“Cole’s place is about three miles down the main road goin’ outta town this way,” Mr. Kelley said, pointing west as he stood with Briney on the front porch of the boardinghouse the next morning. “You just keep walkin’ west, and you can’t miss it.”
“Are you sure you don’t want one of my ridin’ skirts, Briney?” Bethanne asked.
“Oh no, not today,” Briney assured her. “I don’t want Mr. Cole to think I’m so assuming as all that…just walking up to his property and expecting to ride a horse at once.”
“But what if you do decide to ride?” Bethanne asked.
“Oh, I’m sure it won’t be as easy as all that, Bethanne,” Briney answered. “After all, I don’t have a saddle or anything.” Keenly aware of her own disappointment in the knowledge that it may be days and days before she would actually be able to ride her horse—if indeed Mr. Cole, the Horseman, even had a horse for sale—Briney forced a smile and added, “I’m sure I’ll need a split skirt soon enough. But today I’ll probably just be talking with the man about purchasing a horse.”
“Well, if you’re sure,” Bethanne sighed with obvious disappointment. She brightened almost immediately, however. “It is a lovely walk, no matter what the outcome today, Briney. Enjoy yourself, all right?”
“I will,” Briney promised her friend. Frowning with concern then, she turned to Mr. Kelley and asked, “And you’re certain it’s appropriate for me just to walk on out there by myself…unescorted?”
Mr. Kelley chuckled. “Aw, hell yes, Briney! Folks out here don’t have time to stand on too much ceremony with things like that. You need a horse, and Cole is the man who will have one to sell ya. So you just trot on out there and let him know what you need.” Mr. Kelley paused, and Briney fancied he blushed a little. “But I’d be glad to come with you if you like.”
“That’s very kind of you, Mr. Kelley,” Briney said, delighted by the uncharacteristic shyness in his countenance at that moment. “But I know you and Mrs. Kelley have a lot to do before the restaurant opens for lunch today. I’ll be fine, thank you.”
“All-righty then,” Mr. Kelley said, looking somewhat relieved. “Then you just follow the road out about three miles, and when you see a big red barn loomin’ on the horizon…well, that’s Cole’s place.”
Inhaling a breath of courage and determination, Briney nodded. “Well, I’m on my way then. Wish me luck!” she said.
Bethanne offered a quick embrace of reassurance and said, “You’ll be fine! It’ll be an adventure—one you’ve never had before, right?”
“Exactly!” Briney agreed. “I’ve never purchased anything for myself in all my life, let alone walked three miles all by myself.”
“Good luck,” Bethanne said.
“Thank you,” Briney giggled a little nervously. “I’ll be fine.”
“Yes, you will,” Bethanne encouraged.
Stepping down from the boardinghouse porch, onto the town boardwalk, and then onto Oakmont’s dusty main road, Briney began walking west. She was unsettled a bit by the way her hands were trembling—by the way she still half-expected Mrs. Fletcher to call out in scolding her for running off on her own.
In fact, as her trembling continued—even as she walked past the general store and the livery, the last buildings on the west end of town—Briney wondered if she’d ever get over the constant feeling that she was about to be scolded for doing something she wanted to do—for thinking her own mind. Yet it was something she certainly must get over if she expected to truly enjoy living her own life. Mrs. Fletcher was gone—dead, to think of it bluntly. The elderly woman would never be scolding Briney at every turn ever again, and Briney knew she must train herself to be confident, be wise, make her own decisions, and set free aspects of her character and personality that she’d had to keep hidden for the past ten years.
Just outside of town, several pretty finches startled from a tree as Briney passed. Smiling as a peculiar sense of delighted anticipation rose in her bosom at watching them flitter about, Briney quickened her step in the direction Mr. Kelley had indicated. Three miles wasn’t so far, and it had been a long time since Briney had been able to meander at her own pace anywhere at all—let alone along such a beautiful, rural setting. Very quickly, she found the town was already far enough behind her that the only sounds she could discern were the lulling warbles of songbirds and the soothing breeze through the leaves of the trees and grasses.
