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"I'll be with you the entire time. "
I shook my head, but the crowd began to shout encouragement. "Go on, Mayor. "
"Come on, honey. "
"Try it; you'll like it. "
Maybe I would. Curious, I put my hand in Cartwright's.
He snapped his fingers, and the horse stopped dead. Since there was no saddle and therefore no stirrup, Malachi boosted me up, then climbed on behind. I held my body rigidly upright, trying not to lean against him. His arms came around me, and the horse rose, pawing at the air.
My gasp sounded more like a shriek. I was thrown against Malachi, my back to his chest; my rear nestled into the curve of his thighs. He tightened his legs, and while I should have felt trapped, even threatened, all I felt was anticipation. What might happen next?
Benjamin's front hooves met the earth, and he began to run. Instead of skipping over the barrier with ease - it was only a foot high - the animal bunched his muscles and he leaped, as in the dancing-on-air performances of the Lippizaner stallions, clearing the ring with several feet to spare.
The three of us seemed to fly, and that sense of magic returned for just an instant before Benjamin returned to the ground, then carried us into the night amid the thunderous roar of an appreciative crowd.
Chapter 16
We didn't get far before Cartwright stopped the horse with a soft cluck of his tongue. He'd probably been doing that the entire night, so what had seemed to be silent communication was anything but. Regardless, the show had been beyond impressive. What was a guy like him doing in a place like this?
I shifted, the movement bringing me more firmly against Cartwright. Either the performance had excited him or I did.
I tried to inch away, but his arms tightened. "Don't. "
The band began to play softly, a waltz, smooth and sweet. I glanced toward the ring, but our mad dash had taken us several yards into the forest and I could see only trees.
"The show," I began.
"Nothing but a bird act. They fly to and fro. You aren't missing a great deal. "
"Considering what I saw already, I'd have to say that I am. "
"Did you like it, then?"
"Very much. Why do you stay?"
His body tightened against mine. "What do you mean?"
"You could perform in New York. Las Vegas. Even on television. Or you could train animals and give up performing. "
"No," he said quietly. "I could not. "
I waited for him to explain, but he didn't.
"You enjoy wandering the country in a wagon?"
Cartwright shrugged, the movement rubbing his chest against my back. I resisted the urge to curve against him like a cat rolling in sun-warmed grass. "Wandering is what we do. The Rom are not welcome in this world. "
"Sometimes you talk like you're stuck in the seventeenth century. "
"Sometimes I feel as though I am. "
"Your horse is beautiful. "
"He is. Did you know that the Rom believe a white horse is touched by magic?"
"You think he's magic?"
