Laney observed his hands, his
subtle finger movements as he played with the reins through which he
communicated silently with the animals. He closed his hands in a relaxed fist,
and the team came to a stop at the top of the incline. Tyler had a gentle hand
with the animals. It required a certain touch, a feel, to control a team with
such subtle finesse, and he was a master at it. Before she allowed her mind to
wander to what else his hands were capable of, Laney glanced at his profile,
wondering why they’d stopped. He looked straight ahead, and her eyes followed
his gaze.
“Oh, wow.” Her heart rate
accelerated, and she sat up straighter, leaning forward to see over the tops of
the horses’ backs. Spread out in the valley below them were several barns and
buildings, and wooden fenced corrals. A large log ranch house caught her eye,
nestled against the slope of a pine tree-covered hill. A huge stone chimney
rose from the backside of the house. Dozens of horses grazed in the outlying
fields and larger fenced paddocks. A windmill stood off to the side of the dirt
yard that separated the main house from the first outbuildings. The blades
turned lazily in the breeze.
“Welcome to the Double M,”
Tyler said. There was a distinct note of pride in his voice.
I like that snippet a lot. I've written that kind of scene where they stop for a moment to just look at the place below with pride and love, and I write it because it feels real as does this piece you wrote. I feel it when I look down on our barn and land from the hill and the joy never goes away.
ReplyDeleteSuch a good excerpt, Peggy. Another book to add to my Kindle.
ReplyDelete