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| Blogs > RangeBull70 > Musings from the Open Range |
Go West Woman, Go West - Part 5
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Go West Woman, Go West - Part 5 Part 5 of the Series Go West Woman, Go West is loosely paraphrased from the famous statement made by Horace Greely - Go West Man! Go West in an Editorial in the New York Tribune in the 1865. The remainder of this installment is posted in the comments to preserve the formatting. Please be sure to stop back Part 6. I hope you enjoy the story. Thursday - Day Five The day began early just like the others, with the pack of dogs scouting ahead they rode south-west into a new day to resume the gather. The terrain here different. The timber larger and the swales of the mountains a more rugged, but they hid incredibly lush meadows and alpine lakes in which trout occasionally broke the surface of the water while catching their breakfast. The dogs trotted ahead of the horses, disappearing occasionally, and returning to the melodious clang of cowbells. The dogs started every cow they came across in the general direction of the cow camp and then returned to join them on their south-westerly course. They had ridden for a few hours, arriving at a prominent, almost sheer wall of rock that jutted from the plateau. He reined up and turned his to face her saying, while he pointed, âÂÂThis ridge is a natural barrier and the edge of my allotment. Rarely, if ever, have the cattle drifted over this and down into the river canyon beyond.â He continued, âÂÂWhat IâÂÂd like to do is split up with you riding back in the rough direction we came from, and IâÂÂll stay to the West in the rougher ground to find any critters playing hide-and-seek and push any stragglers along.â He paused, allowing her to take in what he said and finished with a, âÂÂWhat do you think?â She swallowed hard, pushing down the bit of nervousness rising from the pit of her stomach. Remembering the point of this entire adventure about being out of her element, she said, âÂÂIâÂÂll do my best.â He rode up close to her, their âÂÂs side by side and facing head to tail, so close their legs brushed together. He took her left hand in his and said, âÂÂI know you will. IâÂÂve been watching you and not just because I like to look - which I do, believe me I do!â He smiled broadly at her and with a pride in his voice said, âÂÂYouâÂÂve become quite the cowgirl this week and I believe you will do fine. I you to keep Allie and Clancy with you. Let Lady set her pace and you should be back to camp before noon. Keep heading to the North. If anything goes wrong - just stay where you are, and I will come and find you.â She shook her head yes and met his eyes with a tentative smile and said, âÂÂOK ⦠But which way is North?â He laughed softly, their left hands still clasped together, he used his right to remove his hat and leaned under the brim of her new Stetson for a tender kiss. With his face still close to hers and deep into her beautiful hazel eyes, he softly said, âÂÂThat for courage. I have faith in you. YouâÂÂre better at this than you thin Look at your watch, if itâÂÂs before noon, keep the sun on your right shoulder and youâÂÂll be alright. If youâÂÂre not at the camp before noon, or I get there before you, I will come for you as fast as my can carry me.â From the Gold Country of Northern California's Sierra Nevada Mountains, Range Bull |
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Thursday - Day Five The day began early just like the others, with the pack of dogs scouting ahead they rode south-west into a new day to resume the gather. The terrain here was different. The timber was larger and the swales of the mountains a little more rugged, but they hid incredibly lush meadows and small alpine lakes in which trout occasionally broke the surface of the water while catching their breakfast. The dogs trotted ahead of the horses, disappearing occasionally, and returning to the melodious clang of cowbells. The dogs started every cow they came across in the general direction of the cow camp and then returned to join them on their south-westerly course. They had ridden for a few hours, arriving at a prominent, almost sheer wall of rock that jutted from the plateau. He reined up and turned his horse to face her saying, while he pointed, “This ridge is a natural barrier and the edge of my allotment. Rarely, if ever, have the cattle drifted over this and down into the river canyon beyond.” He continued, “What I’d like to do is split up with you riding back in the rough direction we came from, and I’ll stay to the West in the rougher ground to find any critters playing hide-and-seek and push any stragglers along.” He paused, allowing her to take