Pendleton

Even for a cowboy in skinny jeans and a pricey felt hat, the dust and sweat of the Pendleton Roundup can be a bit too macho and downright exhausting. So between the bull riding and the calf roping, he wandered to the field where the Indians, as they are known in the Northwest, were selling turquoise and its favorite companion, silver.

Behind one table, he spied a stunning young woman with a curtain of glossy black hair. She looked at him and smiled.

One bracelet caught his eye. “Tell me about that one, please, ” he said.

She explained, “The arrow symbolizes protection. The heart is for love. The sun in the middle brings healing energy, the dove is for peace, and the word ‘dream’ is for all that we do not understand.”

“What about the magnets at the ends?”

“The magnets just make it easier to get off and on,” she said.

He touched the brim of his Stetson. “I’ll take it, ma’am.”

“It’s miss,” she said.

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