Briney inhaled a deep breath of purely the freshest air she could ever in all her life remember breathing in! The sweet perfumes of flowers and sun-warmed grasses mingled with the softer scents of tree bark and soil to such perfection that every inch of Briney’s body was all at once rejuvenated. She felt as if the unsullied air were coursing through her arms, her legs, her fingers and toes. The sensation brought such an impression of newborn emancipation—an even greater sense of deliverance than she’d experienced in the previous days since Mrs. Fletcher’s passing—that she found her nervous trembling had stopped. Mrs. Fletcher wasn’t there to scold her or to tell her to slow down her pace or that she wasn’t walking as a proper lady should.
Consequently, even though she feared her hurried manner of walking might find her shoes leaving blisters on her tender feet at the end of the day, Briney walked the dusty road toward the Horseman’s property as swiftly as her happy heart determined she should walk.
In fact, Briney was so caught up in the beauty of the day and the feeling of liberation coursing through her that it seemed she’d hardly been walking any distance at all when an enormous red barn suddenly breached the horizon. Its bright roof seemed to beckon to Briney—as if calling to her in announcing adventure.
And as she topped the small hill before her, the expanse of the Horseman’s success was obvious, and Briney paused to study the large red barn, its smaller counterpart, and other outbuildings—fenced corrals filled to near breaching with beautiful horses and such a wide vista of grass-covered land that it appeared as if Mother Nature herself had swathed the earth with green velvet for as far as Briney could see.
It was as truly breathtaking a sight as Briney had ever seen, and in that moment Briney was content that her heart had chosen to linger in Oakmont for the rest of her days—if for no other reason than to walk the three miles from town, crest the hill overlooking the Horseman’s property, and take pleasure in the beautiful view before her.
Thinking to herself that Mr. Kelley had indeed given her wise direction in seeking out the Horseman’s help in purchasing a proper mount, Briney hurried down the hill toward the corrals filled with horses.
As she drew nearer to the place, Briney smiled as she noticed several men on horseback were mixed in among the horses being corralled. They whistled and called out to one another as the horses reared, whinnied, and bolted here and there within the confines of the corral fencing.
It was obvious these horses were not used to being corralled, and a part of Briney felt rather sad for them, for she knew what it was to live without being fully free.
“Howdy, ma’am,” a young man greeted Briney as he approached from the direction of the enormous red barn. “Can I help you out with somethin’?”
“Well, I hope so,” Briney said, returning the young man’s friendly smile. “I’m interested in purchasing a horse, and Mr. Kelley in town told me that I should inquire of the Horseman, Mr. Cole, concerning the matter.”
The young man’s smile broadened. “Oh yes, ma’am! Mr. Cole is the greatest horseman in the state, I can assure you of that! He can match a body with the right horse in his sleep, Miss…uh…Miss…”
“Briney,” Briney answered, offering the man her hand. “Briney Thress.”
The fellow accepted Briney’s handshake, grasping her hand much more firmly than she was accustomed to.
“Charles Plummer, ma’am,” the young man said, “but most folks just call me Charlie.”
“I’m very pleased to meet you, Charlie,” Briney said, smiling. He was a very charming young man. Briney surmised his age to be that of near her own. He was tall, with bright green eyes that seemed to smile in unison with the smile on his lips, and he owned brown hair—at least from what Briney could gather from his hair showing from beneath his hat.
“Pleased to meet you too, ma’am,” Charlie said with a nod. “Now, if you’d like to follow me over here to the main stable, I’ll fetch Mr. Cole for you, all right?”
“Of course,” Briney assured him as a small giggle of delight escaped her throat. The man was so naturally charming she found herself feeling rather giddy inside. Furthermore, she was about to possibly purchase a horse—her very own horse!
The excitement in her bosom welled to such an expanse that Briney found she had difficulty breathing normally for a moment. And as she followed Charlie into the biggest of the red barns on the Horseman’s property—as the aromas of leather, straw, horsehair, and even horse manure entered her nostrils—Briney breathed deep of the essence of the stabling and caring of horses, finding tears of elation brimming in her eyes. She’d never been in an actual stable before—never been in a barn, for that matter—and all at once, she thought for a moment that it might be nice to sleep in a barn one night—to breathe the scent of straw and horses, listen to the quiet whinnying sounds the animals might make. Thus, the idea of sleeping in the Horseman’s barn set fire to a new dream in Briney’s mind—a new dream to join the list of so many others she’d secreted through her life.
