Wild West Wife by Susan Mallery

Author:Susan Mallery [Mallery, Susan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780733557880
Google: GyrFAAAACAAJ
Amazon: 0373834861
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2001-07-02T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

The gelding shifted uneasily as Jesse lowered the saddle onto the animal’s back. Muscles rippled and the horse stomped its feet.

“Hell of a way to make a living,” Jesse muttered, collecting the reins in his left hand, then preparing himself to spring into the saddle. In his case, he wasn’t even making a living at breaking horses, he was paying Bart back for his help and hospitality.

His friend didn’t expect reimbursement, but Jesse insisted. It was the least he could do. Two thousand long-horns were a lot of extra work for Bart and his men. While Jesse would give Bart a few bulls for the herd, he also liked keeping his hand in with the ranching work. It was spring, and spring meant rounding up the horses that had been let loose all winter. Someone had to break them, and he’d volunteered.

He spoke softly to the gelding. The animal’s ears twitched, as if he were listening. Jesse hoped so. All he wanted was to remind him that he was a working animal and that being ridden wasn’t so bad.

He put his foot in the stirrup and swung onto the horse’s back. There was a moment of complete stillness, then the gelding lowered his head and started to buck.

Jesse hung on. He’d already tired out three horses that morning, but he had a feeling this one was going to be tiring him. The horse spun and kicked out, trying to dislodge the intruder from his back. There were those who believed the best way to break an animal was to beat it nearly to death, but Jesse didn’t use a whip at all. He preferred to let the horse get the bucking out of his system, then ride him around for an hour or so. If the procedure was repeated daily for a week, the animals were calm enough for ranch work. The cowboys expected a little feistiness from their mounts.

The gelding settled down. Jesse relaxed his grip, then realized a moment too late that he’d been tricked. One sharp, strong kick sent him sailing over the animal’s head and onto the dirt. He landed on his back.

For a second, he couldn’t catch his breath. Pain flared in his chest. Then he inhaled and sat up slowly. Nothing was broken or bruised…except maybe his pride. The gelding had trotted to the far side of the corral and watched him warily.

“You might have won this time, but I’ll get you yet,” Jesse told the animal.

“It’s nice to know I’m not the only one who gets thrown off her horse.”

He rose to his feet and turned toward the voice. Haley stood on the other side of the fence and smiled at him.

“It happens,” he said as he walked toward her. He brushed off his clothes. “They’ve been out roaming free all winter,” he said, pointing to the horses in the next corral. “They’ve forgotten what it’s like to wear a saddle and be ridden and they’re not much interested in remembering.”

“Why not keep them in the stable during the winter? Then they wouldn’t get so wild.

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