5. Tater Tot
Tater Tot
Quinn
I closed the cabin door behind me and kicked off my tennis shoes, eager to try on my new purchases. The shopping trip with Enzo had left me with an unsettling flutter in my stomach that I wasn’t quite ready to acknowledge.
“Just boots,” I muttered to myself, pulling them from the shopping bag. “That’s all it was.”
But my skin still tingled where his fingers had brushed against my calf. The way he’d crouched in front of me, strong hands guiding my foot into the boot... it was nothing, really.
So why couldn’t I stop thinking about it?
I quickly changed into jeans and then tugged off my socks and pulled on the ridiculous chicken-on-tractor ones instead, grinning at the repeating pattern. My boots were all business, but underneath would be a party.
The boots slid on more easily this time, and I paced the small cabin, breaking them in with each step.
Heading outside, I followed the path toward the indoor riding arena where Kellan had promised to meet me for my first lesson. We’d agreed on it during dinner the night before, and even though I was nervous, I was excited to try something new.
The sun beat down as I approached the arena, and I was glad they had some covered facilities. I hadn’t even thought about grabbing a hat while shopping.
I spotted Kellan leading a small horse with a little girl perched on top. She couldn’t have been more than six, her grin stretched from ear to ear as he guided the horse around in a circle.
I leaned against the railing, watching as he gently instructed her. His patience was palpable, and his smile encouraging.
“Sit up straight, Lily,” he called, his drawl more pronounced. “That’s it! You’re a natural.”
The little girl giggled, her smile marked with pride. A woman stood nearby, presumably her mother, clapping enthusiastically at every small victory.
When the lesson ended, Kellan helped Lily dismount before handing her the lead.
Kellan and Lily led the horse toward the exit into the stables, while she chattered nonstop about something that made Kellan throw his head back and laugh. His whole face transformed in a way that made me smile.
“First time at the ranch?”
I startled, not having noticed Lily’s mom approach. She was the kind of put-together that made me second-guess my entire existence, with a perfect manicure, tasteful jewelry, and not a hair out of place.
“Yeah, I got here yesterday.” I gestured vaguely toward the stables. “I’m having my first lesson.”
“With Kellan? Lucky you.” She fanned herself dramatically. “If I weren’t happily married with two kids, I’d be climbing that man like a tree. The way he is with children?” She gave an exaggerated shudder of pleasure. “Absolute catnip.”
Something hot and uncomfortable flared in my chest and my fingers gripped the fence railing. “He seems professional.” The edge in my voice was impossible to miss.
Where the hell had that come from? I had no claim on Kellan. Yet there I was, bristling like a cat whose territory had been invaded because some random mom had stated the obvious: Kellan Brooks was attractive.
The woman gave me a knowing look that made my cheeks burn. “Honey, professional isn’t the word most women use for him.” She winked before walking away.
I was still scowling at her back when Kellan returned, leading a different horse that was huge compared to the other horse.
I stared at the horse in front of me, convinced Kellan had lost his mind. The animal was the equine equivalent of a tractor-trailer, with massive legs and a back so broad I’d need mountaineering equipment to summit it. “There is no way I’m getting on that thing.”
“This is not a thing. This is Tater Tot,” Kellan announced with a flourish.
“That’s a ‘tot’?” I squeaked. “What do you feed him? Other horses?”
Kellan laughed and stroked the horse’s neck. “He’s a Belgian draft horse and is basically a walking marshmallow. He’s perfect for newbies, and kids love him. He once stood perfectly still while a three-year-old sang the entirety of Let It Go in his ear.”
“Impressive patience.” I cautiously approached the railing. “He’s going to eat my face off.”
Tater Tot shifted his weight, and I took two giant steps backward.
“He can smell fear,” I whispered, eyeing the giant beast.
Kellan’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s sharks. And even then, it’s blood, not fear.”
“Are you sure? Because he’s looking at me like I’m a snack.”
Tater Tot blinked slowly, his expression remarkably uninterested for something the size of a minivan. He lowered his head and let out a long, wheezing sigh that ended in a snort.
“He’s not going to hurt you.” Kellan unlatched the gate and beckoned me inside. When I hesitated, he added, “Trust me, Quinn. Would I put you on a dangerous animal your first time?”
“I don’t know your teaching ethics! For all I know, this is some kind of ‘sink or swim’ approach.”
Kellan grinned, reaching out his hand. “Come on. One step at a time.”
