Casey didn’t flinch when she was led around the large paddock and followed wherever Meredith led her. Another milestone passed, and all without cruelty.
When they reached Billy, Meredith indicated for the blanket. He handed it over and she moved further into the middle of the paddock. She followed the same routine as before – showing the blanket to Casey, and letting her sniff it. She gently laid it on the horse’s back and she flinched, then tried to shake it off. It was quickly removed.
She showed it to Casey again and she sniffed it again, then stared at her handler. “Let’s try this again, girl,” Meredith said gently, then added the blanket to Casey’s back. This time it didn’t seem to bother her. The blanket sat there for a couple of minutes, letting her get used to the weight, then Meredith led her around the paddock again.
Now they were getting somewhere. This girl was ready for the saddle, Meredith was certain of it. but she wasn’t going to push her luck. She’d give the horse a break, and then, after luncheon, she’d add the saddle.
That could lead to an interesting afternoon.
~*~
It had been a tiring morning. First she’d worked with Casey, and then with Shiver, the stallion. Meredith needed a break. She headed to the house where she began to prepare the noon meal. This afternoon Billy would spend some time training Gypsy, then later she would try Casey with the saddle. Despite having to work with Billy, it was still nowhere near as taxing as training the horses herself.
He was coming along nicely, but she knew Old George would be a far better teacher. He had, after all, taught Meredith all she knew. The thought of never seeing him and the others again made her sad. She busied herself with the meal to stave off those black thoughts. She glanced at the clock – Daniel should be back soon. That alone would brighten up her mood.
She reached for the mugs, and checked the kettle. It wasn’t far from boiling. Soup and sandwiches for luncheon today. She’d laid out the table with slices of bread, butter, cheese, chicken, and ham. There was enough to feed a small army, as Daniel was always telling her. Better too much than not enough, was always her response. Just as she added the last of the plates to the table, she heard the sound of the wagon approaching. That was perfect timing on Daniel’s part. She filled the sink with soapy water, and still had her back turned when he entered the ranch house.
When she turned around, Daniel stood in the doorway. His arms were laden with items – probably her pudding requirements. “I’m back,” he said, grinning so much it looked like his face might break.
She stared at him. “What have you been up to Daniel Peterson? You’ve been incredibly secretive lately.” The moment she said the words, she realized she was being far too forward. “Bring them over here,” she said, pointing to the countertop. “I’ll put them away after we eat.” She craned her neck looking for Billy. He was standing outside the door. “What on earth is that boy doing?” she asked, feeling exasperated at his slowness. She was always punctual and expected the same of everyone else.
Daniel strode toward her with his purchases and placed them where she’d indicated. He was still grinning and she studied him. She was really getting annoyed now. He was keeping secrets from her, and she couldn’t abide secrets. Especially between husband and wife.
He came close to her and stared down into her face. She probably looked annoyed but couldn’t help it. His arms came up around her, and he kissed her gently. “Do you know how much I love you?” Daniel asked.
“You, you love me?” Tears filled her eyes. “I’ve loved you from almost the day we met. You didn’t even flinch when you discovered your new bride was a cowboy.”
He kissed her gently, then came up for air. “We are couple of dills,” he said as he laughed and wiped the tears from her face. “I didn’t want a bride to begin with, only a housekeeper, but I am elated I gave in.” He held her close, and his warmth filled her. He kissed her again, and a shiver went down her spine. “I have a surprise for you,” he said, his voice almost breaking.
She stared at him curiously. “A surprise? What kind of surprise?” Now she was suspicious. What could Daniel possibly give her that she didn’t already have? He would be hard-pressed to surprise her anyway.
“You wait here, and I’ll bring the surprise inside.” Now she was even more curious.
Her heart pounded as her husband crossed the room and opened the door. He ducked his head around the corner, then stepped back, holding the door open. “Oh my goodness,” she said, her heart pounding. She felt weak in the knees and was light-headed. “Am I dreaming?”
Daniel came to her side. “You’re not dreaming,” he said gently.
She ran across the room and into the arms of Old George. They both cried and held each other tight. It felt like forever since they’d seen each other and Meredith was convinced she would never see him again. She wiped at her eyes and glanced up. There stood Buck, Jesse, Hank, and Beau. Everyone she’d left behind at pa’s ranch.
They stepped forward and she hugged them one by one. In a million years she never dreamed this could happen. “Thank you,” she told Daniel, then kissed him. Old George raised his eyebrows.
“I guess you and Daniel are gettin’ on fine then,” he said, a grin on his face.
Billy loitered in the doorway. “Come on in, Billy,” Meredith called to him. “I guess you were in on this too?”
“No Ma’am,” he said, looking deflated.
“Billy, what’s wrong?” How anyone could look so sad while she felt this elated was beyond her.
“I’ll go pack my things. I’m guessing you won’t need me no more.”
“The boys are only visiting. Of course we need you.” She looked to Daniel, silently pleading for him to reassure Billy.
He stepped forward. “The boys are staying for good,” he said, not taking his eyes off Meredith. “But as Merri said, we need you. Please don’t leave.”
She was confused. “You’re staying? But the ranch….”
