this is a lot safer because you’ve got this pony under you and she loves you. She doesn’t want you to fall. Okay if I let go of you?”
“Okay,” he said in a shaky voice.
Carson took a few steps back, ready to catch him if he suddenly wanted to get off. But he didn’t. “Good man.”
“You look like a real cowboy!” his mother called out. “I’m so proud of you!”
“Thanks.”
Moving to the front of the pony Carson said, “I’m going to take hold of the bridle and walk Goldie. You keep holding on to the pommel so you can feel what it’s like to ride her. Does that sound okay to you?”
Johnny nodded, but was biting his lip.
“We’ll only go a few feet, then we’ll stop.”
“Okay,” the boy murmured.
Carson started to walk. Goldie cooperated. When he stopped, she stopped. “How did that feel? Do you want to keep going?”
“Yes.”
“Good for you. I’ve seen ten-year-olds out here who started bawling their heads off for their moms about now.” He moved again and just kept going until they’d circled the corral. “You just passed your first lesson with flying colors, Johnny.” He heard clapping and cheers from Tracy.
A big smile broke out on his face. “Thanks. Can I go around by myself now?”
That’s what he’d been hoping to hear, but you never knew. “Why not? Let me show you how to hold the reins. If she goes too fast, just pull back on them a little. Ready?” He nodded.
“I’m going to give Goldie a little tap on her hind quarters to get her going. Okay?”
“Yup.”
Suddenly they were off at the same speed as before, but without his help. Carson walked over to the fence where Tracy was hanging over it.
“Hey—I’m doing it. I’m riding!” he cried out.
“You sure are,” she called back. “I can’t believe it!”
“It’s easy, Mom.” He circled one more time. “Now it’s your turn.”
Carson saw the expression on her face and chuckled. “Yeah, Mom. It’s easy. Now it’s time for you. Better not let your son show you up.”
“He already has. I’m quaking in my new leather boots.”
“I shivered my first time, too, but I promise it will be okay. Annie’s a gentle, sure-footed mare.”
She got down off the fence and walked around to enter the corral. Carson waited until Goldie had come up to him before he removed the boy’s feet from the stirrups and pulled him off. “Give her a rub on the forelock, then she’ll know you had a good time.”
Johnny did his bidding without any hesitation. “Can I give her some more oats?”
“Of course.” He handed him the reins. “Go ahead. You know what to do.”
While he walked her over to the feed bag, Carson called to Bert to bring out Annie, and then he made the introductions. “Bert Rawlins, this is Tracy Baretta. Bert has been running the stable for years.”
Tracy shook his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“The feeling’s mutual, ma’am. Annie’s saddled and ready to go.”
Carson reached for the reins and handed them to Tracy. “Let’s see how good a teacher I am.”
There was more green than gray in her eyes today. They were suspiciously bright. “You already know. My son’s over there feeding that pony like he’s been living on this ranch for a month.”
Nothing could have pleased Carson more. He watched her move in front of the bay and rub her forelock. She nickered on cue.
“This is my first time, Annie. Don’t let me down.” Pulling on the reins, she started walking around the corral just as her son had done.
Carson decided the brown horse with the black mane and tail provided the perfect foil for her gleaming blond hair. When she came around, he helped her into the saddle and adjusted her stirrups. “Would you like me to walk you around?”
“I think I’ll be all right.” What did they say about a mother walking into a burning building for her child?
He handed her the reins and gave the horse’s rump a tap. Annie knew what to do and started walking. Halfway around the arena, Carson knew Tracy would be all right.
“Hey, Mom—it’s fun, huh?”
“It will be when I’ve had a few more lessons.”
Annie kept walking toward Carson. He looked up at Tracy. “Want to go around one more time, pulling on the reins to the right or left?”
“Sure.”
He was sure she didn’t, but she was game.
“This time, give her a nudge with your heels and she’ll go.”
The second she made contact, Annie started out. It surprised Tracy, knocking her off balance, but she righted herself in a hurry.
“If she’s going too fast, pull on the reins and she’ll slow down.”
Little by little she made it around the enclosure, urging the horse in one direction, then another.
“You’re doing great, Mom!”
“You both are. I think that will be all for today.”
Carson signaled Bert to take care of the horses. “Come on, Johnny.” He walked over to help Tracy, but she was too quick for him. She flung her leg over and got down on her own. Whether she did it without thinking or didn’t want help, he didn’t know.
“Are we going for a Jeep ride now?”
“Would you like that, partner?”
“Yes. Then can we come back to see Goldie? I think she’ll miss me.”
Johnny was showing the first signs of a horse lover. Either it was in you, or it wasn’t. “I’m sure she will.”
The three of them got back in the Jeep. For the next hour, he gave them a tour of the property so they could get their bearings. Johnny talked up a storm while a quieter Tracy sat back and took in the sights. As they neared the ranch house, his cell phone rang. The caller ID indicated it was the district ranger for the Bridger-Teton National Forest.
“Excuse me for a minute. I have to take this,” he said to them before answering. “Dave? What’s up?”
“There’s a man-made fire started up on the western edge of the forest
