AllFreeNovel
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I nod, and bring Destiny out of the bay. Liv follows closely, as if afraid to let the horse out of her sights. “Go to her left side and place your left foot on the stirrup. Here, hold the reins.”
“Oh God!” she takes a deep, scared breath, but I know my girl is all about facing her fears. “Okay, foot on the stirrup, now what?”
“Jump and bring your other leg over her back,” I instruct her.
She goes for it. With a squeal, she gets it on the first try, yelling a triumphant “I did it!” upon finding her balance on horseback. “Okay, now what?
“Pull on the bridleslightlyand she’ll move forward,” I say. “Gently pull the left rein to turn left and the right rein to turn right.”
“And for her to stop?” she raises me an eyebrow.
“Then you’re on your own!” I kid her.
“Come on, Alex!” she gently kicks at my ribs on the way out.
“Alright…” I say, laughing, “Pull back one single time. Not too hard, or she’ll stand on her hind legs. Try it.”
She goes forward a few steps, then brings Destiny to a halt, just like I said. “Am I doing this right?” Liv asks.
“You’re doing this perfectly!” I assure her.
I stop to check on Harlan and the other two children. Harlan is already on Bolt’s back, eagerly waiting for his friends to get ready. Keisha seems at ease, guided out with Rob’s help. Jason is the one looking uneasy about the size of the pony.
“What’s wrong, Jason?” I ask him, crouching down to be at his level and talking loudly so he can hear through his helmet.
“I’m going to fall…” he says, feeling his arm.
“You don’t know that! It’s just like riding a bike! It’s awkward at first, but you’ll soon get the hang of it!” I say, but I wasn’t ready for his response.
“I don’t have a bike!” His arms slap his sides in frustration.
“Well…” it takes me a second to find a reply. “Then it will be good practice for when are learning to ride one. You’ll know you can learn new things. Let me put you seated on his back?”
Jason hesitates, but Harlan decides to help. “The ponies are tame and walk slow, Jason!”
I give Jason one more encouraging look, and then he lifts his arms for me to pick him up. Taking the cue, I lift him and place him gently on the pony’s saddle.
“See? Not so bad!” The boy takes a minute to get used to his new view of the world, but when he does, it’s like a fish just introduced to water.
“Rob here will take care of you, alright?”
I drop by Harlan to kiss his little hand on the way out. In the next bay, I mount Wildfire and go out in full trot to meet Liv.
“How do you make them do that?” Liv asks, impressed about the trotting.
“That’s a little more of an advanced technique, but I’ll teach you with time.” I pair up with her and pull her close for a short, but intense kiss.
“Mr. Winters, should we follow you?” Rob asks, walking out of the stables with Mrs. Winslow and the kids.
“Nah, just ride around the stables with them,” I say. “Liv and I will take a longer stride.”
“Gotcha!” Rob tips his hat. I have to remember to give him an extra good tip today.
I look at Liv, then. For the lack of a better word, she looks badass in her outfit; a cross between a biker and a cowgirl that could tie me up in bed any day.
“You’re gorgeous today, you know?”
“Thank you.” She goes into a little giggling fit. “You’re not so bad yourself, big guy.”