“It went to the dogs,” Old George said. “Them folks have no idea how to run a ranch. When Daniel asked if we wanted to work here, we jumped at it.”
She stepped in and hugged her husband. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop the flow of tears. “Dang it,” she said out loud, brushing the tears from her cheeks.
“Where are my manners,” she suddenly said. “Sit down and I’ll set five more places. There’s plenty of food.”
“So nothin’s changed then,” Old George said, then laughed out loud. “You always did cook far too much.” He reached over and grasped her hand. Meredith still couldn’t believe the boys were here, and for good. It made her heart happy.
~*~
Daniel watched as Meredith led Casey around the paddock. The mare had a blanket sitting on her back, and a saddle was waiting on the fence for her. She’d tried to flick the blanket off to begin with, but then settled.
Old George, Hank, and the others all watched on. “I’ve really missed watching my gal train horses.” He said loud enough for her to hear. “She’s the best there is.”
As she came toward them to collect the saddle, everyone went quiet. “Good girl, Casey,” she said gently as she walked the horse toward the fence. She reached out and snatched up the saddle, then moved to the middle of the paddock again, away from everyone watching them. She held the saddle out for Casey to sniff, then ran it along her back, letting her get the feel of it.
The horse turned her head, trying to see what was going on but didn’t buck, and didn’t misbehave, so Meredith returned to the front of the horse. She patted her pocket. “Want some carrot?” She patted her pocket again, then reached into it. Casey’s eyes followed the movement. Meredith held her palm flat so the horse could snatch up the treat.
“Good girl,” she said gently, then let the horse sniff the saddle again. Then she slowly moved to the back of the horse and placed the saddle gently on her back. Casey whinnied and Meredith removed it. She added the saddle again, and the horse whi
nnied again and tried to flick the loosely laid saddle off her back. Meredith removed it again.
She glanced across to see Old George watching her carefully. She’d never felt so happy to have an audience while she worked. He nodded at her, and she knew he approved. He always had been her biggest supporter.
Meredith took a deep breath, and once more put the saddle on the horse. This time Casey didn’t flinch. She didn’t whinny, and she didn’t try to buck it off, so Meredith fastened the girth. Not tight, but enough the horse knew it was there. Then she stood back and watched.
Casey began to protest. She ran around the paddock bucking and carrying on like she’d been shot. Meredith couldn’t help but smile. Eventually the bucking would stop and Casey would calm down. Until then, she’d stand aside and let her get it out of her system.
And that’s exactly what she did. When she was done, Casey returned to Meredith, looking for another treat. Now comes the real test. The girth was adjusted to ensure the saddle stayed on and could take the weight of a rider without slipping. Casey stood quietly and didn’t protest, not even a tiny bit.
Meredith put one foot in the stirrup, held onto the horn, and pulled herself so her body was straddling across the saddle. Almost as quickly as she was up there, she was down again. The horse didn’t budge, so she did it again. No reaction. Meredith continued to do the same thing for several minutes without any reaction from Casey.
As she took a deep fortifying breath, she heard Daniel ask the question. “What is she doing?”
“You’ll see,” Old George answered.
With one foot in the stirrup, she pulled herself up into the saddle properly, as though she was going riding. Casey took a few steps backward and shook her head, but she didn’t buck. Meredith let out the breath she’d been holding. She gently squeezed her knees on either side of the horse, and Casey began to canter around the paddock. Meredith couldn’t help the grin she knew she wore. She would continue to work with Casey, but the hardest part was done. She was almost ready to be sold to the army.
She glanced across to the fence and her audience, and nearly cried at the vision she saw. All of the people she loved most in this world stood there, and Daniel looked so proud, her eyes filled with tears. She climbed down off the mare, and indicated for Billy to unsaddle her, and take Casey back where he’d brought her from, which he did.
Daniel jumped the fence and ran to her, making sure he didn’t startle the horse. “That was amazing,” he said. “You are amazing.” He pulled her close, and they stood there, entwined in each other’s arms. Meredith had never felt so happy as she did in that moment.
She glanced up to see Old George grinning. All he’d ever wanted for her, was for her to be happy. Meredith had to concede, she was certainly that now.
~*~
Daniel stared out the window, watching as snow fell to the ground. This wasn’t his first Christmas here on the ranch, but it was the first time it had truly felt like home. When Uncle Willy was around, they’d had a small celebration, but he never felt like he’d fit in with the others. After all, he was the newcomer, the city boy who was coerced into helping his uncle.
He knew absolutely nothing about horses, and even less about ranching. He’d learned so much since Meredith had arrived. More than he had learned over the past years he’d been here. Daniel promised his wife, and himself, he would get more involved in the running of the ranch from now on.
They were in the process of putting all of Meredith’s ideas into action. After all, it made sense to have their own breeding program, and to pay someone else to round up the mustangs. Why use valuable trainers to go chasing horses? He wished he’d met her long ago, but of course, that was impossible.
“Sit down everyone,” she said loudly, trying to make herself heard over the ruckus of several men all talking at once.
Daniel rushed over and carried the turkey to the table – it was far too heavy for his wife to manage on her own. But then again, she was a very special woman, nothing would surprise him.
