Robin Lee Hatcher Read Online Free PDF Page A

it on the ground, rolled up his sleeves, then bent over to slip the heavy links beneath the log. His muscles bulged as he leaned forward, pulling on the chain.
    “What is he doing?” she asked Dru.
    “It’s to help check our speed. Gavin fastens one end of the chain around a large log and the other to the undercarriage. The log helps create drag on the steep grade so the wagon won’t get away from the horses.”
    Twenty minutes later, they started down the mountainside. Behind them, the dead tree carved a groove in the earth. It soon became apparent to Emily why Gavin had taken this precaution. Even with it, the horses leaned back over their hind legs, straining against the weight of the wagon pushing against them. The narrow track — too primitive to be called a road — wound back and forth across the side of the mountain but still the descent seemed too swift. The drop to the valley floor was frightening. What if the animals bolted? They would all plunge to their deaths.
    “Easy there,” Gavin murmured to the horses. “Easy now.”
    Emily looked up at him from her spot in the wagon bed. He was leaning back on the seat, his boots braced against the footboard, the reins woven through his fingers. Sweat stained the back of his shirt along his spine.
    “That’s it. Easy now. Take it slow. That’s it.”
    His words might have been meant to calm only the horses, but they served to calm Emily as well. It surprised her to find that, despite his obnoxious attitude toward her, he made her feel safe.

Four
    Patches of brown and white dotted the landscape across a wide sweep of meadowland where cattle grazed along the banks of the river, the lush grasses tickling their bellies.
    “We’re home,” Dru whispered.
    Emily rose to her knees and leaned over the side to see what was ahead. As she did so, she saw a horse and rider break away from the cattle and canter toward them. Gavin drew back on the reins, stopping the team, and waited for the cowboy to arrive.
    “It’s good to see you folks. Your girls ain’t stopped asking when you’d be back since the day you left.”
    “There’s nothing wrong, is there, Stubs?” Dru’s voice was anxious.
    The cowboy’s grizzled face broke into a grin. “No, ma’am. Nothin’ that their ma being home won’t cure.”
    “Where are they now?”
    “Jess and Brina are whipping up some grub for supper. I imagine Pet’s trying to help. Better get up there so they can throw in a bit more.” Stubs removed his hat and drew his arm across his forehead, glancing toward Emily as he did so. “Got your teacher, I see.”
    Gavin looked over his shoulder. “Miss Harris, this is Stubs Martin. He’s the foreman for the Lucky Strike Ranch.”
    “How do you do, Mr. Martin.” Emily stood, her hand on the back of the wagon seat for balance. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
    “Well, doggies, if you ain’t a pretty little thing. You just call me Stubs and we’ll get on fine.” He winked at her. “Yes, sir. She’s a right pretty little thing.”
    Emily felt the warm blush spreading up from her neck. She’d received fancier compliments in her life, but this one, coming in front of her employer, seemed too much by half. The last thing she wanted was for Gavin Blake to think she was just a pretty face and nothing more. He already expected her to fail.
    “You’d better sit down, Miss Harris.” Gavin slapped the reins against the horses’ rumps, and the wagon jerked forward, nearly toppling Emily.
    He’d done it on purpose. The rude, ill-mannered man.
    Stubs fell in beside them. “We got all the cattle in. Lost only a handful over the summer. A couple to wolves, looked like, the rest more’n likely to Indians. They should bring a good price, fat as they are. How soon’ll you be ready to drive ’em out? It’s getting a mite late in the season. First snows could fall any time now.”
    “Dru wants to stay in the basin for a few more weeks, but you’d better start the drive