High-Riding Heroes by Joey Light Page B

was done in a southwestern pattern of earth colors. Brown, beige, light green. The yellow off-the-shoulder gypsy-style blouse was threaded around the neckline and puffy sleeves with brown ribbon. Her hair was pulled back and up with barrettes.
    Around her throat lay a turquoise satin ribbon. She looked festive and felt as giddy as a girl on her first date.
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    High-Riding Heroes
    Wes appeared at her door dressed in a white dress shirt with stand-up collar and black jeans with wide black suspenders clipped behind the ever-present leather belt and hubcap-sized rodeo buckle. His belly-cut python boots looked amazingly real. He looked sharp and handsome. Taking her hand, he led her down the stairs. “Perfect,” he raised her hand to his lips. “Just perfect.”
    That made it look like a date…and feel like a date. Her subconscious mind taunted her. So what if it is a date? Is that the end of the world? Does that mean you have to have his children? Good grief. Just go and have fun.
    Joe let out a loud wolf whistle as they walked through the dining room and Victoria blushed.
    Instead of walking to the back lot for the truck, Wes led her to a buckboard that was waiting by the hitch rail. She let out a squeal as he hoisted her onto the seat before he walked around to jump up on the seat beside her.
    A flip of the reins, and they were on their way out of town.
    “This is a wonderful idea,” she exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. “But won’t we be late?”
    “Dinner’s actually at five.”
    She narrowed her eyes, “So you planned this surprise last night.”
    “It just sort of came to me.” He shrugged. “You’re always interested in seeing the real West. You’ll see it today. And from the same perch they saw it from.”
    He laughed softly. She was beautiful and her eyes were shining. He was glad he had thought of it. And the advertisement on the side would be good for business.
    The wagon rolled over the hill and down onto the macadam road. Wes merely watched as Victoria waved to the carloads of people that passed by. She chatted and he answered when an answer was called for. For the most part he

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    Joey Light
    just sat back and enjoyed. Enjoyed as he hadn’t had a chance to in a long, long time. He had long since convinced himself that the sound of a woman’s laugh added nothing to his life. He counted himself wrong.
    Two hours later, they pulled down a narrow lane. Victoria was reminded of some of the Westerns she had seen on TV and expected to hear the theme song from Bonanza any moment. Excitement coiled her stomach. Cars were parked on all sides of the lane, and the closer they got, the more she could smell the aroma of beef sizzling in the air.
    The huge ranch house rambled off to the left, low slung and white to fend off the heat. Four barns and miles of paddocks and green fields unfolded before her.
    Horses, all sizes and colors, grazed peacefully or ran and jumped.
    She could hardly contain herself. It was exactly like a book or a movie…except it was real.
    Wes tucked her arm through the crook of his elbow as they rode through the final set of wide, black iron gates. Guiding the wagon off to the side, he jumped down and came around to lift her to the ground. For a split second he held her in the air, her hands on his shoulders, her eyes smiling into his eyes. For a few moments, they were isolated and alone, then they were descended upon by the family and guests. Introductions and handshakes and back slaps made the full round. Victoria guessed, breathlessly, that there must have been two hundred people attending.
    It was then Victoria spotted a little girl wiggling through the legs of the grown-ups, dirty white dress flying, a spoon in her hand, eyes bright and excited. As Victoria thought what a beautiful little girl she was, the child ran right smack up to Wes. Her arms stretched into the