Mustang Dreams (COMPLETED)

Chapter Three

     "Mornin' sunshine." Clay greeted Misty with a smile the next morning. Breakfast, of some sort, was cooking over the fire, and Clay was manning it, stirring it when necessary. "How'd you sleep?"

     Misty stretched her arms above her head before walking over to the fire to warm her hands in the brisk Wyoming morning air. "I should be askin' you that. You're the one who slept out here with no blanket and your saddle as a pillow."  

     Clay's warm chuckle immediately warmed Misty. But she quickly felt cold as she reminded herself that he was way out of her league. She was nineteen years old, old enough to know better than to have childlike crushes on amazing guys like Clay, especially when she was just an ordinary girl herself. "I slept like a cloud." 

     Clay's comment made Misty chuckle, knocking her out of her pity party. "Do you mean that it was like sleepin' on a cloud, or that you slept like a baby?"

     Clay seemed to think about it for a second. "I reckon both." Turning back to their breakfast, Clay continued stirring the mush before taking a spoonful of it and tasting it. He made a face that said, "It's decent." 

     "What is that?" Misty asked, looking down to the boiling tan mush over the fire.  

     "Oatmeal. Here, try some. If you don't like it, I can add peanut butter or honey or something to it." Clay held out the spoon to Misty. 

     Misty took the spoon and tried Clay's version of the oatmeal. "It's not bad." She replied honestly, handing the spoon back to Clay.

     "Good. I've never had to cook for anyone other than cowboys, and us men will eat just about everything, so I apologize if my cooking skills aren't up to par." Clay took the pan off of the fire and stood up, walking over to Misty and handing her a spoon.  

     Misty took the spoon offered, then joined Clay on the ground. The two shared the oatmeal, eating it directly from the pan. She hadn't had oatmeal in a while, but she was impressed by Clay's decent cooking skills.

     After their oatmeal was gone, Clay and Misty packed up camp for the day. Once the horses were tacked up, and the tent was secured onto Clay's saddle, Misty zipped up her chaps, then swung up onto Midnight's back. Clay settled his dusty black Stetson on his head after he slipped into his own pair of chaps. After checking his cinch and making sure the load was secured in the saddle strings, Clay mounted up.

     Today was Misty's favorite day of the roundup. It was the day that the mustangs are rounded up, and led to a large holding pen where they will be checked for any serious injuries or illnesses. Every year, the McAdam's family chooses several mustangs to be taken back to the ranch to be gentled and either kept for ranch work, or given to other ranches.  

     As they started their ride out at a walk, Misty put her reins behind her saddle horn, and removed her cowboy hat, setting it on her saddle horn as well; she then braided her hair. Once her hair was tight in her low braid, Misty slipped her hat back on, tightening the stampede strings beneath her chin to prevent her hat from flying off while riding.

     In the meantime, Clay radioed out to Bill, letting him know that Misty and he were heading out to the last known location of the mustangs. Bill said that Nelson, Trigger, Paul, Pokey, Junior, and he were already less than an hour out from the herd. 

     This news made both Misty and Clay excited, so they picked up the pace some. Along the way, several of the cowboys radioed to one another. Trigger's group had already reached the mustangs, but were holding back from starting the roundup until the rest of the men arrived. He had said that it was a very large herd this year. Misty looked at Clay and smiled when she heard Trigger's voice tell the news over the radio.