“These here on the left are spoken for, ma’am,” Charlie explained. “But most of these stalls to the right are for sale. And Mr. Cole’s got more in the west stables as well. You just have a look around, ma’am, while I fetch Mr. Cole. I won’t be but a minute, all-righty?”
“Of course,” Briney assured the young man. She was so overcome with the joy she was feeling at simply being in proximity with such beautiful horses that she didn’t care if Charlie took an hour to find Mr. Cole!
Charlie hurried away, and Briney stood, frozen in awe for a few moments. Each stall in the barn was occupied by a beautiful horse! She was overwhelmed for a moment by the pure actuality of it—that she was free form Mrs. Fletcher’s grasp and standing in a barn full of horses.
She drew herself back to her senses quickly, however, and, determining not to be tempted into falling in love with a horse that had already been sold, began ambling along the row of stalls to her right. Every horse in every stall was magnificent! The first stall was occupied by a beautiful bay horse, the next by what she surmised from her reading was an Appaloosa. A lovely grey horse whinnied a friendly whinny at her as she passed, and she giggled with delight.
Pausing at the sixth stall down, however, Briney smiled. As was the fact with all the stalls, the upper part of the stall door was open while the lower half remained closed. A beautiful bay horse stood at the back of the stall, seeming to study Briney.
“Sassafras,” Briney read aloud from the sign hanging on the lower part of the door. She looked to the horse in the back of the stall and smiled. “Are you Sassafras?” she asked, smiling. Instantly, the pretty horse hurried to the stall door and whinnied.
Briney was startled when the horse leaned its head out over the closed bottom of the stall door, nuzzling her with its muzzle.
“Oh my! Aren’t you a friendly one?” Briney giggled. Uncertain as to whether it would be appropriate for her to pat the horse’s head in returning the greeting, Briney shrugged and tossed caution to the wind. Reaching out, she tenderly stroked the horse’s jaw and then its velvety nose. The horse whinnied again, shaking its head with apparent delight.
“She’s right in here, Mr. Cole,” Charlie said as he motioned for his boss to enter the largest stable on the ranch. “She’s about the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen, truth be told, and dressed like she just waltzed outta some big society event. I wasn’t sure what to tell her, so I just come and fetched you. I figured you best handle this one, bein’ as I don’t know her experience with ridin’, and, well, I ain’t never sold a horse to a lone woman before, boss.”
Gunner Cole chuckled. “Oh, that’s all right, Charlie. That last mustang ‘bout tore me to shreds breakin’ him. I could use a break.”
But Gunner and Charlie both stopped in their tracks as they stepped into the stable.
“Is that Sassy nuzzling up to her?” Charlie asked in an awed whisper.
“Yeah,” Gunner mumbled, too astonished by what he saw to say anything else. Of course, truth be told, Gunner wasn’t sure whether it was the fact that Sassafras seemed to be taking to the woman who’d come to buy a horse or that the woman who’d come to buy a horse was young, pretty, and dressed in the most striking purple dress he’d ever seen anybody wear in Colorado.
“Is…is she plannin’ on ridin’ this horse she’s gonna buy, do you know, Charlie?” Gunner asked in a whisper.
Charlie shrugged. “She didn’t say for certain, but that was the impression I got,” Charlie answered.
Gunner rubbed at the two-days’ whisker growth on his chin. “Um…would you, um…would you run on over and tell Ike to keep breakin’ them new mustangs…and then would you run on into the house and fetch me a shirt? I done threw away the one I was wearin’. That last mustang tossed me into a fence, and it wasn’t nothin’ but a rag after that.”
“You bet, boss,” Charlie said.
Gunner rubbed his whiskery chin again, mumbling to himself, “Well, this oughta be interestin’.”
Briney heard the jingle of spurs approaching but couldn’t seem to tear her attention away from the friendly horse nuzzling her arm. It wasn’t until the person drew nearer to her and spoke that every hair on the top of her head tingled—that every inch of her flesh broke into goose bumps.
