Page 177 of Conveniently Wed
She caught a smile on Gideon’s face as he glanced back at her. “We’re almost to the best part.”
This whole ride had been the best part so far. What could possibly be next? The trail moved out of the woods, and she had to blink as the brilliant sun glinted off the snow. Gideon reined in his horse, so she rode up next to him and did the same.
As her eyes adjusted to the light, she sucked in a breath. Before her lay the most amazing view she’d ever seen. They were near the edge of the mountain, with small pine trees covering the steep descent. Far below lay a valley, blanketed in white with a darker line snaking through the center, which must be a stream. Beyond the valley, another range of mountains rose majestically into the clouds.
“It’s remarkable.” Her chest ached with the beauty of it all.
“It is.” Gideon’s tone had taken on a timbre of pride, as if he were presenting his own offspring. “This is what I love the most about the high country. The enormity of it all, and themagnificence. The wildness. It’s as close as I’ve been to heaven.” He paused for a moment. “It’s hard to put it into words.”
Leah turned to him, her chest tight almost too tight for words. “What you just said sounded like poetry.”
He faced her, his verdant eyes glistening. “It makes it all worth it, you know? Things are hard here, but it doesn’t matter because you get to be surrounded by all this.”
The corners of her mouth lifted at the beauty in his words, and she turned back to admire the splendor again. “I get it now.” She’d fallen in love with the peace and solitude of life at the cabin, but the glory of this view was enough to capture her heart forever.
They sat for a while, enjoying the sight before them. “That’s one of the pastures where I grow hay in the summer.” Gideon pointed to the valley below. “Our property line goes to the base of the other mountain, but no one owns the land on that slope so I don’t worry too much about the cows wandering.” He pointed out an elk at the edge of the woods far below.
Too soon, Gideon squared his shoulders and picked up his reins. “We’d better keep moving.”
When they reached a large valley, a group of cows and calves huddled at one end. The minute they saw Gideon, the animals began lowing and moving forward to greet him. He rode up to a little shed at the edge of the tree line and dismounted, speaking to the cows as he opened the door and forked hay into several piles. His voice was too low for her to understand his words, but the cows seemed to comprehend and settled in to munch on the fodder he provided.
While he worked, Leah rode over to where he’d tied his gelding and secured Annabelle to a nearby branch. He had grabbed an ax from the shed and seemed to be heading for the tree line.
“What can I do?” she called, as she limped through the snow and mud toward the little barn.
He stopped and turned toward her, as if just noticing he wasn’t the only person there. “Can you put out a couple more piles of hay, away from the rest? The horses will be up soon.”
“Where are you going?” She hated to question him, but the thought of him leaving her in this unknown place coiled a knot in her stomach.
His lips tipped up. “There’s a creek just inside the wood line. I’m going to crack the ice.”
Relief slipped through her. “Oh. All right.”
She struggled with the pitchfork in the barn, but managed to build two piles of hay a little distance from where the cows munched. The loud crack of the ax sounded just as she started back to the barn.
In between blows, a whinny rang from the opposite direction. She turned to see several horses trotting through the snow, their legs rising high like the Tennessee Walking horses on the plantations in Virginia.
Three foals plunged through the white powder at the back of the herd, Trojan among them, his long legs propelling him ahead of the other two youngsters.
The animals stopped at the hay she’d put out, and she made her way toward them, rubbing thick-coated shoulders and speaking softly to each.
A nudge at her waist brought Leah’s attention down, where Trojan’s soft muzzle nibbled her lambswool skirt.
“Hey there, fellow.” She reached a hand to stroke his thick chestnut coat and laughed when he rubbed his head against her.
“He remembers you.” Gideon’s deep voice sent a little shiver down her back as he strode up to the colt’s other side.
She glanced up at him, once again aware of how alone they were in this barren place. “I’ve missed this boy.” She droppedher gaze back to Trojan, who was leaning into her hand as she scratched the base of his shoulder.
Gideon didn’t say anything but stroked the colt’s short mane. His gloved hands were so large compared to her own.
Her gaze drifted up to his face, and his intense eyes met hers. His thoughts were so hard to read. His gaze no longer held the distaste that had been there when she’d first come to the ranch. Was it admiration now? Or at least friendship? Was that too much to hope for? Even if she couldn’t decipher the emotions swirling there, she would have loved to spend the rest of the day trying.
He was the first to look away, and disappointment slid through her when he turned. “I have halters in the shed if you want to work with the foals.” His voice drifted over his shoulder as he moved away.
Over the next few hours, Leah thoroughly enjoyed herself, working with the horses and helping Gideon where she could. When she’d finished leading each of the foals, she found Gideon carrying a bucket of black goo among the cattle. He showed her how to apply it to scratches and various wounds the cows had acquired. He explained that the medicine both healed and, in the summer, kept out the flies that would lay eggs in the wounds, producing larvae and worms that would eat the cow from the inside out.
Gideon was an excellent teacher, despite his succinct manner. He had an incredible amount of knowledge and a light glimmered in his eyes when he spoke of the animals. He cared for each as if it were a prized possession.