in what he said and finished with a, “What do you think?” She swallowed hard, pushing down the bit of nervousness rising from the pit of her stomach. Remembering the point of this entire adventure was about being out of her element, she said, “I’ll do my best.” He rode up close to her, their horse’s side by side and facing head to tail, so close their legs brushed together. He took her left hand in his and said, “I know you will. I’ve been watching you and not just because I like to look - which I do, believe me I do!” He smiled broadly at her and with a little pride in his voice said, “You’ve become quite the cowgirl this week and I believe you will do fine. I want you to keep Allie and Clancy with you. Let Lady set her pace and you should be back to camp before noon. Keep heading to the North. If anything goes wrong - just stay where you are, and I will come and find you.” She shook her head yes and met his eyes with a tentative smile and said, “OK … But which way is North?” He laughed softly, their left hands still clasped together, he used his right to remove his hat and leaned under the brim of her new Stetson for a tender kiss. With his face still close to hers and looking deep into her beautiful hazel eyes, he softly said, “That was for courage. I have faith in you. You’re better at this than you think. Look at your watch, if it’s before noon, keep the sun on your right shoulder and you’ll be alright. If you’re not at the camp before noon, or I get there before you, I will come looking for you as fast as my horse can carry me.” He could tell she was nervous as he leaned in to kiss her again. She was blushing as their lips parted, and she asked him softly, “So what was that one for?” “That was because I like kissing you and I wanted to,” he said while smiling broadly. He paused slightly and said, “And you my dear are a very good kisser … and Why would I ever deny myself such an opportunity?” While backing his horse away and holding his hat over his heart he said to her, “Parting is such sweet sorrow, I will see you by noon, and have no fear, for I will wait no longer.” He bowed to her, placed his hat on his head, called to Duke and Maggie, and loped away across the meadow disappearing into the tree line. She sat there for a moment smiling to herself - Shakespeare, he just loosely quoted Shakespeare to her and then rode away! She collected her thoughts for a moment as Lady stamped at a fly buzzing under her belly and the dogs stood watching her intensely, waiting for the order to move out. She sighed gently, steeled her courage, turned Lady about and started back in the direction they had come riding from. Allie and Clancy moved ahead, crisscrossing the terrain. Every now and then, one of the dogs would dart off into the trees and return, nipping at the heels of a few wayward stragglers. She whistled, and spoke to the cows, as she had heard him doing all week, to keep the cattle moving along. She paused sporadically, ever conscious of the direction of the sun on her right shoulder. She knew he couldn’t be to terribly far away as she would occasionally hear a cracking noise in the brush and clang of cowbells to her left as small groups of cows and their calves would appear to join her little group. She and the dogs drove their ever-growing herd back towards the cow camp accompanied by the rich, musical tone of bells. As she crested a slight rise, the corrals and cow camp appeared before her. Unsure of what else to do, she drove the herd of nearly thirty cows and their calves towards the corral. She loped ahead to open the gate to the pen and circled back to help the dogs drive the cattle into the corral. After a few tense moments, together they managed to guide the last of the animals into the enclosure. She closed the gate and rode around the perimeter of the meadow that surrounded the cow camp hoping to find him driving in his own group of cattle. Little bits of worry began to creep into her mind when she didn’t see him as she rode back to the camp. She watered Lady from the stream, rode to the cabin, dismounted, and holding Lady’s reins in her hand, nervously settled into a chair to wait. The dogs lay dozing in the cool grass nearby. It seemed like an hour but had only been fifteen to twenty minutes, when the dogs suddenly sat up and looked to the West. It was then that she began to hear the faint clang of bells. She mounted Lady and rushed towards the corral to see a string of cattle begin to appear over the rise to the West. Allie and Clancy sped off to help bring in the fresh bunch of cattle. The dogs turned the head of the herd away from the open meadow and towards the corral. Finally, she saw him crest the rise, sitting tall and straight in the saddle as he halted his horse, lifted