“Mornin’ there, ma’am,” the rich, smooth voice greeted, the same voice that had lulled Briney to sleep on several occasions since Mrs. Fletcher’s death. “I hear you’ve come lookin’ to buy a horse.”
Briney found she couldn’t speak as she looked to her right to see a tall, broad-shouldered man striding toward her—a tall, broad-shouldered man wearing only boots and a pair of blue jeans! He was bare from the waist up, and his torso was bronzed to such an extent that Briney suspected he often pranced around in such a state of undress.
Still, the fact of the matter was, not only was the man breathtakingly good-looking—dark-haired, blue-eyed, with a flawlessly square jaw and straight nose—but he was the man who owned the voice that had so often soothed her since Mrs. Fletcher’s death, the voice she eavesdropped on when she was drifting off to sleep.
“You are lookin’ to buy a horse, aren’t you?” the man asked, striding to stand directly next to her.
“Why…y-yes, that’s correct,” Briney managed to respond, studying the man from head to toe in awed astonishment. Briney gulped a bit, truly trying not to stare—trying to keep her mouth from falling agape in awe of the man’s unrivaled good looks and perfectly sculpted musculature.
“Well, you’ve come to the right man then,” the man said, smiling at her and causing her knees to feel as if they might give way at any moment.
Offering his hand to her, he introduced himself. “I’m Gunner Cole. Some folks just call me the Horseman.”
Placing her trembling, kid-gloved hand in his callused and obviously very powerful one, Briney managed to stammer, “Br-Briney Thress. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Cole.”
As Gunner shook her hand with firm confidence, Briney couldn’t keep a smile of flattered delight from curving her lips as he said, “The pleasure is all mine, ma’am. I’m sure of that.” Then he asked, “But I am curious as to what you mean by it’s nice to finally meet me?”
Briney’s delight turned to a knot of uncomfortable nervousness, and again she gulped. She couldn’t possibly tell him the truth—that she’d been eavesdropping on his conversations with his friends at night in order to relax enough to drift to sleep. She couldn’t possibly tell him that, as wonderful as his voice was, his physical appearance was even more magnificent.
She paused a moment, trying to look unaffected as she inwardly struggled for an answer. Yet it was difficult to think of one with him standing there, looming over her only half dressed—looking down at her with blue eyes through dark eyelashes that perfectly matched the color of the several days’ growth of whiskers, accentuating the faultless angle of his jaw and chin. Now that he was closer to her, she could see that his hair was a deep chestnut that looked almost black where it showed beneath his well-worn hat.
At last, however, Briney found her voice and a measure of composure and answered, “Mr. Kelley, the proprietor of the boardinghouse in town,” she managed, “he said you’re the best horseman in six counties and that you would be the one to talk to about purchasing a horse.”
Gunner Cole smiled, and Briney thought she might swoon at the euphoric effect it had on her. “Well, I don’t know if I’m the best horseman in six counties, but I do love horses, and I do try to match the right horse with the right owner.”
Briney exhaled a sigh of both admiration and relief. It seemed as if Mr. Cole would be willing to help her.
“Now, why don’t you tell me a bit about yourself and the temperament you’re lookin’ for in a mount, Miss Thress?” Gunner began.
“Well, in truth, Mr. Cole, I’ve never owned a horse before, though I’ve ridden a great deal,” Briney explained. She began to wring her hands, for the man so wildly unsettled her she was afraid she would forget why she’d sought him out in the first place. “So I suppose I should just say to you that…well, I’m a novice who has always loved horses from afar and always dreamt of having a horse of my own to ride…” She looked to him and bravely added, “To ride astride…and whenever and wherever I like. Therefore, I’m thinking I need a horse that is experienced and patient. One that will be tolerant of my learning to ride astride and things.”
She was worried when Gunner frowned and studied her a moment. “You’re a novice? Meaning…you’re new in ownin’ a horse, right? Not that you’re gettin’ ready to become a nun in a convent?”
Briney laughed—wholeheartedly burst into laughter. “Oh no! No, of course not, Mr. Cole. I definitely mean that I’m new to dealing in matters of horse sales and stabling.” She laughed again for a moment, adding, “Oh, believe me, I’m the furthest woman from becoming a nun you’ve ever known.”
