“I’m sorry, boy,” he said gently, stroking the horse’s nose. “You’re not the one I’m disgruntled with.”
“No, I think that might be me,” came Priscilla’s voice from behind him.
He turned around swiftly, surprised she sought him out.
“You seemed rather grumpy with me this morning. I’m sorry if I shouldn’t have come.”
“No,” he said quickly, “I’m not upset with you. And since everyone believes us to be together, it makes sense that you would be here.” He thought he saw her flinch, but he could have been imagining it. They were cut off from furthering the conversation when Ethan walked in.
“Alright, who would you have me ride today?” his cousin asked while clapping his hands together, a grin splitting his face.
“I’ll help you get Goliath ready,” he said. Goliath appropriately named, and a very large horse at eighteen hands, but with his strong build, Ethan could handle him.
“Should I prepare Maple again?” Priscilla asked.
“You’re coming with us?” Ethan asked with a big smile. “Capital!”
Priscilla looked in West’s direction as she answered. “I thought I might, if that’s alright with you. I always enjoy a ride, and I’d like to hear more about your plans.”
West was flattered that she seemed truly invested in what he was trying to do for the estate. He could feel himself puffing up whenever she looked at him appreciatively. And if she joined them, she’d be away from Elias for hours. Smiling at the thought, he readily agreed to have her join them.
The three rode around the estate for a few hours, and West was genuinely impressed with his cousin’s knowledge of the natural landscape around them. He also had several ideas for altering grazing practices to rejuvenate the fields, allowing more land for grazing sheep in the long run. Ethan came alive as he talked animatedly about new farming techniques and practices in animal husbandry, and he believed that with proper management and a new land manager, the estate could begin to turn around within a year.
Priscilla didn’t say much as they rode along, but it was clear she also admired his cousin. She asked Ethan questions from time to time, and Ethan was equally impressed with how quickly she grasped the intricacies of his plans, displaying her natural intelligence. West observed him appraise her approvingly, and he felt another unwanted tug of jealousy.
Watching as Priscilla threw her head back in laughter at a quip Ethan had just made, the tug became a full wave, roaring to life and making him wish he’d never allowed her to accompany them. Didn’t his cousins believe that she was his? Well, not his, but for all he knew she was. He could begrudgingly admit that Priscilla possessed an engaging personality making it easy to fall into light and teasing banter with her, but she didn’t have to flirt back with every man she encountered.
Felling grouchy, he mumbled that they should start heading back for luncheon, then whipped Shakespeare around and rode off, not bothering to see if they were following him. West heard a shout from behind not long after and pulled up to see what the fuss was about. Turning, he saw Priscilla waving at him from afar and rode back to see what had stopped them, only furthering his bad mood.
As he approached, he saw that Ethan had dismounted and was examining one of Goliath’s hooves.
“What happened?” he asked.
“Well, after you rode off like you were trying to escape the storm cloud that’s hanging over your head, Priscilla said pointedly, “and I don’t mean the actual gray clouds I can see in the distance, Goliath started limping. We stopped to see what’s wrong.”
“And?” West said.
“And it looks like he’s got a pretty large rock stuck in his hoof,” came Ethan’s voice from beneath them. “He must havepicked it up when we were by the river. Let me find a stick so I can pry it out.”
Ethan wandered to a nearby tree and searched around beneath it until he found what he was looking for. Jogging back, he held a medium width stick aloft in triumph. It took him a few minutes to dislodge what ended up being a sizable stone from Goliath’s left front hoof.
“Shh . . . you’re alright,” Ethan said, soothing Goliath by stroking the steed’s nose as he held his bridle. “Come on, let’s take a few steps and see how you are.” He led Goliath forward, and it was apparent the horse was still favoring the foot. Pausing to lift the leg once more, Ethan frowned. “It’s out, but it looks like it’s left a bruise. He’s going to be sore for a few days. I don’t think I should ride him back.”
“We’re rather far out, I don’t think it would be wise to walk him back. And I don’t like the look of the sky. It could start raining before you made it back at that pace with Spring weather being so unpredictable,” Priscilla said, frowning in concern.
“No, it would be best to ride while leading him. Why don’t you double up with West on Shakespeare, and I’ll return on Maple with Goliath?” Ethan proposed.
Priscilla immediately jumped off Maple and led her over to Ethan, not waiting for West’s response. As she approached Shakespeare, it was apparent she would need a leg up to get on the taller horse with West. Ethan, of course, rushed over to lift her up until she could settle herself behind him. West let out an exasperated sigh at the chivalrous display, but even his disgruntled state didn’t keep him from appreciating the feel of her arms wrapped around his waist.
Still frustrated by experiencing feelings for which he wasn’t accustomed, he rode off in a hurry before seeing if Ethan was fine to manage both horses.
“What is your problem today?” Priscilla asked in an equally frustrated tone as they galloped away. “You’ve been in a bad mood ever since we rode out, and it’s only seemed to worsen. I can’t imagine what could have possibly upset you out here.”
“Oh, really?” he spit out.
“Truly, what is the problem? If you’re upset with something I’ve done, I wish you would just tell me. I can’t work to change things if I don’t know what’s bothering you.”
“Nothing,” he said sharply.
