JANUARY 3, 1860
Luke reigned in his horse on the outskirts of Dreamville, waiting for his ‘little sister’ to catch up with him. He watched as the attractive young girl, he had adopted as family, rode toward him. No wonder they all got along so well, he saw in the teenage girl the same zest for life and joy in living that he had seen in Serena and that he knew he held himself.
"Whatcha waiting for?" Meghan asked, a wide smile on her beaming face, as she pulled her horse to a stop in front of the handsome man who had become the brother she had never had.
"Oh I don’t know," he answered his face blank of expression. "Some people just can’t keep up with a good rider."
"You wouldn’t know a good rider if he came up and bit you on your rump." Meghan laughed at him watching him as he sat astride his big 16 hand silver gray horse. She knew he was an excellent rider, probably the best she had ever met, but he never seemed to acknowledge his prowess.
"Language Miss Thomson," he scolded a wide smile on his face. "I’ll be forced to tell your papa," he laughed.
"You would not, Abel." She said using his hated first name.
"That’s it!" He turned his prancing horse on the spot and glanced across at Meghan. "Race you to the creek," he called watching as she spurred her horse into action, allowing her to grab a head start before he followed.
Hooves pounding, manes flying, both bent low over their horses necks with the wind whipping their hats back to flap on their hat strings, whipping against their backs. Both so intent on beating the other to the creek they never noticed the other horse approaching, The young rider would have fallen from her mount as they breezed past her had she not been such an expert rider.
Karen heard the young man’s call of apology as she rode, grimly holding tight to the reins of her skittish horse. She recognized him as the man who owned the barber store in town and reminded herself that she would say something to him next time she was in town.
"Stupid town people!" She cussed as she turned her horse and rode toward town.
Both Meghan and Luke came to a stop by the side of the creek at the same time smiling at each other. They couldn’t help but laugh, at the fun they always seemed to have. They both knew they should have stopped when they saw the other horse, but they had been too caught up in the adrenaline filled fun of the race to stop, both hoped they would be able to find Karen later to apologize to her properly.