his hat off his head and performed an exaggerated bow that could have been lifted from the script of a low budget Hollywood Western. She smiled and waved in return while swinging open the gate to let the cattle into the corral. “Did you miss me?” he asked as he trailed the last of his twenty or so cows and their calves into the pen. “Nope, I didn’t think about you once,” she said with a sly smile. “Damn, I’d have thought you missed me,” he said reining his horse up beside her. “Not even a little bit?” he said suggestively as he side-stepped his horse so close to hers their legs were touching. He took her hand in his and lifted it to his face and kissed it gently, his lips were soft, and his mustache tickled the back of her hand. “Are you sure you didn’t miss me?” he asked as he turned her hand to kiss and gently nibble the inside of her wrist. “Alright, I give, I missed you a little,” she said as she shivered from his kisses to her wrist, with a familiar heat beginning to rise inside her. He released her hand, backed his horse away and teasingly said, “That’s all I needed to hear.” He left her sitting on Lady with a WTF look on her face. She had expected him to deliver one of his deep, probing kisses that she had come to look forward to. She hollered at him as he rode across the corral, “By the way I win! I brought in more cows than you.” He turned in the saddle and shrugged in reply, He was toying with her knowing how she liked flirty foreplay as he rode to open the gate to the meadow letting the morning’s gather mix with the rest of the herd. As he drove the cows from the corral, he kept casting glances at her attempting to be casual and hide the desire he felt by simply being in her presence. It had pained him to ride away from her earlier that morning. He could see the uncertainty on her face when he had proposed they split up, but he’d left her his two best dogs and easy territory to cover. The ground he traversed that morning was treacherous at best, with narrow trails and steep ravines - no place for an inexperienced rider. He just couldn’t bear to tell her that she wasn’t a skilled enough rider to stay with him. She needed a confidence boost and to hear her bragging how many cows she had trailed in warmed his heart. Perhaps she would see for herself that she could adapt to this way of life. She was coming along so well and had a real aptitude for the work. She was conscientious, hardworking, brave, and genuinely cared for the animals. The dogs loved her, even Duke who could be aloof and solitary at times would settle himself down around her whenever she sat! As he rode back towards her, she asked, “What’s the plan for this afternoon?” He shrugged as he answered, “What would you like to do?” We waggled his eyebrows and said, “We’ve got a few hours …” After quickly packing a picnic lunch into his saddlebags and securing a quilt to his saddle they rode off at a slow lope in the direction he had appeared from earlier the dogs running along with them. Feeling confident in her growing horsemanship, she savored the feeling of being one with the horse as they sped across the rolling hills to arrive at a small mountain lake. The area was beautiful - a crystal clear lake surrounded by tall pines and fir trees that gave way to green and lush meadows a hundred yards from the water’s edge. He steered them to the stream that fed the lake on its western edge revealing a small sandy beach between the surrounding meadow and the water’s edge. Once there, he removed the items packed on his saddle, unsaddled and watered the horses, then picketed them to graze. While he was busy, she spread the quilt in the shade of a large Alder tree and set out their picnic. He returned find their meal laid out and her sitting on the quilt with her boots already off. He tugged his boots off and sat to enjoy the meal that had been laid out. After eating, she sat with her hands around her shins, chin resting on her knees reflectively starring across the water. She said, “It’s beautiful and so peaceful. I love the water.” “I know, it’s part of why I brought you here,” he said and sat up to put his arm around her and tenderly kiss the top of her head. They sat there taking in the view as a Golden Eagle swept from the sky to pluck a large trout from the water. “You don’t get to see something like that back in the city, do you?” he asked. She looked up at him, staring into his eyes, smiled, and said, “I’ll remember this week forever. Thank You.” He pulled her tighter to him and said, “Your company is what has made this special. It’s a lifestyle made for sharing with someone.” They continued to sit together saying nothing while admiring the landscape. He suggested a swim to cool them from the heat of the day. She said, “I’ve no