Page 16 of Bales and Brawn

I see the moment he makes a decision.

The moment he firms his jaw, accepting the challenge I’ve thrown at him.

The moment my stomach flips over.

“Okay,” he says gruffly.

“Good. We start lessons tomorrow.”

His eyes darken like the blackest, starless night, and my stomach flips again.

CHAPTER NINE

DEVIN

Yesterday, this seemed like a good idea. But now, standing in the cool light of the early morning, an hour before I normally rise, next to a large horse which must weigh about twelve hundred pounds, I’m not so sure. Not that I’m going to back down, I won’t give Zane the satisfaction of having me give up. Failing, that’s a different matter, but at least I’ll try first.

The horse, who has been introduced as Bonnie though she looks anything but, shifts her feet and I take a step backwards.

“Nervous?” Zane asks where he’s holding her reins.

Yeah, a little. No, a lot.

“I’m just used to trucks, you know, with a steering wheel and pedals that I know how to operate. They don’t have a brain and independent thoughts.” I eye Bonnie again.

He smiles slightly, which softens his jaw. It looks good on him, even if it is at my expense.

“You’ll be fine. Bonnie will look after you.” I don’t believe him, but I don’t have much of a choice. He demonstrates how to mount her, getting on and off a few times. He makes it look so easy with his long legs and smooth motion. Almost elegant, maybe.

“Now it’s your turn.” He steps back out of my way. I might be strong, but I’m not tall and not flexible like he is. It takes me a few goes of hopping before I can get my foot in the stirrup. I see a glint of amusement in Zane’s eyes, but thankfully he doesn’t comment. I haul myself up into the saddle and sit astride. Bonnie shifts her feet again and I wobble, suddenly feeling very precarious. I know the cab of my truck is higher, but from here the ground looks a long way away. I swallow down a wave of nausea.

“You alright?” he asks.

“Yes.” I grit my teeth in reply as I wait for my stomach to settle.

“I’m just gonna lead her for a while, to let you get used to the motion,” Zane explains and starts to walk, leading Bonnie forward. Even though I’m prepared, the sudden lurch forward takes me by surprise.

“Woah,” I say, mostly to myself, but Bonnie stops moving.

“She’s been trained to stop when you say that,” Zane says. “Are you ready to try again?”

“Yes.” He leads her on again, and I grip the horn at the front of the saddle. After a few circles of the paddock, I manage to breathe properly again. I’m getting used to the motion and I quite like it. Not that I’m going to admit it.

Zane hands me the reins and shows me how to make her go left and right, how to ask her to walk, and how to stop. Then he steps away and somehow I’m expected to do it by myself. It feels different without him there just in case.

“Good Bonnie,” I say under my breath. I say it to keep her calm, but it’s meant more for me. I press her slightly with my heels and she ambles into a slow walk, which is fine by me, and I navigate my way round the paddock as Zane calls out instructions to me. I still half expect her to pitch me off onto the dirt, but every second she doesn’t, I gain a little more confidence and start to relax. I ask her to go a little faster, still a walk, which is fine by me, but I think I’m getting the hang of it.

“I think that’ll do for the first lesson,” Zane says and comes over to stand next to her.

“Err, how do I get down?” All his previous demonstrations are forgotten.

“The reverse of how you got up?”

“What, hopping around hopelessly for several minutes and finally flopping myself on top somehow?” I quip back, and receive a smile. There might even be a hint of a grin. I’m sure I saw a brief flash of teeth. Too bad it disappears just as quickly.

“Bring your right leg back over, hold the saddle, and then take your left foot out before you jump down.”

I do as he says, and when my feet hit the floor, I stagger slightly and Zane is there, placing a hand on my hip to steady me.