AllFreeNovel
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When I come out, Alex is leading his horse through some complicated dressage commands. I know how difficult it is to get any horse to learn those types of moves, let alone a spirited mustang.
Impressive. He probably didn’t train Maximus himself, but who knows with this prince. He’s full of surprises.
We trot side by side to the starting point. Alex gives a thumbs up, and I swat his hand down. He shrugs.
“On your mark, get set –”
“Don’t you need a royal bugle or something?”
He glowers. “Go!” he shouts.
I’m caught off guard, but Alex seems to expect that.
“Come on, Water. Let’s kick some royal ass.”
Alex waits until Water and I take off, then yells for Maximus to go. The horses gallop as hard as they can. I lean down over Water’s neck and urge him on. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Alex frantically flicking the reins.
“Come on,” I whisper in Water’s ear. He’s trying, but it’s not enough.
Alex blows past the finish before slowing Maximus to a trot and circling back to us.
“I win. Man, that was great. I love racing.” He guides Maximus to step beside me and we trot along, cooling the horses down.
I pat Water’s neck, but I can’t help being disappointed.
“You can’t have fun unless you win?” Alex says.
“I let you win, can’t you tell? Didn’t think you could take it if you lost to me twice.”How old am I, eight?Except an eight-year-old would probably know that only sore losers say that.
“Sure. If you say so,” Alex retorts.
We trot a little further and stop at the creek. Or rather, the horses stop us. I throw my leg over and slide off of him.
“Give them a little reward after doing our bidding,” I say, patting Water’s neck.
Water is already making short work of a clump of dandelions. I toss the reins over the saddle horn and start strolling. Alex is already walking, and Maximus is drinking right beside Water.
“So what is it that you do all day? On the ranch?”
“Anything that needs to be done, basically. When I first moved here, Lily did a lot more. She’s slowing down some. This life, it’s a lot of hard work and a lot of responsibility. But satisfying.”
He stops and looks around.
“You’re responsible for all that surrounds us, aren’t you?”
“That’s one way to look at it.”
“Like a kingdom but on a smaller scale. Making it all operate. Taking care of everything and everyone. Making decisions, owning the responsibility.”
“Responsibility? Aren’t you just figureheads? I don’t know. No offense intended, but I’ve never liked the idea of royalty really.”
“Maybe you haven’t given much thought to it.”
“Maybe not. But the more I learn, the more it troubles me. Look at what happened to Lily.”
“What about it? Anyone can have their heart broken.” He seems to look at me with deliberate intensity. “You don’t have to be royal.”
“Yeah, but when two people love each other, and a system keeps them apart because of their status and no other reason? It’s cruel. And for what? Your uncle chose the crown over his heart. And after thirty years, what good does it do him? He’s on his deathbed, begging for the woman who he couldn’t be with.”
