Free Aundy (Pendleton Petticoats - Book 1) by Shanna Hatfield

means two of our cows had their babies.”
    “Thank you for clarifying,” Aundy said, the smile on her face evident in her voice. “I didn’t think you’d really drop the calves.”
    Nora giggled and chatted a few minutes, then invited Aundy to come for supper.
    “I’ve more than worn out my welcome with you all,” Aundy said, reluctant to impose further on the Nash family. “You’ve done so much for me already.”
    “Oh, that’s a bunch of flapdoodle,” Nora said. “Now, I’m going to have someone bring you over for supper and you can spend the evening before we take you back home. You know you’re welcome to spend the night.”
    “No, Nora. I just couldn’t,” Aundy said, noticing Dent walking toward the house through the kitchen window.  “Thank you for the invitation though.”
    “You just be ready about four this afternoon and I’ll send one of the boys to get you. Bye, honey.”
    “Bye,” Aundy said, hanging up the phone and opening the kitchen door before Dent had a chance to knock.
    “Ready for your lesson, Missy?” Dent asked, tipping his hat as Aundy walked out the door and down the back porch steps.
    “Yes, sir,” Aundy said, hoping he wouldn’t notice how afraid she was of the big animals. Following the foreman in the barn, Aundy listened as he discussed different types of horses and what purpose each served. Eric had the draft horses, Hans and Henry, that ran away with the wagon, as well as another big team Dent called Nut and Bolt.
    “Nut is a little on the wild side, so be sure you give him plenty of room,” Dent said, watching as Aundy stepped further away from the horse when he snorted her direction. Pointing out several of the stock horses in the pasture behind the barn, Dent explained Erik kept the horses for his men to ride. Asking questions about the different breeds and coloring, Dent was impressed with her ability to quickly absorb the information he was sharing.
    Standing at the stall of a pretty mare, Dent dug a piece of dried apple from his pocket and held it out to the horse. She took it from his hand and looked at him with big, sad eyes.
    “This is Bell, she belonged to Erik’s mother. Although she’s getting on in years, Bell is a good, solid mustang who’ll take you where you need to go,” Dent said, scratching the horse on her neck and behind her ears. “When you get that cast off your arm, I’ll teach you how to ride her.”
    “I will do my best to look forward to that experience,” Aundy said, holding a cautious hand out to the horse. Deciding she liked the new female in the barn, Bell turned liquid eyes to Aundy and offered a soft whicker.
    “I think she likes you,” Dent said, motioning for Aundy to continue. “Go on and pet her, she won’t bite you.” He refrained from mentioning that she not only bit but refused to let any of the men ride her.
    Aundy rubbed Bell on her nose and patted her neck. The horse moved forward in her stall and leaned her head against Aundy before releasing a sigh.
    “Well, I’ll be. It looks like she decided you’re friends,” Dent said, breaking into a broad grin. “She hasn’t taken too well to any of the fellers. Guess she just missed having a woman around.”
    “As soon as I’m able, we’ll have to rectify that situation,” Aundy said, scratching Bell’s neck before she and Dent moved through the rest of the barn.
    By the time Dent returned her to the house, Aundy discovered she owned milk cows, several pigs, and a hen house full of chickens.
    “Thank you for that introduction to the livestock, Dent. I very much appreciate it,” Aundy said as they walked across the barnyard toward the house. “I think I could gather the eggs from now on. I feel like I’ve been such a burden since I arrived, instead of a help.”
    “You haven’t been a burden to anyone, Missy. Not at all. If you’re sure you want to gather the eggs, just go in there of a morning, toss out their feed then snatch the eggs before the