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She wasn’t sure, but she could have sworn Adam bit back another grin. Was he mocking her? Did he find this humorous? Irritation flooded her stomach, but she pressed forward. Faye strode toward him and he jumped out of the way. She motioned toward the strap beneath the saddle before she grabbed the saddle horn to tug on it. “You always need to check the girth. If it’s not secure enough, then the saddle could roll when you’re getting on.” The saddle didn’t move. “And actually, you did a pretty good job.”
Adam beamed at her. “I knew I’d be a natural.”
She snorted but didn’t comment. Just because someone could saddle a horse didn’t mean they could ride one. Faye walked around to the left side of the horse and stared at Adam from where she stood. “This is the side you’ll mount from. Most horses are accustomed to riders working from the left side. When they can predict what you’re going to do, they won’t be so skittish.”
“Got it.”
“You’ll put your left foot into the stirrup, lift yourself up into the saddle and sit gently. Then put your right foot into the stirrup and make sure you center the ball of your foot on it.”
He nodded, walking around the front of the horse. He held out his reins to her and she took them as she watched to see if he’d follow every one of her instructions.
Adam did everything perfectly. There wasn’t a single thing she had to correct—but telling him that would only give him a big head. Once again, that smile touched his lips.
“That wasn’t so bad,” he said.
“You have a temperate horse. Don’t get too cocky.”
The horse shifted beneath him and then took a step forward. His free hand darted to the saddle horn, and he gripped it so tight his fingertips turned white. So he wasn’t as confident as he made himself out to be.
Faye chuckled and brought the reins up to him. “Okay, now you’re going to make her go. Put a small amount of pressure on her with your lower legs. Sometimes she doesn’t like to get going with that, so you can do a little bump with your heels. But be soft. She’s been trained to go slow, but you still don’t want to make her mad.”
Adam’s horse moved forward, clopping and bobbing her head as she headed past Faye. Adam sat tall in the saddle, and when he came around the bend, he grinned at her like he’d just gotten what he’d always wanted for Christmas.
Faye fell into step beside the horse. “How are you feeling?”
“Great. This is a lot easier than I thought.”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry to break it to you, but this is supposed to be easy. There are no competitions where you get to walk around a corral with a retired horse.”
“Retired?”
“Of course she’s retired. She’s pretty old. Do you think I’d put you on a horse that would bolt? Not on your life.”
Adam scowled at her with indignation. “I assure you, I can handle myself. This helmet is ridiculous, and this horse is too. When are you going to give me the real lessons I’m supposed to get in our trade?”
She really shouldn’t have reacted. That was the stubborn part of her floating to the surface. But she had to drive her point home. Faye stepped in front of his horse, causing her to stop her slow merry-go-round. “Fine. You take my horse and see if you can handle him.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Adam didn’t even hesitate. He climbed down from the saddle and hurried toward the gate. In a few moments he had brought her horse into the corral and had mounted him. Next thing Faye knew, Adam was heading around the corral. There was a split second between the time he gave her that look and the moment he really dug his heels into the sides of her horse that she realized what he intended to do. But by the time that happened, it was too late. Her horse took off, causing Adam to nearly fall off the back of the saddle. He corrected his stance while holding onto the saddle horn.
The way his rump collided with the saddle each time her horse hit a specific rhythm made it clear she’d have to teach him how to move with the horse rather than against it. She almost felt bad for what she was going to do next as her eyes followed him around the corral with each lap he took.
“Okay,” she called. “Pull him to a stop.”
Adam glanced in her direction then pulled on the reins. What she expected to happen did. He’d pulled too hard. The horse reacted, the bit in his mouth being tugged too far back. He reared up on his hind legs and shook his head. The movement surprised Adam enough that he managed to let go of the reins, saddle horn, and any contact he had with the saddle.
He tumbled backward and landed in the dirt with a hard thud.
Faye hurried toward the horse, but she already knew he wouldn’t do anything now that his rider had been displaced. He wandered lazily toward the horse Adam had ridden first.
Adam was on his back, his eyes staring up into the blue sky overhead. His chest rose and fell, and he coughed a few times. When she leaned over his body, his eyes found hers. “What was that?” he wheezed.
“What was what?”
“Why did he do that?”
