The Prince's Mate

Chapter 17

Bennett hovered over me closely after the incident. He seemed to think that if he looked away for two seconds he would end up finding me in a pool of my own, bright red blood. For the next two days he followed me almost everywhere I went, but I hardly felt like anything had changed. It didn't feel like he was following me around because he loved me, it felt like he was treating me like a job, something he had to do and that only made me feel worse about myself.

Donovan kept a polite distance which made some of my embarrassment go away. I knew he was still watching, still terribly careful around me, but he had the decency to cover it with casual conversation and light jokes. He even stayed for supper once and he was damn near floored by my macaroni and cheese.

"I'm going out." Bennett said, startling me one night. I was curled up on the couch, reading a boring book while he had disappeared for a while, but when I looked at him my mouth flopped open.

My mate, the prince, was wearing jeans and a tee shirt.

"Where are you going dressed like that?" I demanded. I really had no right to talk, all I had worn since I got here was jeans, but it was still very unusual for him.

Bennett laughed, "You make it sound like I'm wearing nothing at all."

"Well, you probably feel naked without your suit." I shot back.

Bennett shrugged, "I'm just going out to the barns."

"Barns?"

"Yeah. Anyway, I'll see you later, okay? Do you want me to call Donovan over; you seem to enjoy his company."

"Like, the buildings with animals inside?" I pressed, ignoring his other question.

"Yes." Bennett sighed, running his hands through his hair.

"Can I come?" I asked, the words coming out before I even thought about them. Was I really offering to spend more time with the man I was trapped with all day?

"Yeah, sure." Bennett shrugged.

I leapt off the couch, my book instantly forgotten and a grin broke out before I could control myself. Bennett just gave me a little half smile and proceeded to walk out of the front door while I trailed closely behind him. We walked in silence, but I was okay with that because recently, Bennett had been trying to fill the air with all the chatter he could as if it would reverse the damage that had already been done. Besides, being outside in the fresh air was a nice change, even if it was frigid out and the barns were about two kilometers away from the palace.

"Here we are." Bennett announced, pulling open massive barn doors. The barn wasn't visible from the house and I almost scoffed at the idea. Of course the royals wouldn't want a filthy barn near their glamorous home.

But my judgement stopped when I was met by a flurry of whinnies and whickers from inside stalls.

"Horses!" I gasped.

Bennett chuckled, "Well, we aren't cattle rancher material, now are we?"

"I love horses." I whispered, trying my best to keep myself from squealing out loud. I truly did love horses, it was something from childhood that I never seemed to outgrow, and as I got older I just accepted that I didn't have time or the funds to do weekly lessons.

"Then would you like to come with me for a ride?" Bennett asked.

"God, yes." I murmured.

"Alright, come on, let's pick you a horse then."

Now more surprises came. As we walked up and down the aisle I didn't see what I thought I would. I expected stunning pure bred horses to pop their heads over the stall doors and patiently watch as we walked by. I expected gorgeously clean coats, perfectly managed manes, and pronounced, distinct features. But I knew instantly that these horses were not prize winning purebreds.

"You look confused." The prince muttered as he fondly stroked a massive horse's neck.

"This isn't what I expected at all." I blurted.

"No? What do you mean?"

"They aren't flashy sport horses."

Bennett snorted, "God no, that's not what this place is supposed to be at all. My mother never wanted horses like that and she would murder me if I was ever brave enough to swap out one of her babies for an Arabian or something."

"Your mother, the queen, this is hers?"

"Oh yes, this was her dream. She would fight my father to the death before she gave up on it. It's the one thing she would actually stand behind, and to be honest, I've become quiet fond of her horses as well." Bennett mused. A beautiful chestnut coloured horse jutted its head out over its stall, tossing it's head in annoyance until Bennett chuckled and began rubbing lazy circles between it's eyes.

"So your mom likes horses then."

Bennett laughed out loud, "I suppose you could say that, but I think it's more of a love basis. She refers to the horses as her fur babies and when my father told her he didn't want to have stables for sick and old horses on his land she nearly rejected him." He explained.

It was impossible to miss the softness in his eyes when he spoke about the horses or the gentleness in which he patted them. He looked at each of them like they were old friends that he knew incredibly well and it was clear to me that these horses meant a lot more to him than I had first thought.

"So all these horses are sick or old?" I asked.

"No, no, many of them are horses that no one wanted. My mother believed every horse should have a good home, so she took the ones that were the least likely to get good homes. You know, the less pretty ones, the lame ones, the bad tempered ones. Some she trained into wonderful competition horses, others simply weren't meant for the show ring or the trails and those horses are cared for, but usually left alone."

Bennett entered a stall with a massive spotted horse. The horse made a low rumbling noise and pressed his muzzle against Bennett's shoulder, making the prince laugh as he began to slip a halter on.

"This is Indigo. He'll be your horse for the day."

"This one is the one I'm going to ride?" I asked, my mouth flopping open in shock. I couldn't even see of the animal's back, how on earth was I going to ride it?

"He's the gentlest horse I have." Bennett soothed, hearing my fear. He led the massive horse out of the stall and tied him in the middle of the aisle. "He's half Clydesdale and half appaloosa. So he has the temperament of a cold blood, but he also has these really awesome spots, look you can actually feel the spots on his coat." Bennett grabbed my hand without warning, pulling me close, then laid my hand over the big horse's shoulder, guiding it over the spots. "Isn't that cool?" he said excitedly.

"Bennett, I don't think I can ride him. He's too big." I blurted, pulling my hand from his.

The prince laughed and shook his head, "Oh, Brook, come on, he's the kindest creature. Think of dogs. Little dogs are yippy and aggressive while bigger dogs, like Great Danes, are usually very calm. It's the same with horses. Cold blooded horses are bred to be calm, but strong. Indigo is just that."

"Are you sure?" I asked just as Bennett shoved a rubber brush in my hand.

"I wouldn't put my own mate on a dangerous horse. Trust me."

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