AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Hey, guys,” I call out. “In about another mile, the trail opens up to a field. Your horse’s instinct will be to gallop, so unless you want to take flight across these plains, you’re going to have to keep a tight hold on the reins.”
Calvin and Eddie nod their heads in acknowledgement, but Jack doesn’t even flinch.
“Did you catch that?” I say to the back of Jack’s head.
“Yep, I heard you. Pull back on the reins. Got it.” Although she doesn’t bother to glance in my direction, I can practically hear the eye roll in her voice.
The trail surrounded by trees and brush starts to open up. I pull my hat off to wipe my brow and then put it back on. The dirt trail turns into an expansive field of sagebrush. Jasper kicks up his front legs. I’ve seen that move a hundred times before, so my stomach lodges itself in my throat. There’s no time to say a word before Jasper takes off in a full speed gallop.
Jack grabs his reins and screams—a blood-curdling sound. From what I can see, she doesn’t try to pull back and, instead, appears completely frozen with the reins loose. I kick the side of my horse and try to catch up with Jasper, but he’s one of our fastest horses.
“Pull back on the reins,” I yell, but my volume isn’t matching Jack’s hysteric screams. “Pull back, Jack!” I say with more urgency.
I catch up and, with my left hand, grab part of Jasper’s rein. “Whoa, Jasper, Whoa,” I say again, keeping my tone low and steady but calm. Exactly the tone I’ve used over the last couple of years while training him.
Jasper slows to a trot then comes to a complete halt. All of the color has drained out of Jack’s face, and she’s shaking a little. I open my mouth to tell her how to properly dismount, but she flings her leg over Jasper’s neck and slides out of the saddle. To her luck, he’s focused on me at the moment and doesn’t make a move to dart.
She paces back and forth, running her hands through her dark brown hair, and I dismount from Lucy.
“I’m never getting on a horse again! Ever. Done. Never.” She pins me with an angry glare. “I thought you had them trained better than that?” She flips her hand angrily toward Jasper. “Your website says the horses are all trained to be gentle with the riders. I could have died!”
“You’re fine. You’re going to be okay,” I try to reassure her. “And Thoroughgood horsesarethe best trained in New Mexico.”
She huffs, crosses her arms, and quirks a brow at me.
Dang, I really don’t like how adorable I find her pout.
“That is a devil of a horse,” she says. “I’m never getting back on him.”
Jasper takes his head and rubs it against my hand, and the need to protect him swells in my chest. Jasper is the best horse I’ve ever ridden. I try to hold my voice steady through my clenched teeth. “If you would have followed instructions, this wouldn’t have happened. This is on you, Jack. Not Jasper.”
“But—” Jack says.
I cut her off. “I warned you that a horse’s instinct is to run in open spaces. Like most other relationships, riding a horse is a partnership. You have to give him instructions appropriately.”
Calvin circles his horse around where we’re standing and comes to a stop. “You’re fine, Jack. Quit being dramatic.”
Jack glares at him. “Is that how you calm your girls, Cal?”
He looks down at the saddle horn and sighs. Apparently, she’s tough for others on her team to deal with too.
Eddie can’t stop laughing. “I’ve never heard anyone scream like that.” He grabs his side. “Never thought I’d see that side of you.” He laughs even harder.
“It’s not funny,” Jack says, but there’s a twitch at the corners of her mouth. She’s the center of attention right now, and apparently that’s lifting her mood just a little, even if she doesn’t want to admit it.
“I’m not joking,” she insists. “I’m not getting back on the horse. Not doing it. Even if he is the best horse ever. As you so eloquently put it.”
Wyatt and Emma’s groups are barely visible anymore, as they’ve finished crossing open field, and are back on the trail at the other end.
“Well, our policy is no man, or woman,” I cough, “left behind, and we’ve gone too far to have the entire group turn back.”
Jack looks at me, sheer panic on her face, and I know she isn’t joking. Jasper running at almost full speed freaked her out, something I hadn’t expected after how comfortable and capable she seemed initially in the saddle. Jack strikes me as someone who always has to be in control. And nothing makes us feel like we have less control than riding a seven-hundred-pound animal who has his mind set on running.
Calvin and Eddie grow impatient, watching the others move farther away and moving their horses a little in their direction.
I look at Jack and know there is nothing I can say to get her back on a horse by herself right now. “You’re going to have to ride with me then.Jack pauses, lips pursed, and then says, “Fine.”
Jasper is bigger than Lucy, so I hop on him, and then hold my hand out to Jack.
