Now the autumn peak had arrived, and Aaron was saddling two horses so Skye could get a real feel of fall on the ranch. Aaron hadn’t told her where they were going, but he had a plan. The aptly named Aspen Creek Gulch was a narrow ravine that dove north and east into the Northstar Mountains, and situated at the edge of a large stand of quaking aspen was the original Hammond homestead, a smallish log cabin dating back to the late 1860s. His family had done a decent job of keeping the place intact over the years, and even the log-rail corrals still stood in defiance of the elements.
“Are we ready?” he asked.
Jessie bounded over to him, and he hoisted her into his saddle. Skye, who had never been on a horse, eyed the buckskin mare he’d saddled for her.
“I promise, Coyote is as gentle and st
