Page 11 of One Wild Chance

After a month passed, Jaxon must have realized I wasn’t leaving. That’s when I’d catch him sneaking glances at me, mostly when he thought I was too busy to notice. I think he couldn’t figure out why a girl like me enjoyed working on a horse farm.

After that, Miriam taught me to ride by putting me on a mare named Sally. She was like my spirit animal, indifferent to what anyone else wanted and full of spunk.

One afternoon, Sally spooked over a plastic bag that went rolling through the pasture. She bolted into a full run while I hung on for dear life, her hooves pounding the ground like a drum, while my heart galloped right along with them. That’s when I realized I wasn’t scared. This was exhilarating. The wind on my face, the freedom of outrunning everything else in my life. Nothing else compared to that kind of wild recklessness. I didn’t have to think; I only needed to lean into her and let her go.

When Jaxon saw me taking off on Sally, he leapt onto a horse and tore off after me. “Summer!” he yelled, the sound of his gelding thundering behind me.

Ignoring him, I clung to Sally’s mane. I didn’t need a hero. I wasn’t a damsel in distress.

“Summer, pull back on the reins!” he shouted.

“No!” The wind stole my breath. If Jaxon thought I’d stop just because he told me to, he was mistaken.

“Don’t be stupid,” he yelled. “What if you fell off?”

“Then you’d probably be thrilled.”

“What?” His voice had a panicked edge. “Are you crazy?”

I smiled so wide, I could feel the wind in my teeth. “Possibly, yes.”

His jaw tightened. “You’re going to get yourself killed.”

“At least I’ll die with a smile on my face,” I said with a laugh.

When Sally finally ran herself to exhaustion, she slowed to a stop, and I hopped off her back and gave Jaxon a smug smile.

He dismounted in one swift move and aimed a scowl at me. “What is wrong with you? You could’ve gotten hurt!”

“Well, I didn’t!” I shouted back. “And why do you care?”

“I don’t!” he snarled, although the look in his eyes said otherwise.

“This is my family’s ranch,” he said, pointing at the ground. “And you’re employed by Lucky Chance. We can’t afford you doing reckless things with our horses and putting yourself in danger.”

“Isn’t hockey the same? When you play, you put yourself in danger too.”

“That’s different from an animal that’s out of control. Those risks are part of the game.” He no longer looked annoyed with me.

“Same for riding Sally.” I turned away and plucked a wild daisy from the long grass.

“Mom would kill me if you got hurt. That’s why I went after you.”

I lifted an eyebrow. “Is that the only reason?”

His lips pressed into a firm line. “It’s my job to look out for you.”

“I thought you didn’t like me.”

“Never said I did.”

“Then why does it matter?” I snapped back. “I think you’d be glad to see me get hurt so we wouldn’t have to work together anymore.”

“Don’t put words in my mouth.” In his face, I glimpsed something different now.

I bit back my surprise. “Wait…” I moved toward him. “Do you enjoy working with me?”

“You’re…” He looked like the word was being pulled out of him. “Tolerable.”