“Hey, Went, wanna race?”Jackson called back, a cocky grin on his face as he followed Wade at a trot.
“We’d better stop and give him a head start,” Cam said, and he and the other two stopped their horses.
Ryan shot them a venomous glare, pulled hard on the reins to get Poncho going in the right direction, and hurried after his buddies.Male laughter rang out from across the pasture and Candace was giggling so much she was having a hard time keeping her phone steady.
“Woohoo, ride that pony, cowboy!”Jackson hollered, taking off his hat and giving a loudYee-haw!as he waved it around his head in encouragement, then exaggerated his drawl.“Ride’m like he’s never been ridden before!”
Candace could barely see through the tears of laughter in her eyes.Maya, Dev, and Erin were all gathered around her, howling at the hilarious spectacle before them.
To his credit, Ryan held his head high as he rode Poncho past the guys, the animal’s ridiculously tiny, rapid steps adding to the comedic factor.Hoots of laughter rang out.
As he pulled away from them, Ryan proudly raised one arm and held his middle finger up over his head for them all to see against the clear blue sky as he rode off toward the mountains...at approximately one-point-three-miles per hour with his boots nearly dragging on the ground.
FIVE
“Come on, Poncho, I know you can,” Ryan coaxed in a singsong voice, nudging his “horse” in the ribs to keep him going.
He’d told the others to carry on to the ATV pickup place without him, since it was clear he’d added an extra hour to the trip.Poncho’s ears pricked up and he walked faster, his hooves tramping over the grass at an endearingly fast pace, considering his short little legs.Little guy had heart, Ryan would give him that.
When they crested the next hill, the hunting cabin came into view at last.“Yes,” Ryan groaned, looking forward to stretching his legs and drinking a well-deserved cold beer before starting the next leg of the trip.
Poncho seemed to know the end was near too, because his head came up and he hit an all-time speed record for the trip, his little legs scrambling to eat up the distance to the cabin.The others were waiting outside with the ATVs when Ryan got there and dismounted.The wrangler from the stable was there to take Poncho, brush him down, and let him eat for a few minutes before loading him into the trailer for the drive back to the resort.
Ryan patted Poncho’s sweaty neck, feeling surprisingly fond of him after their mountain excursion.Hard to believe he’d carried him all the way up here.“You take care, little fella.”
“Hey, you made good time,” the wrangler said to Ryan with a grin as he took Poncho’s bridle.
“He hit a new gear once he saw the cabin.”He turned to his buddies, who were all grinning at him.“Somebody get me a damn beer.”
“I got you, bro.”Jackson tossed him a cold can from the cooler.
“I’d say you’ve earned that,” Cam said with a grin.
“Damn straight.”He’d be bowlegged for a week after that endurance ride.Ryan sighed and nursed the cold brew while the others strapped their gear to the backs of the ATVs.“Please tell me I get a regular-sized ride this time.”
Wade chuckled and bungee-tied their two-man tent to the back of his vehicle.“Yeah, you’re good.”He straightened, glancing at the sky.“Sun’s already starting to sink over the mountains.We need to get moving.”He looked at Ryan.“We’re on federal land from here on out.I checked prior to setting up this little trip.You good to go?”
