Chapter 17
Caden
I link Winter’s fingers through mine as we walk from the luxury stable to the training paddock, her saddle tucked under my bicep as she clutches my jacket around her shoulders.
“We haven’t done any riding yet, but I’ve put the saddle on him before,” Winter tells me, “and we’ve practiced some half-mounting, so that he can get used to the sensation of me climbing on.”
I look down at her and nod, rumbling, “That’s real good, baby.”
Then I glance at the horse over my shoulder, his curious eyes on mine as he follows behind Winter.
I squeeze her hand as we reach the large barn. “I thought that you said he wasn’t broken.”
She peeks up at me from under her lashes, fighting back a smile as I meet her eyes.
“Caden,” she laughs softly, “he isn’t broken.”
And my brow about hits my hairline as I stare down at her.
“But he’s following you,” I murmur, “and… you’re not holding his reins.”
She looks ahead, laughing happily. “He can be pretty well-behaved.”
The horse huffs quietly behind us, and I give him another glance as we reach the door.
I undo the latch and haul it open, holding it so that my girlfriend can walk through, and once she breaches the wooden threshold, the horse gives me a nudge, butting my bicep.
I breathe out a laugh and shove him away from me. “Yeah, he’s well-behaved alright,” I drawl.
And then the horse trots right up beside her, rubbing his head down the side of her arm.
The arm that I had been holding about ten seconds ago.
I shake my head as I close the door and slowly make my way over to them, unable to hold back my smile as Winter clutches my jacket tighter.
“I don’t want to take it off,” she admits, laughing happily as I wrap my forearms around her waist.
“You don’t have to,” I murmur.
She shakes her head. “But you’ll be cold.”
Yeah, I’ll be cold, but I’d rather her be warm than me.
“The weather’s been so good the past few weeks,” she says. “I didn’t expect today to feel any different.”
I grunt softly as I rub her back. “Don’t worry about it. Stay warm.” Then I lift the gear from under my arm. “Want me to saddle him up?” I ask, well aware of the side-eye that he’s giving me in my peripheral vision.
Winter cups my jaw and kisses my stubble. “I’ll take it from here.”
I swipe my tongue over my lower lip and nod as I pass her the saddle, watching her protectively from behind as she lifts it up, getting him ready.
“He got a name?” I ask, massaging her shoulders once she’s done.
She shakes her head, stroking his coat. “Nothing official.”
Then he twists his head around and sniffs at Winter as she pampers him.
“I feel kind of bad just calling him ‘the horse’,” I tell her.
“That’s better than what Maverick called him,” she teases.
My cheek tics up as I breathe out a laugh. “Yeah, I bet.”
Then I look around the barn, as the morning light streams through the wood, and I head over to the wall behind us when I spot what I’m looking for.
“Where are you going?” Winter asks, and I haul the first of the mats into my arms, heaving them up my torso as I look back at her.
We bought them for when Winter started teaching the kids, and although she hasn’t used them yet, they’re perfect for right now. I haul up as many as I can carry and carefully drag them over to her.
Her dimples flex as she nibbles her lip. “I thought you were kidding about the mats.”
I drop them to the sand, brushing off my hands, and hunch down for a gentle kiss.
“I don’t joke around when it comes to your safety,” I tell her.
Then I release her from my arms, getting back to work.
“I know I was freaking out earlier, but I think that I’m okay now,” she admits, and I look up at her from the ground as I heave the first two mats into place.
“I’m glad,” I tell her, “and I’m not putting these down because I don’t trust you. I know you’ll be amazing. It’s him that I’m being cautious about.”
Winter peeks up at Carter’s horse and, after a moment, he nudges her shoulder.
Then she glances down at me with a smile. “I think he’s in a pretty good mood today.”
I swipe the dirt from my hands as I move to the other side of the horse, getting down on my haunches so that I can spread the remaining mats around him.
“Uh-huh,” I murmur drily, flicking him a look. “He better be.”
Winter laughs as I get to my feet, looping her arms around my neck as I smirk down at her, but I keep my hands palm-up in the air, because they’re fucking filthy from manoeuvring the gear.
“My hands are dirty,” I tell her, lowering one of my palms so Winter can inspect it, and my cheeks heat up as she looks me over. “I can’t touch you right now.”
