Judy shrugged. “Not sure. With any luck, our legs won’t feel like Jell-O and our knees won’t be a wreck.”
“I’m not planning on riding that long.” I straightened my belt. “What?” I scoffed at her sinister grin.
“I don’t think you get a say. Come on. I don’t hear any noise downstairs. We better see what the troops are up to.”
Chloe, Harry, and Walter waited patiently at the island in the kitchen. Judy’s eyebrow arched toward the high ceiling. I shot her a look, then caught John’s stare as he flipped pancakes at the griddle. There was a heaping pile of bacon on a platter in front of the kids. Chloe sat on her hands. Walter rested his chin on countertop and Harry fiddled with silverware. There wasn’t a word from any of them.
“Interesting. We could have used you in the car on the way here,” Judy told John.
John lowered his gaze, an all-knowing grin passing over his lips. He stacked a fresh pile of pancakes on another platter that was half-full.
“I love blueberry pancakes.” Walking closer to where he stood, my stomach growled as I smelled the aroma.
“Not blueberry. Huckleberry. We have them everywhere. They’re like blueberries, but they grow in the higher altitudes. We put them in everything,” John said, popping one in his mouth.
Judy took the pitcher of orange juice from the counter and poured some for the kids.
Chloe studied her dad. “Can I say thank you?” she whispered.
“Of course you can.” He stacked another batch of fresh pancakes onto the platter.
While Chloe thanked Judy, I leaned closer to John. “What did you do to them?”
He handed me the platter. His words barely audible, his breath prickled emotion. “I showed them the bottom of the boots just outside the door. I told them if there were any shenanigans, they’d be shoveling fresh horse poop.”
“I’m surprised that worked a second time.”
“You haven’t seen the boots. It’s caked on. Smells bad. Gross,” he said holding his nose.
I inspected his feet. His boots were clean besides the few smudges of dust on the toes. “Who do the boots really belong to?” I whispered, glancing over to the kids.
“You’re smarter than they are,” he muttered. “They belong to Trout.”
“Maggie, can we have pancakes now? We’ve been really, really, really patient,” Walter whined.
I took the platter of huckleberry pancakes to the table. Harry beamed with anticipation.
“So who’s Trout?” I asked.
“Dad’s right-hand man,” Chloe answered.
“There’s a guy here whose name is Trout?” Harry said, spearing two pancakes before even sitting down in his chair.
“That’s not his real name. That’s his nickname because anytime he gets time off he’s fly-fishing for trout in the Yellowstone River.” John slid out a chair for Judy.
“Cool! I want a nickname too.” Walter scowled at his brother. “And you don’t get to pick it!”
Chloe laughed. John settled in at the table beside me. “He’s right you know. You got an extra pair of boots with you?”
Harry munched on his bacon. “Fine.” He cut his pancakes into neat pieces.
“Thanks, J.P.” Walter said.
Judy looked over to John for approval.
“My friends call me J.P. and I consider Walter good people. He can call me J.P.” John leaned over to Harry and patted his shoulder. “You, too.”
“That stands for John Patrick,” Chloe reminded us, her mouth stuffed with pancakes. Syrup soaked crumbs fell from her bottom lip as she spoke.
John winked at Walter. “We’ll think of something super cool to nickname you.”
“Cool,” Walter said as Judy helped him cut his pancakes.
Chloe took a swig of juice. “This is delicious. You don’t cook this good at our Michigan house.”
“What gives?” I raised an eyebrow in John’s direction.
He lowered his gaze as if he were a schoolboy caught in a fib. His expression gave him away.
“Fine.” John put his two hands in the air as if he were giving up at a shootout. “Chloe’s grandpa made the batter. I just fried it up. He showed me how.”
“Well, I like it.” Walter took a bite and smiled as he chewed. “Can I have more, please?”
“Eat up, partner. Justin is saddling up horses as we speak.” John cut his pancakes with the side of his fork and finished his plate.
Chapter 4
John stared into the clear blue sky. “Perfect. The kids are going to stay here with Justin and Ashley while the adults go for a ride up the mountain.” He pointed to a tree-covered peak.
“Shouldn’t I stay with the boys?” Judy asked.
