Free Colorado Bride by Leigh Greenwood Page A

head on her shoulders.” It wasn’t long before Carrie had chosen her team, and it included only one horse Lucas would not have chosen himself.
    Being very careful not to upset the animals, Carrie moved into the stall with each horse, petting and talking to them as she slipped the halters over their heads. The horses didn’t like the halter and tossed their heads obstinately, but they wanted the oats and they were too familiar with the halter to object for very long. Once all four horses were haltered and hitched to their stalls, Carrie searched for and found the harnesses. She laid them out on the floor until she was sure she had every piece she needed. Once she started, she wouldn’t be able to leave the horses to look for some forgotten strap.
    It wasn’t easy for one person to harness four horses into a team, but Carrie had the good sense to find nose bags, which she filled with more oats, and the horses, restless and half-wild as they were, stood relatively still as she put them in the harness. Lucas didn’t get too close for fear Carrie might see him, but as far as he could tell she hadn’t made any mistakes. He’d check behind her before the stage left the yard, but he had to admit he’d never been so impressed with a woman. He sure hoped her husband turned out to be worthy of her.
    A few minutes before Carrie heard the yell of the stage driver heralding his arrival, she stepped back to look at her work. The team stood quietly in the confines of the barn contentedly munching their oats, completely harnessed and ready to go.
    “That ought to show that strutting Prometheus,” she said with a brilliant smile of satisfaction, then she hurriedly left the barn and returned to the station. A brief stop at a mirror to fix her hair, a brisk shaking of her skirts to get rid of the dust and a few pieces of straw, and then she was standing on the porch to welcome her guests, calm and in control, when the stage pulled into the yard.
    “You’re right on time,” she told the driver, one she didn’t know. The food is still hot, so hurry in before it gets cold.”
    “Where’s my team?” Jerry Blake asked.
    “It’ll be ready when you’re through eating.” Everyone settled down to the table except for two men.
    “Never have more than coffee in the morning,” one said. “I’d rather stretch my legs.”
    “I think I’ll take a walk too,” the second man said almost as soon as the door closed behind his friend.
    “Don’t wander too far,” Jerry warned him, talking with his mouth full of flapjacks. “We’ll be back on the road as soon as I change horses.”
    “You won’t get through that plate of food in less than fifteen minutes,” the passenger joked, pointing to the food mounded in front of Jerry. The man just grinned and dug in again.
    “I guess I’d better be seeing to the horses,” Jerry said as he got to his feet later, “but I want to tell you this sure beats anything Baca Riggins ever served up. I hope you and that young lady don’t plan to go away anytime soon. A man could get used to this kind of food.”
    “There’ll be something just as good every time you come through from now on,” Carrie promised him.
    “You wait until the passengers hear about you. They’ll probably start riding the stage just to get a decent meal every now and men.”
    “I appreciate your compliments, Mr. Blake, but don’t you think you ought to be getting back on the road?”
    “You’re right, ma’am. If you’ll just tell your tender to rustle up that team, I’ll be on my way.”
    “I’m the tender for the time being,” Carrie calmly announced, “and the team is already rustled up.” Two of the passengers stopped eating at that remark. “Just follow me,” Carrie said and led the way to the barn.
    Lucas had climbed down and inspected the harnesses in Carrie’s absence, but he was back in the loft waiting when Carrie opened the barn door and Jerry Blake got an eyeful of the team standing there,