Gunner Cole’s handsome browns arched in astonishment then as he asked, “Really? The furthest from being a nun? Do you mean you’re a…a…”
“Oh, heavens no!” Briney gasped, mortified as she realized what he must’ve thought she meant. “No! No! I just meant that…I’ve never had any intention of becoming a nun. I’m not even Catholic or anything! I just meant…well, I just meant that I’m an average woman, simply looking to buy and hopefully board a horse of my own.”
Gunner’s smile reappeared, and he said, “Well, good. Because I will admit that I don’t have too much experience in matchin’ up horses with nuns.” He chuckled, adding, “No experience come to think of it.”
The horse named Sassafras nuzzled Briney’s arm once more, and she giggled. “This horse certainly seems to have a sweet character,” she said.
“Oh, she does,” Gunner assured her. “Here, take off them gloves you’re wearin’ and really give her some attention. Let’s see how you two get along here for a minute or two, all right?”
“Well, if you’re sure I should,” Briney paused.
“I’m sure,” Gunner assured her.
Briney stripped off her kid gloves, handing them to Gunner when he offered a hand in which to hold them.
The moment Briney touched Sassafras’s velvet nose with her bare hands, she began to silently pray that the Horseman would allow her to choose this horse as hers.
“She likes you,” Gunner said. “And you should be flattered because ol’ Sassy…well, she’s pretty picky about who she likes.”
“Really? But she seems so sweet,” Briney commented.
“Oh, she is,” Gunner affirmed. “Just shy sometimes is all.” Gunner reached up, combing his fingers through Sassafras’s mane. “She’s a very special horse, and I’ve been waitin’ for just the right person to take her.” He looked down at Briney a moment, his eyes narrowing as he studied her. “Maybe you’ll be that right person, hmmm?”
“Oh, I hope so!” Briney couldn’t keep from admitting. “She’s so sweet! It’s almost like she…well, like she likes me or something. Though I know that sounds like nonsense.”
“Not at all,” Gunner said. “I think horses are like people. They know when they’ve found someone who’ll care for them as much as they care for the person. As I said, Sassy is usually pretty shy. The fact that she came right to you like she seems to have done…that says a lot.” He paused and actually winked at Briney, adding, “It says a lot about you, Miss Thress.” He stroked Sassy’s jaw a moment and, speaking to the horse, said, “Me and Sassy, we go way back. I was there waitin’ for her when she was foaled.”
“Oh! Then she’s your horse?” Briney asked, hoping the disappointment wasn’t too obvious in her voice. She could see that the horse was special to Gunner, and she feared he wouldn’t want to part with it.
“Nope,” he said. “She was my mother’s. Mama rode her up until the very day she passed.”
“Oh, I see,” Briney mumbled, stepping back from Sassafras. “I’m so sorry. I-I didn’t realize that…”
But Gunner shook his head, saying, “Please don’t misunderstand me, Miss Thress. It’s not that I’m not willin’ to sell Sassy. It’s just that I’ve been waitin’ for the right person to sell her to.”
“Yes, but if she belonged to your mother…” Briney began.
Gunner leaned down so that his face was almost level with Briney’s. “She was my mother’s, but I think she’s tryin’ to tell us that she’d like to be yours now, don’t you?”
Sassafras whinnied—nodded as if she agreed with what Gunner had said.
“You see?” he chuckled. “Sassy knows exactly what I’m sayin’.”
Tentatively reaching out—for the truth was, Briney had already decided she wanted Sassafras and was so afraid something would keep them apart that she was afraid to hope too much—Briney stroked the horse’s velvety nose.
Sassafras nuzzled Briney’s shoulder and then touched her nose to Briney’s cheek.
“She doesn’t seem averse to me, at least,” Briney commented.
“Nope. I’d say she’s already chosen you, Miss Thress,” Gunner said. “And if you decide to take her…why, this’ll be the easiest sale I ever made.”
Briney smiled up at Gunner Cole. He wasn’t going to refuse to sell her Sassafras. In fact, it appeared as if he’d already made up his mind that Briney could, indeed, purchase the horse.
