As he came galloping up to the corral, he saw Tracy’s hair gleaming in the evening rays of the sun. She was surrounded by both families, mounted and ready for another lesson. He brought Blueberry to a sliding stop.
“Wow—” Johnny exclaimed from the top of Goldie. “Will you teach me how to do that? It was awesome!”
The man and horse truly were one.
Talk about rugged elegance personified in its purest form!
Except for Johnny, everyone else sitting on their mounts was speechless. Tracy realized she was staring and looked away, but she’d never get that picture of him out of her mind. The quintessential cowboy had been indelibly inscribed there.
“If you’ll follow me,” came his deep voice, “we’ll take a short ride past the cabins. On the way back, I have a surprise for you.”
“Won’t you tell us?” Sam called to him.
“No,” his sister chided him. “Then it won’t be a surprise.”
Tracy exchanged an amused glance with the Harrises. The three of them rode behind the children. Johnny caught up to Carson. Two cowboys—one short, one tall—both wearing black Stetsons. She would love to hear their conversation, but the only sound drifting back was the occasional cough.
To see her son riding so proudly on his pony next to his mentor brought tears to her eyes. They’d been here such a short time, yet already he was loving this and showed no fear. Coming to the Tetons had been the right thing to do!
In the last twelve hours she hadn’t heard him talk once about his father. In truth, Tony hadn’t been actively in her thoughts, either. Neither she nor Johnny had memories here. The new setting and experiences had pushed the past to the background for a little while. As Natalie had reminded her, this was what the right kind of vacation was supposed to do for you.
Tracy hadn’t believed it was possible, but this evening she was confronted with living proof that Johnny was enjoying life again. So was she. The old adage about a mother being as happy as her saddest child could have been coined with her and her son in mind. But not tonight. Not tonight.
At one point, Carson turned his horse around. Flashing everyone a glance he said, “We’re going to head back now. The first person to figure out my surprise gets to choose the video for us to watch in the game room afterward.”
The children cried out with excitement and urged their horses around, which took a little doing. Carson gave them some pointers. Tracy listened to his instructions so she wouldn’t be the only one who had trouble handling her horse.
Pretty soon they were all facing west. Sam’s hand went up like he was in school. Johnny’s hand followed too late.
“Tell us what you think, Sam.”
“The mountains have turned into giants!”
“That’s what I was going to say,” Johnny muttered. Tracy hoped he wouldn’t pout.
Carson’s horse danced in place. “They do look pretty imposing, but I’m still waiting for the special answer.”
“I know.”
“Go ahead, Rachel.”
“The sun has gone down behind them, lighting up the whole sky with colors.”
“Congratulations! It’s the greatest sight this side of the Continental Divide.” Carson lifted his hat in a sweeping gesture, delighting her. “The lovely young cowgirl on Mitzi wins the prize.”
After the grownups clapped, Monica let out a sigh. “It’s probably the most beautiful sunset I’ve ever seen, and we’ve watched thousands of them over the ocean in Florida, haven’t we, Ralph.”
“You can say that again.”
Tracy agreed with them, especially the way the orangey-pink tones painted Carson’s face before his hat went back on.
A sly smile broke the corner of his mouth. “First person to reach the corral wins a new currycomb.”
Sam’s brows wrinkled. “A curry what?”
“A kind of comb to clean your ponies after a ride. They love it.”
“Come on!” Johnny shouted and made some clicking sounds with his tongue the way Carson had shown him. Goldie obeyed and started walking. In her heart of hearts, Tracy wanted her son to win.
In the end, the ponies hurried after Goldie. They kept up with each other and rode in together. Carson smiled at them. “You all win.”
“Yay!”
While Bert helped the children down and unsaddled their ponies, Carson went into the barn and brought them each their prizes. Once he’d dismounted, he removed the tack from his horse and showed them how to move the round metal combs in circles. They got to work with a diligence any parents could be proud of. Then they watered the horses and gave them oats.
He was a master teacher. Tonight they’d learned lessons they’d never forget—how to appreciate a beautiful sunset, how to care for an animal, how to handle competition. The list went on and on, increasing her admiration for him.
“Who wants a ride back to the house?”
“We do!”
“Then come on.” He punctuated it with a cough. “There’s room for everyone in the back.”
The men lifted the children. While Ralph helped Monica, Carson picked up Tracy. This time the contact of their thighs brushing against each other flowed through her like a current of electricity. She tried to suppress her gasp but feared he’d heard it.
On the short trip through the sage, the kids sang. They sounded happy, and Tracy started singing with them. It took her back to her youth. She’d had a pretty idyllic childhood. When Carson pulled the truck up in front of the house, she didn’t want the moment to end.
Ralph moved first and helped everyone down, including Tracy. That was good. She didn’t dare get that close to Carson again tonight. He’d kept the engine idling and said he’d see them in a minute before he took off around the back of the house. Everyone hurried inside to wash up.
Soon Carson joined them, bringing sodas from the kitchen. He sat on one of the leather chairs while the rest of them gathered round the big screen on two large leather couches. Fortunately, they had the game room to themselves.
To the boys’ disappointment, Rachel chose The Princess Bride, but Tracy enjoyed it and got the feeling all the grownups did, too. Before it was over, both Sam and Johnny’s eyes had closed. Ralph took his son home, leaving Rachel to finish the film with her mom.
Carson eyed Tracy. “Johnny’s had a big day, too. I’ll walk you to your cabin.”
Her heart jumped at the idea of being alone with him, but to turn him down would cause attention. Instead, she said good-night to the others and followed him out of the ranch house while he held Johnny’s hand. Her son was pretty groggy all the way to the cabin.
Tracy had to laugh when he staggered into the bedroom. Carson looked on with a smile as she got him changed into pajamas and tucked him into bed without a visit to the bathroom. “My son is zonked.”
He nodded. “Johnny’s gone nonstop all day. This altitude wears a man out.”
She turned off the light and they went into the front room where another bout of coughing ensued. Tracy darted him an anxious glance. “You should be in bed, too.”
Carson cocked his head. “Is that your polite way of trying to get me to leave?”
She hadn’t expected that question. “No—” she answered rather too emotionally, revealing