Only 05 - Autumn Lover

got her anywhere near a bed, it wouldn’t be to tie her up and leave her.
    With a searing curse, Hunter reined Bugle Boy to his right. The horse lunged up and over the lip of the shallow wash. All around Bugle Boy’s flying hooves the grasslands unfolded in sunny, tawny glory.
    On Hunter’s right, less than a mile away, lay the vast stretch of the dried-up marsh. It rippled beneath the wind in shades of gold and brown.
    About a quarter mile ahead, a large band of mustangs thundered flat out across the land, pursued by Ladder S riders and their straining mounts.
    Hunter and Elyssa joined the chase. As they closedthe gap between themselves and the mustangs, they were careful to stay between the wild horses and the marsh.
    Any mustang that thought to run off into the tawny maze of the marsh would be turned back by one of the Ladder S riders. Other riders took up positions that kept the mustangs running toward the old brush corral that had been built years before for the annual wild horse roundups.
    By the time the mustangs reached the wide end of the brushy funnel that led to the corral, the horses were lathered and blowing hard. They swept down the funnel in a sea of whipping manes and tails, and flashing, driving hooves.
    Behind them riders leaned low in the saddle and dragged the concealed gate close. Before the mustangs understood what had happened, they were caught.
    Elyssa pulled her hard-breathing mare to a walk, wiped sweat from her own eyes, and tucked stray ribbons of hair back behind her ears. Eagerly she circled the big brush corral, trying to count horses.
    Inside the corral, mustangs milled in seething circles, looking for a way out. Countless sharp hooves churned through grass to dirt. Dust rose like smoke into the sky.
    It was impossible to count the mustangs, but Elyssa was grinning just the same after she finished her circuit of the corral. She had seen many Ladder S brands on the horses’ hips, which meant that a lot of the horses had already been broken. They would quickly get used to men again.
    Hunter rode up alongside Elyssa’s rawboned mare. Though he wouldn’t have admitted it, he wanted to reassure himself that she was all right after the dangerous ride.
    A single look told Hunter that Elyssa was excited and exhilarated rather than hurt. Her cheeks were pink, herblue-green eyes were as vivid as gemstones, and her smile was radiant.
    Hunter couldn’t help smiling in return.
    “How many do you think we caught?” Elyssa asked jubilantly.
    With an effort, Hunter forced himself to look away from red lips to the churning sea of mustangs that had been dammed behind brush fences.
    “Maybe two hundred,” Hunter said slowly. “At a guess, I’d say about half of them are fit to ride.”
    Then he smiled rather coldly, thinking of the army officer who had wanted Elyssa along with the horses.
    “But then, the army didn’t say the horses had to be good, did they?” Hunter asked softly. “Just greenbroke.”
    Elyssa laughed. Like her smile, her laughter was vibrant with pleasure. Possessively she looked at the mustangs.
    For the first time she began to believe the ranch might truly be saved. With that many fresh, vigorous horses, surely the men would be able to find more cattle.
    “A lot of the horses have Ladder S brands,” Elyssa said.
    “Some have Slash River brands.”
    Elyssa frowned. Impatiently she pulled a stray ribbon of silver-gold hair from her eyes and tucked it up beneath her hat.
    “Ab Culpepper’s brand,” Hunter added.
    “Fresh, no doubt,” she said sarcastically. “Real fresh.”
    Hunter shrugged. “Ab hasn’t been here long enough to have old brands.”
    “How many of ours do you think he has branded?” Elyssa asked.
    “We’ll know tomorrow or the next day, after the mustangs settle down long enough for us to do a real tally.”
    As Elyssa watched, a familiar-looking mare galloped by just inside the brush corral. A Slash River brand was dark and fresh on her hip.
    Yet the mare was one of the Ladder S’s best broodmares, and a fine cow pony as well.
    “Damn him!” Elyssa burst out.
    “On that we agree.”
    Hunter stood in the stirrups and whistled shrilly.
    Morgan emerged from the dust cloud surrounding the corral. His tough little pony was streaked with sweat and breathing deeply, but still game for whatever its rider wanted. The horse trotted over to Hunter and Elyssa with its head high.
    The air tasted of dust and shimmered with the intense autumn