West By Rail: A Brother's Wish by Rosie Bosse

Author:Rosie Bosse
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Imperium Publishing
Published: 2020-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER (37)

A PICNIC AT MIDNIGHT

BETH HAD BEEN QUIET THE ENTIRE TIME BUT NOW SHE LOOKED AT ROWDY WITH FIRE IN HER EYES. “How could she do that to him? She didn’t even come outside. Why, he is giving up his dream for her, and she didn’t even stand beside him or invite you in to eat!”

Rowdy pushed Smoke closer to her horse and reached his arm around her waist. He pulled her off her horse and across his saddle in front of him. As he held her and looked into her surprised eyes, he asked, “Beth Williams, will you marry me and stay with me forever on my ranch?”

Beth smiled as she put her arms around his neck. “ Our ranch, Rowdy. And only if my name is on the deed too.”

Smoke was on his best behavior as he walked quietly beside the little filly although he did look back from time to time to see just what his ‘people’ were doing back there.

Finally, Rowdy set Beth back on her horse. The clouds were rolling in. Rowdy looked up at the sky and frowned.

“Beth, let’s skip that picnic and get on back to Cheyenne. The wind is picking up, and I’m not too familiar with this weather yet.”

They had only gone a few miles when the rain cut loose, and the wind began to blow in gales. Rowdy was looking for an abandoned cabin or shelter of any kind. He spotted a line shack off the trail and pushed the horses against the wind. As he tried to force the door open, the wind sucked it closed, almost smashing his hand. Pushing his way in, he saw there was enough room for the horses. He quickly pushed Beth in and then followed with both horses. Smoke he turned loose, but he kept the bridle on the filly. After he unsaddled them, the horses shook off the water, and the heat from their bodies helped warm the room.

Rowdy looked around. Whoever had stayed here before had left the wood ready for a fire with more stacked inside. Good thing, he thought. There was no wood close to here at all so they must have hauled that in.

Beth was shivering so Rowdy opened his bedroll and took out his heavy coat. He wrapped her up in it and then took a rag he found and rubbed the horses down.

Beth watched as Rowdy talked to Smoke just like one would talk to another person.

“Smoke, you did alright today. I’m real proud of how you behaved yourself around that little filly. Now you leave her alone tonight and don’t be bothering her! Darn females,” he muttered as he turned around.

When he saw Beth laughing, he grinned. “Smoke and I have been together so long that I forget he’s not a person,” Rowdy tried to explain as the red moved up his neck. Then he moved closer to Beth and whispered, “Darn females!”

Rowdy wrapped the blankets around them as the fire died down. The horses stamped impatiently, and the wind continued to howl.

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