We'd completed several circuits of the arena by now, and Betty's position had improved dramatically.She was moving with Celeste instead of against her, her hands were steady, and she looked like she'd been riding for months rather than minutes.
"Ready to try trotting?"I asked.
"Is that the bouncy one?"
"That's the bouncy one."
"Will I fall off?"
"Not if you do what I tell you."
"That's reassuring.Very confidence-inspiring."
I explained the basics of posting, rising, and sitting with the horse's rhythm, and showed her how to maintain her balance when the gait changed.Then I asked Celeste for a trot.
Betty's first few steps were awkward, as expected, but she adapted quickly.Within moments she was posting smoothly, her face alight with exhilaration.
"This is incredible," she called out."I had no idea it would feel like this."
"Like what?"
"Like flying.Like dancing.Like the horse and I are thinking the same thoughts."
I'd heard people describe riding in many ways, but never like that.Her obvious joy was infectious.I was grinning as I watched her navigate her first real riding experience, and I couldn't remember the last time I'd grinned like this at anything.
"You're a natural," I called to her.
"Am I really, or are you just being nice?"
"I don't do nice.Ask anyone.You're genuinely good at this."
She beamed at the compliment, and something about her unguarded happiness made me wish I could freeze this moment.Here, in the arena, she wasn't a political necessity or a royal obligation.She was just Betty, discovering something new and wonderful, and her delight was the most genuine thing I'd encountered in years.
When we finally slowed back to a walk, she was breathless and radiant, her cheeks flushed from exertion and exhilaration.
"That was amazing.When can we do it again?"
"Tomorrow, if you want."
"I definitely want."She patted Celeste's neck affectionately."Thank you, girl.That was the best twenty minutes of my entire week.Possibly my entire year, given how the rest of it has gone."
I moved to Celeste's side as Betty swung her leg over to dismount.She'd done this smoothly in my imagination, but reality had other plans.Maybe she was distracted by our conversation, or maybe Celeste shifted at the wrong moment, but Betty's boot caught in the stirrup and she pitched forward, losing her balance completely.
My hands shot out instinctively, catching her around the waist as she tumbled off the horse.The momentum carried her directly into my chest, and I staggered back a step, pulling her against me to keep us both upright.
"Sorry, I," she started to say, but the words died as she looked up at me.
We were pressed together from chest to thigh, her hands flat against my shirt, mine still wrapped around her waist.I could feel every curve of her body, the rapid rise and fall of her breathing, the heat radiating through her thin cotton top.
"You okay?"I asked, though I made no move to let her go.Which was inappropriate.Definitely inappropriate.I should let her go.
"I think so."Her voice came out breathless, and not from the riding."I don't know what happened there."
"First time nerves.It happens."
But what was happening between us right now had nothing to do with riding nerves.Her green eyes were wide, and I watched her gaze drop to my mouth before snapping back up to meet mine.
I should have stepped away.Should have put professional distance between us, made some joke about the importance of proper dismounting technique.Instead, I stood there like an idiot, studying the flush that had spread from her cheeks down her neck, disappearing beneath the collar of her shirt.
