Page 54 of The Cowgirl's Secret Love
The dirt on the left was a vivid round blotch, while the one on the right was barely visible since the lighter brown tone was a near match for the local soil. “And we have a winner. Told you my choice was the right one,” Zach gloated.
“Yeah, but you made a lucky pick. You weren’t all scientific like Karen.” Cody offered her and Finn a thumbs-up. “Good trick.”
“Next time, listen,” Finn suggested before giving Karen a wink.
The only things wrong in her world were continuing to see Finn in pain and saying goodbye to Dandelion. With her leaving in the fall for school, it was smarter to get the kitten set up with the barn cats, but dropping him off at Silver Stone ranch left her strangely empty inside.
Saturday morning, she rose early to get in a horseback ride before the Canada Day celebrations began. Faint snores drifted through the closed master bedroom door as she passed it.
Yet another batch of wildflowers waited in a glass on the kitchen counter. Just like every morning since Finn had returned from the hospital.
She had no idea when, or how, he was sneaking out of the house to find them, but as she picked up the sturdy stalked bundle with pale purple petals at the top, she had to admit to being charmed.
She slipped the flowers into a bouquet already on the table, discarding a couple of drooping stems. She filled a thermos with coffee, and after leaving a note that she’d meet Finn at the fairgrounds, headed into the fresh July first morning air.
Morning chores had started. An easy sway of voices and animal noises floated over the ranch as hired help headed to the makeshift mess tent to get their own coffee and breakfast. Horses shifted slowly in the arena. Only a dozen still, mostly ones that belonged to the men bunking in trailers all around the wide work area.
Men waved in her direction as she saddled up Starlight, but no one interrupted her as she tucked the thermos into a saddlebag then mounted and headed to the west.
She hadn’t believed her sister Tamara when she’d repeatedly said how different Heart Falls terrain was compared to the land around Rocky Mountain House. Only three hours to the south shouldn’t make so huge of a difference.
But it did. The longer she was in the area, the more Karen understood what Tamara had been trying to say.
Here they were already in the foothills, with the Rockies racing skyward and seeming close enough to touch. And while the foothills had some of the characteristic dips into valleys and rolls to heights that were so common around Rocky Mountain House, here the alpine forest had begun to encroach. Pine and spruce trees stood tall, scattered over the nearby hills.
The gullies were no gentle coulees with mudbank slopes. They were granite and sharp, erosion taking the canyon sides down to the bare rock and creating a wilder landscape.
Raw, fresh, dangerous.
Karen rode in the noisy silence of the outdoors. Saddlebags creaked, and her jean-clad thighs rubbed against Starlight’s flanks with a soft, shimmeringwhoosh. Birds, wind, and trees all contributed to the music around her.
She let her horse take the lead, wandering where he wanted. He’d found an old game trail, looping out of the ravine and to the north. One impossible puzzle twist later, Karen found herself at the top of a ridge, staring back at what would soon be Red Boot ranch. The town of Heart Falls lay in the distance beyond it with Silver Stone ranch along the extreme southwest corner.
It was a beautiful place, and she took a deep breath and let peace roll over her. What a privilege to be here.
Then why are you so eager to get away?
The thought came unbidden, and she pulled Starlight away from the view, moving up the trail as if that would distance her from the question.
She twisted the reins around her fingers, pausing for long enough to double-check her directions, because getting lost would hardly enhance her reputation when it came to her job.
A soft scuffling came from the right, and Karen froze. Starlight’s ears shot up, rotating as he tried to identify the danger.
When her horse relaxed, Karen did as well. Something was in the bush, but it wasn’t about to leap out and attack. She slipped from the saddle and tethered Starlight.
Then she moved cautiously through the thicket toward where a brighter patch of light indicated there should be a clearing of some sort.
A small opening between massive pine trees created a little oasis. The mare she’d seen the other day was there. On her side, panting heavily, her belly full of foal.
“Shit.”
Karen went back and grabbed Starlight’s reins, leading him a little farther until she found a wide enough trail that let them into the clearing.
The only helpful thing in her saddlebags was an emergency kit, and it was soon clear she needed it. The mare was far enough gone that when Karen dropped by her head, she barely moved.
“It’s okay, beautiful. I’ll help you,” Karen reassured her, but at this point, there wasn’t much to do.
She took a check, cursing as she discovered the foal was breech. A difficult delivery at the best of times. The mare was small, and the foal—probably from the wild stallion—was full-term and on the large side.
