He complied and Garrett and the other spectators watched as she slowly entered the pen. As Ed closed the gate, the mare reared and let out a vocal challenge but didn’t advance from her position on the far side of the enclosure. Spring let the mare get a good long look at heratop Lady before dismounting and climbing the fence to exit.
When she rejoined Garrett, he asked her, “Why’d you leave your horse inside?”
“Lady has a very calm nature. I’m hoping she’ll help Cass’s Queen not feel so alone, and eventually get her to relax.”
Garrett knew nothing about breaking horses, but the strategy made sense.
Spring said to Cass, “Let’s leave them together for a little while. Mr. McCray and I are going to see some of the other horses. Hopefully, your parents will have returned by the time we come back.”
“Anything you want me to do?”
“Yes. Talk to her, sing to her, call her by her name. Gently though. It’s pretty loud out here but horses hear real well, as you probably know. Let’s try and get her accustomed to the sound of your voice for now.”
“Okay. Thank you, Miss Lee.”
“You’re welcome.”
Garrett and Spring spent the next hour taking in the other pens and the attempts by the ranch hands to tame the wild horses. Garrett winced each time a man was sent flying and hit the ground with a thud, and held his breath as they scrambled to escape the angry hooves. AsSpring predicted, her brother was there treating injuries inside a small tent set up on the grounds. Even though Garrett had been advised not to worry about her, he wasn’t looking forward to seeing her thrown, and hoped she’d be able to get through the rest of the day without paying Colt a visit.
On the way back to check on Lady and Queen they were stopped by the sheriff.
“Wanted to let you know that Perry Hammond turned himself in this morning and will testify against Matt in exchange for the reward.”
Garrett was glad to hear it.
“So what about Matt?” Spring asked.
“He’s pulled up stakes. No idea where he is. Landlady says she hasn’t seen him in days. Could be he’s with Jarvis and his people. Haven’t heard anything on them so far either but the Cheyenne marshal has sent warrants as far west as San Francisco. Got my fingers crossed they’ll be apprehended soon. In the meantime, I’ll keep searching for Matt around here. I also alerted the railroad. The conductors are keeping an eye out in case he tries to buy a ticket.”
More positive news, Garrett thought. “So do you think the judge will need my testimony?”
“I spoke with the marshal and he couldn’tgive me a yes or no. He said the statement you gave me on the shooting may suffice.”
Garrett supposed he could live with that as long as Matt was convicted, which was in no way guaranteed considering the uneven justice the nation’s courts tended to dispense in cases involving members of the race. The 1857 Supreme Court decision of Dred Scott vs Sanford continued to influence judiciary thinking, and he doubted its ramifications would be banished in his lifetime, if ever.
As the sheriff and Spring discussed where Matt might be, Garrett looked toward the road. Seeing Odell driving up on his wagon made his heart stop. Riding with the old trapper were his parents and sister!
Spring must have sensed the change in him. “What’s the matter?”
“My folks!” he exclaimed and hurried to greet them as fast as his injured back allowed.
Spring smiled and stayed where she was, not wanting to butt in on their reunion. Pleased by the surprise and knowing how much seeing them meant to him, she watched for a moment as he embraced his family. Then she gave Whit her thanks for the news on Perry and headed back to the corral. She had a queen to tame.
Randolph and Audrey Nelson were standingby the fence, observing the pacing mare when Spring arrived. Randolph was tall and broad; his wife was short and thin-boned. Cass had inherited his stature and her mother’s pretty face and brown eyes, eyes that were focused on the mare.
Nelson greeted Spring with a smile. “Cass said you wanted our permission for her to work with the mare.”
“I do. I didn’t want to involve her without speaking to you first.” She looked to Audrey, one of the few women who’d never crossed the street when encountering Spring in town during her wild days.
“Makes sense to me,” Audrey said. “Cass is pretty fearless when it comes to things. In many ways she reminds me of you, Spring.”
Surprised by the compliment, Spring was rendered speechless. Cass, standing next to her mother, beamed shyly, as if pleased by the comparison.
“Thank you.” Spring finally replied genuinely. Uneasy with the praise, she turned to Cass. “How’s your queen doing?”
“Okay, I guess. Putting Lady in with her seems to be helping. She’s been standing beside her and Queen hasn’t been rearing or charging. Her ears are starting to perk up when I call hername and she looks over at me. I think she may be tired though. I asked Mr. Prescott if we could give her some water. He said to ask you when you returned.”
Spring eyed the mare. She was moving slower and having spent the day charging and rearing, water was needed. “Let’s get a bucket and see what happens.”