didn’t offer to help, but Boyd asked Lewt to tell his wrangler to have both his horses ready to ride in ten minutes. He was explaining to the women that he never made up his mind which to ride before he saw their moods.
Lewt walked toward the barn, wondering if any other man worried about his horse’s mood. In truth he’d volunteered to help with the horses only because he thought he might run into Em, but as he’d guessed earlier, Sumner told him Em had left a little after dawn.
“You have any idea where she went today?” Lewt asked the old man, who seemed to be in charge of the activities around the barn and corrals.
“Nope. I gave up trying to keep up with Miss Em twenty years ago. She rides over this ranch. That’s all I know. If I was guessing, I’d say she’ll be looking for tracks from that big cat. One of the men reported seeing a horse with fresh slashes, but no real damage. If the cat gets too close to the herd, they might stomp him. An animal like that hunts for the weakest, the one alone.”
“Anyone ever ride with her?” Lewt didn’t like the idea that she was alone.
“Nope.” Sumner bit off a plug of tobacco. “Before you, I never seen her ride with any man except her dad.”
“Where is he?” Lewt asked as he saddled his horse.
“Ain’t here,” Sumner answered. He moved beside Lewt and strapped a rifle in a leather scabbard onto his saddle. “Miss Em told me if the group went out, one of you men should be armed. You know how to use a gun?”
“I do,” Lewt said. “But I don’t like them much. Too much noise.”
Sumner frowned at him as if disgusted with his answer and walked off.
“Thanks for the visit,” Lewt yelled.
“Anytime,” Sumner yelled back. “Want to help me saddle the other horses?”
“Why not?” Lewt shrugged, surprised at how much he wished he’d ridden out at dawn and not hung around to go with the others. A picnic didn’t sound near as exciting as hunting a mountain lion.
Boyd’s horse wrangler appeared and worked with the Sinclair animals. He walked both horses, saddled and ready, out of the barn without saying a word to Lewt or Sumner.
The old man mumbled. “Now that’s fine horseflesh. Bred for speed, but my guess is they wouldn’t hold up a day working cattle.”
“Really.” Lewt walked the rest of the horses out with Sumner.
Sumner nodded. “They’re high-strung too. That bay reminds me of a cousin I had. One too many inbreedings in my family, I guess. He’d be just as normal as me and you and then for no reason at all, he’d fire up and start beating on whoever was closest to him.”
“What happened to him?”
“He was accidentally left home alone.”
“And?” Lewt asked.
“He beat himself to death.” The old man waited a few steps, then smiled a toothless grin at Lewt.
Lewt burst out laughing about the time the ladies came out on the porch.
“What’s so funny?” Beth asked.
“Nothing,” Lewt answered. “Sumner was just talking about his family.” He held her spirited black mare as Beth climbed into the saddle.
Rose was up before anyone could assist her, but Emily let Davis help her into the saddle. All three girls must have been born to ride, but apparently Emily had missed a few lessons. Lewt tied a pack to both his horse and Rose’s while Beth looked like she’d strapped on a roll of blankets behind her saddle. They were ready.
Boyd took a few minutes to pick which mount he wanted, then led the group as if wanting to show off his horse. He yelled at his wrangler to give the other horse a good run before taking him back to the barn.
The man frowned, as always, then took off in the opposite direction from the group.
Davis stayed close to Emily because she said her mount was acting up a bit. Beth stayed close to Davis as they all circled the corrals and rode toward open range.
Within a hundred yards Rose caught up to Lewt and slowed her horse enough to stay by his side.
“We’ve missed you being with us during the days, Lewton,” she said, smiling. “I hope Em showed you the ranch.”
“She did.” He thought he might as well ask a few questions. “Are you two friends?”
Rose was too busy pulling on her gloves to answer for a moment, then said, “We used to be very close. Now, she’s busy with the