CHAPTER FIVE

Storm stood a good three hands taller than her grandfather’s riding mule, making the two mounts comically mismatched. The gelding always held his head high and his precise movements advertised strength, power and confidence. When Niki rode Storm she felt a little invincible and trusted the horse to never let her down¾so far he hadn’t.

Niki couldn’t understand her grandfather’s obsession with mules. The animals were surefooted, strong and resilient, but had an uncomfortable gait and seemed much more unpredictable than a regular horse. Niki admitted her grandfather’s mules were hardy and got the job done, but next to her regal palomino they just weren’t all that pretty.

She pulled Storm up and brought the pack horse to a halt. As she waited for her grandfather and his pack mule to catch up she noticed how small, old and weathered he looked. Niki wasn’t sure if Deuce had gotten into her head or if her grandfather really had aged considerably since last summer. She smiled as he approached, not wanting him to see the concern in her eyes.

“That horse can still out-walk anything on four legs, so you’ll have to keep him checked up if you don’t want to lose Sally and Bess.”

“Aren’t they about ready for retirement, Papa?”

“They have as many years left as me.”

“That many, huh?”

Niki and her grandfather laughed as they made their way toward the grazing sheep. The sound of his laughter was so familiar and as robust as ever. His hearty chortle made her feel a bit better and she silently cursed Deuce for making her doubt her judgment where her grandfather was concerned.

The Border Collies, Gracie and Stella, raced ahead, methodically easing the sheep into a tighter group. Niki loved watching the dogs work. The collies were so good at their job the sheep didn’t seem to even realize they were being herded as the dogs slowly began moving the group forward.

“Have you ever thought about raising Border Collies and training them?” Niki asked. “I’ve never seen dogs work better than Gracie and Stella, so you really must know what you’re doing.”

“You know, I probably should bring a pup or two along with me next summer. The best way to train new dogs is to have them work with old pros like Gracie and Stella. That’s how I trained these two. They’re from the same litter. I think that’s another reason they work so well together.”

Niki had hoped to give him an idea of something he could do which he’d enjoy and be good at other than being out in the mountains alone all summer, but apparently his mind hadn’t gone there and, if it weren’t for Deuce, hers never would have either. She let the subject drop and allowed the tranquility of the mountains to engulf her like a warm embrace. Niki never felt compelled to fill the silent spaces when she was out with her grandfather and it always amazed her how easy it was to fall back into their companionable routine—enjoying conversation when they wanted to and finding equal comfort in silence.

The hot late-summer sun beat down as they rode further from the ranch and the U.S. soldiers. They followed at a leisurely pace as the dogs gently pushed the sheep ahead of the horses. Niki loved the heat, but was glad she had invested in a new straw cowboy hat since her complexion was so fair. She burned easily, especially in the high elevations. She had been embarrassed to pull it out in front of Deuce, but with him riding in the opposite direction nothing stood between her and avoiding sunburn.

He probably would’ve thought the hat’s newness verified she was indeed a dude, but she refused to be one of those people who bought a used hat just to make people think she was an old hand. If she couldn’t break her own hat in, then maybe she was a dude. It annoyed her that she cared what Deuce thought or that she was thinking about him at all, so Niki forced all images of the head-strong cowboy out of her mind and focused on the birds singing in the trees.

She glanced at her grandfather and noticed his hat had seen a lot of mountain miles. The sides were curled upward and sweat stained the once brightly colored band. At one time the felt hat must have been beige colored, but now it looked grayish-brown. It had a more rounded shape than a traditional cowboy hat and complimented his leather vest and the black bandana he wore around his neck. He was at home in the mountains and she feared he would never be content anywhere else.

“We’ll reach the area where Deuce wants us to graze the sheep by early evening, so we should have plenty of time to set up our new home for the next month before supper,” Bernie stated.

“Sounds good. I’m absolutely starving since the boss wouldn’t let me stop for lunch. His loss though. Now you and I get all the cookies I made.”

“You’re too hard on that boy. He’s just been looking out for you ever since you were knee-high to Sally here. I’ll never forget the time he thought he lost you when you two were out fishing. He ran back to the ranch as fast as he could on the verge of tears, though he was too stubborn even then to actually shed one. To this day, I’ve never seen him so upset.”

“I’d found a real good fishing hole and I didn’t think he’d even notice I was gone, much less be worried.”

“Well, he was. He thought Bob would be mad, but that old man has always had a lot of faith in you. He calmed Deuce down and assured him you were just fine and you knew exactly where you were. The three of us rode back to the creek and found you sitting on a rock a couple hundred yards upstream, totally focused on fishing. When we hollered out, you pulled a stringer of fish from the creek and had the biggest grin on your face I’d ever seen. You looked so proud that we didn’t have the heart to tell you we thought you were lost or that Deuce had been worried sick. If you’d have teased the boy over it, he’d have been so embarrassed and probably would’ve denied it anyway.”

“He may have cared once, but I don’t think he does anymore by the way he’s always snapping at me, making snide comments about people who live in cities, and treating me as if I’m a helpless pain in his rump.”

Bernie had a lot of time to think while following his sheep. He had always hoped Deuce would marry Niki someday, so she would have someone after he died, but he was starting to doubt that would ever happen. He didn’t understand what had gone wrong and there really hadn’t been any other women in Deuce’s life that he ever saw. The two were so close when they were younger that Bernie had always assumed Niki would one day have the Blackburns as family. Deuce was a kind-hearted, hard-working man and Bernie knew he would look out for his granddaughter and they could build a good life together if he wasn’t so darn stubborn.

“What are you thinking about?” Niki asked.

He doubted it would be a good idea to be honest with her. His granddaughter was so independent and proud that if she knew he wanted a man to take care of her, she wouldn’t be happy. He didn’t actually believe Niki needed a man to provide for her, but he hated to think of her all alone someday. She had so much love to give and he hoped she could share her life with someone special. Niki deserved the stability she never had as a child.

“I was just thinking about how happy I am to have you here with me for a whole month, especially since you brought a double-batch of cookies. No one makes better chocolate chip cookies than my girl.”

Niki laughed and nudged Storm into a stronger pace, giving a jerk to the lead rope, and bringing her drowsy pack horse out of its walking slumber. She was anxious to get the new camp erected, find something to eat and start enjoying all the activities she missed while living away from her grandfather.

Despite the hunger making her stomach rumble, she was already having a wonderful time and reveling in the solitude of the stunning scenery. Niki knew she should be content with her job and life, but she only felt true happiness while with her grandfather and removed from all the people and traffic of her day-to-day grind. She feared the opportunities to spend time with him in these mountains were running out, even without Deuce’s not-so-subtle reminder. It was impossible to guess how many of these idyllic times they had left, so she wanted to make the most of this one, in case it was their last.

As they continued to climb higher into the mountains, thoughts of all the troubles back home soon faded. It was a little difficult to deny the possibility of a conflict on home soil after hearing rumblings of foreign soldiers amassing on the border with Canada and seeing U.S. military at a tower which had seemed abandoned for the last decade. But if trouble came, there was no reason to think it would touch her and her grandfather in this remote paradise.