Novel Excerpt
A cheesey excerpt from One Lane Road. And it's cheesy. You have been warned! Michael and Heather are a brother and sister. Michael went back to the family ranch after college and Heather moved away (and married a doctor who got involved with steroids and professional sports scandals, and messy, messy, etc.). Heather recently moved home because of the mess with her husband.
--
Michael was leaned up against the truck when I came riding up on Laramie. I pulled her to a stop, swung down, and looped Laramie's reins over the bar on the side of the trailer.
"I swear, no hired man I have ever had is as hard on horses as you - ridin' her all the way out here at that pace and then expecting her to work all morning," he said. He poured me a cup of coffee from his thermos and handed it to me.
I tilted my head to examine him. He was grinning at me. I took the plastic cup and drank the scalding hot coffee quickly before it cooled in the early morning air. During calving in the early spring I had ridden in the pick up with him. There weren't a lot of choices when there were three foot drifts of snow and we were going out around the clock. But with spring our hours were more regular and I felt compelled me to saddle my horse and ride her, not put her in the horse trailer to haul her out to the pasture we were working in that day.
Laramie pulled at her reins to get closer to me and nuzzled my hair with her soft nose. She snorted on my face and her warm breath warmed me momentarily and then the moistness felt cool. My arms were warm from the exercise and my thighs were still warm from riding her. I held the cup of coffee in front of my nose - the only place on my body that horse back riding could not warm. It's crazy to me now that I went for years without riding a horse. I went for years thinking that exercise happened in a heated room at the health club with a rock and roll soundtrack and lycra. I went for years trying to forget the soft, curving hills covered with cattle. I went for years forgetting what it was like to get out of a warm bed and saddle a horse and ride that horse as fast as you could through the grass and then work all day outside.
"I don't think that Laramie has any complaints about the way I treat her," I said.
"No, I don't think she does," he admitted. "And other than wearing the horses out before we even get to work, I don't think I have ever had a hired man who I could count on as much as you and works as hard as you do."
"I would believe that," I said.
"Course, you're a big ol pain in the ass too. And if you're done with your coffee break, I think we'll get to work now. That is, if your horse ain't too wore out."
I shoved the plastic coffee cup into his chest and pushed him back into the horse trailer. He responded by pushing forward and wrapping his arms around me. We stood with my head buried into his coveralls that smelled of manure and sweat and gun powder.
"You didn't even hug me when dad died," I said to his chest.
He let go of me suddenly and walked to the back of the trailer to get Hi Ho out. He clicked commands to her as he backed her out and then he was up on her and off to the herd without looking back at me. I pulled Laramie's reins loose and hopped up on her back easily. I wiped the tears from my face with the back of my jacket and rode after my brother.
--
Michael was leaned up against the truck when I came riding up on Laramie. I pulled her to a stop, swung down, and looped Laramie's reins over the bar on the side of the trailer.
"I swear, no hired man I have ever had is as hard on horses as you - ridin' her all the way out here at that pace and then expecting her to work all morning," he said. He poured me a cup of coffee from his thermos and handed it to me.
I tilted my head to examine him. He was grinning at me. I took the plastic cup and drank the scalding hot coffee quickly before it cooled in the early morning air. During calving in the early spring I had ridden in the pick up with him. There weren't a lot of choices when there were three foot drifts of snow and we were going out around the clock. But with spring our hours were more regular and I felt compelled me to saddle my horse and ride her, not put her in the horse trailer to haul her out to the pasture we were working in that day.
Laramie pulled at her reins to get closer to me and nuzzled my hair with her soft nose. She snorted on my face and her warm breath warmed me momentarily and then the moistness felt cool. My arms were warm from the exercise and my thighs were still warm from riding her. I held the cup of coffee in front of my nose - the only place on my body that horse back riding could not warm. It's crazy to me now that I went for years without riding a horse. I went for years thinking that exercise happened in a heated room at the health club with a rock and roll soundtrack and lycra. I went for years trying to forget the soft, curving hills covered with cattle. I went for years forgetting what it was like to get out of a warm bed and saddle a horse and ride that horse as fast as you could through the grass and then work all day outside.
"I don't think that Laramie has any complaints about the way I treat her," I said.
"No, I don't think she does," he admitted. "And other than wearing the horses out before we even get to work, I don't think I have ever had a hired man who I could count on as much as you and works as hard as you do."
"I would believe that," I said.
"Course, you're a big ol pain in the ass too. And if you're done with your coffee break, I think we'll get to work now. That is, if your horse ain't too wore out."
I shoved the plastic coffee cup into his chest and pushed him back into the horse trailer. He responded by pushing forward and wrapping his arms around me. We stood with my head buried into his coveralls that smelled of manure and sweat and gun powder.
"You didn't even hug me when dad died," I said to his chest.
He let go of me suddenly and walked to the back of the trailer to get Hi Ho out. He clicked commands to her as he backed her out and then he was up on her and off to the herd without looking back at me. I pulled Laramie's reins loose and hopped up on her back easily. I wiped the tears from my face with the back of my jacket and rode after my brother.
posted by Lea at 2:06 PM
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