“Hey there, boss,” Charlie called, appearing at the opposite end of the stable. Hurrying toward Briney and Gunner, he pulled up short when he reached them. “Here’s you a clean shirt,” he said, handing a rather faded red shirt to Gunner. He looked to Briney then, asking, “Have you taken a likin’ to Sassy here then, Miss Thress?”
“Oh, definitely,” Briney admitted.
“Good…good,” Charlie said, obviously out of breath. “Ike said he’ll take over breakin’ that chestnut mustang, boss.”
“Thanks, Charlie,” Gunner said, slipping his muscular arms into the arms of the shirt Charlie had given him. “Why don’t you go on over and pull out Sassy’s old saddle? Let’s see if it’ll work for Miss Thress here.”
Briney bit her lip with secreted delight when Gunner neglected to button up the front of his shirt before reaching for the bridle hanging beside Sassafras’s stall.
“Let’s saddle up Sassy and let you ride her a bit, Miss Thress,” he said.
“Oh! But…but I’m not prepared. I didn’t come dressed for…” Briney stammered. Oh, how she regretted not wearing the split skirt Bethanne had offered.
“Oh, that’s all right, Miss Thress,” Gunner assured her as he slipped the bridle over Sassafras’s ears. He studied Briney up and down a moment and then asked, “You got your bloomers and what not under there, don’t ya?”
“Well, y-yes, of course,” Briney answered, blushing to the tips of her toes.
Gunner nodded. “Well, that’s good enough for me and Sassy. We’ll get her saddled up and send you two out for a bit. You did say you’ve ridden plenty?”
“Yes,” Briney answered. “I’ve just never ridden astride.”
Gunner chuckled and exchanged amused glances with Charlie as he returned carrying a saddle.
“Well, you don’t worry a bit about that, Miss Thress,” Gunner said. “Ridin’ astride is as easy as spreadin’ butter on warm bread. You mark my words—in twenty years or so, there won’t be a woman in this country still ridin’ sidesaddle.”
Briney watched as Gunner opened the bottom door to Sassy’s stall and led her out of her stall and into the stable.
He clicked his tongue and said, “Charlie here will saddle Sassy up for you today, but if you decide to take her for your own, we’ll teach you how to do everything—saddle her up, brush her, and rub her down when you’re through ridin’.”
Gunner looked directly into Briney’s eyes then. “Of course, I’d like nothin’ more than to board her for you, Miss Thress,” he said. “I won’t charge you for keepin’ her here. I just would kind of like to have her around, you understand.”
There was emotion gleaming in his gorgeous blue eyes, and Briney suddenly understood that, although Gunner Cole wanted his mother’s horse to be loved, to be ridden, he wasn’t quite convinced he could completely give her away.
“I think that would be perfect, Mr. Cole,” Briney said. “I don’t know where else I’d keep her anyway. I’ve only got a room at the boardinghouse, and it wouldn’t make sense to board her at the livery when this is her home.” She reached out, placing a hand on Gunner’s arm. “Are you sure you’re even wanting to sell her to me, Mr. Cole?”
Gunner smiled. “I’m still workin’ on that, Miss Thress,” he answered honestly. “But I’ll tell you this.” He reached up, putting the bit in Sassy’s mouth. “I haven’t seen Sassy this excited about goin’ for a ride in years. She likes you, and I want her to be happy. So you take her out for a ride—take your time too—and then we’ll talk about whether you want to buy her.” He winked at Briney again, adding, “And whether I’m ready to sell her, all right?”
“Of course,” Briney said. She wasn’t disappointed, however, for she could see that, even though Gunner truly wasn’t wanting to sell Sassafras, he would if he thought it would make the horse happy.
Once Charlie had secured the cinch around Sassafras’s belly, ensuring that the saddle was secure, Gunner nodded and asked Briney, “Are ya ready, Miss Thress?”
“More than ready, Mr. Cole,” Briney assured her. Her heart was racing with the anticipation of riding Sassy.
“Do you want me to get a mounting block, or…” Gunner began.
“No. If-if you don’t mind,” Briney interrupted, “I’d rather you just taught me to mount her myself.”
Gunner smiled with approval, and Briney’s heart leapt in her bosom with pride in knowing she had pleased him.
