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I smiled. “Are you certain you wouldn’t rather wait a few days?”
She shook her head. “You said something yesterday about the context of how the whips I heard were used.”
“Yes.”
“How are they used, Tryst?”
“When you are ready, it will be better for you to see.”
“You won’t tell me?”
“I will not.”
“Then, I want to see it.”
Jadaand I sat on the hillside, watching as Tex led Cariño into the corral.
“The demonstration will begin very soon.”
“Of what?” she asked.
“Trust.”
“It involves the whip, doesn’t it?”
I stood and held out my hand to her. “Come, we’ll be on our way.”
“I told you I want to do this.”
“It was the sound of the whip that affected you so profoundly yesterday, little one.”
“You said it was something I had to see to understand. I want to.”
“If it is too much—”
“You said they aren’t used on the horses.”
“They are not. I promise you. They are not used to hit anything at all.” I pointed again. “Watch the cowboy.”
While Jada watched Tex, my gaze was focused on Jaicon, who stood on the opposite side of the corral, watching just as intently.
Tex threw his leg over the horse, then pushed himself onto his feet, balancing as he stood on the saddle.
“Keep your eyes on him,” I said to Jada.
When Tex cracked the whip, the tail of the leather hit the dirt. Cariño didn’t flinch. He continued, shifting the direction he faced by slowly shuffling his feet, then cracking the whip again.
“When the horse arrived at the ranch, she was severely malnourished. She’d been horribly abused for years,” I explained.
“Whipped?” Jada asked.
“Yes, but now, she no longer fears she’ll be hurt. She trusts.”
Tex lowered himself to a sitting position and maneuvered the horse over to the corral’s gate. When it opened, Jaicon approached them and he handed her the reins. With her opposite hand, she wiped her face, then mounted and took Cariño through several paces in the enclosed area.
“Does she belong to her?” Jada asked.
Even with the distance separating us, I knew when Jaicon’s eyes met mine. When I raised my hand and waved, she looked away.
