Cowboys & Horses

Chapter 8

The following morning after breakfast, John informed me I could have a lesson on Cody. When he continued to tell me Brady would be my instructor, a mixture of dread and apprehension accompanied me down to the barn. After our chat last night, I hoped he would be different towards me, but part of me told me not to be so naïve. Guys like him didn't care about stranger's lives, it was just small talk to pass the time.

I made a beeline for Cody, my eyes on stalks watching for Brady. He sauntered out of the barn, his blue checked shirt unbuttoned to the middle of his chest. I struggled to keep my eyes from lingering across his smooth, honey brown skin. His ripped denim jeans enveloped his legs in a tight hug. He looked good.

He strode towards me with a warm smile on his handsome face. "Need a hand getting on?"

I shook my head. "I'm good, thanks."

He walked to Cody's head, taking hold of the reins anyway. I tried to calm my racing heart as I settled in the comfy leather saddle.

"Is your wrist ok today?"

"Yes, thanks."

I was lying to a degree—it ached but I didn't want to lose my riding time. I wasn't prepared to beg anymore for it.

He narrowed his eyes at me but said nothing. "Ok. Let's work on that stuff I told you on Tuesday."

"Sure."

I walked Cody into the arena, my mouth drying out with every second that passed. Despite the sun beginning to scorch the earth once again, it was purely Brady's presence which drove my nerves, and sweat glands, to breaking point. For the next fifteen minutes, he kept me between walking and jogging, detailing me on relaxing my posture and trusting my horse more.

He asked me to come in to him, instructing me to take my feet from the stirrups. "Let your legs hang loose, just relax, like you're in an armchair."

I shuffled my bum more underneath me and stretched my legs as far as I could.

"Good." He smiled at me as he stepped to my side. "Now, I want you to keep your leg here whilst you go walk and jog for me."

He lifted his hand and grabbed my calf muscle, pushing it against Cody's side. A warm fuzz crept through me, snaking up my leg before descending over every part of my body. My cheeks flushed at his touch and I couldn't help the goofy smile which tried to cover it.

A twinkle in his eye told me he knew what he'd done. As he drew his hand away, he slid it down my leg a few inches. His grip wasn't firm, but it wasn't loose either. It was just enough to leave me questioning whether he was flirting with me or not. Either way, my heart leapt into a new beat.

After another ten minutes of deep concentration, I relaxed into this new style, grateful he'd taken the time to show me. Cody's ears were flicking back and forth, listening to my voice as I talked to him. He jogged along in his own relaxed state, seeming more comfortable with every passing minute.

Brady called me back into him. "Fantastic. You're a quick learner. Can you feel him relaxing more as you relax your body?"

I nodded, smiling.

"Good. Now, I want to teach you one handed. Think you can handle that?"

"It can't be that hard, surely?"

He grinned. "Harder than you think. It's far easier for a Western rider to adapt to English than vice versa, just remember that."

I smiled. "I'm doing ok so far."

"Pride comes before a fall." He winked. "Now, drop your reins on his neck."

I did as he asked. When he took my hand in his, I struggled to hide the hitch in my breath. He held my hand in a gentle grip as he moved the reins between my fingers. When he finished, he rested his hand on top of mine for a brief second. Warmth, edged with a little something I couldn't quite name, lined his dark eyes. An unspoken statement seemed to pass between us both in that moment.

I followed his instructions for the next fifteen minutes as I got used to riding one handed through all the paces. It was odd to begin with, but after a while I began to feel like a proper cowboy, loping around the desert one handed.

He motioned me back to him. "Now comes the cool part. Neck reining."

A big grin broke out across my face.

"Cody here is a pro. He was a champion reiner not so many years ago, so you have to be gentle and slow. For your sake, not his."

For the following twenty minutes, I played with the amazing horse beneath me. He was so responsive and obedient, none of my dressage horses could even compare to his foot perfect performance. As I got used to Cody's sharp reflexes, Brady let me finish my session with a couple of speedy spins.

I dismounted beaming from ear to ear. "What an incredible horse."

Brady gave him a pat on the neck. "He is. That's only the tip of the iceberg with what he can do, but we'll leave that for another day."

"I look forward to it."

He smiled at me as I handed him the reins. "Do you want to help me sort him out?"

I hesitated for a second, not sure why he seemed to be having a complete one-eighty with me. "Sure."

We took Cody back to his stall in silence. I eased over my awkwardness by patting Cody's neck as we walked, talking to him about what a good boy he was.

As we turned into his clean stable, Brady pointed to a crate in the corner of the barn. "There's some apples in there."

I nodded and picked out the biggest, juiciest apple I could find. I hid it in the corner of the stable and helped take his tack off. Whilst Brady was taking his boots off, I went for the saddle. As I slid the heavy saddle from his sweaty back, I stumbled back, not in the best position to take the weight of it. It was surprising how much heavier these things were than English saddles.

Brady stood watching me, a curious look on his face. "You ok with that? Can your wrist manage?"

Before I could even answer, he slipped his arm underneath the saddle. His hand brushed against mine, and I couldn't help but blush. He leaned forwards to take the weight of the saddle, spiking my heart rate to dangerous levels.

"Thanks," I said, my voice coming out no less than a squeak.

We were within inches of each other. He smiled and lingered for just a fraction of a second. My breath caught in my throat. I hadn't realised quite how nervous he made me.

He walked out with the saddle leaving me to finish Cody's boots. I let out a deep breath. The tension now rising between us was becoming something else entirely.

As I stood up from doing the last boot, I brushed against the hay rack, my hair snagging on the rough, dried grass. I pulled my ponytail loose and shook my hair, picking the stubborn bits out.

I gave Cody his apple and turned to walk out, stopping dead as Brady stared back at me over the stable door with a grin. I smiled back and made my way to the door. Before I knew what was happening, he reached out to me, pulling at the hair around my face.

My heart stopped. My stomach somersaulted. His hand was so close to me I thought he was going to touch my cheek. I held my breath, expecting it, wanting it. My cheeks were burning so hot I was sure he could feel the heat from them.

He pulled back and presented me with a strand of hay.

I exhaled, almost going light headed from the loss of tension. "Thanks."

"Any time."

He turned and walked off. I couldn't help but trail my eyes over his fine masculine form as he gradually disappeared from sight.

I settled into bed that night, thinking of his hand, so close, so near to touching me. I dozed off wondering what it would be like to have his fingers caress my cheek, gliding over my soft skin.