Chapter 20
Athena squeezed her thighs, but apparently it was a little too much. Beast bolted forward and Athena nearly fell from the back of the saddle. It wasn’t that Beast was skittish with her. She wouldn’t even say he was being bad.
If anything, he was too sensitive to her touch. She was so aware of his spirit—the way he wanted to connect with her.
“Easy!” Brielle called. “You need to focus.” She jumped out of the way just as Beast leaped past her.
“That’s what I’m trying to do,” Athena muttered through gritted teeth. “He’s not paying attention.” She gripped the reins tighter in her hands. “Come on, Beast, you’re making me look bad.”
“This is just as much about you as it is about him. You have to show him that he can trust you!” Brielle called out to her as she made another round in the paddock. “You’re not thinking this through.”
Athena shot a dark look at the woman. As far as she was concerned, Brielle didn’t have enough of a background to be bossing her around like this. She’d mentioned that she had competed in dressage when she was younger, but she wasn’t exactly young anymore.
Brielle matched Athena’s scowl with one of her own and then shot a look at Henry, who had somehow managed to show up out of nowhere. “She’s making this harder than it has to be. You said she wanted to do this.” She didn’t even try to prevent Athena from hearing her. Didn’t she understand that Athena had never ridden a horse before she showed up at the Keagan’s family ranch?
She let out a growl and pulled on the reins a little sharper than she probably should have. Beast reacted much like Athena would have expected him to. He tossed his head and pawed at the ground. He wasn’t going to put up with her attitude, and he was making it known.
Athena closed her eyes and breathed deeply. This wasn’t supposed to be that hard. She had felt so in tune with Beast before. The only thing that had changed was that now there was something on the line.
Harley had told her to have fun.
Well, if this was fun, then she wanted no part of it.
Unfortunately, not even her deep breathing was enough to mend her frayed nerves. She could already tell that she wasn’t going to be any help today. With eyes still closed, she shook her head. “I can’t do this.”
“What do you mean you can’t do this? You signed up for this, remember?”
“Brielle,” Henry said softly, drawing Athena’s attention, “Give her a minute, okay?” He gave his sister-in-law a pointed look and then jogged over to Athena. “Hey,” he said softly, placing a hand on her knee. The warmth from his touch had more of a calming effect than it probably should have. “You can do this, remember?”
She shook her head. “I can’t. I don’t know what I’m doing. This is our third practice, and I still can’t get him to do what Brielle is requesting.”
He laughed, but not in a way that made her feel mocked. “Three days? Sweetheart, three days isn’t enough. You have plenty of time to get ready for this competition. You’re going to be competing against other beginners. You have to learn to breathe.”
“I am breathing!” Her defenses shot up again. This was how it always went. Henry would find something he wanted her to improve and he’d point it out. Where was the guy who had told her that she was brave when they met? Better yet, where was the guy who could put her at ease with one look? She wanted that Henry back.
“It doesn’t look like it.” Henry chuckled again.
Athena leaned closer to him, her gaze more severe than before. “I told you I want you to stop trying to make me into something I’m not. If I say I can’t do this, then—”
He held up both hands and took a step back. “You’re right. I’m not going to push you.”
Her eyes widened as she watched him literally retreat. Suddenly, she was unsure of herself. Why did she now want him to return to her side and tell her what he was going to say? When did she become a person who cared so deeply about what someone thought? It wasn’t healthy—even she knew that.
She thrust those disappointing thoughts down where she wouldn’t be pushed around by them. Instead, she stared at him with her lips pressed tightly together. “I am breathing,” she said more evenly this time.
Henry nodded. “I see that. There’s only one thing I can think of that might help.”
“And what’s that?”
He lifted a brow. “You’re not going to bite off my head again, are you?
She gritted her teeth. “I can’t make any promises.” Taking advice seemed to be getting harder with each passing day. It was an acquired skill—one she hadn’t perfected—and one that Henry would probably lecture her about improving.
To his credit, he laughed. “Fair enough.” He moved closer to her, this time his hand wrapped around the one holding the reins. “Do you remember the night you showed up?”
She stiffened. “Yeah.” There were so many things about that night that she would never be able to forget—meeting Henry still being the highlight of it all.
“Do you remember when you first interacted with Beast?”
Athena glanced down at the horse, noting his ears flicking around. “Yeah,” she said softer this time.
“And what about the connection you’d felt to him right from the start? You were the only one he was willing to trust. Remember that?”
Emotion boiled up in her throat. This time she couldn’t even muster a verbal acknowledgment to what he’d said. All she could do was nod.
Henry’s soft smile melted the ice that had grown on her heart while she’d been getting flustered over this training session. “Okay. The best thing you can do right now is listen to that instinct. You were able to ride him without thinking much about it.”
