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His dismissive tone bothers me more than it should. He shakes his head.
"A weak name leads to a weak horse. When I named Maximus, he was destined to be strong as stone."
"That's nice," I reply. "Why don't you ask the Grand Canyon what water does to stone?"
I start to pull myself up onto Water’s back. Alex looks at me in confusion.
"Wait, you're not planning on racing like that, are you?"
"Like what?" I ask.
He points at Water. "You have no saddle, no bit, no helmet."
I nod. "Water and I like running wild and free."
Alex shakes his head. "I really must insist that if we are going to do this, we do it properly. Safely."
I feel a ball of annoyance knotting in my stomach. His words seem laced with condescension.
"You ‘insist?’"
He softens his tone. "What I mean is, I've seen the damage a reckless race can do. Not only to the rider but to the horse as well. We owe it to them to ensure their safety, too, don't we?"
It's a smart move to play to my love of animals. I look at him. His eyes seem sincere. "Alright," I say with a sigh as I slide back down to the ground. "You better not be trying to weigh me down, though."
He draws an X over his heart with his hand. "I promise. I simply wouldn't be able to look at myself in the mirror if you got hurt."
The sweetness of this helps relieve part of my irritation toward him. Stopping to insist on my safety, like a true gentleman. It's enough to swing my opinion of him back around from annoying to attractive.
With a light roll of my eyes, I nod at Alex. "Let's fetch the gear, then. We're burning daylight." He strides alongside me to the stable. I find his proper posture very endearing. Together, we gather up all the tack and safety wear.
He shows surprising tenderness as he secures the bit in Maximus' mouth. And I can't help but see his muscular arms flex as he adjusts the saddle. I wonder if he's making a show out of it to distract me. It almost works.
By the time we're both suited up, I'm begrudgingly impressed. Alex clearly knows his way around horses.
Helmet snug on my head, I look over at him. "I made the challenge. You can set the terms. Where are we running to?"
He points. "See that rock there? The trail that starts behind that rock winds to the southeast all the way to the river."
I nod. "I know that path."
"Right. So, the first one to the river wins. Agreed?"
I agree.
"On your mark," I call out. "Get set… Go!"
Water takes off like a bullet, his body surging forward past the larger horse. I can hear Maximus matching our pace, the sound of his hoof beats a steady drum roll in my ears.
As we gallop along, my mind starts to wander back to times in the past when I've been challenged. Like when Clark, one of our burly farmhands, thought he could outrun me and Water on one of our other horses. I remember his face turning beet red as we left him far behind in a cloud of dust.
All the men on this ranch were quick to step up after that, and one by one, we outran them all.
I've never been a professional rider, but there are tricks you learn when you grow up alongside horses. I was sitting on a saddle before I was walking on my own. I let out a laugh as, once again, my challenger falls behind me.
But when I look back, Alex is hot on our heels.
For all of Alex's chivalry, it's clear he's not taking this lightly. His focus is laser-sharp, his body in sync with Maximus' every move. And I can't help but feel a thrill of anticipation as we race, side by side toward the river.
