Hey everyone! I'm so glad that you liked Chapter 1. Thanks to the two people that reviewed it, they encouraged me to continue writing. Thanks a lot, guys! Anyway, enjoy Chapter 2!!
Chapter 2
As Sam attempted to catch up with the other cowboys, Ace trotting at an easy pace, she clutched the sides where Jake had tickled her. Her sides were still sore to begin with from the fall before, and Jake tickling her didn't help ease the pain at all. Was he trying to flirt? Sam wondered to herself as she reached the back of the pack of River Bend cowboys.
"Hey – Sam," Jake said as he trotted up beside her with Witch, "did you finish the water in your canteen yet? I did – and I'm thirsty... Mind if I borrow some from yours?"
Sam looked at him blankly, then rolled her eyes and took her canteen off from around her neck. But, as she held it out to him, her arm shook with excruciating pain.
"Ouch!" Sam yelped like a dog having someone step on one of their paws. She dropped the canteen as she suddenly retracted her arm back to her side. Thankfully, Jake grabbed the strap of the canteen out of midair as it was falling to the Nevada desert floor.
"You okay?" Jake asked worryingly as he let his reins fall onto the saddle so he could pour some of Sam's water from her canteen into his. When she took too long to answer him, he asked her again. "Sam? You alright there?"
"I guess…" Sam said. She assumed it was from the night before, but she didn't fall that hard… It must've been something else.
Sam just shrugged it off and continued riding Ace at an easy pace. After a while, Jake handed her back her canteen. Surprisingly, he didn't take as much water as Sam expected him to.
"Thanks," he muttered as he kicked Witch into a slow, collected lope. Sam watched Witch's legs in awe. She was always amazed by Jake's ability to train horses so well, but of course, he didn't know that. If only I could get Ace to do that... to be able to get him so controlled. Sam thought.
Once Jake noticed that Sam was staring at how well his leg is, he waved in front of her face. "Hello?" he asked her.
Sam shook her head. "Sorry, Jake."
"Why were you staring at my leg, Brat?"
Sam blushed. She always got embarrassed when someone noticed that she was staring at them riding. "Sorry. I just really like how your leg is in the saddle," she muttered out the truth.
"Thanks, I guess..." he said guessingly.
Sam was about to say your welcome to him, until she saw the Phantom up on the hill. He whinnied a whinny so sweet, and so deep, she almost let Ace gallop to him. Once she noticed what she was doing, letting Ace be in charge, she pulled back on the reins and made him move right next to Witch, just like he was.
"Zanzibar..." she whispered so quietly so Jake wouldn't hear the stallion's secret name. His silver coat shown in the summer sun, mane and tail flowing like silk with every movement he made. He knew it was Sam looking at him, but also knew that other people were there. So, he didn't come. It hurt Sam that he didn't come, but she exactly knew why. She just wanted to pet his soft muzzle, finger comb his thick, soft mane... Be able to touch his silky white coat.
In only a matter of seconds, the white stallion nickered, reared, and disappeared.
"No! Come back!" Sam cried out, making Ace, and Jake, jump.
"What?" Jake asked, "I'm right here, Sam."
"I wasn't talking to you," she snapped, "I was talking to Zan—I mean, the Phantom."
She coughed after almost saying the horse's secret name, possibly being able to hide the part of the name she said.
"Oh," Jake replied, and then took a drink out of his canteen. "We're almost to the camp, by the way."
Sam nodded. They have been riding for about an hour, and she was already starving for lunch. Hopefully, they were going to make something that filled her up more.
Once at the camp, Ace shied at a plastic hot pink bag that was caught in one of the nearby trees. He bucked, and reared, several times. Sam tried to calm him down, but that didn't seem to make much use. In his last buck, he twisted in midair, leaving Sam with no choice but to let go, and fall to the rough, hot sand.
When she hit the ground, her head ached. She noticed that Dallas jumped down off Strawberry; ground tied her, and grabbed Ace, calming him down.
Sadly, she also noticed Jake getting off Witch, running towards her.
"Sam!" he yelled out as he ran to her side, kneeling beside her, lifting her upper body up so her back could lean on his thigh. "You okay?"
"Y-yeah," she managed to croak out, and rubbed her head, "can someone please hide that pink bag?"
"Sure," Pepper said as he ran over to it, putting it under a bush. After Ace noticed it was gone, he calmed down back to his usual self. Sam managed to stand up, Jake behind her, with his arm across his shoulders, ready if she needed to collapse so he would be able to catch her. He set her on a log, allowing her to wait for her lunch in peace.
Once everyone finished their lunch, they headed out again. they were very close to the cattle up in the mountains, and figured that they would keep riding until they got there.
While doing so, they passed by Gold Dust Ranch, Linc Slocum's ranch. Somehow, Sam didn't know how, Rachel managed to see them, and ran towards the cowboy pack, straight to Jake.
"Hello, Jake! I haven't seen you in a while," Rachel exclaimed in her sickening sweet British accent. Sam's face flushed with fury. Why Rachel was attracted to Jake, she didn't know, but it sure made her mad. She knew Jake didn't like her, but how come when Rachel was ever around, he was as sweet as candy to her? It was like Jake was lying to Sam.
"Hi, Rachel," Jake said, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Think I could ride with you? I need to tell you something," Rachel asked with her sweet puppy eyes. Sam wanted to just answer Rachel's question for Jake, but she knew she couldn't. Sam looked at Jake with a glare, obviously showing him that she didn't want him taking her along.
Although Sam told him not to, he did it anyway. "Sure, Rachel," he said as he helped her on Witch. Sam groaned, making Rachel and Jake look at her. She just pushed her Stetson harder on her head, looking the other way. She then kicked Ace into a canter, away from Jake and sickening Rachel, heading toward the front of the pack.
Hey - did you like it? Let me know! Please review, and once again, please no flames! Tell me any requests, if you'd like. :
