked up a lead rope before approaching the horses, he realized.
“Making friends already?”Payne strode through the barn, a lead rope in hand.The paint nickered but held its ground.Moving slowly, Erick took the lead from Payne and clipped it to the halter.The horse tossed its head and danced in place.He’d have to remember to pocket some sugar cubes from the coffee fixings tomorrow to use as treats.
“It seemed a wise way to start,” Erick replied.“These horses, they have been handled some already, yes?”
“Yeah, we cut them from the herd a few months ago and been working with them when we have time, but while they’ll come up to us easily enough, we’ve never even gotten a saddle on most of them.Just not enough time.The mustangs were Roarke’s project.We talked about dropping it after his death, but they’re a steady source of income between cattle drives, and we need that,” Payne explained.“That one’s the only one we’ve tried to ride since his death, but it didn’t go so well.We sent the one who killed him back to the herd.”
Erick reached between the rungs of the fence and let the paint approach his hand.Once it decided he didn’t seem dangerous, he gently touched the side of its neck.The paint shook its head but didn’t back away.Before long Erick was running a palm down its nose and combing his fingers through its mane.When he stopped, the horse nickered and took a step forward, as if chasing after his touch.
“Good girl,” Erick murmured.“Be patient a moment.”Tomorrow he would be better prepared, he told himself as he returned to the barn for a blanket and saddle, but this was his opportunity to show Payne what he could do and that Cade’s faith in him was justified.He set them over the top rail and resumed petting the paint until it settled, then hoisted himself over the fence into the paddock.
He wouldn’t have been surprised if the horse backed away, but it stood its ground.“Ach, you are a brave one.Let us hope the others follow your lead.”He took a step closer, smoothing the paint’s mane and moving down its neck until he could stroke its side.For several minutes he did nothing but caress the horse, slowly increasing pressure as he accustomed it to his touch.
“I’ll give Webster one thing,” Payne said from where he stood by the fence.“You’ve got a way about you.”
“A horse should be your partner, not your servant,” Erick said.He held the paint’s gaze as he walked around it to stroke its other side.“If you gain its respect and trust, it will always bring you home.”When the horse stood still under his strongest touch, he reached for the saddle blanket and settled it over its back.The paint’s ears twitched, but it made no move to shake it off.Erick resumed his stroking, murmuring praises to the horse in German, eventually leaning against its side and reaching over its back with increasing pressure.
“Now we will see.”Erick gathered the saddle and set it atop the blanket.When the paint didn’t buck, he petted its head, letting it grow used to the added weight.The most dangerous step came next—reaching beneath the horse to cinch the saddle.To his relief, the paint made no move to kick or bite, twitching a little but letting him tighten the girth.He used his best estimate to adjust the stirrups and then let the horse settle for a few moments, stroking its flank.
For some horses that might be enough for one day, but the paint hadn’t balked yet, so Erick pressed on.He grasped the saddle horn and jumped as if to leap into the saddle, getting it used to his movement.Then he put a foot into the stirrup and stood, leaning his weight against the horse’s side.He repeated this several times, gradually leaning farther across the saddle.Through it, the paint held its ground.“You do so well,” he crooned as he mirrored the actions on the horse’s other side.In an emergency, being able to mount from the left could mean surviving or not.
He glanced at Payne, who stood watching with his arms crossed.He rested against the paint’s neck, gauging its temper.It inclined its head into his touch.Deciding it was worth the risk of being dumped on the ground to impress the boss, he caressed the paint’s neck with one hand and grasped the saddle horn with the other.“Now, my brave one.”Taking a deep breath, he stepped into the stirrup, swung his other leg over the paint’s back, and settled into the saddle.
To his intense relief, the paint stood, accepting his weight.He leaned forward against its neck, combing his fingers through its mane.“Bravo,Kleine.You make me proud.”
“I’ll be damned,” Payne said from the edge of the paddock.“Welcome to Wellspring, Heller.”
Erick didn’t try to hide his smile.Cade was right—it seemed he had found a home after all.
Chapter Fourteen
THE DINNERbell surprised Erick when the sun was directly overhead.He hadn’t been sure the cook would make a meal with most of the hands out working, but he was not the only one still near the ranch house.He had heard the occasional clang of the blacksmith’s hammer, and the men who had been on the previous night’s shift might be awake and hungry by now.He unhooked his rope from the mustang he’d been working with and headed toward the outdoor tables, wishing vainly that Cade could be there and hoping he would know someone besides Burke.He didn’t need to listen to any more comments like those from the night before.
“Mr.Heller, get a plate and join me,” Mrs.Roarke said when he neared where she sat.
Erick wiped his hands on his kerchief and accepted a plate with a sandwich and beans from Javier.He took off his hat and seated himself across the table from Mrs.Roarke, knowing that he had passed one test with Payne but that he still needed to prove himself to his true employer.He couldn’t let any failure on his part reflect poorly on Cade.“You are most fortunate in your cook.”He waited for her to begin eating before he would bite into his sandwich.“I have quite enjoyed the fare since my arrival.”
“Trujillo is a genius, there’s no doubt,” Mrs.Roarke said.“He can turn even the simplest ingredients into a feast.Did you get settled in the bunkhouse last night?”
“The accommodation is most comfortable.”Not that Erick had anything to compare it to, but he could imagine far worse.“I look forward to making the acquaintance of more of my fellows.”