swimsuit.” He grinned broadly and said, “Neither do I. Are you telling me you’ve never been skinny dipping?” She blushed a little as she answered, “Only in the occasional hot tub or swimming pool, never like this.” He watched her closely and said, “Now don’t go getting all timid on me.” Knowing how she couldn’t resist a challenge he followed his comment with, “I dare you.” Once the gauntlet had been thrown down, she rose and began to seductively remove her clothing. He watched her, taking in the sultry look in her eyes he followed every movement, every facial expression as she undressed before him. She coyly turned her back to him as she removed her bra, and French-Cut briefs. He admired the curve of her hips and the alabaster skin of her shapely bottom as she walked to the water’s edge and dipped a toe in the water. She let out a shriek and said, “It’s freezing cold. You have to be kidding!” He had removed his clothes while her back was turned and silently walked up behind her. He quickly reached out and swept her up into his arms and waded into the water, wincing as the chilly water caused his balls to shrivel and his cock to turtle. She looked up at him, a flash of fear in her eyes and defiantly said, “You wouldn’t d..a..” The word ‘dare’ never finished leaving her pouty lips as he tossed her into the water and quickly dove to swim out of her reach. He surfaced and saw her red faced and flustered as he said with a chuckle, “It’s brisk at first - Isn’t it?” She glared at him, trying to be mad as her body quickly adjusted to the invigorating water. He swam to her and said, “I know how to warm you up. My survival training in the military said skin to skin contact was the key.” “Oh really,” she said sarcastically. This was a slightly different side of him - ‘still waters run deep,’ she thought to herself, as he wrapped his arms around her and pressed himself up against her. Their shared body heat and the lusty look in his eyes quickly warmed them. He cupped her head in his hands and leaned into her for a quick kiss. She resisted at first saying, “That wasn’t nice you know.” He smiled, saying, “I had to, otherwise you would never have gotten in. Besides, I know you liked it. Especially when I picked you up and man handled you a little bit. I know you like that.” She smiled seductively, gently biting her lower lip as he felt her arms encircle him, pressing the hard nubs of her nipples tight against his chest. Her hands roamed his back and enthusiastically played with his ass. He locked his fingers into her hair and applied pressure, not enough to cause pain; but enough to let her know that he was in charge today. He pulled her face to his and kissed her hard, his tongue probing and thrusting in her mouth. Their tongues battled and swirled with one another and as his mouth parted from hers, he playfully bit her lower lip and grazed his teeth over her chin as he pulled away. She shuddered as he reached his right arm under her to lift her up to him. She reflexively wrapped her legs around him, locking them together. He pulled back on her hair with his left hand, exposing her neck to and shoulder to his assault while he firmly kneaded her ass under the water. He strategically kissed and bit and her neck and shoulder while keeping steady pressure on the wet auburn hair wrapped in his closed fist. He dug his teeth into the nape of her neck and licked his way across the crest of her shoulder to pause and bite the ball of her shoulder while his right hand continued to take firm grasping handfuls of her left buttock. She sighed in pleasure and said, “Oh fuck, you know just how I like it don’t you?” He answered her by returning to her mouth, their mouths were open, tongues dueling, the lust building as he released her hair to cup his other hand under ass as he lifted her from the water. She clenched her legs tighter around him as he carried her out of the water and across the sandy beach. He pulled his right hand back and slapped her on the ass leaving a stinging handprint for her to contemplate where this might lead. She could feel the heat emanating from his loins as his growing erection began to press against her delicate folds. He marched across the quilt and pushed her up against the smooth bark of the Alder tree under which the quilt had been spread. He adjusted himself to probe her wetness and then entered her with a firm thrust. She was wet and slick with excitement as he entered her. She fit him like a glove and as he allowed her a moment to adjust to his steely hard rod. He slapped her on the ass again and alternated between several quick slaps and grasping handfuls of her right buttock. She cooed into his ear, “I love how that feels, fuck me, fuck me hard!” He wrapped his left hand in a handful