“Oh wow. That’s so cool.”
“You try. Gentle is better, otherwise your mount can become unresponsive.”
“Ah, got it.”
Maggie takes the reins from my hands, imitating my hand position. She wiggles the two smallest fingers on her hands, and Patsy steps back three paces.
“That’s unreal.”
“Yeah, working with horses is something else, that’s for sure.”
“So can you show me how to make her go?” She winces at her choice of words.
“Sure, Sunshine. Lesson one of one. Then I’m tossing you into the deep end.” I give her a playful wink. Who am I kidding, today is going to go as fast—or as slow—as Maggie does.
If I have any chance of her wanting to stay with me after this year, I want her to feel like she belongs. I know she does. I see it. Hell, even my sisters see it. I’d watch molasses drip in winter with this woman and still be fascinated. It’s Maggie who has other plans.
We walk out to the round yard, and I step Patsy sideways to open the gate before we walk on through. Once inside, I shift her sideways again, shutting the gate.
“You never told me she does a sideways crab walk?” Maggie turns, delight on her face again.
I have a feeling Patsy is fast making a new friend.
Good.
“Right, send her into a walk.” I wave a hand ahead.
“Okay.” Maggie straightens, checking her footing in the stirrups before adjusting the reins. Her legs squeeze Patsy, andshe dips her head and walks on. A huffy breath slips through Maggie’s mouth.
We do a few trips around the yard before I lean forward. “Shorten your reins and squeeze her into a trot.”
“You sure?” She pulls her bottom lip through her teeth.
“Come on, baby. Or I’ll do it for you.”
She shortens the reins almost six inches in each hand and squeezes Patsy forward again. The mare pushes forward into the up-down gait, and Maggie whoops. She rises naturally in the seat with the footfalls of the horse.
My chest swells with pride and something like the hope that this is another part of my life on this ranch she’ll fall in love with.
I bounce behind the saddle with no stirrups to rise and fall in. When it gets too much, I wrap an arm around Maggie’s waist. “Hold on, Sunshine.”
I squeeze Patsy into a lope.
Maggie full-on squeals as her hair flies around her shoulders. I bury my face in her neck.Fuck.
Nothing in my life has ever felt this good.
We rock together as one with every lazy, loping stride Patsy takes. Settling into the rhythm, Maggie turns her head back and dots a kiss to my temple.
Lord above, that’s the last hit my heart can take.
My entire world just shrank to one person. With the next heartbeat, I’m the happiest man alive and terrified to hop off this damn horse, all in one breath.
“I love this, Hadley,” she hums, leaning back into me as we rock our way around the round yard, Patsy on autopilot in the confined space.
“Me too, baby.”
Me too.
