Читать книгу Big Sky Country - Linda Lael Miller - Страница 6

Dear Reader,

I can’t think of a more spectacular backdrop for a romance—or a wedding—than the Big Sky country, with its snow-laced mountains, jewel-clear lakes, its shimmering cottonwoods and ancient pines, its vast, grass-rippled prairies, and, of course, that legendary sky. To me, Montana is one of the most beautiful places on earth, part of the landscape of my soul, and writing about the place is always a pleasure.

For all its stunning scenery, though, the best thing about this loveliest of states is its people. They are straightforward—kind and cordial to friends and strangers alike, capable of hard work under the most difficult circumstances. In short, most of them still exhibit the pioneer spirit.

Several years ago, I went on a cattle drive in Montana, the kind of trip where you sleep in tents (okay, to real cowboys and cowgirls, tents represent luxury), ride after cattle all day and enjoy a cook wagon supper by a blazing campfire come evening. The stories told around that fire were funny, poignant and downright fascinating. My favorite involved a recent dude who’d brought his pillow out with him one morning and asked if somebody would mind strapping it to his saddle. Naturally, the wranglers got a major kick out of that, and so did the rest of us.

One day, we watched in sheer admiration while several cowboys and their horses rescued a cow who’d managed to get herself good and stuck in a cattle guard. She’d fallen between the wooden slats and she was bawling something fierce. I was horrified, figuring she’d have to be shot, since she must surely have broken at least one leg, but I’ll never forget watching real cowboys and very skilled horses in action. Using ropes and a strategically placed slab of wood, in a cooperative effort of man and horse that resembled a graceful dance, they managed to get that critter out of the hole and onto flat ground—unhurt, thank heaven. She ran to rejoin the herd, bellowing like crazy and wheeling her tail, and the rest of us greenhorns cheered. The cowboys calmly rewound their ropes, gave their horses an appreciative pat on the neck, then tipped their hats to us and rode off. After all, they had work to do.

Those are the kinds of experiences and memories that I brought to my Parable series. I hope that this story will leave you wanting to visit Montana (if you don’t live there, of course!) or revisit in the near future. You won’t be sorry.

If you’re from Montana, or if you do go there, check out my website, lindalaelmiller.com, to tell me about your time in the Big Sky state!

With love,