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She stares at my hand as if it’s a snake. “Why not Lucy?”
“She’s not big enough to bear the weight.”
It takes Jack another solid minute to accept my hand. After I help her up, she sits on the saddle in front of me, and there’s no space to keep any sort of distance. My legs rub against her hips, and I can’t do anything about it. “Here. Hold his reins for a sec while I tie off Lucy.”
Jack inhales sharply, but doesn’t take the reins from my hand.
“He won’t go anywhere with me on here. I’ll try to show you a thing or two so you can get back to riding comfortably. But I need to tether Lucy, or she might head back to the ranch.”
“I—”
“You will,” I cut her off. “Eventually.”
I tie Lucy’s reins around the horn of Jasper’s saddle, slide my hand over Jack’s, and slip the leather from her grasp. Jack looks around struggling where to hold on.
“Here,” I answer her unspoken question. “Either put your hand on the horn or grab Jasper’s mane. It doesn’t hurt him.” I don’t tell her that she doesn’t need to hold on or that she likely won’t fall off while she’s wedged into my torso with my arms and legs cocooning her.
Jack sits up taller and laces her fingers into Jasper’s black mane. It seems to give her a little reassurance, so that’s one win. Her other hand shares the horn with me, fingers close enough I can feel the heat coming from them. Tearing my mind away from that sensation is torturous, but I need to ignore the electricity jumping back and forth between our hands.
I lead Jasper and Lucy and the rest of my group onward. We catch up to the others and ride in silence for what feels like forever before I finally decide to break the ice. “You need to let Jasper know what you want him to do. Horses can sense your fear, so you shouldn’t let them feel it.”
Jack’s body relaxes against mine, only slightly. “I literally thought I was going to die.”
“Jasper is still a young man,” I say. “He needs to know you’re in control.”
“I didn’t feel in control,” Jack says, straightening her back.
“Then you have to fake it,” I say. “Jasper needs to trust you just as much as you need to trust him, and he trusts confidence in his rider.”
Horses are so much less complicated than humans. Jasper requires so little from us aside from solid guidance. Some love, some trust, and the rest usually falls into place.
“Okay, while I have you here,” I continue, “let’s practice how to give Jasper commands with your body, because you are going to get back in the saddle, so to speak.”
Jack glances back at me. There is no room to move away or be anywhere but plastered to her back. It’s only a moment that her breath brushes against my neck and then she looks forward again. “Fine. Tell me everything I need to know.”
A wall seems to drop and I take the opportunity. I take Jack’s hand in mine and place one rein inside, still holding onto the end myself. Then I do the same with the other.
“We’re going to get Jasper into a trot and then I’ll show you how to stop him. First, press into both his sides with your heels. Not too hard. And definitely not a kick.” I wait for her to follow my instructions, unsure if she’s even breathing.
“You’re going to be fine. I’m right here to stop him if he runs.”
Jack
What in the world amI doing? Why did I choose a cattle drive—of all things—for our team outing? Everyone else, including Eddie, seems perfectly comfortable with their horses. So, why did I end up with a wild beast? I wonder for a second if it was Luca’s intent to ride with me all along. But the suspicion evaporates almost as soon as it sparks, because for some annoying reason, I do feel better about riding with him surrounding me like this.
Geez, Jack. Not the point.
I focus on the situation and lesson Luca’s trying to teach me, still irritated that my summer at horse camp didn’t prepare me for this. The fact that I’d reacted so strongly to the misogyny at work also niggled into the back of my neck. Mari, while I love her spunk, is going to get a piece of my mind as soon as we stop for the night. I hope my phone will still have a charge by then. And I hope the accommodation allows for a nice, warm bath. After that jaunt and sliding down the steps earlier, my tush needs a good soaking.
“Jack? You still here?” Luca’s voice brings me out of my head.
“Yeah. Sorry. What?”
“Give Jasper a little squeeze with your heels. Gently. He’ll canter, but don’t panic. I’ve got you.” His arm comes around my waist, and I jerk.
My breath is clogged in my throat, so I grunt to clear it and look down at his arm. “What are you doing?”
“We don’t have two sets of stirrups. So, I’m going to lift you from the saddle when you get Jasper into a canter. I thought you knew this by how you began the ride.”
