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as she and Gus became one fluid motion until he could no longer see her on the dusty road.
    As much as he hated to let her take off on Gus, Morgan was glad to be rid of April and her constant grumbling and complaining. If it wasn’t the food, it was the stops they had to make and where they stayed. She complained about the other passengers too. He was sure that she was used to having her every need met whenever she snapped her fingers. He hoped she didn’t return home by his stage. He had just about all he could take of her and her attitude.
    Morgan turned to Mark. “I pity the man who tangles with those beautiful blue eyes.”
    Mark chuckled. “Shoot, she’ll have him roped and lassoed quicker than a wildfire spreads.”

3
    Wes thought he’d be able to get a handle on Lars’s mare in the corral at the edge of town and still have time to make it to the wedding. He hadn’t seen a horse that he couldn’t break. It was something he was proud of. But this mare might become the first.
    He stepped back, letting the rope that he’d looped around the mare’s neck go slack. She was a beauty for a fact. Jet black, about sixteen hands high. Her sides heaving, she stopped pawing the ground before her in anger and stared him down with her huge, gleaming black eyes.
    “Hey, girl, nobody’s gonna hurt you none,” Wes whispered, keeping his distance for a bit. He had to earn her trust. He tentatively took a step toward her, and then another with his palm faceup. The mare rose up on her back legs, pawing the air with her front hooves and tossing her head, which sent her mane flying. Wes yanked down hard on the rope, and the mare screamed. He dug his heels into the ground, trying to hold the rope taut while speaking quietly to her.
    “Hey, you there! Stop that!”
    Wes turned to see a young lad canter toward him on the back of a big sorrel, sending rocks and dirt flying as he reined his horse in. The rider stopped some distance away, but Wes could tell that he must have been on the trail for a while. He couldn’t help but notice that he used no saddle, only a blanket. Still holding the rope, Wes pushed his hat back to get a better look at who was yelling at him. The young man leaned over his horse’s neck to stare at him. His jeans and duster showed dirt from a long ride, and his floppy felt hat shaded most of his face.
    “If you are trying to break that horse, those tactics won’t work!” Wes heard a squeaky-pitched voice laden with anger say.
    “Boy, I’ve been doing this most of my life, and I don’t believe I asked for your advice!” he yelled back. Snot-nosed kid sure has a lot of nerve. Must not be from around these parts, or he’d know better.
    “Leave that mare be. I’ll take her off your hands.” The rider pulled out a wad of bills from his hip pocket and threw them in the dirt, and the mare snorted her displeasure. “That ought to be more than enough to cover the cost. I’m in a bit of a hurry, but I’ll be back to collect her in the morning.”
    “She’s not for sale. She belongs to Lars, the smithy, for your information.” Wes drew his lips into a tight line.
    The young man’s horse danced back and forth in agitation. “He’ll sell her just to get her off his hands. Right now, I have a wedding that I must attend.” The rider yanked the reins in the direction of town and cantered off.
    Wes picked up the money. Whew! This high-strung mare isprob – ably not worth this amount for all her aggravation. Wes wondered who that person could have been. No matter, he was going to the wedding too, and he’d just hand the money right back to him.
    Wes let the rope drop and left the corral. The mare immediately ran to the far side. She would get used to walking about with the rope, and then maybe he’d try to put a bridle on her. But now he needed to wash his hands and hightail it to Josh’s wedding. Maybe he’d see Natalie there. She had been friendly to him at the art sale and at church, when he’d