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“Good! Because I’ve been thinking it would be fun to see you in your element.”
“You didn’t let me finish.” She strode up the driveway toward the barn. “Like I was saying, it’s fine with me if you want to come, but there’s a tax if you stay to watch.”
“A tax?”
“Yup. In this case you have to—wait, let me back up. Have you ever ridden a horse before?”
“Once or twice.”
In her experience, when someone had only ever ridden a handful of times, it typically meant their last experience was bad. A rented trail horse gone sour. A beach gallop that turned into a runaway. A summer camp horse-turned-bucking bronc. “Really memorable then, was it?”
“No, not really. As I recall, I wanted to go faster and my horse was determined to stop and eat grass. It wasn’t exactly thrilling.”
“You and your thrill seeking.” She didn’t know him well enough to make claims like that, not really, but she must’ve hit a mark because he leaned away from her and gave her a mock-shocked face.
“I didn’t know I’d spilled all my secrets to you.”
“You didn’t, you’re just transparent as hell. Plus I know a thing or two about veterans and their desire for adrenaline. So your tax is getting on a horse again. If I have to fly, you have to ride.”
He stopped and met her gaze. “So long as you’re there, it’ll be a treat.” And then he gave her a wink so quick, she second guessed whether it had even happened.
That was when she noticed his shirt. It saidTree-t Yourself. “C’mon Big Nick. Let’s get your treat.”
The fact that he wanted to tag along meant she wouldn’t get her chance to talk to Lena about her whole work situation, but his company made her feel like she was floating. But in a safe way, not in an airplane thousands of feet above the earth way.
“You up for riding some greenies?” Lena didn’t even bother waiting for an answer. She handed Carissa the reins of the horse she’d just finished tacking up, a leggy bay, while she went to get her own mount out of his stall.
“You know I love a big baby.” She looped the reins over her arm. Then she adjusted her stirrups and checked the girth was tight enough to keep the saddle in place. It was more to keep herself busy than out of any necessity.
“Pre-flight check?” Lachlan’s eyes had been on her the entire time, and dang if it didn’t make her feel about five degrees too warm.
“I guess so, but with a lot fewer gauges and toggles.”
He laughed—not his half-hearted chuckle, but a real laugh—and oh, did that smile look good on him.
Lena brought her mount out of its stall, this one a huge chestnut. “These two are pretty good. They can get a little silly at times, but nothing bad enough to get themselves on the naughty list.”
Carissa followed as Lena led the way out of the barn, past the outdoor arena and to the gallop track. She still couldn’t believe her friend had found a facility as nice as this. It had everything that could have been on Lena’s wish list.
Once they were outside, they used what Lena called her ‘trusty bucket’ as a mounting block. As soon as Carissa’s seat hit the saddle, she felt at home in a way she hadn’t since the race track back in California closed, and it was another confirmation of what she needed to do with her career. She’d thought maybe she’d take the forced opportunity to get a more standard job, one that was horse-adjacent or horse related, but didn’t involve riding other people’s horses constantly or risking her life. She could sell equipment in a tack shop or become a sales rep for veterinary supplies… But the instant she’d settled onto her horse’s back she knew: a new job in a related field might pay the bills but nothing would ever compare the feeling of putting her trust in her mount and communicating with a creature from a whole other species. And it was obvious Lena could use her help.
“You look good up there.” Lachlan had situated himself at the rail, directly at the finish line. Though there wasn’t anything to mark it other than the red and white striped fence post.
“Thanks.” Carissa was pretty sure he was more interested in the way her butt looked in her breeches than in how she actually rode. She could feel the heat of his gaze even as she steered away from him and out onto the track, and she didn’t hate it. But she had work to do, and it required a different focus than wondering what Lachlan saw when he watched her. She kept her horse alongside Lena’s, but not so close they’d bump into each other or that their horses would be able to kick one another.
As they worked the horses, Carissa planned out what she would tell Lena about her job, and how she was going to ask for what was probably the biggest favor she’d ever contemplated asking anyone. By the time they were cantering back down the homestretch, she was as ready as she’d ever be.
But there was Lachlan, his gaze trained on her, burning with an intensity that was a zillion times hotter than the blazing sun. She needed to get away from him if she was going to have a real heart-to-heart with Lena.
She twisted slightly, so Lena would be able to hear her above the rhythmic blowing of their horses as they eased them out of the canter and into a trot again. “Are these two good enough to cool out with a little hack?”
Lena’s eyes flicked toward Lachlan and back to Carissa. “Sure, let’s do it. You want to tell him or should I?”
“You.”
“Lachie! We’re going to ride up toward the cottage to get some hill work in. We’ll meet you back at the house, okay?”
The man looked like he was legit pouting, but he raised a hand in a salute-wave and left.
