Indiana Wild (Spirit Pass Book 1) Read Online Free PDF

motioned for the dogs to follow her. She wanted to put as much space between her and the other cowpunchers as possible.

 
    Chapter 4
    Indy spent the next three weeks out on the range. At times it was tough. Since she was a girl she couldn’t just whip it out and go like the guys did. She also liked to bathe more than they did. In order to do that she had taken to leaving early or coming back late. She used Tweed and Chester as an alarm system to let her know if anyone was around. There had been a couple of times when she had almost gotten caught. She knew she would have to do something when it came time to return to the ranch. There was no way she was going to stay in the bunkhouse. For one thing, all the men seemed to take great pleasure in releasing gas from both ends of their body. While accustomed to working with ranch hands and being around Sam’s boys, these guys seemed to take it to a new level of competing with each other to see who could be the most obnoxious. Even Cal had joined in after the first night. Indy had quickly taken to building a camp away from the others saying it was better for the dogs to be alert for danger.
    The weather had started to warm up a little more as it moved into the middle of April. Indy still hadn’t seen the ranch house yet. Jake had come out once to let her know he had healed up right pretty and the doc wanted to meet the lad who had done such a fine job of sewing him up. Indy had talked with Jake for a while before he headed back to the ranch.
    It was about midday two days later when Indy heard her name. Turning in her saddle, she watched as Jake rode up again. She turned Midnight around to let him know she had heard him.
    “ Indy, boss man says to come in,” Jake said pushing his hat up onto his forehead.
    “ What for?” Indy asked. She hoped it wasn’t to fire her. She liked the job even if she had trouble with the overabundance of gas the men put out.
    Jake spit before answering . “Seems Jacob is bringing in a herd of mustangs and they need some help with them. Things are quiet out here. Trace and Butler can handle the cattle.”
    “ I need to pack my stuff up,” Indy said nodding towards her camp.
    Jake looked at her in surprise. “What are you doing camping out here by yourself?”
    “ I’m not by myself. I have the boys. I prefer their snoring to the gas geysers going off with Trace and Butler,” Indy said as she turned Midnight towards her camp. With a whistle, Kahlua and the dogs followed.
    Jake and Indy were heading back to the ranch within the hour. It took them half a day to get there and it was getting dark as they rode into the yard.
    “You must have left right at first light. I didn’t realize we were still so far out,” Indy murmured softly looking at the ranch house in awe. It was huge! Even bigger than her grandfather’s house. It had a large wraparound porch with plenty of windows.
    “ Wow, some house!” Indy said, staring in open amazement at it.
    “ Yeah, pain in the ass if you ask me. Jacob and Jonathan’s folks built it. They wanted a place big enough to entertain. Their ma was from a rich family back east used to big houses, hard to heat during the winter months if you ask me,” Jake said spitting again. He groaned as he got down off his horse. “I’m getting too old for those long rides,” he muttered under his breath.
    “ Where will I be staying?” Indy asked getting down.
    “ No room in the bunkhouse. Boss said you can stay in the old cabin near the river. Needs some work but he figured if you wanted to stay there you could do it. If not, he said the barn would have to do until a space was freed up. Since you was the last hired you don’t get much choice.”
    “ Why don’t any of the other men want the old cabin?” Indy asked curiously. If she had a choice of staying in a smelly, overcrowded bunkhouse or have a place of her own she would choose a place of her own any day.
    “ None of them want to waste time fixing it up.