“All right then,” he said. Taking hold of the reins, Gunner lifted them over Sassy’s head. “It’s easy enough. Take the reins and a bit of her mane in your left hand, and hold onto them while you take hold of the saddle pommel on the right side there.”
Briney did as instructed.
“Then turn the stirrup toward you like this.” Gunner held the stirrup for her. “Put your left foot in the stirrup, and just sorta stand up in that stirrup until you feel like your weight is centered there. Then gently swing your right leg over the saddle, slide your foot into the other stirrup, and there you have it,” he explained.
Briney did exactly what Gunner told her to do, and soon she found she had mounted Sassy quite easily.
“Perfect!” Gunner exclaimed. “Now wiggle your fanny a bit, and square that saddle up on her back so she’s comfortable.”
Although Briney did blush at Gunner’s referring to her “fanny,” she did as he said and could feel the saddle settle perfectly onto Sassy’s back.
“Well done, Miss Thress!” Charlie said, clapping his hands several times.
“Thank you, Charlie,” Briney giggled.
The desire to simply send Sassy racing from the stables was nearly overwhelming to Briney. But she knew she needed more instruction first. After all, Sassafras wasn’t her horse yet.
“Now, you said you have a great deal of ridin’ experience?” Gunner asked.
“Yes, sir,” she answered. “My guardian made sure I was well trained in riding. But as I said, only in sidesaddle.”
Gunner and Charlie again exchanged amused glances. “Well, I suspect it’s much more difficult to ride sidesaddle. So you shouldn’t have any problems at all, Miss Thress. And if for some reason you should lose your way on the road, Sassy knows her way back to the stable. So just tell her to come home and she will, all right?”
“Do you mean to say you’re going to let me ride her…right now?” Briney asked. “By myself?”
Gunner smiled and laughed. “Of course!” Reaching behind him, he pulled Briney’s kid gloves from his pockets. “Did you want your gloves while you ride?”
All at once, pure elation in feeling free exploded inside Briney’s bosom, stomach, arms, and legs.
“No, thank you, Mr. Cole,” she said. Then, reaching up and pulling her hat from her hair, hatpin and all, Briney offered it to Gunner. “And I won’t be needing this either.”
Gunner, eyebrows arched in admiration, accepted the hat, and Briney patted Sassy’s neck and asked her, “Are you ready, Sassafras?”
The horse whinnied with impatience.
Looking to Gunner and trying not to be so thoroughly aware of how handsome that man was, Briney asked, “What is it you say out here? Giddyup?”
“Yep,” Gunner answered.
“Then giddyup, Sassafras!” Briney giggled as she gently nudged the sides of the horse’s belly with her heels.
Briney heard the laughter of approval of both Gunner and Charlie as Sassafras eased into a soft trot and then lurched into a gallop.
And, oh, it was more invigorating even than Briney had dreamed! As the speed of the horse caused the wind to tug and pull at Briney’s perfectly coifed hair, she didn’t give one whit if she returned to the Horseman’s stable looking like a feral child—for this was freedom profound, and she meant to relish it!
“Well now,” Charlie began, “I can’t say that I’ve ever seen the likes of that in my lifetime before. You, boss?”
Gunner smiled, shook his head, and said, “You mean a beautiful young woman from the city, all gussied up in some slick, expensive dress, riding off astride my mother’s horse with her petticoats flappin’ in the breeze? Nope. Can’t say I have.”
Charlie chuckled and then asked, “How long you think she’ll be gone?”
“Hours, more’n likely,” Gunner answered. “That there’s a woman who’s never known freedom, I expect. And now that she’s got a taste of it…we’ll probably have to ride out and haul her on home by the hair of her head.”
Charlie nodded. “Ol’ Sassy sure did take to her, didn’t she?”
“Yep,” Gunner mumbled. “And she ain’t the only one.”
“What was that, boss?” Charlie asked.
“Nothin’,” Gunner said.
“Well, I best be gettin’ back to help Ike,” Charlie said as he sauntered off.
But Gunner stood for a few long moments watching Sassy and her rider until they were only a bay and purple mirage on the horizon.
“I sure am glad she’s not a nun,” he said to himself as he turned and headed toward the corrals where the new herd of mustangs he and the boys had wrangled waited to be sorted out.