Once he was tacked up, she led him out to the ring and mounted. “So far so good.” She pulled the reins to get his attention, then squeezed with her legs and made a clicking sound.
Maxwell began walking.
“Good boy.” After walking a minute, she urged him into a trot.
Gunner took the center of the ring, watching their progress.
When she changed directions the horse responded perfectly to her instruction. She urged him into a trot again and maintained the pace a minute. The horse had effortless transitions and a nice, smooth gait.
She pulled back on the reins. “Whoa.”
When he slowed to a stop, she stroked his neck. “Good boy. Well, so far he seems fine.”
“I agree. So what should we do next?”
“Ride him around the pasture?”
He gave a nod. “Hang on a minute.” He disappeared into the barn and returned with Rogue, all saddled up. After Gunner mounted they left the ring and headed toward the pasture at a leisurely walk.
Maxwell was responding beautifully. Charlotte was ready to lay his problem at the owner’s feet. “Has the owner recently been thrown?” Gunner would’ve talked extensively with her before taking on the horse. “Or have another reason to be nervous about riding?”
“Nope.”
“Hmm. Should we ride for a bit and see if any problems crop up?”
“You’re the detective on this case.”
She nodded. “All right. We keep riding then.”
They kicked it up into a trot, then transitioned to a canter, then a gallop. They flew over the rolling hills and then, after a short while, eased back to a walk.
“I don’t get it.” Her pulse was still racing from the exhilarating ride. “He’s a solid horse. No signs of anxiety at all.” If Gunner had a clue what was going on, he didn’t voice it.
The sun hung low in the sky, the heat offset by a gentle breeze that cooled the back of her neck. She glanced at Gunner. She’d loved working closely with him over the past month. He wasn’t just a good trainer; he was a solid teacher. And now, with their horses clomping in tandem, she had a vision of the two of them working together for years to come, side by side. Partnering with him on this ranch would be a dream. The thought of it made something warm and wonderful bloom inside.
That was just a fantasy. He was leaving in less than two months. The thought of his departure made her heart bottom out. “I need to find another hand. I’ll definitely need someone before you leave.”
“What about Emerson?”
Charlotte shook her head. “She’s made it clear she’s not interested in being more involved with the business.”
“For a partner, she sure isn’t very involved.”
“It’s my fault. I kind of forced her into this expansion. She wanted to sell and I wouldn’t listen to her.”
“She wanted to sell a property that’s been in your family three generations?”
“She never took to the ranch life like I did. Right now she seems more interested in exploring her culinary skills.” She’dbeen baking quite often, in fact. It seemed to put her sister in a better frame of mind. The wall between them had even dropped a bit. Things were almost back to normal. Of course, that might be because Charlotte had stopped pressing Emerson to do more around the ranch.
“Maybe you should buy her out,” Gunner said.
Charlotte chuckled. “Let me just go to the ATM and take care of that.”
“Grab some for me while you’re at it.” They shared a smile. “No, I realize it would take time. But she’d probably be open to small payments over a long period of time. The more profitable the business becomes, the more the business will be worth and the more it’ll take to buy her out.”
She hadn’t thought of that. “I don’t want to skimp on what I owe her.”
“That’s very kind of you. But she’s really not an asset to the business, and it doesn’t sound as if she ever plans to be.”
