Long Hard Ride (Rough Riders 1)
“Oh, baby. It’s okay. See? He’s not dead. Just banged up.”
Groggily, Mike Morgan said, “Hiya, punkin. Didja see me wreck? I think we oughta buy that steer and grind him into hamburger, huh?”
Mary stepped around the end of the stretcher. “Channing. Thank you so much for watching Callie.”
“No problem. Is everything okay?”
“We’ll know more tomorrow. As it sits now, Mike has a torn ACL
that’s gonna require surgery. We’re heading off to Omaha in a little bit for X-rays and tests. And probably a trip to the operating room.”
It sounded so serious. So permanent. Everyone knew—but nobody said out loud, that this could be a career-ending injury for Mike Morgan.
“Is there anything I can do?”
Mary bit her lip. “I haven’t really thought it through until now, but it’s occurred to me we can’t take the horse and the horse trailer along with us to Omaha.”
Colby moved in behind Channing. “Don’t worry about it, Mary. Take care of your family. We’ll get your horse and trailer back to your ranch somehow.”
Relief crossed her face and she hugged Colby. “Oh thank you. You guys are our family, too. I’ll get the truck unhitched and get the trailer keys. I’ll be right back.” She leaned over to whisper to Mike before she and Callie hustled out.
Channing whirled around right into Colby, hovering behind her. She frowned. “Why are you still here? Aren’t you going to help Mary?”
“Nah. I’d just get in the way. Besides, Mary has hitched up that trailer more times than any guy on the circuit.”
She rocked to her tiptoes and got right in his face. “Yeah, but unlike most guys, she is pregnant. And I don’t think hefting that hitch in her condition is the best idea, do you?”
“Shit.” He vanished.
Outside the contestants’ gate she heard the announcement for the start of the barrel racing and saw Gemma and Cash arguing.
“—and I’m tellin’ you, it ain’t your fault.”
“How so? That was my bum steer, Cash. And I’ll be goddamned if I’ll sit here and do nothin’ when I could be helping them.”
“Hey, guys,” Channing interrupted. “What’s the problem?”
Cash’s handsome face was distorted into a full scowl. “The problem is that Wonder Woman here feels guilty and thinks she needs to take the Morgan’s horse and trailer back to South Dakota. By herself.”
A heated pause sparked the air like fireworks.
“If you’re just worried about her going alone, I could go with her,”
Channing offered.
Gemma awarded Cash a smug smile. “See? Problem solved.”
“Except for one tiny detail. You don’t have your big horse haulin’
truck here, Gem. Your foreman needs the big diesel to pull the trailer for the stock. There’s no way you can pull that monster rig of Morgan’s with your small block Ford.”
“But you have a big enough one?”
Cash grinned slowly.
“I’ll knock that grin clean off your face, Cash Big Crow, if you don’t get rid of it right now.”
His smile didn’t dim one iota.
“Fine. Yours is bigger. I doubt you’ll let me touch it. So are you volunteering to drive your big, bad machine to Buffalo Gap? That mean you’re just gonna abandon your horse and trailer here? For at least a day?”
“No. I hadn’t thought it through that far.”
Trevor sauntered over. “What’s the commotion?”
While Cash and Gemma stared at each other, Channing gave Trevor a brief rundown.
“Okay. Here’s what we’ll do. Hook up Cash’s truck to the Morgan’s trailer and take Mike’s horses to their ranch. Then you two will turn around, come back here and pick up Cash’s empty horse trailer on your way to Cheyenne. Because I will have driven Gemma’s rig, loaded with both of your horses to Cheyenne.”
They looked at each other. Cash shrugged. “Works for me.”
Gemma snapped off, “Fine. But if you wreck my truck, Trevor Glanzer—”
“I’ll ride along with him and make sure he obeys all traffic laws,”
Channing said. “Then I’ll watch your trailer until you get there.”
“Good. Let’s get everything loaded up.”
Trevor caught Channing’s arm. “Why are you doin’ this? Wouldn’t you rather ride with Colby in my truck?”
“Between you and me? No. I need some time to clear my head.” When Trevor balked, she added, “Your part in last night’s festivities had nothing to do with it, okay?”
He nodded. “I sure understand needin’ some time to clear away the cobwebs. I’ll pass the information on the change in plans to Edgard. He can help Colby with our horses. Unless you’d rather tell Colby yourself?”
“No. I know he still has the bull-riding event to get through. But I’d like to get out of here as soon as possible because he’s liable to make a big scene.”
Or worse, Colby might not care at all that she was gone.
Chapter Seventeen
Cheyenne, Wyoming, was all abuzz for Frontier Days, for the “Daddy of ‘em All”, one of the oldest rodeos in the country. During the ten-day run, four hundred thousand people visited the town, which had a population of fifty thousand on a good day.
For the first time on this journey, Channing had time to gaze out the window and take in the scenery. As she and Trevor drove across the Sandhills of Nebraska, she marveled at the endless space of the Wild West. Big, blue sky. Sagebrush and groves of squat, twisted trees. The rocky buttes and the clean, dry air. Wyoming was just as rugged as she’d imagined. She wondered if Colby’s ranch looked anything like this slice of heaven.
Trevor checked them into Gemma’s assigned spot and began the feeding and exercising process for the horses. He didn’t turn down Channing’s offer of help. She was pleased about how much she’d remembered from following Gemma around while she’d done chores.
Even Trevor didn’t tease her too much about being a greenhorn.
Gemma’s campsite was on the other end of town from where Trevor and Colby had reservations. Channing was beginning to think she should crash with Gemma. Motel rooms were booked solid around Cheyenne for fifty miles. All four of them bunking in the horse trailer would be just a little too close for comfort on more levels than she could name.