Javier chortles. “For now.”
The gelding circles again, blowing hard through his nostrils. Then something changes. One ear swivels toward Jack.
Then the other.
The horse lowers his head and licks his lips before slowing from a trot to a walk.
Javier points at what just occurred. “See that?”
I nod slowly.
“He’s asking the horse a question.”
My nose wrinkles. “What’s the question?”
“Do you trust me enough to stop running?”
Jack turns his body slightly away from the gelding and drops the pressure completely. Instead of continuing around the pen, the gelding hesitates.
One uncertain step. Then another.
The horse walks toward Jack on his own. When he reaches Jack’s shoulder, Jack scratches the base of the horse’s neck like they’ve been friends for years.
“That’s it?” I question.
Javier nods. “You can’t force trust,” he says with a shrug. “You can only give someone a reason to choose you.”
Give someone a reason to choose you.
Those words echo in my head on a loop.
Javier angles toward me. “Speaking of horses that need a little extra attention…” He nods in Shadow’s direction. “Mind taking her for a walk?”
My head jerks back. “You want me to walk a horse?”
“She likes you.”
“She likes a lot of people,” I return without confidence because I don’t know that for sure.
“Not the way she likes you.”
My lips press into a thin line as I admit, “It’s because I feed her sugar cubes.”
Javier gives me a half smile. “Sugar cubes or not, she still likes you.”
I sigh through my nose. “Okay, I’ll do it, but if she runs away, it’s not my fault.”
“Noted,” Javier replies, like he doesn’t believe that’ll happen.
Javier gives me a rundown of what to do with Shadow, then fits her with a halter, attaches the lead rope, and hands me the end.
There’s no way I’m qualified for this, but here we are.
The south trail has a quality that makes it feel like I’m a princess walking through the woods, waiting for a charming prince to pop out of the trees and serenade me.
Maybe it’s the way the morning light trickles through the snow-covered evergreen branches, or maybe it’s the fresh pine scent complementing the sounds of running water from the nearby creek.
I even begin talking to Shadow and Bear like a fantasy princess would.
