Chapter 5
Nate handed Sam a bag of beef jerky a bit later while they rode. She smiled her thanks and took a handful. Bryan handed her a bottle of water. Sam wasn't sure how to grab the bottle when one hand held the reins and the other the jerky.
"Put your reins in your teeth," Jake instructed her.
Sam gave him a look to determine whether he was teasing her. He raised an eyebrow at her. Sam glanced at Bryan who was grinning but nodding. Sam looked at the other brothers and they were all watching her. Were they watching to see if she would be a sissy about it?
With a shrug Sam put the reins between her teeth and took the bottle from Bryan. Jake gave her a nod as she then took her reins with left hand again and took a sip from the bottle.
"Will we get there before dark?" Sam asked.
"Yeah," Jake answered. "We've only got a few more hours."
"What if I have to, uh…," Sam blushed without looking at him.
Jake gave her a startled look and Sam knew she had asked a dumb question.
"You just go," Jake shrugged. "One of us will stay with you while the others go ahead."
"What?" Sam yelped.
"What, what?" Jake questioned. "What do you do on roundup?"
Sam blushed. He had a point, she guessed. That didn't mean that she was comfortable discussing this with him. She nodded.
"Nobody will watch," Jake guessed what was bothering her.
"Okay," Sam blushed deeper.
"Everybody does it, Brat," Jake reminded her, sensibly.
"Okay," Sam couldn't look at him. Maybe when she was ten, she could discuss it, but right now she was embarrassed.
Jake's mouth twitched. He was seeing the differences between boys and girls. Going out on the range was nothing to him and his brothers. Girls were a bit more sensitive about this sort of thing and he vowed to remember it. Not that he'd tease Sam about a bodily function. That was too far, even for him and the friendship they shared.
He thought his brothers probably wouldn't either. Well who knew with Quinn and Bryan. When it came to those two, nobody was able to predict what they'd do.
Gosh, Jake was glad he was a guy. Girls were pretty high maintenance according to things he had overheard from Kit and Adam. Whatever that meant.
Jake glanced over at Sam. Normally she wasn't bent out of shape from things. One of the reasons he liked her was because she hadn't been afraid of frogs and dove into the river headfirst after a fish.
He thought about the girls at school and couldn't see many of them doing that. Sam hadn't hesitated.
Jake felt her gaze and returned it.
"Can I help fish?" Sam asked.
"Are you going to dive in after it?" Jake wondered with a grin.
"No," Sam shook her head. "You have fishing poles, right?"
"Yep," Jake nodded. "Sure you can help fish. I'll gut it for you."
Sam paled. Jake laughed. He laughed so hard, his brothers turned around to look at the two of them. Sam leaned over to punch his thigh.
"Ow," Sam shook her hand. When had Jake gotten thigh muscles?
"Serves you right," Jake's tomcat grin spread across his face.
"We've got to teach you how to properly throw a punch, Sammy," Nate told her. "Remind me tonight."
"Oh that's a good idea," Jake rolled his eyes.