was afraid someone might ride by and see her, so I moved her down to the little canyon by the stream. There’s water and grass there year-round along with plenty of shallow caves to get out of the worst weather.”
Rowdy ran his hand along the horse’s withers and back, feeling strong muscles. “Looks like she’d have had the sense to run.”
“I thought that too, but every time I came back, she was somewhere on your place.” Laurel pulled an apple from her pocket. “I taught her to come when I whistle.” She offered the apple to Rowdy. “Here, you feed her. She’s yours.”
“No.” Just because the horse survived here didn’t make the mare his.
“You need a better horse than one of the livery mounts. Cinnamon can be that horse.”
“Cinnamon? Don’t tell me you named her?” He’d called a few horses names over the years, but nothing he’d want to repeat in her company.
She laughed at the face he made, then handed him the basket and moved away. “You two share breakfast and get acquainted. I have to get back.”
He set the basket down and followed her to her horse. He offered her a step up, but she didn’t take it. She hadn’t needed it. Her long legs flew over the saddle with ease.
“Good luck tonight.”
“Thanks,” he said, realizing he didn’t want her to leave.
“When will I see you again?”
“I’ll be around. My father insists we all go every night. He goes for the rodeo and my sisters go for the dance afterward.”
“And why do you go?” he asked as he took the lead rope from her hand.
She looked down at him. “I’ll go to watch my partner win.” Kicking her horse, she was gone before he had time to answer.
He watched her ride away. With her height and lean form, she rode like a man, one with the horse, not bumping along like most women he’d seen ride. He decided she probably wouldn’t think that a compliment, even though he meant it as such.
He tossed the apple in the air and caught it, proud of the way he’d handled himself. He’d managed to talk to her, even made her laugh. It was only a guess, but he thought that Laurel laughed very little in her life. She’d been different this morning, but he couldn’t put his finger on why. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that they were alone, out of sight of any prying eyes or ears.
Winning this rodeo might prove great fun with her as his partner.
Walking back to the mare, Rowdy swore when he realized the horse had eaten the basket of muffins and left him with the apple.
Laughing, he patted the horse’s neck. “Well, Cinnamon, since you’ve had my breakfast it looks like we’d better go to work. I got about ten hours to turn you into a cow horse.”
Chapter 4
The rodeo started with little more than an hour until sunset. Men drew for events and nights. Since the celebration lasted four nights, one-fourth of the men did each event each night. That way anyone coming only to one night got to see all the rodeo had to offer even if he got to watch only one out of four of the men compete for any one event.
Laurel checked the charts. Rowdy had drawn saddleback riding the first night. Good. That would give him at least one more day to work with the horse on steer roping. She was so excited she couldn’t wait for the buggy, so she’d insisted on riding in with her father. He didn’t talk to her, but it didn’t matter. In four days, she would have the money to leave.
Deep down she hoped that if she had the means to leave, he might tell her he wanted her to stay. She knew she was only fooling herself. Since the day he’d married Rosy when Laurel had been four, the captain had always tried to make his oldest daughter disappear. Leftover children never mattered much when the new batch came along. Laurel had a feeling that when she left the ranch Sunday night after Rowdy won, her father would be more angry about losing a free bookkeeper than a daughter.
When they arrived at the rodeo, she stood just behind him listening to the men talk and hoping to learn something that might help Rowdy. As usual, no one noticed her.
After an hour, Laurel moved behind the row of wagons and buggies pulled in a circle. She’d sat quietly waiting