I took a deep breath and tentatively placed my hand in his. His palm was warm and calloused, fingers closing around mine with gentle pressure. The simple touch sent an electric current up my arm.
Great. Now I was dealing with irrational horse fear and inconvenient attraction.
Kellan guided me inside the ring, my boots dragging like I was walking to my execution. Tater Tot swished his tail, completely unbothered by my dramatic entrance.
“We’re going to just stand here for a minute.” Kellan didn’t release my hand. “Feel how calm the energy is?”
“The only energy I’m feeling is my fight-or-flight response,” I muttered.
“Look at him, Quinn.” Kellan’s voice was soft but insistent. “Really look. His eyes aren’t rolling. His ears aren’t pinned back. He’s just... vibing.”
I couldn’t help the snort that escaped. “Horses don’t vibe.”
“Tater Tot does. He’s the Zen master of this ranch.”
As if on cue, the horse let out an enormous fart that echoed through the arena, followed by what looked like a goofy horse grin.
“Did he just—” I clapped a hand over my mouth, torn between horror and amusement.
“Oh, yeah.” Kellan nodded solemnly, though a smile threatened to break through his composure. “He’s notorious for it. We call them his ‘tater toots.’”
“Wow. Real professional operation you’ve got here.”
“Here.” He took my hand again. “Hold your palm flat, like this.” He demonstrated, then guided my hand toward Tater Tot’s enormous nose.
The horse’s whiskers tickled my skin as he sniffed delicately, his breath warm against my palm. I couldn’t help the giggle that slipped out.
“See? Not so scary.” Kellan moved my hand to the horse’s neck, his fingers still wrapped around mine in a way that made me forget about horse-related terror for approximately two point three seconds. “Pet him. He loves it.”
I let my palm rest against Tater Tot’s velvety coat. My hand looked comically small against the expanse of his massive neck. I gave a tentative stroke, and the giant beast leaned into the touch like an oversized puppy.
“Huh,” I whispered, mesmerized by the rhythmic brushing of my hand against his coat. “He’s soft. I thought he’d feel like a couch or something.”
As I continued petting him, a weird calm settled over me. All that irrational fear was being replaced by something approaching wonder, though I wasn’t about to admit that to Kellan just yet.
“Ready to saddle him?” Kellan patted Tater Tot’s broad back, and the giant horse made a contented little nickering sound that seemed impossibly small coming from such a massive animal.
“Yes and no.” I continued running my hand along Tater Tot’s neck, secretly delighted at how he leaned into my touch. “My brain needs processing time.”
Kellan’s eyes crinkled at the corners as he gave me that patient smile, the one that made me feel simultaneously soothed and slightly annoyed that he found my fear amusing. “You can process while I show you how to saddle him, and if you decide today isn’t the day, then no worries.”
He gently took the lead rope and guided Tater Tot across the arena to where a worn leather saddle waited on a rail.
The horse plodded along with a slow, rolling gait.
For something so enormous, he moved with surprising gentleness, occasionally glancing back as if checking whether I was following.
I was, but with the cautious steps of someone following an elephant they’re still not entirely convinced won’t suddenly decide to sit on them.
As Kellan began to explain the saddling process, I tried to focus as he demonstrated each step: blanket first, then saddle, checking for wrinkles, tightening the girth. But I was distracted by the way his forearms flexed with each movement.
“You’re not paying attention.”
“I am!” I protested, heat climbing my neck. “Blanket, saddle, cinchy thing.”
“Girth.” His lips twitched.
I bit my lip to stop myself from making an inappropriate comment. It was a struggle because how does one not immediately have their brain go to something else when the word “girth” is brought up in any context? I certainly couldn’t.
“Ready to try? We can go as far as you’re comfortable with, even if that is just sitting on him for a few minutes.” When I nodded, he positioned Tater Tot next to a mounting block. “Left foot in the stirrup, swing your right leg over, and try not to kick him in the butt on your way up.”
I climbed the block, anxiety buzzing under my skin as I faced the enormous animal. “If I die, tell April she can have my collection of coffee mugs but not my plants. She kills everything.”
Kellan’s hand settled at the small of my back. “You won’t die. I’ve got you.”
Something about those words made my breath catch. I placed my left foot in the stirrup, grabbed the saddle as instructed, and awkwardly hauled myself up, landing with all the grace of a sack of potatoes.
“Holy shit.” I gasped as the ground suddenly seemed miles away, and my body tensed. “We’re so high up. Do you have oxygen masks? Should my ears be popping?”