Chapter 13 #2
Once I’m settled on Piper, I guide her over to the start and wait for Noah to blow her whistle. She has a timer wrapped around her neck and a clipboard in her hand to record my times.
But Waylon and Bentley standing next to her makes me more anxious than it should. Bentley appears so excited to watch me, but Waylon’s looking at me with an expression I’ve never seen on him before.
I get into a two-point position and then give Piper a little kick as soon as Noah gives me the go-ahead.
Piper takes off and makes the first jump effortlessly.
It helps that they’re low and we’ve done this dozens of times, but after this past month, I’ve not been able to practice as much or focus as hard.
By the fifth jump, my face is in a permanent smile at how great she did. It’s hard not to have a blast when I’m on her, but I’m glad Bentley didn’t have to witness me screwing up.
“Whew, that was great!” Noah shouts.
Bentley claps and Waylon grins at him.
“Thanks, but now we need a real challenge.”
“You want me to raise ’em already?” She arches a brow.
Glancing at Bentley quickly, I nod and meet Noah’s gaze. “Yeah, let’s give him a good show.”
“Alright. Just remember to bend your waist more and fold in those elbows.”
“You got it, boss.” I smirk.
“Waylon, do you mind helpin’ me adjust the rails?”
“Sure.”
He follows her out into the arena while Piper and I wait.
“Do you wanna pet her?” I ask Bentley.
His eyes light up and he nods.
I move closer and show him where he can touch on her neck and nose.
She nudges his hand and neighs at him.
“She likes you.”
“How can you tell?”
“She hasn’t bitten you,” I tease.
“Alright, it’s ready,” Noah announces. “I only did four to give y’all room in between. Don’t forget to keep your head up and look through the jump.”
“Got it!”
I ride Piper back to the beginning and wait for the whistle.
As soon as it goes off, Piper canters to the first one and successfully jumps over without knocking the rails down.
When we do bigger jumps, I switch my positions from post to two-point to keep us balanced in between.
When my legs squeeze slightly to signal for her to jump over the second and third, she does flawlessly.
Moments before the final one, a small animal runs inside and spooks Piper. She plants into the ground before my body has the chance to stop, and I fly off her back.
And that’s why I wear the helmet.
“Oh my God, Harlow!” Noah shouts, rushing toward me.
“I’m fine…” I grunt, attempting to roll onto my side.
“Are you okay?” Waylon kneels beside me.
I groan at how hard my tailbone hit the ground. “Never been better.”
Noah snorts, grabbing Piper’s reins so she doesn’t run off. “Take it easy and get up slowly.”
Waylon offers me his hand, and I take it. He helps me into a sitting position, but the pain already shoots down my back.
“Was that a goat?” I ask for clarification.
“Yep…looks like one got loose.” Waylon shakes his head. “Pretty sure Wilder was movin’ ’em into a different pasture.”
“That explains it.” Noah sighs.
“He’s so cute!” Bentley gushes, and when the three of us look over, we find him playing with the little devil.
“Don’t let him get away,” Waylon tells him. “We’ll need to bring him back.”
“Can I keep him?”
Waylon shakes his head. “Not a chance your mom would be okay with that.”
“Ugh.” Bentley pouts.
“Think you can stand?” Waylon brings his attention back to me.
No. “Yeah, sure.”
Waylon gets to his feet and gently pulls me to mine. We’re nearly chest to chest when I get to my full height. Inhaling, I smell whatever he’s wearing. Or maybe it’s just him. Manly and musky with a hint of leather.
His gaze finds mine, but then it lowers to my mouth.
I brush a hand over my cheek, feeling self-conscious. “Do I have dirt on my face?”
He blinks and then shakes his head. “Oh no, you look good.”
My brows furrow at his choice of words, and I almost get lost in his ocean blue eyes while staring into them.
“You’re gonna probably be sore now,” Noah interrupts, causing us to break apart. “Take somethin’ when you get home.”
“I will. My ass is gonna have a nice bruise on it again, so I’ll be sittin’ on ice for the rest of the day.” I chuckle, but Waylon tenses next to me, and I worry that was the wrong thing to say. “I bruise easily, but I’ll be fine.”
He gives me that forced smile again, which confuses the hell out of me.
“Bentley and I will take the goat back, and then I can help you take down the rails,” he tells Noah.
“Sounds good, thank you.”
Noah hops on Piper. “I’ll groom her and then put her back into the stall so you can get home.”
“Are you sure?” I rub my palm over Piper’s neck so she knows I’m not upset with her.
“Yeah, I don’t want you ridin’ anymore today. You need to go rest so you don’t wake up stiff tomorrow. Trust me, been there, done that. It ain’t fun.”
I nod and then give Piper a quick kiss on her nose. “See ya soon, girl.”
With New Year’s Eve in two days, Noah’s taking off from training, so I won’t be back until after the first of the year.
I’m going to be bored, though, because I’ll be at home while Mom’s at work. The hospital is swamped this time of year, so she ends up working overtime.
Maybe I’ll make that profile on CowboyMatch after all.
At the very least, it could entertain me for a while.