Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
DIXIE
K nocking on the door of the bunkhouse, I wait for a second or two before opening it. Stepping inside with caution, nerves ripple through me. All eyes are on me, and I hate it.
Riggs whistles which gains the attention of his cowboys. Some I have seen before loitering, some I haven’t.
“This is Dixie.” He calls out, looking at me with soft eyes and I appreciate him. “She is going to be joining us for the foreseeable until both of my brothers are back on their feet.”
I hear some light chatter at the back, a pair of eyes roaming up and down my body.
“She's Tripp’s girl, we all know we don't cross the line on the Rivera girls don't we now boys?” Riggs' voice claps around the room and Hudson smirks. He is the only one I actually know and have properly met.
Tripp’s girl.
Be still my beating heart.
Voices of agreement fill the room.
“Now, we're starting a little later today as Pacey was in surgery during the night, so we have a lot that we need to do. The new vet, Opal, is coming to the ranch today, and I need to get down to the calves.” Riggs' eyes are back on me, “I'll be taking Dixie with me.”
They all nod.
“Hudson will lead half of you down to the bulls. James, can you go across to Maple Farm and grab a couple of the mares that are due for breeding? Opal will check them over to make sure we're good to go. Paul,” Riggs calls out and a young boy stands up, he must be around sixteen if that, “you stay back with Billy. The yard needs to be cleaned, horses need to be mucked out and if anyone asks you to do something, you do it, do you understand?” They both nod.
“Right then, let's go,” Riggs is authoritative, but they listen. “You,” he points at me, “you're coming with me.” I nod, dipping my head and following him outside. My eyes cast to the house and the urge to run over there and make sure everything is okay simmers in my stomach as Riggs catches my attention. “He'll be okay, I promise you.”
“I know he will, I'm not worried about his capability...” I trail off as we walk towards the stables
“Then what you worried about, Kid?” he asks, looking over his shoulder as he grabs a saddle and nods for me to do the same, my heart jack hammering in my chest.
“Worried about him. Worried about if he gets hurt whilst looking after her, worried that he will try and do too much then be stuck somewhere because he didn't want to let me down.”
“Dixie,” he stops in his tracks, turning to face me as we stand between the stalls. “He is a tough kid, but he knows his limits. He wouldn't do anything to put Lainey or himself in danger. Trust me.”
And I nod.
“He wouldn't have offered if he didn't think he was capable,” he smirks, turning and walking towards the back of the stable. “So,” his voice echoes around the stalls, “have you ever ridden before?”
My mind flashes back to last night and the way I rode Tripp and I have to clench my pussy at the thought.
“No,” I whisper, worried my voice will give away my dirty thoughts.
“This is going to be one hell of a ride,” he chuckles as he throws his saddle on to the back of his horse. “Let me guess,” he rasps, his eyes on me, “you've never tacked a horse before?”
I shake my head from side to side.
“Come,” he nods me over and I walk towards him, the leather saddle still tucked over my arms. “Watch me, then we will saddle your horse.”
I watch as he tosses the saddle blanket on the back of his horse before the saddle is placed on top. He readjusts it so it's sitting perfectly in the dipped part of the horse’s back. He reaches down and grabs a long leather strap that sits under the horse’s stomach, just behind it's front legs and he buckles it tight against the horse.
“That's called the girth,” he looks over his shoulder at me, “it needs to be tight, but you still want to be able to get two fingers underneath, so it's not too tight against the horse’s skin,” he shows me as he slips two fingers under the girth and I nod, knowing full well I will spiral into a panic soon.
He stands up, grabbing the bridal.
“Right, always do the bit first,” he smiles as he rests the metal bar in his hands, with two circles either side.
“How do I get that into his mouth?” I ask, eyes widening as the panic I was talking about starts circling in my lower stomach.
“Like this,” he smirks at me before holding his palm flat, bit sitting in it with the loops sitting either side of his hand. Lifting his hand to the horse’s mouth, he moves his hand in a soft side to side motion as if rubbing the horses teeth with the cool metal and he slips it into the horse’s mouth, pushing it towards the back.
“Can you see?” He asks and I step a little closer. “The bit needs to be over the horse’s tongue, and pushed back, this is how you're going to control him. If the bit is under the tongue, you're going to struggle, plus, it's not great for the horse either.”
“Okay.”
“If the horse doesn't open his mouth, a thumb in the corner of his mouth with a soft press into his tongue should get him opening for you,” and I just stay silent. “Now, pull the bridal up and move the horse’s ears forward over the headpiece.”
I am shitting myself.
“Now, do the first strap under his head, the second under his nose,” and Riggs makes it look so easy. “Your turn,” he beams at me, his horse now tied back up outside his stall.
He walks across the concrete floor and opens the stables to a dark chocolate horse with a beige nose.
“This is Betsy,” he smiles, “one of our new mares from Maple Farm,” his eyes on Betsy as he rubs her neck.
“Hi Betsy,” I murmur as I step towards her, and I watch as her ears go back.
“She can sense you're nervous.”
“That's because I am,” I admit, and he scoffs a laugh.
“She'll make your job real hard if you don't get brave quick,” and the sound of Betsy stamping her hoof against her straw covered floor makes me jump. “Snap out of it,” his tone cool as he runs his hand up and down her neck.
“Okay okay,” I rush forward, pulling the saddle blanket from underneath the heavy saddle, my arms feel weighted. I toss it over her back and Riggs smooths it out for me before I lift the saddle up, moaning as I do and the relief I feel when it's out of my arms is amazing.
“Straighten it up, make sure it's sitting on her back properly otherwise you'll hurt her,” he says softly, his eyes watching my every move, and he makes me more anxious.
