TIMELESS 2

Chapter 1

Samantha Forster rode her horse George during roundup. She had just turned eight years old a few days before. She rode near her father who was riding his new horse Smoke.

Smoke was a dark gray horse and Dad was already really happy with him. He had commented that he was the best cow horse he had ever seen with minimal training.

Smoke was still a stallion so Sam wasn't allowed to interact with him much. Dad warned her that stallions were unpredictable, especially with mares around. Dad planned on gelding him, but he was going to breed him to one of their Quarter Horse mares first.

The new mare, Princess Kitty was a sweet horse, Sam thought. Sorrel and small, she had a lot of patience with Sam which she appreciated. Kitty waited by the gate for Sam to bring her the daily carrot that Sam had begun feeding her when she had arrived at River Bend a few months ago.

Sam turned when she heard the hoofbeats behind her. Jake was riding up on his horse. Both his father and Dad looked at him.

"Got a cow calving," Jake told them.

"Now?" Mr. Ely yelped.

Jake nodded.

Both men reined their horses around to follow Jake. Sam went with them. Jake seemed so grown up now as he led them to where the cow was.

He would be ten in October and their friendship was still strong. They liked to ride together on the playa, Jake always ready to help her with her riding.

Jake was becoming a really good horseman, Sam thought as she watched him ride ahead of her. She knew that Dad asked his advice at times when it came to horses. She had overheard Dad say that he'd like to hire Jake to train horses for him when Jake was a bit older. He was that good.

He had also become a world-class tracker. Jake had her go out onto the playa or range at times and he would find her. It was their special kind of hide and seek. He'd give her a thirty minute head start and then he would track her to where she had ended up.

At first, she thought he was just teasing her. That he wouldn't come after her. However, he did and always did. He always found her too no matter where she went or what terrain she rode her horse over.

What amazed Sam is that Jake was so modest when it came to his talents. Jake was just a modest guy for the most part. Of course with her, he liked to lord his talents over her when he could. He'd give her his smug tomcat lying in the sun grin and Sam would want to hit him. That's the type of friendship they had. He was like her big brother and she loved him in her own way.

Up ahead, Sam saw Kit on the ground behind the cow which was trying to calve. From where she was, it looked like he was trying to pull the calf out of the cow. Sam shuddered.

"You might want to stay back here," Jake said to her, catching her eye.

Sam nodded and pulled up George, letting the men ride ahead. Jake knew that Sam was softhearted and she'd hate to see the cow hurting. Though she had finally figured it out, she still didn't like to talk about where meat came from.