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She looked around to see if anyone had heard her, but all eyes were on Miguel and Antonio. Hector hadn’t known Miguel would be around to help his brothers, so he had shown up for the horse training. A few other hands had drifted over to the corral as well, and now there was a small crowd. The attention put red in Antonio’s cheeks and fire in his eyes. He was determined to prove himself to Miguel, which worried her.
“Steady,” Miguel called out.
Antonio ignored Miguel and hoisted himself into the saddle. From the second his rear came down on the horse, the animal bucked hard. Antonio struggled to hold on, but his body flopped about, head bobbing and arm flying. Jasmeka’s stomach roiled thinking the scrawny boy would be thrown at any second.
Dusty Sun bucked toward the fence, and Jasmeka worried about Antonio’s leg being crushed. Before horse and rider reached it, Antonio started to look strange. She wasn’t sure what made her think he was in trouble. Perhaps it was the angle of the way he was sitting in the saddle.
The Texas sun beamed down on them, and Antonio’s shirt was already drenched with sweat. Shouts from the onlookers weren’t making things better. In fact, their voices drowned out Miguel’s instructions.
Miguel must have sensed the same thing she did. He hopped the fence in smooth motion and ran over to the horse. With his hands extended, palms down, he kept calling out, “Whoa, boy.” Jasmeka expected Antonio to tell him to get lost, but he didn’t say a word. All of his strength must be going into remaining upright.
By sheer miracle, it seemed to her, Miguel got hold of the reins. He pulled firmly, and the horse’s head went down. Jasmeka didn’t know much about horses except for what she had heard working at the ranch. If the trainer controlled the horse’s head, he could control the beast’s entire body. Somehow forcing Dusty Sun’s head down made him feel like he couldn’t buck, which was odd to her. He settled enough for Antonio to fall out of the saddle into Angel’s arms.
“Get off me,” Antonio muttered when he could get some strength into his legs and stand on his own. “I’m fine. No big deal.”
“No big deal?” Miguel snapped. “You could have broken your foolish neck! You didn’t listen to anything I told you to do.”
“What do you know?” Antonio shouted back, or tried to. He was still breathing hard, his chest heaving. “You’re just some guy from the city who thinks he knows everything. You come down here acting all big and bad. I bet you couldn’t even get up on Dusty Sun, and you’d fall off like a second after if you did.”
Jasmeka saw it in Miguel’s eyes before he even made a move. Antonio’s words were a challenge, and he was going to take him up on it. She was standing close to Antonio, hoping to help him calm down, but he pushed her hands away. Now she ran over to Miguel at the horse’s head to stop him.
“You don’t have to prove anything, Miguel. Just let it go, okay? Tony’s just embarrassed.”
“Step back, Jas,” Miguel commanded, and she groaned.
“Don’t do this. It’s not worth it. One of the other men can break the horse, and I’ll bet one of them can take it slowly and train the boys to do it later.”
His glare told her she was talking to the wind, and she stumbled back a few steps.
“Estará bien?” Hector whispered when she moved next to him outside the corral.
She clasped her hands together. “I hope he’ll be okay. I have no idea of his skill level. I mean he’s worked as a Marshall all this time not as a horse trainer. He’s in good shape but…”
She felt Hector’s gaze on her and hoped she didn’t let any of her attraction to Miguel seep into her comments. Who knew if anyone was around when the two of them were getting hot and heavy by the lake.
Miguel waited until his brothers moved outside the corral, and then he swung with ease if a tad bit of stiffness into the saddle. His hands and his stance seemed surer than his brother’s had been, but the horse tossed him hard.
Miguel leaned into the buck, seeming to anticipate the animal’s movements. The crowd and Jasmeka gasped when he slipped sideways once, almost falling off the horse, but he regained his balance. The horse pawed the ground and reared up onto his hind legs. Miguel clung to his back, squeezing with his thighs and gripping the reins.
An eternity crawled by. Miguel almost hit the ground, gained the upper hand, lost it, and then horse and rider were one. Dusty Sun came down in a fit of anger and kicked up a cloud of earth. For a moment Jasmeka couldn’t see. She scrubbed her burning eyes and blinked a few times. The dust settled, and all was still.
Miguel patted Dusty’s broad neck, which glistened with sweat. He spoke low to the beast and squeezed gently with his thighs against the horse’s sides. Dusty Sun was reluctant at first, but he began to move. Miguel guided him at a leisurely pace around the corral. Spontaneous applause erupted from the crowd, and Antonio spun on his heel and stomped off.
“Tony, wait,” Angel called after him and followed.
Jasmeka considered going after Antonio as well, but she figured his pride was hurt. He’d work through it and be fine. Miguel guided the horse toward her and Hector and climbed down. She didn’t miss the slight wobble in his legs before he caught himself.
“Hector, can you take care of him?” Miguel asked.
“Si, jefe.” Hector guided the horse away to wipe him down and give him something to drink. Miguel joined Jasmeka, and the crowd drifted back to their various tasks around the ranch.
Jasmeka eyed Miguel with a hand on her hip. “You had to show off, didn’t you?”
To her surprise he winced. “Every muscle in my body hurts.”
She grinned. “For real?”
“Yes, and my legs are shaky. You’d think I never exercised a day in my life. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but it hurts!”
