“Ye’re nae goin’ to fall. I’ve got the lead rope.” She showed him the rope attached to Buttercup’s halter. “See? I’m in complete control. She willnae do anythin’ I daenae tell her to.”
Slowly, carefully, they began walking. Iris led Buttercup in a small circle while Codie clung to the pommel with white knuckles. Elijah walked alongside, one hand on Codie’s leg, ready to steady him if needed.
“Ye’re doin’ it!” Iris said encouragingly.
They continued for another fifteen minutes, gradually increasing the pace until Buttercup was walking at a normal speed. Codie’s death grip on the pommel had loosened slightly, and he was even starting to smile.
“This isnae so bad,” he admitted. “Can we go faster?”
“Let’s master walkin’ first,” Iris said. “But ye’re doin’ wonderfully, Codie. I’m very proud of ye.”
“So am I,” Elijah added quietly, and Iris saw the boy’s whole face light up.
Everything was going smoothly until a stable cat darted out from behind a water trough, directly into Buttercup’s path. The normally placid mare spooked, rearing slightly and lurching sideways.
Codie screamed.
“Hold on!” Iris shouted, trying to maintain her grip on the lead rope, but Buttercup was panicking now, backing up and tossing her head. The lead rope slipped through Iris’ fingers as the mare suddenly bolted.
“Codie!” Elijah’s voice was sharp with fear as the horse took off across the yard, the boy clinging desperately to her mane.
Iris’ heart stopped as she watched Buttercup gallop toward the open paddock gate, Codie bouncing dangerously in the saddle.The boy’s terrified cries echoed across the yard as the horse disappeared through the gate and into the field beyond.
“Oh God.” The words came out as barely a whisper. “Oh God, oh God.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
“Move, damn ye!”
Elijah’s stallion responded instantly, surging forward with powerful strides that ate up the ground between them and the runaway mare. His heart hammered against his ribs with a violence that had nothing to do with physical exertion and everything to do with raw terror.
Please. Please let him be all right.
He could see Buttercup ahead, still running full tilt across the paddock with Codie clinging to her neck like a burr. The boy’s cries had stopped. Whether from fear or injury, Elijah couldn’t tell, and that silence was somehow worse than the screaming.
I should have been holdin’ the rope. I should have been payin’ better attention. If anythin’ happens to him, I willnae forgive meself.
He pushed the thoughts away, focusing on the task at hand. His stallion was faster, stronger, bred for battle rather than gentle riding lessons. Within moments, they’d pulled alongside the panicked mare.
“Codie!” Elijah shouted over the thunder of hooves. “Hold on, lad! I’m comin’!”
The boy’s head turned toward him, terror written across his small face. “Da!”
“I’ve got ye!” Elijah leaned sideways in a move that would have impressed even Henry, reaching out to grab Buttercup’s bridle. The mare fought him, tossing her head and trying to veer away, but he held firm. “Whoa, lass. Easy now. Easy.”
It took every bit of strength he had to slow the panicked horse, muscles straining as he gradually brought both animals under control. Finally, blessedly, Buttercup slowed to a canter then a trot then stopped completely, her sides heaving and foam flecking her mouth.
“Codie.” Elijah vaulted from his stallion before the animal had fully stopped, moving to his son’s side. “Are ye hurt? Tell me where ye’re hurt.”
“I’m, I’m fine.” Codie’s voice was shaking, his small hands still tangled in Buttercup’s mane. “I thought I was goin’ to die.”
“Ye’re nae goin’ to die. I’ve got ye.” Elijah reached up, his hands gentle despite their urgency as he checked Codie for injuries. No blood, no obvious breaks, just a terrified child who needed his father. “Can ye let go of her mane? I need to get ye down.”
“I’m stuck. Me hands willnae move.”
Fear had locked Codie’s fingers in place. Elijah carefully pried them loose, one by one, murmuring reassurances the entire time. “That’s it. Good lad. Almost there.”
Finally, Codie’s hands came free, and Elijah lifted him from the saddle, pulling him close against his chest. The boy immediately buried his face in Elijah’s shirt, his small body shaking with delayed shock.