“Stop watching me,” I snap, getting flustered.
“I have to watch you Dixie, because if you fuck up, the horse gets hurt or you do. Ideally,” he smirks as his eyes lift over the top of the horse’s neck, “I don't want the horse hurt,” and I snort a laugh, shaking my head from side to side.
Faffing with the saddle, I step back and look at him. “There? Is that okay?”
“That's perfect,” he praises, and I beam. “Now, the girth. Remember what I said?”
“Not too tight, two fingers under.”
“You got it.”
I drop the girth down off the top of the saddle gently, trying not to hit Betsy. Leaning down slowly, I bend and reach for the girth as I buckle it in and tighten it, worried I am going to pinch her skin.
“Is this tight enough?” I ask.
“I dunno Dixie, is it?”
And I can feel myself getting flustered.
Slipping two fingers under the girth, I can wiggle them.
“Seems okay.”
“That's not good enough, what will happen if when we're riding, the saddle comes loose because you haven't done the girth tight enough? You'll slide off along with the saddle and end up on the floor hurt,” his tone is a little harsh and my cheeks burn.
“Don't be an ass Riggs.”
I stand up, hands on my hips and I throw a dagger glare at him.
“Sorry,” he grumbles then walks around my side, slipping his fingers under the girth and pulling it out. “It's fine,” he nods as he hands me the bridal off the stable door. “Bit first,” he reminds me, and Betsy's ears are flat to her head.
“What if she bites me?”
“It'll hurt,” he chuckles softly and fear pricks at the nape of my neck.
“Thanks,” I sigh as I lay the cool metal into the palm of my hand as I raise it closer to her mouth, the horse’s lip curls and her mouth opens ever so slightly and that's when I slip it over her tongue and into the corners of her mouth. Betsy rolls her tongue around and I look at Riggs.
“It's normal, imagine having a metal bit put in your mouth and under your tongue,” he smirks
“I would gag.”
“Shit, I better tell Tripp not to tack you up then,” and he elbows me before bursting into laughter.
“Idiot,” I sigh as I pull her ears forward and behind the headrest then pull her fringe out, so she looks all pretty.
“There,” he smiles, “now do the bridal up.”
“Okay bossy,” I sigh as I fiddle with the delicate buckles and tighten them.
“Well done you,” he chimes, and I stand back, admiring my work. “Now,” he passes me the reins, “fix your stirrups.”
“What?” I snap my head to look at him.
“You need to lengthen your stirrups.”
“Back up bud, you missed a step,” as I look back at the lengths of leathers that hang down against her belly.
“I am going to show you now, so, fun fact,” he nudges me out the way as he lifts the saddle flap up and loosens another buckle. “You can measure your stirrup length from your armpit to your fingers, then double it to get the right length, there or there abouts,” he nods, “you want your knee slightly bent, heels dug down.”
He is talking a different language.
“I was never a horsey girl, I was a singer Riggs. I learned to play the guitar, not how to ride a horse,”
“Well Dixie Walker, it's never too late to learn a new hobby.”
“Okay, I'll make a deal with you right here, right now Riggs Rivera.”
“Go on.”
“I learn to ride.”
“Well from what I heard...”
“A horse Riggs, I learn to ride a horse, not a cowboy,” I roll my eyes and he chuckles beside me, “then you learn to play the guitar.” He inhales heavily, turning to face me and I watch as the smirk pulls at the corner of his lips.
“Deal,” he holds his hand out for me to shake and I do, gladly. “Now, fix your stirrups and get onto your horse.”
Shaking my head, I measure out my stirrups like he said and they look too long but I trust him. Footing the stirrup, I hold onto the horn as he gives me a leg up, swinging my spare leg over Betsy's back and sit in the saddle.
“How does that feel?” he asks as I wiggle my boot in the stirrup and push my heel down.
“Feels pretty good.”
“Stand in the stirrups,” he asks and I blink a few times. “It's exactly as it sounds, stand in the stirrup, heels down.”
I do as he says, holding onto the saddle as I do.
“Perfect,” he smiles as he passes me the reins. “Now stay there whilst I get onto Travis.” As soon as he walks away, Betsy starts moving.
“Er, Riggs,” I call out and Riggs rolls his eyes, pushing Betsy back into the stall.
“You know the metal bit you put in her mouth?” I nod. “It's connected to the reins. Hold onto her, pull back slightly, but not too much or she'll start walking backwards,” he shakes his head from side to side and I tighten my grip around the reins and hold her still.
I watch as Riggs mounts Travis with such ease and I am a little jealous. He clicks the tongue at the roof of his mouth as he kicks Travis on and only then do I release the reins and Betsy just follows.
“Riggs.”
“Yes,” and I can tell he is so over my shit already.
“Do I need to kick Betsy on like you just did?”
“Only when you want her to trot or move on.”
“Right.”
“But I’ll tell you when to kick on, and try with all you have to keep your ass in the saddle.”
“How far have we got to go?”
“A little up the highlands.”
“That's quite a ride,” I say softly as I take in the sights in front of me, and even though I have seen the same view, the same rolling green fields and the same trees that dance in the wind, it all looks a little more beautiful on the back of a horse.
“Then you better get ready to ride Dixie.”
Riggs kicks Travis into a faster pace and I do the same, kicking Betsy on as her legs move beneath us, carrying me behind Riggs and I bounce in the saddle.
“Ass in the saddle Dixie, heels dug deep,” he shouts out and I focus on doing as he said, ass in saddle, heels dug deep, and alright, I am no horse rider, but I managed not to fall off.
That's something right?