She’d made an effort and worn a gown today. He didn’t often get to see her in a gown, but he didn’t need to see her dressed that way to know how feminine she was. He saw a side of her no one else would ever get to see. It took all his effort not to pull her close and kiss her. She stared up at him as though she knew what he was thinking.
Meredith had outdone herself today. The table was laden with all sorts of produce – potatoes, carrots, parsnips, beans, and turnips. Next year they would have her home-grown produce. Meredith was very proud of her efforts in the vegetable patch, and so she should be.
“Daniel, can you cut the turkey please, while I make the gravy?” It wasn’t a job he savored, but how could he resist such a request?
Old George poured each man a glass of wine. She’d refused the offer. It was one of the few times he had wine, Daniel told her, which was true. With the gravy now ready, Meredith sat down. He watched as she glanced around the table and grinned. Each and every person sat around this table was special to her in some way. Daniel was happy he’d been able to make that happen. He was especially happy they’d convinced Billy to stay. He’d come such a long way since Old George and the others had taken him under their wings. He was a natural when it came to horses. Even the most untrained eye could see it.
With the food in front of them, everyone filled their plates, then they waited for the blessing. Daniel cleared his throat. “I’d like to say the blessing today, if that’s alright?”
Everyone nodded. They all joined hands then bowed their heads. “Dear Lord,” he said. “Thank you for this abundance of food before us, and for the chance to celebrate this day, and your Son. I want to especially thank you for knowing I needed Meredith, even when I didn’t. Last of all, thank you for bringing us all together. Amen.”
They all lifted their heads and glanced his way. “Amen.”
Warmth flooded him. This was a Christmas like no other he’d ever had, and he looked forward to many more.
Epilogue
One Year Later…
Meredith sat quietly in a comfortable chair and watched the hustle and bustle going on around her. Daniel and Old George were tending to the turkey she’d put in the oven this morning. Billy had fed the horses hours ago, and along with Beau and Jesse, had mucked out the stalls in their much bigger new stables. They’d all worked hard to get the ranch up and running the way she’d envisioned. Daniel had enlisted Old George’s help to get it all running smoothly and made him manager, although he preferred to be called foreman.
The latest batch of horses had been shipped off to the army a week ago, and now they could sit back and enjoy Christmas and each other’s company. It wouldn’t be long and they’d start all over again.
With the first of their foals from the breeding program recently born, it had been an exciting time for everyone. “Everything alright over there?” Daniel’s voice cut into her reminiscing.
“Fine,” she called back. “Can you check the plum pudding for me?” She leaned back into the chair and tried to relax. Meredith stared down into the face of their six-week-old baby. Edward William Peterson hungrily drank from his mother, and was nearly ready to be burped. She stared lovingly into his cherub-like face.
As her fingers caressed his tiny cheek, she fought back tears. How had she come to be so blessed? Somehow Daniel had realized her distress because he was suddenly next to her and squatted down beside her. He stared into the face of his young son. “I know I’ve said it before,” he told her, glancing up. “But thank you. Thank you for agreeing to marry me, and thank you for giving me this wonderful boy.”
She turned to face him, and Daniel frowned. “What’s all this then?” He wiped her tears away with his fingers.
“I wish pa could be here to meet his grandson.” Her words were quiet; she didn’t want everyone else in the room to hear them, but knowing Old George, he probably guessed anyway.
Daniel reached over and put an arm around her shoulders. “I nev
er met your pa, but I’m sure he’s looking down right now and nodding his head, thanking you for naming our first born after him.” He wiped at her tear-drenched cheeks again. “Edward is a good strong name for a boy, and I’m sure he’ll live up to it.”
That made her laugh. “There are six men standing in my kitchen right now, who I’m sure will make sure of it. The five who knew my pa will for sure, and I’m certain Billy will want to get in on the act.”
Pulling her in and kissing her cheek, Daniel agreed. “I am more than certain young Edward will be riding a horse almost the moment he can walk.” She frowned at him. “Well, perhaps not quite then. But you mark my words, he won’t get beyond two and he’ll be riding like a pro.”
She knew he was right. “I started riding about that age, much to ma’s disgust.”
“If I could find a way to strap him on, he’d be riding now,” Old George called from across the room. He made his way across to where she sat, the baby over her shoulder. “Your pa would be so proud of everything his daughter has achieved.” He wiped a stray tear from his eye. “I don’t mean the horses, or the ranch, although he’d be proud of that too,” he said, wiping his tears that were now freely flowing. “He would be so proud of his daughter the wife, and the mother of this beautiful boy.”
She stood and Daniel took Edward from her. Meredith wrapped her arms around the gentle giant she called Old George and they cried on each other’s shoulders. It had been a little over a year since she lost her pa, and she still missed him terribly.
Old George gently pushed her away as Edward began to cry. “I think your boy wants his diaper changed,” he said quietly, and he was right. Daniel leaned in and hugged her, and she thanked the Lord for sending her to this place, and to her husband. She loved it here and knew in her heart when he was old enough, Edward would love it too. She felt privileged to have grown up on a ranch, and was certain her son would too.
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