A Cowboy at Heart by Lori Copeland & Virginia Smith

Author:Lori Copeland & Virginia Smith [Copeland, Lori & Smith, Virginia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781410454614
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers
Published: 2013-04-01T07:00:00+00:00

“That’s it, boy. Just one more round.” Jesse wasn’t sure if he was talking to himself or Rex, but his grip on the saddle horn was tighter than a fat foot in new boots. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple, followed by another. His teeth ground together in the effort of putting one foot in front of the other. Rex was more carrying him than supporting him, but he did his best not to let on to the boy walking beside him, watching him with an anxious expression.

The horse slowed his pace to that of a sheep grazing in a clover field, but he obediently continued his fifth circuit around the Switzer house. Good old Rex. Jesse would have given him an affectionate slap on the neck if he could have done it without falling.

“You sure you don’t want to set a spell?” Deep creases lined Butch’s youthful forehead. “You’re looking kinda greenish.”

That’s because I’m fighting not to heave my breakfast.

But Jesse gave a curt nod and saved himself the effort of answering. A man couldn’t get well sitting around in a rocking chair all day. He had to keep blood pumping through his veins. Already he could tell a difference in his strength, and this was only the second day. His shoulder was healing. When he did sit, he’d taken to moving the joint around as much as he could tolerate. This morning he could lift it higher than yesterday. What would Katie say about his efforts?

Katie.

Only two days had passed since she left, but it felt like weeks. Amazing how the absence of her quiet, serene presence and her sweet smile affected everyone. Life went on around the farm as usual. Jonas was plowing a new field, so he’d turned over the responsibility of feeding and watering the animals to Butch. Maummi Switzer performed her chores in the house and kitchen with the same quiet efficiency he’d always known her to have. Jesse pitched in wherever he could, when he wasn’t napping, and he had even taken a chair and Jonas’s hunting rifle out to the garden yesterday afternoon to stand guard against a pack of jackrabbits that had shown too keen an interest in the tender plants. He hadn’t managed to hit anything left handed yet, but at least the noise kept them on the run. But without Katie, everything seemed…quieter. More solemn.

“Look there, sir.” Butch’s quiet voice interrupted his thoughts.

Jesse followed the boy’s gaze across the wheatfield, where a pair of horses trotted along the fence line. Their riders’ heads were turned toward them, though at this distance Jesse couldn’t identify either one. Could it be Woodard and Sawyer? His anger flared and he paused. Rex came to a halt. Let them see that he wasn’t afraid of any cowardly scum who would shoot a man in the back and leave him for dead. And let them report back to their boss that Jesse Montgomery was upright and not afraid to stand his ground.

After

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