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“Put them down,” she repeated.
“They are down,” he said, looking at his feet.
They weren’t, not really. Not like hers.
“At first it feels like a stretch,” she said. “But you’ll get the hang of it. Ready to go?”
He nodded helplessly.
“Okay, you’re going to squeeze his belly with your knees,” she said. “That tells him it’s time to go.”
He watched as she gave her horse an imperceptible squeeze and it circled around and headed for the trail.
He squeezed his horse gently.
Nothing.
He tried again, a little more firmly.
It lifted its head and snuffled a little, as if to remark that there was absolutely nothing going on.
“Is he ignoring me?” Tiago asked, hoping he didn’t sound as whiny as he felt.
“Maybe,” Alexis said with just the smallest smile. “He can tell you’re an inexperienced rider. Give him a hard squeeze and make a clucking sound when my mare starts walking. He’ll follow.”
Tiago sighed and waited for her to start moving.
Sure enough, when he squeezed and clucked, the stallion began to plod along after Alexis.
“You’re good at this,” he told her when they caught up.
“I like animals,” she said, shrugging.
But her cheeks were a little pink, as if his compliment pleased her.
He smiled down at her, glad the path had been cut wide enough for them to travel side by side.
“This is actually really nice,” he said, meaning it.
“I’ve always loved the way the woods smell,” Alexis said. “It’s so relaxing to breathe that fresh air.”
“You said you were a city girl?” he remembered.
“The city is fun,” she told him. “I love my apartment and the hush rail, and of course we have the big city park. But you’re never really alone, you know?”
“Not a lot of solitude in the city,” he agreed.
“I like the country,” she told him. “I always figured I’d settle down further out when my career was over.”
He nodded appreciatively. “Me too.”
“Really?” she asked.
“Sure,” he said. “I’m tired of living in hotel rooms and buses. Not that I want my career to end anytime soon, but eventually it will. No one fights forever. It’s good to have a plan, something to look forward to.”
She nodded and bit her lip.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked. “Your country estate?”
