Sea Of Grass by Kate Sweeney Page B

chaps and flung them over the railing. She saw Jack eyeing the leather. “Go on, you’re tall enough. They’re about your size,” she said, and Jack quickly pulled them off the fence. “You just buckle them like a belt, then they have a strap behind the leg. There you got it. You look like a real cowboy now,” Tess said proudly and turned him around.
    “Yeah? Why do you wear them? I see them in the movies, but I never really knew.”
    “For driving the herd and riding through the brush and thickets. They protect your legs.” Tess watched as Jack walked around. “You can have them. I’ve got another pair. Once you get used to riding, I’ll take you out to see the herd.”
    “Great! Thanks, Tess,” he said sincerely.
    “You’re welcome. Now get back to practicing,” she said as she walked up to the porch. “Good afternoon, Claire.” She gingerly sat on the top step. “What’s for supper?”
    “Beef stew and biscuits.”
    Tess let out a sigh of relief as she leaned against the railing.
    “Are you done for the day, Tess?”
    “Yes, thank God.”
    Jack came bounding up, then stopped short and slowly swaggered up to them. Claire and Tess exchanged quick glances.
    “Tess, can I take care of Stella for you?”
    “Sure. You know where to put the saddle and where the brushes are. Give her a good brushing and let her cool off. I had her running this morning. Got a few strays stuck in the thicket on the north pasture.”
    “I’ll take care of her for you,” Jack assured her and led the chestnut mare to the stable.
    “He’s a good young man, Claire. You should be proud of him,” Tess said as they watched him.
    It was then Claire noticed blood on the collar of Tess’s denim shirt. “What happened?”
    Tess followed her look. “I don’t know. What is it?” She strained to see her shirt. “God, it’s not a bug, is it?”
    “You’re bleeding.” Claire walked into the kitchen and came back with the first aid kit. “Sit still.” She sat next to Tess on the step and gently pulled the collar of her shirt. “Geez, Tess. Where were you? In the thicket with the cows?”
    Tess chuckled as Claire cleaned the deep scratch on the side of her neck. “Yes, I was. I had to get them out of there. Chuck was chasing down strays, and the boys were in the other pasture.” She flinched as Claire dabbed the cut. “Stinging, stinging,” she exclaimed and tried to pull away.
    “It’s supposed to. Sit still.” Claire leaned in, gently blowing on the cut. Tess instantly shivered and Claire laughed.
    “Now I know how Stella feels, trying to get a fly off her back.”
    “So I remind you of a fly on your back?”
    Tess looked up into her eyes. “No, not really.”
    Claire said nothing for a moment. “There, keep it clean. That means no dunking your head in a horse trough.”  
    Tess laughed and flexed her neck. “Yes, ma’am.”  
    Claire smiled in spite of herself. She walked back inside and came back with a bottle of ice-cold beer.
    Tess looked up and took the offering. “Join me. I don’t drink alone.” She waited until Claire came back out and sat next to her.
    “Thanks for the first aid.” Tess touched the top of their bottles.
    “You’re welcome.”
    After taking a long pull from the bottle, Tess turned and leaned her back against the porch railing to get a better view of Claire. “Want to learn how to ride a horse?”
    Claire stopped with the bottle up to her lips. She glanced at Tess, who was sporting a challenging grin.
    “No.”
    Tess laughed at the resolute tone. “Why not?”
    “Because animals and I don’t get along. When I was a child, my dog bit me. My cat scratched me and the bird we had actually flew out of the cage and out the window,” she said seriously, and Tess let out a genuine laugh at the mental picture. “It’s not funny. I don’t have a way with animals like you and Jack.”
    Tess let it go as she drank her beer. “Ah, this tastes good. Where’s Dad?” she asked