Page 56 of Eighteen Bowties and Counting

“Charlotte,” Kenny called, and they both turned toward the other cowboy. “Beau! We’ve got horses out at Brynn’s, and we need all available men in the saddle.”

Of course they did.

This week, he thought.

His head pounded, and Beau just wanted to go home and get something ice-cold to drink to soothe the fire in his throat. “Did it go out on text?”

“She’s sending it now.” Kenny took the rope from Charlotte. “I’ll put him away and start saddling for others.”

“I’ll go with you.” The two of them left, and Beau couldn’t just stand there. Brynn’s horses weren’t all trained, and even those that were possessed an almost wild spirit, as she trained them to be winners. Champions.

So Beau kicked himself into gear and went to get in the saddle to help round up her escaped horses. After all, life on a busy ranch didn’t stop because he had a headache and a sore throat.

His phone went nuts as he jogged after Charlotte and Kenny, but he didn’t bother to check it. Cowboys and cowgirls would be streaming into the stables in only a few seconds. Outside the nearest one, Kenny had a couple of horses saddled already, and he’d thrown Marlin’s rope over a nearby tethering post.

Charlotte mounted her horse just as Beau took his reins from Kenny. “Thank you, Kenny.”

“Are you with me?” Charlotte called over to him, her voice steady despite the urgency of the situation. He wondered what her pulse sounded like inside her own body, because his pounded like horse’s hooves on hard-packed dirt.

“Yes,” he said, and they went around the back of the cabins and rode toward the homestead and Brynn’s horse-training facility.

As they arrived on the scene, Beau wasn’t surprised to see Brynn in the saddle already and Pete coming toward them on his pretty cream-colored horse.

“It’s like they’re having a party,” Brynn said, indicating the fields north of the facility. The sight of scattered horses grazing and galloping freely brought both tension and determination to the group, especially Beau’s shoulders.

“Let’s split up,” Charlotte suggested, pointing to the north end of the field. “I'll take the west side. You head east. We’ll meet in the middle.” She wasn’t asking, and she looked at Brynn and not Beau.

“We can at least keep them from spreading out even more,” Beau said.

“How many are out?” Pete asked as another couple of cowboys rode up.

“About a dozen,” Brynn said, and Beau scanned the fields again. He only saw four or five horses, not twelve.

His stomach vibrated with the familiar thrill of doing something exciting and having Charlotte as his partner made it even better. Just the fact that he was with her said something, as she’d been hiding from him all week.

“You and Charlotte go,” Brynn said. “See if you can’t close them off.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Beau turned his horse, and Charlotte made an equally expert move. They trotted off together, and he felt closer to her than he had all this week. “I’m headed east.” He moved before she could reply, but he trusted her to handle her horse appropriately.

Brynn’s horses didn’t wear any gear, and Beau wasn’t sure of any of their personalities. He didn’t carry a rope, and he wasn’t great at throwing one anyway. He could in a pinch, but he usually rode at the back of the pack and let the dogs and other cowboys with better arms do any roping necessary.

He whistled and Pepper streaked forward toward a horse that couldn’t be more than thirteen hands tall. Maybe it wasn’t fully grown yet, and it turned back toward Brynn’s facility, where two people were setting up chutes to funnel the horses toward.

“Ruby,” Beau yelled. “Chute.”

The collie barked in a rare show of her voice, and she joined Pepper in helping to move the shorter pony toward the chutes. Beau stayed out of their way and edged over toward a pair of horses who seemed to be in a love-hate relationship with one another.

With his dogs busy, all Beau could do was try to let these equines know he was in charge, not them. “Aye, aye, aye!” He yipped at them, and they started to trot away from him. Fine with him, and he kept pushing them toward Charlotte.

She had three horses coming his way, and Beau edged further north to start pushing them south. In the distance, Pepper and Ruby had the young horse in the chute, and he whistled to call them back.

He couldn’t help but watch Charlotte work. She moved with such grace and confidence, herding a particularly stubborn mare with a technique only someone with her patience could manage. He felt a pang of admiration—he had always loved how headstrong she was, even when it irritated him.

“I’ve got the dogs,” he called over to her, and she raised her hand to indicate she’d heard him. “Go on, Pepper. Round ‘em up. Ruby, chute.”

Pepper barked and darted at the horses, which got them moving faster. A couple more dogs joined them from the ranch, and they got those five horses in the chute without a problem.

“Not sure where the others are,” Charlotte said, and the buildings between them and where they’d left Brynn blocked Beau’s view. “But there’s one on that far fence.” She nodded over her shoulder. “I think he thinks if he doesn’t move, he’s invisible.”

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