Harry fidgeted with the slingshot in his hands. “It was part of the deal this morning.”
John grinned. “Yup, you two need a break. And these three fine youngsters will be in good hands.”
“I want Mom to see me ride a horse, J.P.” Walter stuck out his bottom lip.
I frowned at Walter’s woeful eyes. Judy picked him up. He wrapped his legs around her waist and hugged her tight.
“I don’t care. I’ll pick up horse poop,” he mumbled.
“How about we watch you ride now and then your mom can go for a ride with Maggie and me?” John coiled the rope that Chloe’d left hanging on fence.
“We won’t be gone too long. Besides once you get on that horse, you’re gonna have so much fun you won’t even notice I’m gone.” Judy put Walter down. “Okay, partner?”
“I bet we can talk J.P. into making s’mores after dinner if you let your mom go for a ride,” I said with a wink.
Walter’s eyes brightened.
“It’s all about the food,” Judy added. “Look, there are the horses.” She pointed toward the barn.
We resembled a group of hombres from a spaghetti western. Walter walked between Judy and me, holding our hands.
“Ashley’s a really good wrangler and pretty, too. Walter will love her,” John said, nodding to the young lady holding the lead attached to the bridle of a pony just the right size for Walter.
Chloe scooted inside the barn as John introduced Ashley and Justin. “I’ll just be in here looking for the cats,” she said, peeking into the stalls for furry felines.
“The kids are going to stay in the ring and learn some basics while we take a ride. Maybe we’ll see some deer or moose.”
Walter’s rosy cheeks bulged with his toothy grin. “J.P., I want to see those things, too.”
“You just might if you keep your eyes peeled over there.” John pointed to an open field across the two-lane road.
“I’ll be able to see really good once I get up on that guy.” Walter caressed the pony’s nose. “His whiskers tickle. Kind of like Daddy’s.”
Judy laughed.
John picked up Walter with a mighty grunt and plopped him into the saddle. He handed him the reins and told him to hang on to the saddle horn.
Walter leaned forward and petted the horse’s mane. “What’s his name?”
“Cinnamon. And it’s a she. She’s as sweet as they come,” Ashley answered. “Nice to meet you guys. Winston’s been looking forward to your visit.” Ashley’s long, dark-brown braid hit just below the middle of her back. Her black felt cowboy hat shaded her face. “Let’s see if we can shorten these stirrups.” Ashley unbuckled the leather strap and tugged upward. “Perfect.” She looked Walter in the eye. “You ready?”
Cinnamon craned her neck as if she were checking to see if Walter was ready, too.
“Yes.” Walter beamed.
Ashley led Cinnamon into the pasture, and then Justin shut the gate behind them. Harry stood at the split rail fence and watched his brother. Justin tapped Harry on the shoulder.
“You ready?” he asked.
“Sure,” Harry said. “Which one am I riding?”
Justin led Harry to a spotted horse. “This paint’s name is Freckles ’cause her spots look like
Irish freckles.” Freckles shifted her weight and her hooves clomped against the ground. “If you climb up on that block, we’ll get you going.”
Chloe sauntered out of the barn holding a black cat with a white patch on its chest under her arm. “Hey, look what I found. The other cats must be out hunting.” She scratched its head. “I think we should name this one Midnight on account of how dark he is.”
“And he has a star on his chest,” Harry noted from the block.
“He’s so cute.” Chloe strolled to the fence while Midnight squirmed in her arms. “Hey, look at Walter. He’s riding. Woo-hoo!”
Walter waved to Judy and called from across the field. “You can go now. I’m having a great time.” His body bobbed up and down in rhythm with Cinnamon’s easy stride.
Justin adjusted Harry’s stirrups and led him into the pasture. “I promise I won’t hold onto you the whole time ’cause you’re a big fella.”
Harry puffed out his chest, pointed his toes up, and held tight to the reins.
“I’ll watch for now,” Chloe said. “Midnight and I want to get to know each other, besides, Dad already took me for a ride. I can wait a few more minutes.” Chloe beamed as she stared into her father’s eyes.
