Seventeen-year-old Chloe Matthews is done with guys, done with her ex, and done with the cowboys of the Grand Teton Mountains. She refuses to get hurt again.
All that matters now are the horses. Every horse Chloe helps is another piece of herself pu...
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It'd been two days since the competition and Gabi still had a huge grin plastered on her face. "Today is the day," I said as I grabbed a halter and lead rope from the Spotted Horse barn. "Mr. Hunter doesn't have any other trips planned in the near future."
"Are you sure it's not too soon?" Gabi said.
"If we don't do this now, we're out of luck," I said. "And time." Mr. Hunter had extended Penny's stay because she was improving, but he hadn't lifted the 'no-going-into-the-pasture' ban.
There was no sign of Jack as we headed across the ranch. He hadn't spoken to me since the competition, and I didn't want to admit how much that bothered me. So he lost the bet, and now he ignored me. Whatever. Pain leaked all over my insides. I should've stuck to my original plan. My heart needed to be kept on lock-down, unless it was for the horses.
"It just seems like we're rushing it," Gabi said as we walked up to Penny's fence.
"We might be." I sighed. "A little bit." Penny trotted over, but stopped short when she saw Gabi. "I think she could be ready." I slipped through the fence into the pasture. "She needs to be ready."
Penny backpedaled from the halter in my hand. "Oh, this?" I said. "Nothing to worry about." I put the halter behind my back and stretched my right hand toward her, not wanting to undo all the days of positive contact. "Come on. I'll scratch your ears."
Penny took one slow step forward and stretched her nose toward my hand. She sniffed it, snorted, and then backed away. I stood quietly, letting her get used to the new object in her pasture. After a few minutes, I dug into my back pocket for a Twizzler. She walked right up and took the peace offering.
"Unbelievable." Gabi exhaled behind me as if she'd been holding her breath.
I slowly brought the halter from behind my back and let it hang by my side. Penny flinched and took a couple of quick breaths.
"It's okay," I said as I brought the halter to her nose. She stepped side to side, sniffed the halter, and stepped back, but just one step. "This won't hurt. I promise." She stood still, so I stepped toward her and let her sniff the halter again. I lightly brushed it against her cheek. She quivered but stood still. I ran it down her neck, petting her with it. "See? No biggie."
Jack came out of the barn and my heart fluttered. There was no way he didn't see us. I stuck my chin out, ready for the confrontation. Daring him to stomp over and order me out of the pasture. But he squinted at us only for a second and then walked the other way.
"What really happened at the competition?" Gabi said as she followed my gaze.
"Nothing." But it felt like my heart sank to the bottom of my stomach.
"That doesn't look like nothing."
"He's angry that he lost."
"Doesn't sound like Jack." She narrowed her gaze. "Cough it up."
