see?”
“Where the main body of the herd is, some of the range, the watering holes, where you think the best place to grow hay would be, things like that. We probably won’t see everything today, but I want to see as much as we can to start.”
The morning was beautiful. The sky a clear azure blue, no clouds in the vast dome. The grass was drying, the rain had been scarce lately. But it was good grazing, the kind to build meat on beef cattle. The main herd wasn’t too far from the homestead and they reached the rise that overlooked the range less than a half hour after they left the barn.
Jase drew rein and sat, surveying the polled Herefords that grazed placidly before him. The herd was large, the cattle healthy and plump. Slowly he counted the steers, took in the grass available and the limitless water from the river that edged part of the property.
“You’ve got a good setup here,” he commented as they urged the horses closer. He wanted to see some of the calves up close.
“We were lucky. The man who owned this before had no family. When he died, the state just sold it at a very reasonable price. And it was a year Bobby had done well. With his winnings and insurance money I had left from my folk's passing, we were able to buy it.”
“Now you need to hold on to it. You’ve got a fine spread, Shannon. You can parlay it into a great one.”
She flushed with pleasure at his assessment. She trusted Jase in business matters. And she was determined to hold on to her ranch, make it profitable, expand when she could, keeping her reputation growing even after Jase left.
Would he come back from time to time to check up on her? She’d like that. She’d like to see him again, beyond their six weeks together.
Or once gone, would he forget all about her? Forget about teaching her how to run a ranch and move on with his life as a rodeo rider? He’d had enough responsibility thrust upon him with raising his younger brother and sister, she totally understood his reluctance to have any further long-term responsibility toward anyone or anything.
She was on her own. Once he taught her how to run the ranch, he'd have no further need to keep in contact.
Suddenly the sun seemed dimmer. Some of the beauty went out of the day. She was struggling to learn about cattle, about growing hay, marketing techniques, and long-range planning for a long and lonely future. The ranch was all she had.
Maybe someday down the road she’d look for a mate again. But she’d make sure she chose someone more stable than Bobby had been. More stable than any rodeo cowboy looking for a good time could be.
She wanted a husband who would be home nights. She wanted someone to love, who would love her, who wanted to share the ranch with her. Someone whose kisses would excite her, whose love would warm her through the rest of her life.
How she wished that someone could look and be exactly like Jase Hart.
Chapter Four
Jase spent the next several days studying the range and Shannon’s cattle. He spent hours with Dink and Gary, learning how the original owner had managed the spread, how Bobby Blackstone and then Rod Thompson had handled things.
Each morning he rode out early, getting a feel for the place, ignoring the injuries that had sidelined him from the rodeo circuit. Shannon accompanied him again the second day, but on the third, she remained home to work on the books and records. There wasn’t much she could contribute to the rides. Gary knew all the answers to Jase’s questions better than she did.
Jase already knew more about cattle than she. Her time was better spent gaining knowledge of her business from the records side.
Afternoons, Jase worked with Shadow, practicing cutting techniques, in the corral or out in the range with the cattle. He was tireless. The honed skill of the horse and rider were obtained only after endless hours of practice and he was faithful to that end.
Shannon watched on occasion, fascinated
“Where the main body of the herd is, some of the range, the watering holes, where you think the best place to grow hay would be, things like that. We probably won’t see everything today, but I want to see as much as we can to start.”
The morning was beautiful. The sky a clear azure blue, no clouds in the vast dome. The grass was drying, the rain had been scarce lately. But it was good grazing, the kind to build meat on beef cattle. The main herd wasn’t too far from the homestead and they reached the rise that overlooked the range less than a half hour after they left the barn.
Jase drew rein and sat, surveying the polled Herefords that grazed placidly before him. The herd was large, the cattle healthy and plump. Slowly he counted the steers, took in the grass available and the limitless water from the river that edged part of the property.
“You’ve got a good setup here,” he commented as they urged the horses closer. He wanted to see some of the calves up close.
“We were lucky. The man who owned this before had no family. When he died, the state just sold it at a very reasonable price. And it was a year Bobby had done well. With his winnings and insurance money I had left from my folk's passing, we were able to buy it.”
“Now you need to hold on to it. You’ve got a fine spread, Shannon. You can parlay it into a great one.”
She flushed with pleasure at his assessment. She trusted Jase in business matters. And she was determined to hold on to her ranch, make it profitable, expand when she could, keeping her reputation growing even after Jase left.
Would he come back from time to time to check up on her? She’d like that. She’d like to see him again, beyond their six weeks together.
Or once gone, would he forget all about her? Forget about teaching her how to run a ranch and move on with his life as a rodeo rider? He’d had enough responsibility thrust upon him with raising his younger brother and sister, she totally understood his reluctance to have any further long-term responsibility toward anyone or anything.
She was on her own. Once he taught her how to run the ranch, he'd have no further need to keep in contact.
Suddenly the sun seemed dimmer. Some of the beauty went out of the day. She was struggling to learn about cattle, about growing hay, marketing techniques, and long-range planning for a long and lonely future. The ranch was all she had.
Maybe someday down the road she’d look for a mate again. But she’d make sure she chose someone more stable than Bobby had been. More stable than any rodeo cowboy looking for a good time could be.
She wanted a husband who would be home nights. She wanted someone to love, who would love her, who wanted to share the ranch with her. Someone whose kisses would excite her, whose love would warm her through the rest of her life.
How she wished that someone could look and be exactly like Jase Hart.
Chapter Four
Jase spent the next several days studying the range and Shannon’s cattle. He spent hours with Dink and Gary, learning how the original owner had managed the spread, how Bobby Blackstone and then Rod Thompson had handled things.
Each morning he rode out early, getting a feel for the place, ignoring the injuries that had sidelined him from the rodeo circuit. Shannon accompanied him again the second day, but on the third, she remained home to work on the books and records. There wasn’t much she could contribute to the rides. Gary knew all the answers to Jase’s questions better than she did.
Jase already knew more about cattle than she. Her time was better spent gaining knowledge of her business from the records side.
Afternoons, Jase worked with Shadow, practicing cutting techniques, in the corral or out in the range with the cattle. He was tireless. The honed skill of the horse and rider were obtained only after endless hours of practice and he was faithful to that end.
Shannon watched on occasion, fascinated
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