He was a ranch hand. She was the boss's daughter. She had watched him from the day her father had hired him. His physique was lean, but very muscular--just the way she liked her men. And there had been men...too many perhaps for a woman so young, but being the only daughter of a rancher, and a beautiful woman besides, she had learned early on that she could have her pick of men. But this man was different. He paid absolutely no attention to her, and that drove her insane. She was accustomed to getting what she wanted, but her attempts to catch his eye were futile. No matter how provocatively she dressed, no matter how she flirted, he would not give her the time of day. He had heard the stories about her; that she was wild in bed, a real vixen, but he didn't care. As far as he could see, she was a spoiled brat. She strutted around the place, calling out orders, insulting the help, always telling them how things should be done, but never lifting a hand to help. He had no use for such a woman.
His job on the ranch, was to run the stables. He was a horse whisperer of sorts, which is the main reason he had been hired: to break in a new group of "green" horses, which would eventually be used to ride the range, when fences needed mending, and herds were driven in. He certainly had his work cut out for him. He had never worked with such a large group of horses at one time. Usually he was hired to break one particular horse of a bad habit, or simply to teach the horse to carry a rider. This was going to be a challenge, to say the least. If he could steer clear of the boss's daughter until his work was finished, he would be happy.
But it was not to be. Every day, as he worked the horses, 12 in all, she would stand outside the fence, questioning him, telling him how to do his job. Clearly she did not understand his methods, and as politely as he knew how, he would ask her to please refrain from comment. But as the days continued, she stood there, outside the fence, making his life miserable. She thought he was too easy on the animals, that he should "show them who was boss". She knew nothing of the trust that had to be developed between horse and trainer, though she had been around horses her entire life.
She was more interested in quick results, and assumed the way to achieve those results was by beating the horse. She was a distraction, and if she didn't back off, he would have no choice but to talk to her father when he returned from an auction in Wyoming. Miraculously, as he was having those thoughts, she threw up her arms, cursed in frustration, and stormed off, he hoped, for good. Finally! He could work without distraction, and do what he came here to do...train horses.
He was completely immersed in his work, trying to gain the trust of a beautiful, but wily, young horse. In one hand, he held some oats, as a reward, while in the other hand, he held a handkerchief, which if needed, he would use to "spook" the horse if it became a danger to his own safety. He had been here, in this same spot, for a half hour probably, trying to make eye contact, showing the horse he could be trusted, when she burst thru the gate, and into the ring. The horse reared up, neighing wildly at the commotion, and began to gallop excitedly around the ring. She stomped over to the man and threw a crop and a whip at his feet, screaming, "Here! Try these, why don't you!"
