“Si.”
“You don’t think she’ll try to buck me off?”
“No horse—noanimal—is entirely predictable, but Mouse has responded to you.She trusts you.I also don’t think she has a mean bone in her body.She’s just …”
“Timid.Like a mouse.”
I nodded.“Si.”
Releasing a big, deep sigh through her nose, she rolled her pretty green eyes.“All right, Mr.Barone.Go get the stuff.Let’s see if Miss Mouse will let me ride her.”
My mouth split into a wide smile.“We’re going to make a cowgirl out of you yet,bella.”
I headed back toward the inside of the barn, only to hear her mutter to Mouse, “He probably just wants to secretly film me and create a spaghetti western blooper show.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Danica
Mousestoodtherelikethe patient, gray beauty that she was while Tom and I strapped the saddle onto her back.She seemed to understand what was happening, and didn’t try to step away.Tom only had bitless bridles, but I wouldn’t have wanted to use a bit anyway.I climbed onto the middle rung of the fence so it was easier to swing my leg over Mouse’s back, and once I was up, I glanced over at Tom and grinned.
“You know how to ride?”he asked.
That made me laugh.“Shouldn’t you have asked me thatbeforeyou convinced me to get up into the saddle?”
His left shoulder lifted.
“Sam and I have been maybe half a dozen times.It’s often what she wants to do for her birthday.So I book us a two-hour trail ride on the mainland.Nothing beyond a walk though.”
“Then do nothing beyond a walk.”
With nervous tingles racing down my arms, I gripped the reins and gave Mouse a gentle squeeze with my thighs while also clicking twice with my tongue.“What do you think her comm—” Mouse started to move.“Never mind.”I giggled as we started to mosey away from the fence and out into the grass.Leaning forward, I gave her a pet.“Good girl, Mouse.”
We wandered around just in front of the barn for a bit, then as we grew more comfortable with each other, I took her further, up toward the road along the fence that lined the long driveway.She required very little guidance or steering, and not even for a second did I feel unsafe on her, or like she might spook and sprint off into the woods.
After about thirty minutes, we made our way back toward Tom, Raven, and Midnight.We were almost there when a cobalt-blue sedan pulled down onto the driveway and sped toward the house, way too fast for not only the roads, but a rural, one-lane gravel driveway.I couldn’t even see who was driving, they were going so fast.
Tom ran from where he stood with Raven and Midnight toward the gate just as the sedan came to a skidding stop in front of his house.
The car door opened and slammed shut, and an angry Avelyn Whalley came storming toward Tom.I quickly dismounted from Mouse, and while it took me a moment to walk properly after climbing off a horse, I caught up with him a moment later as Avelyn got right up in his face with a pointy acrylic finger.
“My son almost died,” she said, her face an angry mess of red cheeks and wild eyes.“We’re going to sue you.Have you seen his head?He could have brain damage.”
Oh, hedefinitelyhad brain damage, but it was probably from Avelyn repeatedly dropping Clyde on his head as a baby.
“Signora, your son trespassed on my property, entered my barn without invitation, and attempted to climb on top of a newborn foal.Any harm that came to him is of no fault of mine,” Tom said calmly, even though I could see his bunched fists and white knuckles as he covertly took a step back from the angry woman.
“I don’t care.My mother said your barn was open to the public.So it’s not Clyde’s fault.You should lock it if you don’t want people to go in.How was he to know?”
“Your mother is mistaken,signora.My barn—nor my property—are open to the public.So your son trespassed.Whether my barn was locked or not does not matter.”
“The hell is doesn’t.That horse could have killed him.It should be killed.Both the mother and the baby.I’m going to call animal control.You’re not going to get away with this.”Her thick, fake eyelashes blinked a few times, making it look like a furry spider was attacking her face.I was all for the fake lash girlies if it helped with their self-esteem.But some women—Avelyn being one of them—took it too far.
“Signora,” Tom said, his tone still patient but a little less gentle than before, “I assure you, if your son stays away, he will not be harmed again.”
“Well, your donkey broke free and tried to harm us.Came right to our front door.For all I know, you’re training these animals to be violent.Is this some kind of animal fight club?”
I was unable to control the snort that burst free from my nose.“Even if it was, we couldn’t talk about it,” I said.“That’s the first rule.”
