Chapter 12
Sam pulled into Three Ponies and parked in front of the barn. Witch was in the twenty acre pasture. Sam smooched to the mare who came to her.
"Hey Witchy, wanna go for a ride?" Sam gave the big black mare a neck rub. Witch snorted and tried to rub her head against Sam.
"None of that now," Sam scolded the black Quarter Horse. "Come on."
Sam opened the pasture gate, snapping a lead rope on the mare's halter.
"Easy, easy," Sam murmured as the mare took off for the barn. She crossed tied the horse in the barn and went and got Jake's tack.
Once she had Jake's mare saddled and bridled, Sam mounted and started for the range, hoping she'd find Jake's brothers out on the range.
After about an hour, she saw them up ahead, checking fences. They turned in their saddles upon hearing the approaching hooves. Each had their hands on the rifles in their saddle scabbards. Sam blanched and pulled Witch up quickly.
"Sammy!" Nate called in relief.
"Don't sneak up on us like that, Sammy," Quinn cautioned her.
"Sorry," Sam told them. "I heard about the cattle."
"Dad's got us riding every mile of fence," Bryan complained.
"And counting every cow," Nate said.
"How many have you lost?" Sam asked, frowning.
"About one hundred head," Quinn told her.
"One hundred?" Sam yelped. Witch shied under her. Sam put her hand on the mare's neck to sooth her.
"Yeah," Bryan muttered.
"Oh man," Sam murmured. "What can I do to help?"
The three guys looked at each other in surprise.
"Nothing right now," Nate told her, nudging his horse next to Witch. Witch laid back her ears, but Nate ignored her. He reached over and gave Sam a hug. "Thanks though."
"Thanks Sammy," Bryan urged Rocky in next to give her a hug.
"Don't thank me," Sam said. "You guys are family. Of course I'm going to help if I can."
"Just keep us company for now," Quinn hugged her last. "Riding fence is boring."
"It beats doing homework," Sam teased.
"That's true," Nate smiled at her.
The four of them rode together, talking and laughing as they did.
"I just gotta say one thing," Quinn said a bit later.
"Uh oh," Bryan muttered.
"It's not bad," Quinn laughed.
"Uh huh," Nate laughed. Sam couldn't help the giggle.
"All I was going to say is that Witch's rider is sure better looking than her normal rider," Quinn said.
Sam blushed. "Oh stop it," she told him. "I kinda like Witch's normal rider."
"Is that why you're marrying him?" Bryan teased.
"Yeah, I think it is," Sam grinned at him.
They came upon a hole in the fence that had obviously been cut.
"Stop your horses," Nate commanded, holding up his hand and looking at the ground.
Sam pulled Witch up and looked down. She saw horse tracks. Lots of horse tracks.
"Shoot, I wish Jake were here," Quinn said.
The other three nodded.
"Jake would be able to tell us who they were," Bryan agreed.
"What they had for dinner," Nate laughed.
"Where they're going for lunch," Sam put in.
The four of them laughed. Then just as quickly they sobered.
"Well we know where they grabbed them," Nate frowned.
"A lot of good it does us," Bryan dismounted and left Rocky ground-tied. He took a pair of gloves out of his saddle bags.
Quinn, Nate and Sam dismounted as well.
Quinn took out his gloves and went to the fence, pulling it back into place. Bryan and Nate took what they needed out of their saddle bags and started repairing the fence.
