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“You’ll be fine.” He waved the book toward the kitchen. “Now go back to bed and let me get back to my book. I’m just getting to a good part, and I want to readonemore chapter before I turn in.”
She tried to keep the smile from her face as she turned on her heel and headed back to her room. She would go back to bed, but there was no way she was falling asleep now.
Luke tried to focus on holding the saddle in place instead of on holding Kaylee’s hand as he encouraged her to get on the horse. “You can do it. It’s just like getting on a bicycle.”
“Yeah, if I were riding a thousand-pound bicycle with scary teeth.” She pressed her free hand to her mouth. “Oh sorry, Scarlett. I hope I didn’t just imply that you’re fat.”
Luke chuckled. “In that respect, you probably just gave her a compliment. She’s probably closer to fifteen hundred pounds. But she’s not scary.” He patted the horse’s neck. “I told you, she’s a real sweet old gal. And we’re just going to ride around the corral. I won’t even let go of the reins.”
Kaylee let out a shuddered breath. “You promise?”
He gave her a solemn nod. “I promise.” He could feel her hand shaking and gave it an encouraging squeeze. “Now come on. I know you can do this. Just start by putting your foot in the stirrup.” He transferred her hand to the saddle horn and stepped around behind her. The bicycle analogy may not have been the best one, but it was better than the merry-go-round one he’d first thought of. “Imagine the stirrup is your pedal and you’re swinging your leg over the seat.”
She blew up her bangs and lifted her foot toward the stirrup. “Holy cow, the stirrup is so high. Are you sure you didn’t set them for a taller person?”
He shook his head, doing his best not to take charge and just lift her up. He was pretty sure she wouldn’t appreciate his effort. He held the stirrup in place. “You got this.”
She leaned back into his chest as she raised her foot again, this time securing it in the stirrup. “I got it.”
“Good job. Now push with your foot and pull yourself up with the saddle horn. Use those muscles. You can do it.”
“You sound like the instructor in the spin class your sister dragged me to last year.”
“Yeah? Did their encouragement work any better than mine?”
“No, I quit and never went back.”
“Well, you’re not quitting on this. You’re almost there.”
She set her shoulders and gripped the saddle horn tighter. Luke thought he heard her quietly mumble, “Come on, Sassy,” then she pulled herself up, swung her leg around, and dropped into the saddle.
The mare stamped her foot once but otherwise seemed untroubled by the rider on her back.
Kaylee’s bangs were stuck to her damp forehead, and she was breathing a little hard, but she wore the slightest look of pride on her face as well. “I did it. I’m in the saddle.”
“You sure did. You ready to ride around the corral a little?”
She gripped the edge of the saddle. “No. This seems like a pretty big step for today. Can’t I just get down and we can try the actual riding around part tomorrow?”
“No way. We’re doing this. Trust the horse,” he told her. He rested a hand on her leg and stared up at her. “And trustme. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
She nodded and lifted her chin a little. “Okay, let’s do it.”
“That’s my girl.” The words were out of his mouth before he had a chance to stop them. Turning his head, he focused on the horse and led her slowly out of the barn and into the sunshine of the corral.That’s my girl?Where had that come from? Kaylee wasnothis girl. He didn’thavea girl. Not anymore.
Hopefully she was preoccupied enough with trying to not fall off the horse that she hadn’t heard him.
He led the horse slowly around the corral several times, and he could feel Kaylee starting to relax a little. She still stiffened at the slightest fuss of Scarlett, but after fifteen or twenty minutes of gentle walking, she was sitting easier in the saddle.
Scarlett plodded back into the corral and stood patiently by her stall as Luke helped Kaylee dismount.
“I did it,” she beamed, obviously proud of herself.
“Good job. You both deserve a treat.” He handed her a couple of orange cellophane-wrapped butterscotch candies. “Now are you ready to try something a little more challenging?”
She peered up at him as she unwrapped a candy. “More challenging than facing down one of my childhood fears?”
“Yes. But I promise it will be worth the effort.”
She chewed on her bottom lip as she held the candy out for Scarlett. The horse nibbled it off her outstretched palm and crunched it between her teeth. Kaylee took a deep breath then turned back to him. “Okay. I’m in.”
