Chapter 6 #2
We headed back the way we came, only pausing to make sure the gate was secure. Once we were back in the barn, Wy was nowhere to be seen, but a saddle, pad, and bridle were sitting on a rack. Hawk led Niko there, put the bridle on gently, then clipped him to some rope.
“Niko doesn’t need the crossties to be saddled. He’s the best boy. But it’s a good habit to have. Always tack and untack your horse in the crossties, so that you have control.”
Hawk explained the whole process of how to saddle a horse, including tips, and what to look for.
He droned on about how important it was to pick a horse’s feet and make sure they didn’t have any debris on their coat before you put the saddle pad on, since it could cause sores and irritation.
Hawk didn’t seem to want or need my input, but he glanced at me on occasion to make sure I was paying attention.
I was. I couldn’t look away and I hung on every word.
Finally, he was done and he handed me the reins. I raised a brow.
“Bring him along. Let’s go get Humphrey.”
And back to the training barn we walked. This time with me leading the very big but utterly docile horse. Niko huffed on occasion, but he plodded along like he was used to this. I expected he was.
My mind was spinning. Why had Hawk made us walk all the way to the second barn, just to saddle up Niko and walk back?
Wouldn’t it have made more sense for him to saddle his horse before we went to the other barn?
It seemed more prudent to bring this supposedly pretty horse with us and head out from there.
I had half a mind to question him, and I wondered if it was some sort of test.
Whatever. Hawk Harrington could test me all he wanted. I was going to pass.
Hawk had me wait outside with Niko while he went in and saddled Humphrey.
It took him a hell of a lot less time before he emerged with a black horse with a flowing, sort of curly mane.
My breath caught. Humphrey was very pretty indeed.
I mean, I still thought Ramona was prettier, but I could own my bias.
“Wow.”
For the first time ever, Hawk cracked a smile. Like a real one where both sides of his lips curled up. I thought I’d been breathless before? Nothing compared to the way my lungs seized at seeing Hawk’s smile.
Fuck, I was in trouble.
Mentally, I ran through all the reasons it was a bad idea.
He was far too young for me. Hell, I was closer to his parents’ age than I was his.
I was his client, and business and pleasure should never mix.
Plus, he didn’t seem to like me all that much, which meant the whole thing was a non-starter. All very valid reasons.
It didn’t work.
“Mount up.”
His words broke me out of my thoughts. This, at least, I knew how to do. I tossed the reins over Niko’s head, kept them in one hand as I grabbed the handle on the front of the saddle, put my left foot in the stirrup, and hauled myself up. Niko didn’t even budge.
Hawk stepped closer, adjusted the stirrups on both sides, and then wrapped a hand around my calf. “Heels down. Don’t grab the pommel. Keep the reins loose.”
All I could focus on was his touch. I cleared my throat and sat up straighter. “Got it.”
“Not a bad seat,” he murmured, half to himself. “We’ll work on it.”
Before I could say anything, he swung himself up on Humphrey’s back, clicked his tongue, and both horses started walking.
We rode for a few minutes in silence. Past the last of the buildings that made up the bulk of the ranch and into open land.
Hawk kept some distance between us, both so he could lead us where we were going and to watch me as I rode.
A couple of times he gave me a reminder to keep my heels down.
Which was awkward and I could feel the pull in my muscles.
I was going to hurt tomorrow. It’d be worth it.
We continued on like that until we reached the trees. I could see a clear trail through them, but I was sort of surprised how dense it was.
“Niko will follow along. Keep doing what you’re doing, except get those heels down. It opens up in a few minutes.” Hawk urged Humphrey forward and took the lead. And that’s when the problem started.
Not with Niko. As Hawk said, he was a perfect gentleman and plodded along behind Hawk and Humphrey like this was the easiest thing ever. Even when I had to duck out of the way of branches, he didn’t seem to notice.
