Electrically Charged

Chapter 2: Tight Pants and Leather Boots

Three days. It was going to take them three days to finish the repairs. Cecily wanted to scream. She didn't really mind Henry being around fixing things, but she did mind the noise it created and the lovely individual she was positive would return with him. She was also going to have to ride this morning with the repairs going one. She was hoping Steel wouldn't become too distracted by the noise. She sighed and pulled on a pair of breeches and a breathable polo before stepping into her leather tall boots. She grabbed a clean saddle pad and headed out to the paddock. Steel was waiting for her by the gate. And so was William. Cecily tried not to groan.

Here she had planned not to ever run into the boy again. And now she had run into him twice. Yesterday she had been too concerned about him letting himself into her horse's pasture to be worrying about his impression of her. Now she was very aware of her appearance and what he saw her wearing when he looked at her. He hadn't noticed her yet and she seriously debated going back inside and skipping her daily ride. The show was only two weeks out and she knew she needed to be riding and schooling five or six days a week to keep her horse in shape and listening to her. Cecily grit  her teeth and walked up behind him.

"Back again I see," she said trying to sound nonchalant. 

He turned to look at her. She struggled to breathe. This damn boy. How was he doing it? He gave her an embarrassed smile followed by a awkward laugh. 

"Yes," he replied. "My dad brought me along anyway so I had to see him again."

Cecily gave him a crooked smile and a knowing look, "You're an animal person aren't you?"

"Far more an animal person than a people person," he responded.

She nodded. She was the same. She liked human contact, but only in small doses. Too much annoyed her. She could never really explain it, but most people seemed to be so unconnected to the earth and themselves. They had no real goals and no real commitments. For her it was the opposite, she expected real connection and real people. She loved nature and is hidden peace and treasure. So loud, reckless, thoughtless high school students tended to rub her the wrong way when she had to spend excess amounts of time with them. That was either the reason she loved horses, or horses were the reason she disliked people. 

"Well I was going to ride. You will have to excuse me, I need to steal my horse away," she told him. 

His eyes seemed to brighten as she said it and he stepped away from the gate. She stepped in front of him and unlatched the red gate, pushing it open. She buckled Steel's halter around his head and led the horse to the tie rail. William followed her. She grabbed her grooming kit and began to brush down the horse. William stood at a distance and watched. Ten minutes later she had Steel tacked up and ready to go and led him to the mounting block. William still hadn't left. She hopped on and asked Steel for a forward walk. Time to begin warm up. 

William was having an internal struggle. He couldn't decide if he liked the short shorts and tank top version of this girl or the tight riding pants, tall leather boots version. He watched her swing a leg over the back of the big grey horse and then ask him to walk forward. She seemed very confidant in everything she did. No surprise there, she had probably done it a thousand times. The arena she was riding in had various jumps set to impressive heights. If he were to really try he could probably jump one of the single jumps, but definitely not a whole course and not one of those jumps that seemed to be two combined together into one. To ask an animal that powerful to listen to you and jump something seemed like a very impossible task to William. 

He had seen pictures and watched movies where people rode horses, but he had never actually witnessed it in real life. And here she was, sitting atop this giant animal asking it to move and turn and stop for her. The horse seemed to be chewing on the bit in its mouth as she walked him around and he had his neck curved into a beautiful arch. Just watched the horse walk like that made him gape in awe at the creature. Then suddenly Steel sprang forward into a faster movement, William was pretty sure that was a trot. He hadn't even seen her ask him to go, the horse just went forward. He kept his neck rounded and sprang forward into the trot. The girl followed his movements with her hands and elbows as well as her hips. She posted to the horses big gait and allowed him freedom of movement through her hands.