The Tagger Herd: Something To Do: Grace Tagger

Excerpt:
There was no sound besides a few birds calling out, the creak of the saddle leather, and the horse's hooves hitting the ground. The breeze carried the aroma of pine trees and the approaching rain. Grace sighed, unlike the roaring crowds of the rodeos, it was so peaceful riding in the mountains. She knew she was lucky to be able to have both in her life.
They came across a section of broken wire and had it fixed within minutes then started uphill again.
"What's the fence line like on this side?" He tested her again.
"We've been at a narrow hillside between two gullies, so we can easily see the fencing on both sides. When we get to the top of the gully, the fencing goes up farther East across the mountain and down a bit. You'll follow that side, and I'll go West next to this fence line. They come together at the gate at the top. It should only take us another hour and a half to get there."
"The walkie-talkies may not work when we're on opposite sides because we're still down pretty low."
She nodded, "It's steep uphill toward the end."
"Other than his height, Jiggers is a good choice for the ride. He has a strong solid walk and doesn't trip."
"Matt said he has never regretted buying him...just loves him."
The first rain drops hit as they came to the 'y' in the road, and they quickly put the slickers on. The drops were big and heavy.
He turned and looked at her with a concerned expression; "Something happens, just stay where you are, and I'll come down to you."
"OK," she nodded. "And, if something happens on your side, stay where you are, and I'll come down to you."
He grinned and rode away from her. Jiggers' head turned and watched them walk away but didn't hesitate when she nudged him up the road in the opposite direction. She was going to miss riding with her dad even if it was only for an hour and a half.
"You hear me, OK?" His voice crackled from the walkie-talkie.
She quickly answered back, "Yes, I can. You and Eli have fun in the rain."
"You, too."
The rain slicker covered her legs, and the hat did a good job of protecting her from the rain. She had four layers on, which included the heated vest, but her face was chilled from the cold wind. She should have worn a scarf. The rain was coming down even heavier now.
Twenty minutes up the road, the bay horse was drenched and the path ahead was mixed with slick grass and growing puddles of mud. The green pine trees and the beautiful yellow Larch pines weren't thick, and she would occasionally catch a glimpse of deer making their way to find shelter from the downpour.
Jiggers' neck arched and his head jerked to the right. She followed his gaze expecting to see a deer or elk but didn't see anything. Her fingers gripped the reins tighter and heels lowered in the stirrups just before he jumped to the side doing a 90 degree turn mid-air. She jerked to the side and nearly fell off before he froze with body and head held high.
He snorted twice and her eyes searched for what had scared him.