But now I was staring at Hawk’s back. His strong, muscled back that the T-shirt clung to. At his perfect ass, encased in jeans and highlighted by the rise of the saddle. At his legs as they hung down, using pressure to guide his horse.
In that instant, I wanted him under me. And my dick let me know just how much, which was uncomfortable as fuck in my current situation.
I cast my mind around, desperate for anything to distract me, but I couldn’t tear my gaze away from him. I shifted in the saddle, which made Niko side-step, but the horse kept going. Following wherever Hawk led.
The trail opened up a minute later, but I was too hot and bothered to be relieved. Instead, I had to get my mind off this beautiful man who could never want me—and shouldn’t, given everything—and landed on only one thing.
“You never asked me.”
Hawk twisted to look at me then turned his attention in front of him again. “Asked you what?”
“Why I wanted Ramona.”
He shot me a glare. “I did, actually.”
I shook my head, feeling more settled now that he was scowling at me again. “You asked why I bought a horse. Not the same thing.”
It was semantics, and I was reaching, but I was rewarded by a frustrated huff. This, I understood. I could deal with this.
“You said it wasn’t any of my business,” he ground out. It sounded like he was clenching his teeth. I fought a smirk.
“See, when I was a kid, my life was…” No, I didn’t want to get into that. “Not like it is now. But the summer I was eight, my father sent me to spend two weeks with a friend.”
It was a friend of a friend, someone he hadn’t even really known, actually. And it could have been a really bad situation. So much could have gone wrong. But my father needed me gone and this was the only solution available at the time. I was lucky it turned out as well as it had.
Hawk made a noise I took as encouragement, so I continued with the tale.
“It was the best two weeks of my life. Hands down. Nothing compared. And they had a horse. A perfectly majestic snowflake appaloosa. She was the sweetest thing I’d ever met.
And she let me hang out in her pasture and just be.
She followed me everywhere I walked. I told her all my secrets and she never judged me.
For the first time I felt normal. Like I wasn’t a burden or—”
I stopped short. I hadn’t intended to get that deep.
When I started the story, I was just hoping to share a fun anecdote about why the coloring of my horse meant so much.
I knew it wasn’t the same horse. Couldn’t be.
I looked for her years ago and found out she passed, as all animals do eventually.
I wasn’t trying to recreate her. That was impossible.
But I wanted to honor her. And have a physical, tangible reminder.
“She was your solace,” Hawk murmured, his tone free of any of its usual snark or derision.
“Yeah.”
A beat of silence, then he asked, “What was her name?”
“Athena.”
“Good name.” Hawk took a breath, and his tone was gentle when he said, “You know you can’t make a new Athena, right?”
And because he hadn’t been accusatory or rude, I didn’t go on the offensive. “I know. I’m not trying to. I want Ramona to be who and what she is. But, you know, since Ramona looks like her, it’s a reminder. Just looking at her brings me peace.”
Hawk stared at me for a long moment. “We should probably head back. You’re gonna be sore as hell as it is. We’ll go around.”
I blinked, surprised by the change in topic, but reined Niko around to follow Hawk down a side path that would presumably take us back to the barns. Once again, we rode in silence, and I didn’t even dare glance at him.
It was only when the barns were in sight that Hawk spoke again. “You’re not bad. Not good, but not bad. We can work with it. You and Ramona will be a great team by the time we’re done.”
Then Humphrey started to jog, and Niko kept up. I bounced in the saddle and had to focus on my heels. I slipped sideways once, but righted myself quickly. When I dismounted, I felt bow-legged and shaky.
“We’ll save after care and cool down for another day. Let me know when you’re planning to stop by again.” Hawk took Niko’s reins and led both horses into the barn.
I was left to stare after them, summarily dismissed. But I was a bit shaken. Mentally that was. I wasn’t exactly sure what just happened. And I had half a mind to yell at Hawk for sending me away without fanfare or a proper goodbye.
But I should probably process all this first so I limped to the car. I’d call and have it out with him tomorrow.