Canyon Love

Chapter Three

I had forgotten how it felt to be working a job that I loved. Tucking the dark green shirt in my pants I slipped my SOG knife in my pocket. My leather man slid into its pouch that hung off my leather belt.

Jumping out of the truck at 5:30 am I walked into the office where all four of the wranglers of the day sat. All heads snapped to me as I stopped the door from making a big screeching noise. Skeeter stood by the door who caught the door before it smacked him in face when I walked in. Liz smiled proudly in the middle of the room as everyone carefully judged me. Taking in a deep breath I tried not to let all the eyes starring me down send fear into me. Forcing an uneasy smile I nodded for Liz to keep on talking.

"Everyone this is our extra hand Elizabeth. You guys can show her the ropes around here but she is one of our trail masters and she's also a bison chaser with me..."

I went to protest on several of those things but Liz sent me a warning look. Sure I practically grew up in Montana in the summers and came from bloodlines that worked here but that doesn't mean I know how it works here. I knew how people's minds work and how to work a horse but that's only part of this job. Sensing my nervousness Skeeter leaned in.

"Liz and me already agreed that we'd be trail partners so I'll show you the ropes the first couple days. Don't worry I won't leave you to hang out and dry" Skeeter leaned back against the wall giving me room to send him a half nervous and half grateful smile.

Liz had mentioned Skeeter was the only other person on this team beside herself that knew how to ride. Taking a quick look out of the corner of my eye I could only assume he came from a ranch maybe. Biting my lip I quickly looked towards Liz who clapped her hands.

"Let's go to work! Corrals open at 8:30 so get ready. Elizabeth stay back so we can find you a horse. Skeeter go ahead and help" nodding Skeeter left without a second glance as I stepped away from the door allowing the other wranglers to escape.

I didn't see big Dave anywhere which made me frown slightly. Dave was a wrangler who like Liz and Adam worked under my grandma's watch full eye. He knew my parents before and while they where together hence he had plenty of stories of my parents. Stories that I always loved to hear.

"Okay so let's go outside and get you a horse" grabbing an extra hat from the rack Liz handed me it. Sliding it on top of my dirty blond hair that I pulled back into a braid today I posed for Liz.

"How do I look?" Cocking out my hip and pacing one hand on my cheek and another on my hip I let out a giggle as Liz slapped my arm.

"Come on silly" yanking at my arm we both stumbled out of the office door towards the back pasture where the wrangler horses waited.

Canyon always got the last pick of horses after Rosy and Mammoth. And what ever problem horses the other two didn't want Canyon got. So the problem horses where handed to Canyon's wranglers. Only issue was our wranglers couldn't handle them.

As we stepped behind the hay barn I took in the wild ponies. Every shade of bay and every color paint and Pinto ate hungrily away at their hay. Smiling I watched as some novice wranglers that even working  the whole summer still didn't understand the horses they've been working with.

Some chased the poor ponies around with the hatters while others waited patiently for the horses to relax enough for them to sneak up on. Huffing I glanced over to Liz who just shook her head.

"Every day" she mumbled. I knew poor Liz was tired of the people but she did love the job. It was the same complaints that I heard out of my grandmother's mouth when she worked here.

Sighing I nodded as I twirled the lead role in my hand out of boredom. Skeeter walked up to a beautiful dark bay that stood quietly facing him. The horse was easy enough for Skeeter to grab as the two stayed calm with each other.

"Who's Skeeter's horse?" I watched as horse and rider walked out of the corral with no problems.

"Pugsly" Liz announced. The name ringing in my memory as a horse that Liz had been wanting for a while.

I knew Pugsly as a half quarter horse and a half draft horse. He had dark black feathers down his canon bones and his dark bay figure glistened in the sunshine.

Finally after probably a good twenty minutes of waiting every wrangler got their horses out. Originally there was twenty horses but now four where missing with their riders. There was probably only five for me to choice from because of the other wranglers who worked but I wasn't too picky.

"So there's the five that don't have riders"

Liz first pointed to a pitch black horse that stood a good 15 hands high or higher. Next was a calm looking chestnut with a big thick white blaze that ran down its face. Four white stockings rested on its legs. His eyes where big as he took in the things around him but he didn't seemed too bothered.

Next was a buckskin who seemed a little jittery as he raced around the hay feeder always looking for a better spot to eat. Fourth horse to be pointed out was another chestnut expect he had no marks of white at all on him. He seems a little less calm then the other one as he reached over to bite the buckskin.

But lastly a big dappled gray stood proudly looking over the fence. His rear end was facing me but he was big. He was shorter then the black 15 hands high gelding but he was no shorter then 14.2 hands high. He was a bulky son of a gun and maybe a little energetic but he was it. As he spun around at Liz's whistle I could tell he'd be mine. His powerful legs where built right and his stomach was a little too big with fat but that could easily be fixed with him being worked.

Smiling I nudged Liz with my elbow.

"Who's the dapple?" My eyes never leaving his dark brown ones. I felt as if he could see through me making me shiver. Only my barreling horse at Liz's place could do that to me.

"We call him Montana" slipping through the railing I jingled the rope halter. His dark gray ears shifted towards me with interest.

Smiling I stepped forward waiting for him to run but instead he stood perfectly still. His eyes and ears followed me but other then that none of him moved. Slipping the halter over his nose and the ears I tied the rope halter. Stepping back Montana's head swung to me.

Smiling I reached out and placed a gentle pat on his beautiful head.

"Oh Montana. I have a feeling we're going to get along just fine"