Country Love

viii

  I'm covering Randy's shift at the manure store today. He just disappeared after Chad heroically helped me escape Kerri's concert last night. I just love working here, the smell, the ambience, everything is so delightful. I'm hoping I'll get promoted to work at the store but then that would mean I would be away from my Chad.

Randy walks in with Chad, just as I'm about to steal a bag of this amazing manure for myself. Randy's hair is mussed and he's wearing the same outfit he was wearing yesterday- a white tank top and ripped jeans. If I wasn't so hopelessly in love with Chad, I would try to make a move on Randy. I was raised by Kerri Smith and her music, after all. Maybe then she'd pay more attention to me, like she had yesterday.

I say, "Randy, where were you? You missed the song Kerri dedicated to me."
Randy grimaces and says, "With Kerri.. after she dedicated that song to.. uh... the special person in the audience."

I squeal, "Oh my goodness! Did you get me any souvenirs?"

He sucks in a breath and says, "Yeah yeah of course."

He fishes around in his pocket and pulls out a packet of sugar, "I got you this from her room."

Chad grins at me as I exclaim, "Thank you so much Randy! But what were you doing in her room? Maybe she asked me to come there and you mistook it for yourself."

Randy smirks and says, "Sure."

He rudely walks off and I'm about to swear at him when Chad says, "So, I hope you had a good time last night."

I reply, "Yeah it was fun until all of Kerri's jealous fans started throwing food at me and you. It's not my fault I'm too hot to handle."

Chad gives me a small smile and changing the subject, asks, "Do you wanna come horse riding with me? I want to show you a place."

"Of course!" I say, "But I don't think I'm wearing the appropriate attire, I'll go home and change."

He nods in approval, "Yeah definitely, you're wearing too much. The necessary skin to skin contact with horses is a lesser known fact but the less you wear, the easier it is to ride a horse."

                                                                               🐴

I change into a pair of shorts that fit me when I was eleven years old and a sports bra so that I can get maximum skin contact with the horse.

Chad nods his head approvingly when he sees my attire. He says, "Good job Bri, you're becoming a true equestrian."

I glow with pride at his words.

"You're almost ready enough for us to ride together," he says.

"Together?" I ask. I'm hurt that he thinks I am anything less than born ready to ride horses, but I don't let it show on my face. I need him to know that I'm a strong woman who will do whatever he tells me to do. I'm not like the other girls who cry over everything, and talk to inanimate objects to pacify themselves.

"Did you know that it is harder to ride with someone else on the same horse? Beginners make the mistake of thinking it will be easier. That's why five in six beginners quit after their first week. These are true facts, Bri." Of course, I had known that it was very difficult to be the person sitting in the front. Chad continues, "Let's try it out. I will give you the important task of sitting in front of me while I ride Brad. Did you also know that it is very good for the horse when two people ride on him together? All the weight goes on the lumbar region of the horse, which helps in horse strengthening. It is a common misconception that it causes injury to the horse."