“Mm-hm,” she murmurs, and I breathe out a laugh as she presses closer, rubbing the dirt from all over my jeans onto hers as our quads knock together.
“Baby,” I laugh, as she stands on her tip-toes and kisses my jaw, but after a beat I just surrender, groaning quietly as I hold her.
“Thank you for getting the mats, that was really thoughtful,” she whispers softly.
I swallow hard as I palm her waist. “It’s okay. Don’t mention it.”
She presses a final kiss to my chin and I rouse back to consciousness as she leaves my arms, moving over to the newly-fixed saddle and preparing to mount the unbroken horse.
I walk carefully around his flank, keeping enough distance so that he doesn’t spook, and giving my girlfriend my full attention as she strokes his head, making him nicker.
I can’t deny it – this horse is fucking huge, and I’d be lying if I said that I’m not apprehensive about Winter riding him.
“Are you going to be a good boy?” she whispers up to him with a smile, and I order myself to stay professional, folding my arms across my chest.
She rubs him gently down his neck and then grips the horn of the saddle, the horse turning his head slightly and watching as she readies herself for the jump.
I stay completely still and, in the next second, she’s off the ground, her movements light and effortless as she jumps gracefully onto his back.
I hold my breath, not moving a muscle, as Winter blinks down at the horse, and they share a long silent look before she gently caresses his enormous shoulder.
He huffs lightly, still watching her, and then he turns his head forward, letting Winter relax in the saddle, getting into the perfect position to ride.
“We’re going to try it,” Winter breathes out, and my whole chest swells as the horse takes his first step. His movements are soft and tentative, reflecting the way that she’s holding his reins.
My nostrils flare but I stay silent, walking quietly beside them as they start to move.
“He feels fine,” she says softly, stroking his mane before adjusting the reins, and I watch carefully as he takes the instruction and slowly changes direction, making a turn.
“Good boy,” she purrs, and his tail flicks happily as she ups his pace.
“Slower, baby,” I rumble quietly, and Winter swallows as she nods her head.
“Okay,” she whispers breathlessly.
The horse shoots me a withering look.
I roll my eyes and keep walking, trying to pretend like my heartrate isn’t through the roof.
Because this is the same horse that fucked up Carter’s leg, so I’m nowhere near trusting him yet.
“He’s good,” she says honestly, and I meet her eyes as we reach the bottom of the barn, watching her ease him to a stop as my shoulders expand with relief.
“You both are,” I tell her simply. They ride well together.
The horse glances back at Winter for approval, and she laughs happily as she strokes his mane.
“You’re real good,” she tells him gently, and he does that nodding thing before glancing over at me.
“I don’t think that he’s convinced about the company that you keep, though,” I tease quietly, and Winter shakes her head as she smiles down at me, letting me wrap my arms around her waist.
She strokes her fingertips through my hair, tugging it gently.
“He does like you,” she says softly, “because he’s been well-behaved all morning. And I don’t think that he would have ridden so effortlessly if he didn’t like the people who are in the barn with him.”
I squeeze her hips as I look up at her. “There’ll be a lot of people at the rodeo, baby.”
“I know. And we’ll work on it. But we just need to take things one day at a time for now.”
She caresses my stubble and I fight back a smile.
“That was a really good first ride,” I tell her.
Her dimples pop as I kiss her waist. “It was. We should keep practising.”
I nod, glancing around the barn. “Let’s do a couple of laps, keeping slow and steady.”
“I think that he wanted to show off,” she admits with a laugh.
And I bite my tongue because I was thinking the exact same thing.
And that’s all well and good, except for the fact that this horse isn’t broken, meaning that he’s still got the mentality to do whatever it is that he chooses.
“A couple more laps?” Winter reiterates, and I nod my head, reluctantly pulling away from her.
And the horse all but smirks as he takes off with her, his tail swaying.
I breathe out a laugh, walking ominously behind him. “I think that I need a one-on-one conversation with your horse, baby.”
Winter looks back at me with a mischievous smile and my chest expands as I smile back at her.
So beautiful.
She crooks a finger at me to walk beside her and I jog softly in order to claim my spot, ignoring the side-eye that the horse gives me as Winter entwines one of her hands with mine.
And doubts about the horse aside, this ride went pretty darn perfect.