Judy nudged me as Chloe and John exchanged glances. They were two peas in a pod. She was just a shorter version. Her eyes creased in the same places. They had matching dimples and eyes for only each other. Loose strands of hair from her braid swayed in the intermittent breeze that ushered in the day. Judy’s grin stirred up all the uncertainties I worried about. I noticed a black feather as I kicked at the dirt with the tip of my boot. Bending down, I picked it up, and knew Chloe needed it for her hat. She gazed up to me with the same smiling eyes she shared with her dad as I tucked the quill behind the leather band on her hat. “Just accessorizing your Stetson.”
“Thanks, Maggie. It’ll remind me of Frankie when he’s gone ‘cause you know he’s gonna fly home soon. Everybody goes home sooner or later.” Midnight jumped from her arms.
“How’s Frankie faring with the barn cats?” I asked, wanting to know if he had been eaten for lunch.
“Trout helped me rig up his box so other animals couldn’t get in. That Trout is one smart guy. If it weren’t for him, Frankie would be some putty-tat’s dinner.”
“Glad to hear he’s doing well,” I said, John’s stare catching my eye.
Chloe wrapped her fingers around mine, and when I looked, she was holding John’s hand, too. She stood between us, a common link.
“Dad, will you help me get on Huckleberry?” she asked. “That way I’ll be ready when Justin comes around again.” She watched Harry and Walter across the field. “When you get back we can have lunch. Being out here makes me hungry.”
Chloe dropped our hands, and we were two separate entities again. John strolled over to a spotted horse and lifted Chloe up as she swung her right leg over the saddle. The stirrups were already set and she took the reins like a pro. John held the lead rope and guided her into the pasture.
Judy shut the gate behind them and leaned in my direction. “Nice picture.”
“What picture?” I said, sidestepping horse droppings.
“The one I just took of you three.” Judy held out her phone and showed me.
I gazed at the photo of John and me smiling down at Chloe. “Yeah, that’s a good one.” Goose bumps covered my arms.
Judy tucked her phone in the breast pocket of her western shirt and snapped the flap shut for safekeeping. “Wonder who we’re riding?” She meandered closer to the three brown horses wearing black socks. They appeared to be triplets.
John squeezed through the slats of the split rail face. His lips pressed together in thought. “Well, I guess it’s our turn. When’s the last time you two have been on a horse?”
“I rode about five years ago on Jekyll Island in Georgia. Had a crazy fast horse on the beach.” I could almost taste the salt from the Atlantic Ocean on my lips, the memory as fresh as home-baked bread. “What about you, Judy?”
“Well, it was probably the last time I wore these clothes. Maybe two years ago. It was a mellow trail ride.” She waved to Walter as he passed by. “What’s it like going up this mountain?”
John patted the hindquarter of the horse next to him. “It’s slow and easy, just like everything else out here. The horses know what to do.” He put his left boot in the stirrup then mounted his horse. “Hold the reins like this. Keep the ball of your foot on the stirrup, toes up. Give ‘em a little nudge or a click of your tongue, and we’ll be set.” He dismounted. “Judy, we’ll get you up first. Come over here to the block. Don’t walk behind her. Knew a guy once who got his knee cap blown out from one swift kick.”
“Ouch.” Judy stepped up on the block and mounted the brown beauty. “What kind of horse is this?” She fingered the black mane and patted her neck.
“These three are bays. Meet Charlie’s Angels.” He snickered. “Trout named them. He’s a character, but these girls got your back.” Pausing, he nodded for me to climb up on the block. “You’re next, neighbor lady.”
I stepped up, put my foot in the stirrup, and swung my leg over. John checked the stirrups, making sure they were the proper length then flipped up the flap on the saddle. “Let’s make sure this girth is nice and tight. Don’t want to lose you.” He glanced up and gave me a sexy wink.
“So what angel am I riding?” Making sure my feet were in the stirrups correctly, I ran my hand over the braided leather trim on the saddle.
“You’re riding Sweet Jaclyn. Judy’s on Kick-ass Kate, and I’ll be mounting Farrah.”
Judy and I both erupted with laughter. John’s cheeks quickly changed rosy red.
“Well I guess that didn’t come out right. You two are bad, just plain evil.” He tugged at the rim of his Stetson trying to hide his embarrassment. “Shame on you, although now you’ve given me something to think about.” John mounted his horse like a seasoned wrangler.
