Jenna's Cowboy: A Novel by Sharon Gillenwater

Author:Sharon Gillenwater [Gillenwater, Sharon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, Christian, Christian Fiction, Religious, Love Stories, Western, Texas
ISBN: 9780800733537
Publisher: Revell
Published: 2010-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

16

Nate settled into a good routine, working with his dad a couple of days a week. They repaired a tractor and made sure the cotton stripper was in top shape. They cleaned out the barn, expanded the fenced area around the chicken coop, and added new shelves in the pantry.

The rest of the time he was at the ranch, occasionally working on Saturday too. Sunday was the only day off he could count on, but that would have been normal if he'd been full time either place.

He often ate with the Callahans at noon, unless he was in a pasture on horseback and too far away for an easy ride back. They extended a standing invitation for supper, which he sometimes accepted. He tried not to infringe on the family's time too much, but it wasn't easy to bid Jenna and Zach an early good night.

That might change before long. Her folks had agreed to let her move into her grandparents' house, but Dub had insisted all the single pane windows be replaced with good insulated double pane ones first. The old windows were fine if someone was only staying there for a few days, but with winter coming on, he didn't want his grandson and daughter living in a cold house fighting drafts.

They would all probably still eat with the family most of the time, but he looked forward to spending some longer evenings at Jenna's place. It was the season to take advantage of quiet times snug and warm inside on cold days, or enjoying a light breeze drifting through an open window on warm ones.

The first few days after the roundup had been spent herding the cows away from the pasture next to the calves and back to other parts of the ranch. Some of the calves weren't thrilled with the idea of losing sight of their mamas, but the cows had resigned themselves to the inevitable and were ready to move on.

Now the work on the ranch was more low key and solitary. Riding fences to check for breaks or weak stretches, sometimes on horseback, sometimes in the pickup, was on the agenda. If he found a problem, he fixed it.

Checking the windmills was also on his list. When he came across a squeaky one, he climbed up the forty or fifty foot tower to oil the head. A lot of cowboys didn't like the chore, but he enjoyed the view from way up there. And the adrenaline rush. With everything locked down so nothing would turn, he often took his sandwich up with him and ate lunch perched at the top.

After functioning on adrenaline surges much of the time in Iraq, he needed a charge now and then. Racing a horse full speed across an open stretch was almost as good as climbing the windmill, and more fun. The horses loved it too.

Other days, he rode the pastures, counting the cattle and checking for any that might be missing, injured, or sick. Dub liked all the pastures checked every day, dividing them up between himself, Will, and the hired hands.

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