“Thereare,” I insisted. “Like being aware of what my entirebody is doing at any given second and trying to be soft when I feel all tight and nervous.”
I checked my grip on the reins again.
“Well, I think you’re doing great,” he said. “You look like a pro up there.”
Warmth flooded through me. A compliment from Owen wasearned.
“I have a phenomenal teacher to thank, then.”
I glanced at Owen quickly, because I didn’t want to go off course again, and I swear I saw a blush.
The barn was fading in the distance behind us as we walked along a well-worn path by the tree line.
“So do you like it?” he asked. “Riding?”
“It’samazing.” I sighed. I gave Cedar a pat. “To be connected with this guy... it’s a little unreal.”
The “unreal” aspect would also serve me inArcher, which I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about. I’d considered where an alicorn’s wings would come out of the body in relation to a saddle and how a horn could potentially hinder putting on a halter.
The trees rustled as the wind picked up.
“It’s not supposed to rain, is it?” Owen asked as he peered at the sky.
“Not that I saw, but check out the clouds.” I pointed at the horizon.
Cedar added to the conversation with a loud snort and head flick.
“Hey, hey, you’re good, buddy,” Owen said softly to the horse.
Cedar snorted again and then sidestepped.
The wind blew harder, and I saw something flash in the treesin front of us at the exact moment that Cedar shifted his weight back to front.
“Whoa,” I said reflexively, leaning down to lower my center of gravity.
Another gust, and the sun reflected off what I could now see was a deflated Mylar balloon caught up in a tree. I was about to mention it when Cedar juked away and the world downshifted into slow motion.
I slid off Cedar inch by inch as he bounced around, but it still didn’t give me enough time to grip tighter or right myself. I knew what was going to happen next—ground, meet ass—but instead of falling down and potentially getting trampled, I wound up in Owen’s arms.
“I’ve gotcha,” he said as he gripped me tightly.
The combination of the fall and the nearness of him left me shaking with adrenaline.
It was a quick save, which meant that Owen didn’t end up holding me cinematically, like he’d just rescued me from a burning building. No, he had a firm grip on one arm near the armpit and the other under my knee so I was horizontal, like we were unveiling our big finish in a jitterbug competition. He let go of my knee when I wasn’t expecting it, so I tripped a little as I found my footing.
“You good?” Owen grabbed both of my forearms and held on, ducking down to look into my eyes. “You okay?”
I stared at him, nodding wordlessly as his gaze bounced around my face, his forehead furrowed with worry.
Even though I’d almost taken a hoof to the head, all I could think about was the way I felt with Owen’s hands gripping me and his worried face just inches away.
I couldn’t catch my breath. It wasn’t just due to the fright.
“Well, damn, we weren’t expecting that!” Owen said as he pulled me against his body in a tight, comforting hug so quickly that the air whooshed from my lungs.
It was exactly what I needed. The tension in my shoulders eased as I melted into him. I was a little embarrassed at how much I craved the grounding sensation of Owen holding me again. I rested my cheek against his chest as his hands skimmed my back.
Too bad Josh wasn’t around to witness it, because we were really selling it.
