The Cowboy's Christmas Proposal

“Yes, I’m a proficient rider. It’s the one thing my dad insisted I learn.”

“Okay, then I’ll see you at seven.”

“Do we take our lunches with us?”

“Would you like us to have a picnic together?” he asked, sarcasm in his voice.

Penny stiffened. “No, I didn’t mean to have a picnic, but I’m used to eating lunch. I didn’t want to waste time coming in for lunch.”

“You go ahead and bring along what you need to eat, but it has to be eaten while you’re in the saddle. I don’t eat lunch.”

“Fine. I’ll see you at seven in the morning.”

She didn’t wait for an answer. Spinning on her heels she headed for the house.

CHAPTER TWO

PENNY marched back to the house, her teeth clenched. The nerve of the man! He thought she was hoping for a romantic picnic? He had the wrong idea about her. She would have to be on her toes to make sure he didn’t get that idea again!

When she reached the house, she went to Harriet’s bedroom. The lady was storing away her clothes.

“Is everything okay, Harriet?”

“Yes, ma’am. What time did the manager expect you to be ready?”

“He said seven. His name is Jake Larson, by the way, but don’t expect him to be friendly.”

“Oh? And you hired him anyway?”

“I was warned that though he’s honest, he has problems with thinking he’s a ladies’ man. When I asked him if I should bring a lunch tomorrow, he thought I was expecting a romantic picnic!”

“And that’s what he wanted?”

Penny looked at Harriet, frowning. “No,” she said slowly, “his question was sarcastic, as if that was the last thing he wanted.”

Harriet didn’t say anything.

“Maybe he’s changed his tune, but I’ll be on my toes anyway. I’m not looking for a boyfriend.”

“So you’re not taking a lunch?”

“I need something to eat that I can manage in the saddle. Do you know what I can take with me?”

“A sandwich will work. It won’t spoil in winter. An apple works okay, too, and what you don’t eat can be fed to your horse.”

“Good idea. Oh, rats. I didn’t think about bringing my horse to the corral. I’ll be back in a little while. You might want to check the supplies in the kitchen when you have time.”

“Right. I’ll do that.”

Penny hurried out of the house after pulling on her coat and adding a wool cap and gloves. She walked to the barn, collected a bridle and opened the gate that led to the pasture where the active horses were kept. She saw the horse she preferred to ride, a dark colored mare named Stormy that her father had given her when she’d first learned to ride.

It took a few minutes to reach Stormy and talk her into accepting the bridle. Then Penny led her to the corral where Apache was waiting. She got some hay for Stormy and settled her down in the corral. Then she removed the bridle and, after patting Stormy’s neck, replaced her bridle in the tack room and headed back to the house.

When she entered the house, she could smell fresh coffee. In the kitchen, she found Harriet going through the pantry.

“I’m going to have some of that coffee, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course not.” Harriet stepped out of the pantry. “You’ve got just about everything I can foresee for the immediate future. Your freezer is well stocked, too.”

“Good. I’ve got my horse penned up ready for tomorrow. I’ll need coffee in the morning and oatmeal with bacon and toast or eggs with bacon and toast. Either one, or you can rotate them. I like pancakes on Saturday morning and even Sunday morning when I can eat more leisurely.”

“That sounds good to me. Though I might suggest cinnamon rolls one of those mornings. I make them from scratch, and they’re quite good, if I do say so myself.”

“Mmm, I agree. They sound perfect for a cold morning.”

“Good. I’ll cook a couple of steaks for dinner because I can thaw them quickly, if that’s okay. And do you like salads?”

“Yes, I do. I’m willing to try most anything.”

“Then we’ll get along fine.”

“Thank you, Harriet. I’m glad things are working out well for one of my new employees!”

It was quite cold the next morning when Penny stepped outside. She had a wool cap on her head under the cowboy hat her dad had always worn. Leather gloves with wool lining were on her hands, and her jacket was snapped closed to her throat over a wool sweater.

She carried a package that held her lunch. She wasn’t going to try to be tough just to impress Jake Larson. She knew the day would be hard on her as it was. She was a good horse-woman, but she seldom rode more than three or four hours.

A canteen was strapped over her shoulder and would be added to her saddle. Also over her shoulder was a plastic raincoat her dad had always taken with him.

She had her dad on her mind today. He’d never expected her to be in this situation and never prepared her for the job. She had always been his little girl and no matter how many times she had asked, her father had always discouraged her from learning the ropes. Certainly learning about ranching now was important to Penny, especially if she was going to make a success of the ranch, but more important now was proving herself to her father, even though he wasn’t there.

When she reached the corral, after getting her bridle and saddle and saddle blanket, she found Stormy and got her ready for the day ahead. She added the raincoat, carefully tied it down so it wouldn’t startle the horse and placed her canteen in one side of the saddlebags. The other side held her lunch.

Swinging into the saddle just at seven o’clock, she was ready to go, she hoped, as the men came out to mount up. Jake was talking to several of the men and looked up in surprise when the others greeted her as Penny.

She spoke to the men, but she remained silent as Jake approached her. Nervous, she licked her lips and waited for his response.

“I thought I’d meet you up at the house.”

“I assumed it’d be quicker to meet you here, ready to go.” She kept her voice crisp.

“Very well. I’ll be saddled in just a minute.”

He efficiently prepared his horse and swung into the saddle. She moved ahead of him and opened the corral gate. He followed her out into the pasture.

“I thought we might ride over the property to make sure I know the perimeters this morning. Are you up for that?” he asked Penny.

“Of course.”