“Keep your eyes on the trail and your mind out of the gutter. We’re counting on you, doctor pediatrician man,” Judy teased.
“All right, you two, fall in line. Maggie, you’re gonna want to be behind me. Keep about a half a horse length between us and we’ll be good,” John said. “Judy, you follow neighbor lady.”
John didn’t resemble a pediatrician today. With his plaid shirt, worn Wrangler jeans, and broad shoulders, he was all cowboy. We rode single file. I peered down the trail at the steep, snow-streaked peaks poking their heads above the green mountains ahead of us.
“Man, I love that smell,” Judy said, breathing deeply.
John glanced over his shoulder.
“Smells good, clean, fresh. Wish I could bottle it up and take it home.” I inspected the profile of a content man and he was more handsome than ever.
“We’ll ride to the ridge, take a break, and soak up the scenery. We’ll save the rest of the mountain for another day.”
“How long we riding, cowboy?” Judy asked.
I glanced back over my shoulder at her. “You worried about the boys?” She had that look only a mother could have.
She shrugged. “Just don’t want to come back to mayhem.”
John turned around again, the reins lose in his right hand. His left hand rested on the back of his saddle. “Don’t you worry, I made sure the kids would be kept busy. Justin is no pushover. Trust me.”
“Famous last words,” I said.
“Walter is gonna want his s’mores.” Judy moved a pine branch out of her way.
“Me, too,” I said. “Me, too.” The dirt trail rose with the slight incline. Rocks peeked out between roots in the ground mimicking witch’s hands. Flecks of sunlight trickled down like stardust. “That fringy moss on those barren trees looks like it belongs in a Dr. Seuss book.”
“It’s not that whimsical. It’s killing the trees. No one is quite sure how to get rid of it.” John shifted his weight in the saddle as Farrah maneuvered up the rocky terrain.<
br />
I frowned, imagining the loss of trees and habitat. Sweet Jaclyn stopped in her tracks when the sound of falling rocks drifted down the trail ahead of us. Her ears twitched as she peered up the mountainside. The pine trees blocked my view as I strained to see what made her nervous.
“Easy girl,” I said, preparing to hold on. Being on a runaway horse was not what I had in mind.
John pointed up the hill. “There are three deer up there.”
I leaned forward and searched until I spotted the flighty creatures causing the disruption. They were peering down with caution and curiosity.
“They’re beautiful,” Judy said just as three white tails disappeared in the flock of trees.
“I’m not sure Sweet Jaclyn likes them.” I patted her mane and thanked her for not bolting.
John clicked his tongue and gave Farrah a slight kick. “When we go up this hill, lean forward. It’ll help your horse get up incline. When we come down, lean back and let them pick their path.” He pointed to a tree that was rubbed clean of its bark. “See that?”
Judy and I both answered, “Yeah.”
“Bears do that.”
Glancing back over my shoulder at Judy, the thought of meeting up with a bear frightened me, and I remembered seeing a woman at a restaurant along the way with a canister hooked to her belt. I thought it was a fire extinguisher until Harry pointed out it was bear repellent. “I heard that if you think there’s a bear around you just make a lot of noise.”
“Yeah, that’s a good idea. You don’t want to sneak up on a bear, especially if she’s got cubs. Chances are we won’t run across any, but you never know.”
We came to the next rocky incline. John’s horse maneuvered up the winding path while Judy and I followed.
Chapter 5
“We’re almost to the ridge,” John called over his shoulder. His horse’s hips swayed from side-to-side through the field of tall grass and thistle, a lazy stroll through wicked beauty.
Sweet Jaclyn bowed her head in-between lackadaisical steps smelling blooms in her path as she yearned to snack along the way. My huckleberry pancakes were sticking with me and I was too absorbed in the view to even care about food. And as I looked out over the ridge, it dawned on me how content I felt. Somewhere back in the Dakotas, I’d checked my worries. John dismounted Farrah and tied the lead to a branch then patted her withers. I held the leather horn on my saddle, stood in the stirrups, swung my right leg over the back of Sweet Jaclyn, and then carefully slid down the saddle to steady myself.
Maggie's Montana (Montana Bound Book 3) Page 3