of her hair, pulling her down onto him. Her breasts were flattened against the mass of his chest as he pressed her against the tree, his right hand was now cupped underneath her, her toned and shapely legs encircled him as he slowly rolled his hips to slide in and out of her wetness. He tucked his face into the hollow of her neck and kissed and licked and nipped, his mustache tickled her sensitive skin. She could feel him thrusting now with a hurried pace, his balls smacked against her making the telltale ‘slap, slap, slap’ as he furiously fucked her. She could feel him bury himself into her depths, withdrawing almost fully to slam back into her, sending ripples of pleasure through her body. Passionate moans became gasps of pleasure as he fucked her mercilessly. She could feel beads of sweat as she cupped a hand on the back of his head, the other circled his back as she dug her nails into his skin. He groaned as she ran her hand across his back leaving catlike scratches across his broad shoulders. They could feel their approaching orgasms as he rhythmically pounded his cock into her. She felt his legs buckle slightly as he growled out, “Motherfucker …” and kissed her intensely while he shot his wad deep into her. The feel of his pulsing cock pushed her over the edge and her scream was stifled by his tongue sweeping against hers, he pulled away from her mouth as the spasms of her climax began to ease and licked his way up her jaw to bite her earlobe, his cock throbbed sporadically as he very slowly ground himself into her. Somehow, they had managed to untangle themselves and melted into each other, laying face to face on the quilt, and enjoying the post orgasmic drift of lovers who had expended everything to pleasure one another. They looked into each other’s eyes, lost in the moment, savoring the sensual heights they had just enjoyed. He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand, occasionally running his fingers through her thick auburn hair and softly asked her, “I didn’t hurt you, did I?” She smiled, little dimples formed in her cheeks as her nose scrunched up while she shook her head no, “Hurt me - No. Surprise me - Yes!” She closed her eyes and leaned into him, they kissed tenderly at first, then fiercely. As their lips parted, she said smilingly, “Surprised me in a good way, a very good way.” They returned to the lake to wash themselves before dressing and getting back to the afternoon’s work. They saddled their mounts, packed up their picnic gear, and swung into their saddles. He whistled to the dogs, who had been sunning themselves in the cool sand at the water’s edge, to follow them as they rode West to return to work. The rest of the day passed quickly, and they returned to the cow camp having collected another thirty head of cows and their calves. They unsaddled and cared for the horses before picketing them to graze and set about the task of preparing their evening meal. Tonight, they worked together in the small kitchen. He began by parboiling two of the largest artichokes she had ever seen. Once they were tender, he blanched them in cold water, sliced them in half, cleaned the inedible parts away, and set them aside. He commented that whatever California’s other failings might be you just couldn’t beat the access to its variety, high quality, and super fresh produce. She prepared a salad of Butter Lettuce fresh from his large garden, chopped bits of bacon he had saved from their morning meal, topped with chopped walnuts and dried cranberries that she caramelized in butter and honey as he readied the grill for cooking. While he seasoned the meat and brushed the artichoke halves liberally with olive oil, he felt a little guilty at not fully utilizing her culinary talent. He knew she liked to cook and that she had some serious kitchen skills - but this week was about her. He had planned all their meals for the week, selected and packed all the food, and it didn’t feel quite right to have his guest relegated to kitchen duty. As he grilled several thick Venison steaks and the artichoke halves, he told her the story of harvesting the buck right out of his orchard last deer season. He used the waning heat of the cooking fire to grill several of his favorite variety of pears, Bronze Beauty Boscs, while she reduced a mixture of raspberry vinaigrette and honey on the cookstove. True to his story, the buck was delicious. It damn well should have been as it had fed off the fruit in his orchard for weeks. They capped off the evening by sitting in front of the cabin to watch the stars populate the evening sky while enjoying the crisp mountain air. From the Gold Country of Northern California's Sierra Nevada Mountains, Range Bull
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