Sassy Cowgirl Kisses by Kathy Fawcett
Chapter 38
“And my backside still hurts when it rains!”
Sassy laughed at Ash’s colorful tales of learning to ride a horse on the ranch. She had been walking in front of him on the hiking trail along the gorge.
“I can’t believe a horse threw you when you were a kid,” she said. “It’s my worst fear.”
“Maybe you picked the wrong guy to teach you how to be a cowgirl.” Behind her, Ash wore a backpack filled with water, snacks and sunscreen. “I can ride a horse, but no one would mistake me for someone born in the saddle.”
“I’m hoping to be on a horse before summer’s over.” Sassy kept her eyes on the trail, with one hand steady on a hiking stick. “But I confess, I’m more than a little intimidated. Horses are awfully big.”
“When I first came to the ranch, I had to learn everything,” Ash said. “Horse riding, fence fixing, herd feeding—everything was new to me. But my dad and brothers were patient.”
“The Wests must be a special family to have taken you in as a teen.”
Ash merely nodded, and pointed in the direction of the river, which was getting louder as they hiked.
“They are special; they’re my family now. I shudder to think what would have become of me if I kept on my own path. I’d be a runaway, at the mercy of strangers. Or in jail.”
Sassy stopped walking and turned to face Ash. As they stood still in the forest, the sound of rushing water was nearly deafening.
“Is that why you came back after college, Ash?”
“Yep,” Ash nodded. “I can find a job anywhere, I reckon. But family… I won’t ever take my family for granted. If they were farmers, I’d be planting corn. If they owned a grocery store, I’d be stocking cans. But as it is, I’m a rancher. Just like Gunnar.”
Sassy searched his eyes.
“Where do I fit into your perfect ranching future, if I head home, that is?”
Ash looked puzzled. “Well, you tell me. You’re the one who pursued West Ranch; you came after it like raindrops divebombing a puddle, so I hear.”
Sassy looked miffed.
“Well that may be, but I came after a job, not after you, Ash West. This,” Sassy gestured with her arms at the trail around them, “is all your doing.”
“Okay, I don’t know where you fit it with me. Or how I fit in with you—you’re a mystery to me, Sassy. All I know is that you’re the best of both worlds. You are everything I love about the Midwest, right here in Wyoming. You’re smart and kind, and full of life. And I can’t stop thinking about your kiss.”
Sassy smiled.
“Oh, did we kiss? I don’t seem to recall that.” Her tone and body language said otherwise as she stepped a little closer to Ash and tilted her head up towards him.
Ash grinned at her obvious flirtation. He tilted his own head so that he was facing her, and brought his lips close before whispering.
“Then let me remind you, pretty cowgirl.”
“This is perfect.”
Sassy took in the scene around them with satisfaction. Ash had led them to a large rock that acted as a flat-topped ledge overlooking the gorge. Water rushed down the West River, winding between and over rocks. The land where the water flowed cut deep into the features, forming a gorge that separated the prairie and the mountains.
Ash could barely hear her, except for the fact that they sat side by side with their backs against the side of the hill, legs stretched in front of them. Ash had one arm around Sassy’s waist, and pulled her as close as possible. With the other hand, he held a cracker with a slice of pepper jack cheese Sassy had handed him.
“It’s a great place to picnic,” he said, gesturing to the jagged rocks below, “but you wouldn’t want to fall asleep here. If you rolled over, it could be your last nap.”
“Then I’ll stick close to you.”