“Yeah, but I was able to use the reins more.”
He shook his head. “It’s more than that. As both of you continue to ride together, he’s going to notice little nuances in the way you put pressure on him, the way you lean, even the way you hold yourself. You two are connected in amazing ways. I’ve seen it.”
Henry’s little pep talk worked. She didn’t want to admit it to even herself, but his words had helped to put everything into a better perspective.
Goodness gracious, she wanted to be angry with him for it.
It wasn’t fair.
Henry had it all. He was handsome. He was a hard worker. He was kind, and sweet… and the list went on for miles.
Why in the world was he interested in her? No wonder he wanted her to be better. He needed someone who could keep up.
Unless this was about finding someone he could fix. She’d heard about those kinds of men. No. That wasn’t Henry. She refused to accept that. His goodness was overwhelming.
Henry released her hand and took a step back. “Now, let’s go show Brielle what you’re made of.” He put more distance between them, preventing her from asking quietly why Brielle was the one training her.
Athena would have to ask him that question later.
Right now, she had more important things to worry about. “What do you say?” she whispered to Beast’s flitting ears. “Are we going to let the outside world die away so we can understand each other better?”
At first, Beast didn’t move. Not even his ears flicked forward. Then he pawed the ground and tossed his head, bringing a smile to Athena’s face.
“Good. Then let’s try this again.”
“Remember, you can’t talk to him. Not even clicking your tongue is permitted,” Brielle called out.
“I know!” Athena shot back at her. “And everything before we get in position doesn’t count either.”
Brielle blinked and then stared at Henry with confusion.
He shrugged before turning his grin to her. All it took was a wink and she was able to let everything he’d said wash over her.
Athena could do this. She could become one with the animal that everyone thought was a beast. She could help him prove them all wrong, just like she could prove to everyone that she was a valuable asset to the Keagan family ranch.
They came to a stop at the far end of the paddock and Athena got into position. While she didn’t have the full outfit, she wore the gloves, the boots, and the hat. The whip was in her hand, but she made sure not to let it touch Beast even when she felt she was losing control and might fling her hand around.
She settled better into the saddle and held the reins where Brielle had told her would make the biggest difference. Then she closed her eyes and took in the oxygen her lungs craved. Willing her heart to slow its frantic pace, she told herself that this was it. This was her shot. Her eyes opened and she ignored the craving she had to look in Henry’s direction.
He was watching her. There wasn’t a doubt about that.
Athena tightened her thighs, only not quite as firmly as she had last time. The back of her heel tapped Beast’s flank, and he stepped forward. His movements were more measured this time. They hadn’t worked on transitioning from walking to a trot yet. According to Brielle, they needed to perfect the act of walking the perimeter of the corral at an even pace. She wanted smooth steps and an even curve. This would demonstrate that Athena could indeed control the direction and the arc of Beast’s trajectory when in an enclosed space.
Brielle had also been insistent that it should appear that Beast maintained some control to give the illusion of his own freedom—whatever that meant.
“Good!” Brielle called out. “Do you think you can move him into a trot? Don’t forget to adjust your stance so you’re not being flung around the saddle.”
She bit her tongue because otherwise, she would have told Brielle off. They were doing well this time, and there was no reason to complicate things.
But one look at Henry and Athena knew she couldn’t ignore the request. She tapped her heels against Beast and without missing a beat, he moved into a faster pace. Initially, Athena was able to match Beast’s flow of movement. But then she lost the beat in her head and her rump hit the saddle in an awkward thud.
After that, everything unraveled.
Athena pulled Beast to a stop and stifled the groan that had built in her lungs. “I didn’t want to do that transition. Why couldn’t we perfect what we were doing first?”
Brielle’s expression didn’t change even a smidge. “Because you need to be challenged. The way you led Beast through the rounds was near perfect. I can’t have you getting bored and then making mistakes.”
“But I made a mistake! I lost my rhythm.”
“Not right away,” Brielle corrected her. “You are doing better than I thought was possible this early in the process. I think you’ve earned a break.” She patted Beast’s neck with her hand. “Both of you.”
Beast blew a harsh-sounding breath out his nostrils. It might have appeared harmless, but the tension between Brielle and Beast had only grown. Brielle glanced warily at Beast once more, then nodded to Athena. “Good work today. Same time tomorrow.” She walked away, only to be replaced by Henry.
He grinned at her. “That was…”
“Good?” She eyed him, bordering on exhausted.
“No,” he drawled, “that was remarkable.”
“I bounced around in the saddle.”
Henry shrugged. “Not at first. Do you know how long it took me to understand a horse’s gait? You’re catching on at an astonishing rate.” He continued to grin up at her. “I think this calls for a celebration.”