“Stay focused; let’s keep this volley going,” he said as he tapped the ball back to me.
I was ready the second it landed. I tried to remember all the various body parts that I needed to move in tandem and sent it back to Owen.
“Nice.”
I lapped up his praise.
We continued the back-and-forth for way longer than I thought was possible. I felt a little more confident with each successful shot.
“There she is,” Owen cheered as I managed to switch from forehand to backhand. “Kai’s going to be so impressed.”
It was the second time he’d mentioned Kai, like he was trying to remind himself why he was wasting his time with me.Kaiwas the goal we were working toward.
The rest of the session passed in a happy blur of me doing solidly okay to decent, with a couple moments of darn good.
“Thanks for going a little long today,” I said, nodding across the courts to where the staff was shuffling in. I grabbed my water and took a drink.
“You were having fun.” Owen grinned at me. “I wasn’t about to interrupt that.”
“I hope I wasn’t the only one enjoying it.”
“Oh, I absolutely was.” He nodded. “I love seeing a player blossom.”
He thought that I wasblossoming?
We paused at the edge of the courts, before we got to the front desk area where staff was congregating.
“I think you’re going to make fast progress from this point on. Maybe we should arrange a Kai run-in when he’s here for a lesson with me? I mean, there’s a book on the line, and you need your inspo. Or your muse or whatever he is to your writing.”
Third mention.
He pulled his hat off to wipe his brow, and I had to process the fact that I’d actually made Owen sweat during our session.
“That’s right—I still need your feedback onRogue!” I slapped my paddle on my thigh. “I’ve been dying to hear what you have to say.” I paused and shot him a suspicious look. “I think.”
He laughed, complete with crinkly eyes. “Right, okay. It’s not bad, I promise. So I really loved the book. The tension between Trent and Eliza was palpable in those early scenes.”
My heart sank preemptively. “I’m waiting for the ‘but’...”
He shook his head. “There’s no ‘but.’ I told you, I have a weird idea that might help you. I’m no Kai clearly”—he gestured down his body—“but I think it could provide inspiration.”
Fourthmention.
Owen paused and seemed to gather himself before continuing.
“Horses are a big part of what you write, correct?”
I tilted my head. “Well, if the outline calls for it, yeah. I’ve written a couple where horses were barely mentioned.”
“How about the one you’re currently working on?”
I grimaced. “If I could actually write it, yes, there will be horses.”
He bobbed his head. “Perfect. One thing I noticed was that there’s a beautiful missed opportunity with the husbandry aspect of owning a horse. TheRoguecowboys throw on the saddle, hop on, and off they go. But that’s not how it works, if they truly care about the animal.”
“Oh, theydefinitelycare,” I said quickly, as if I was talking about real people.
“Of course they do. Which means they need to take their time with grooming before they ride. It’s an important step because it allows the rider to assess the horse’s health, plus it helps with bonding. And from a story perspective, well, if you’ve got a city girl who don’t know nuthin’ ’bout horses”—he slipped into a drawl—“it’s a great opportunity for your cowboy and his lady to bond as well. He can show her how to do it and explain all the cool nuances of it.”
