instant relief as the saddle stopped shoving her butt bone into her stomach.
“There.” Lauren smiled. “Now hold the reins like this.” She showed her.
Nikki dropped the reins a little and tried to relax her arms and elbows.
“Perfect. Let the horse do all the work.” Lauren moved smoothly beside her.
Nikki laughed. In a few minutes, her thighs would be killing her if she didn’t sit soon.
“You can relax a little more. Don’t stand up in the stirrups.”
Nikki followed her instructions and felt the burning in her thighs dissipate.
“Now you’re riding.” Lauren smiled and Nikki smiled back at her.
After they’d ridden halfway across the field, she started to enjoy the view and stopped focusing so much on the logistics of riding.
“I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed this.” She sighed as they pulled to a stop underneath a large tree.
She was sure Ryan had put Lauren up to taking her riding as a way of having someone else babysit her, but Nikki didn’t mind, especially after she had seen the beautiful dark red horse Lauren had brought for her.
“I’ve packed a lunch. If you want, we can go meet the men.” Lauren nodded towards the hills. “They should just be about an hour’s ride up.”
She thought about how sore she would be tonight, but she didn’t mind. It had been years since she’d been out of the city. The fresh air and the warm sun were soothing her mind. She smiled and nodded. “Lead the way.”
They rode in silence for a while, enjoying the scenery. The fields had already turned brown. Most of the wheat had been cut and was sitting in large hay bales, ready to be picked up. Some of the trees were still green, but others had already turned colors and the leaves floated down with the breeze. Here there were rolling hills, covered in pines and magnolias. It was in complete contrast to where she was used to living. She’d been born in Houston and had rarely left.
Her father had taken her to the country on several vacations shortly after her mother had left them, choosing her second husband over her firstborn and her ex-husband.
Lauren seemed to be getting comfortable with Nikki and told her about how they’d lost their mother in a tornado when Lauren was eight and their father to a heart attack ten years later. Then she’d shaken her head from the sadness and started talking about how she’d met her husband.
Lauren told her the story of how they had known each other all their lives. Of how they had married the day after her father had been buried so she could keep the ranch and stay in charge. Then she’d told her how Chase had left town for years and returned a few years ago. They had fallen in love and remarried for real.
“It sounds like it’s a good thing that he came back.” She smiled.
“Yes, although he was quite annoying at first.” Lauren smiled. “I guess it was because I was afraid that he’d come in and take over Saddleback.”
Nikki smiled. “Doesn’t he do that now?”
Lauren laughed. “He’ll claim he does.” She laughed.
Ryan was sweaty and had a layer of dirt covering every inch of him, and he’d never been as happy as he was right then. He knew he was going to have a few new blisters on his hands, but he didn’t mind. There were five other men out there with him rustling cattle. So far, they were having an easy time of it. They had ridden up to the hills and had found the herd in one of the high fields. There were over a thousand of them and herding them had been fairly easy.
But just before lunch, a group of around a dozen broke off and started heading in the wrong direction. He’d yelled over to Chase and told him he’d collect the strays. It had taken him a little under an hour to have the eighteen cows back in with the herd.
The other men had stopped for lunch and were all sitting under a large tree by a brook. When he pulled his horse up next to the others, he heard Nikki laughing and glanced over to see her head thrown
“There.” Lauren smiled. “Now hold the reins like this.” She showed her.
Nikki dropped the reins a little and tried to relax her arms and elbows.
“Perfect. Let the horse do all the work.” Lauren moved smoothly beside her.
Nikki laughed. In a few minutes, her thighs would be killing her if she didn’t sit soon.
“You can relax a little more. Don’t stand up in the stirrups.”
Nikki followed her instructions and felt the burning in her thighs dissipate.
“Now you’re riding.” Lauren smiled and Nikki smiled back at her.
After they’d ridden halfway across the field, she started to enjoy the view and stopped focusing so much on the logistics of riding.
“I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed this.” She sighed as they pulled to a stop underneath a large tree.
She was sure Ryan had put Lauren up to taking her riding as a way of having someone else babysit her, but Nikki didn’t mind, especially after she had seen the beautiful dark red horse Lauren had brought for her.
“I’ve packed a lunch. If you want, we can go meet the men.” Lauren nodded towards the hills. “They should just be about an hour’s ride up.”
She thought about how sore she would be tonight, but she didn’t mind. It had been years since she’d been out of the city. The fresh air and the warm sun were soothing her mind. She smiled and nodded. “Lead the way.”
They rode in silence for a while, enjoying the scenery. The fields had already turned brown. Most of the wheat had been cut and was sitting in large hay bales, ready to be picked up. Some of the trees were still green, but others had already turned colors and the leaves floated down with the breeze. Here there were rolling hills, covered in pines and magnolias. It was in complete contrast to where she was used to living. She’d been born in Houston and had rarely left.
Her father had taken her to the country on several vacations shortly after her mother had left them, choosing her second husband over her firstborn and her ex-husband.
Lauren seemed to be getting comfortable with Nikki and told her about how they’d lost their mother in a tornado when Lauren was eight and their father to a heart attack ten years later. Then she’d shaken her head from the sadness and started talking about how she’d met her husband.
Lauren told her the story of how they had known each other all their lives. Of how they had married the day after her father had been buried so she could keep the ranch and stay in charge. Then she’d told her how Chase had left town for years and returned a few years ago. They had fallen in love and remarried for real.
“It sounds like it’s a good thing that he came back.” She smiled.
“Yes, although he was quite annoying at first.” Lauren smiled. “I guess it was because I was afraid that he’d come in and take over Saddleback.”
Nikki smiled. “Doesn’t he do that now?”
Lauren laughed. “He’ll claim he does.” She laughed.
Ryan was sweaty and had a layer of dirt covering every inch of him, and he’d never been as happy as he was right then. He knew he was going to have a few new blisters on his hands, but he didn’t mind. There were five other men out there with him rustling cattle. So far, they were having an easy time of it. They had ridden up to the hills and had found the herd in one of the high fields. There were over a thousand of them and herding them had been fairly easy.
But just before lunch, a group of around a dozen broke off and started heading in the wrong direction. He’d yelled over to Chase and told him he’d collect the strays. It had taken him a little under an hour to have the eighteen cows back in with the herd.
The other men had stopped for lunch and were all sitting under a large tree by a brook. When he pulled his horse up next to the others, he heard Nikki laughing and glanced over to see her head thrown
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