“Over here we have Pepper.” Jenn moved to a dappled grey horse. “She’s got attitude, but knows these trails better than anyone. And this is Scout. He’s our newest addition. Former ranch horse who needed a quieter life.”
We stopped at a stall housing a copper-colored horse with a white stripe down its face. He had his head hung low, dozing in the afternoon sun.
“And this is Biscuit. He’s steady, patient, and smooth as butter on the trails.” Biscuit lifted his head, ears pricked forward with interest. Unlike Duke’s overwhelming size or Pepper’s sharp gaze, something about Biscuit’s gentle demeanor put me at ease.
“He won’t bite?” I asked.
“Biscuit? He’s more likely to fall asleep on the trail than cause any trouble,” said Jenn. “Been teaching kids to ride for years.”
Biscuit took a few steps forward, stretching his neck to sniff at my shoulder. His breath was warm against my neck, and I found myself reaching up to touch his soft nose before I could stop myself.
“I think he likes you,” said Jenn. “And he’s perfect for beginners.”
“I’m not a beginner. I’m a never-er. I’ve never been on a horse, and I don’t plan to start now.”
“Well, too bad for you, because you don’t really have a choice,” said Noah, his grumpiness dialed back up to a ten. “You weren’t the only one who got a call from Victoria, apparently.”
“What’s he talking about?”
The smile slipped from Jenn’s face. She walked over to asoft-sided cooler waiting on a hay bale. There was a LuxeLife logo embroidered on the side in fancy gold lettering. “Maya dropped this off this morning.”
“What are we supposed to do with that?” I asked.
Jenn patted the cooler bag. “There’s a very expensive-looking bottle of champagne in there. Seems you and Noah are expected to do a LuxeLife toast when you get to the top of the mountain.” She wrinkled her nose. “When Maya dropped it off, she made it clear it wasn’t optional.”
“A LuxeLife toast? To what exactly?”
“Their dedicated stewardship of the natural environment. Marcus emailed a script and everything.”
Across the stable, Noah scoffed. One look at his face was all it took to see how he felt about the arrangement.
“You actually agreed to this?” I asked.
Jenn answered for him. “Noah’s agreed to play nice until Victoria renews his contract.Ourcontract. Isn’t that right, Noah?”
Noah only grunted, then spun on his boots and marched out of the stable.
“You sure he’s going to be okay with this?” I asked Jenn.
“If you pull this off and save his family’s business, he will be. Let’s get you saddled up.”
Jenn led Biscuit out of his stall and into the grassy clearing in front of the stable. “First rule, you’ve got to be chill. Horses can sense fear.” She adjusted my stance as I stood next to Biscuit. “So take a deep breath and relax those shoulders.”
“You expect me to relax?” My shoulders crept back up toward my ears as soon as Biscuit shifted toward me.
“Second rule, always approach from the left side.” Jenn demonstrated, running her hand along Biscuit’s neck. “Let him see you coming. No sudden movements.”
Across the clearing, Noah led Duke to a grassy area, Yeti attheir heels … or hooves, rather. Noah scratched the monster horse behind the ears, then flung the LuxeLife branded cooler bag over the back of the saddle.
“When you’re in the saddle, you need to use your legs to communicate,” continued Jenn. “Squeeze with both legs to go forward, pull back on the reins to stop.”
I nodded, my throat dry. Biscuit stood perfectly still, probably wondering why this nervous city girl was taking so long to learn the basics.
“The most important thing is to trust your horse,” Jenn continued. “Biscuit knows these trails better than any of us. He’ll take care of you if you let him.”
“Right.” I swallowed hard. “Trust a thousand-pound animal I just met.”
“See how his ears are forward?” Jenn pointed. “That means he’s interested, paying attention. If they pin back flat, he’s annoyed or uncomfortable.”
