Sierra smiled. ‘Not bad.’
‘But not good.’
‘You have the discipline, the heart.’ She regulated her tone when she added, ‘But there are a few things I think you could improve on.’ Unable to resist, she reached out one hand and stroked Smokey’s soft nose. ‘You’re coming into each barrel too close, for starters.’
Skye frowned. ‘But isn’t the pocket around each barrel supposed to be smaller to save time?’
‘Yes. But it can also be too small, to the point where you’re not giving her enough space to efficiently turn. Try to take the turn in fewer, bigger strides than what you’re doing now, which is about four smaller ones. Trust her with her feet.’
‘It seems so counterintuitive.’
‘Maybe, but your body knows I’m right. I can see that you’re instinctively holding her back because you don’t trust her to slow down in time. Which brings me to my second point: Stop holding her back on the straights. Before you take each barrel, check her and then lift that inside rein. Once your leg is in line with the barrel, start your turn. Bump that inside rein to bring her nose in if you have to and use your legs.’
‘Okay.’
‘Last thing for today: In training, I want you to run about three hundred and fifty degrees around each barrel before heading to the next.’
‘Why?’
‘You’re not finishing your barrels. You’re ending up far wider than you have to be and then wasting time pushing her back in towards the next barrel. If you finish the barrel, you’ll be lined up already and will only have to make minor adjustments. It’ll also be a smoother lead change.’ Sierra took a step back. ‘One more time from each side. Try incorporating those three things for the next few weeks, and we’ll make a few more technical changes if we need to.’
Skye took a deep breath. ‘Okay.’ She circled Smokey back to the start and then let the horse have her head.
As Sierra watched them work through the pattern, she yearned. It didn’t matter how much time had passed, she would never forget the freedom of being in the saddle, of giving Ty his head and feeling his stride lengthen beneath her, of galloping over the ranch, the wind in her face, the sound of her horse’s hooves pounding on the ground.
Distracted as she was, it took her a few seconds to register that someone had come up behind her. She turned to find one of the resort guests hovering. ‘Cameron,’ she greeted him with a polite smile.
Cameron Taylor was a businessman from LA, who had come to Hunt Ranch to celebrate his sister’s fortieth birthday. He was handsome, with thick black hair and brown eyes that were quick to smile. Sierra had noticed him looking at her over the past few days, but she had kept that professional distance between them. Now, he waved a hand in Skye’s direction and said, ‘Barrel racing is insane to me.’
Sierra laughed appreciatively. ‘It takes a certain type, that’s for sure.’
‘My sister bribed me with her Dodgers tickets just to get me to go on this trail ride. And I still checked with Benji to make sure it was walking only.’ He cast a sceptical glance towards where Skye was turning Smokey around the top barrel.
‘You’ll love it,’ Sierra assured him. ‘Benji’s the best guide we have. And a Hunt Ranch sunset on horseback is well worth the effort.’
He cleared his throat, raised one hand to rub at his nape. ‘You ever guide any tours?’ he asked.
Sierra heard the unspoken question, but she didn’t even feel a flicker of interest. She gave him a friendly smile and played dumb. ‘No, not anymore. The admin work takes up too much time and my wranglers are so good at what they do, I don’t really have a need to oversee them.’
‘Right.’ He paused perceptibly. ‘Well, maybe I’ll see you around at the barbecue tonight …’
‘Sure. I typically stop by for a few minutes every night.’
‘Okay.’ He nodded a few times, and when she didn’t say anything more, he repeated, ‘Okay. Be seeing you.’
‘Bye. Have a good ride.’ Sierra waved him off, glad that he hadn’t pushed the point, and then refocused her attention on Skye.
If she’d been cruel, she might have toyed with Cameron just to push Benji to breaking point. But she wasn’t cruel. She was empty and afraid, and no casual, emotionless fling would change that.
Chapter 13
By the time Sierra wrapped up with Skye, Nina had emailed her the wedding place settings, so instead of heading home for the night, she made her way back to the office to place the orders.
It was seven when she finally locked her office door and walked down the hall to the resort lobby. Sam, one of their newer receptionists, waved from behind the front desk and Sierra made a point to stop and check in. ‘Evening.’
‘Hi, Sierra.’
‘Everything going okay?’
