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She sat hunched over, not minding her seat.

“And you’re working Mack,” I reminded her. “So, if you’re not training good habits what are you doing?”

She rolled her shoulders back and sighed, “Teaching bad habits.”

“Exactly. He’s a baby. Consistency is key.”

“It’s good to try a different rider, though,” Chloe said.

“Yes,” I agreed. “But we all need to maintain consistency. Piper, you need to keep him together and work on moving him. He’s lazy and he’s not a pleasure horse. So don’t try to keep him on the rail.”

She complied, letting him walk out naturally as she passed the chatting women.

I checked the girth once more, getting only a slight ear flattening from Joy and swung on the mare. Once I did, she spooked and lurched forward before letting out a buck for the ages. I soon flew off, thankfully landing on my ass in the dirt.

Before I could yell, I saw Chloe running her down on Opal—cool, confident, and assured. She managed to trot beside her and grab the reins like a racetrack exercise rider chasing a runaway horse. Calmly, Chloe stopped them and patted Joy’s shoulder. To my surprise, Joy was okay.

“Are you alright?” Piper asked, worried.

I watched Chloe work her magic too much to even signal I was okay.

“Shit, yeah,” I chuckled, dusting myself. “I’ll be walking a little funny tomorrow, but hey, I’m okay. Chloe, that was some handiwork!”

“I am used to ponies ditching kids.” Chloe walked the mare to me. “But this is exactly why we wear helmets, sir.”

“Yeah, dad!” Piper chimed.

I looked at my green, spooky horse, relenting. “Fine. You call out the warmups, and I will get a hat. I’ll be right back.”

I left Chloe to manage things, knowing she had the two mares well under control.

“A brain bucket is your friend, cowboy!” She called after me.

* * *

CHLOE

I found Cole in the tack room alone at day’s end. I wrote in the viewing area whenever I could—always on a deadline these days. It seemed we might have been the only two people left this time of night.

I walked towards my grooming tote, filing through it to confirm if I’d put my rubber curry back, but had this sneaking suspicion I had not. Thankfully, everything was exactly where it should be.

“You really still here?” Cole asked.

I nodded. “Yeah, late night. I got sidetracked with a couple of chapters.”

“Of what?” Cole rested on the corner helmet cabinet.

“Nothing,” I blushed.

“Oh, come on! I’m curious.”

“Uh… a tack room scene. It’s really stupid.”

“A tack room scene?”

“Yeah… this one is between the farrier and the college standout,” I said. “The hunter-jumper princess goes at it with the farrier. I know, I know. No one would dare do that, but the cunnilingus scene in book one sold so well now I have to keep doing it⁠—”

“Cunnilingus scene?” Cole asked. “That was in your book?”