CHAPTER 10
Victor’s July flew by like one of Oklahoma’s infamous tornadoes.
He saw Johnny sometimes, but usually only when Johnny was dropping off or picking up his niece.
Taylor had now become so omnipresent at the barn that everyone knew her, and Victor now provided her free lessons in return for all her work.
He’d moved Taylor from his lazy lesson ponies to Midnight, who by now had gained enough weight to make training possible.
With proper feed and farrier care, her meek personality faded away to reveal the fiery spirit of an Arabian that Victor had expected.
She wasn’t so hot-tempered that he worried about Taylor working with her, but she could get impetuous when she didn’t get her way.
As energetic as Midnight could be, she was whip smart and incredibly athletic; when they put her in the indoor to run around a bit, she performed the sort of lead changes and spins that could put any reining horse to shame.
She took the bridle and saddle no problem, but under a rider she didn’t have much of a clue what to do.
While she’d probably be a handful for Taylor, he didn’t think it would take much to get her in performance shape.
Taylor was a bold and fearless rider, the kind of kid trainers like him loved to put on willful ponies to give them riding experience for more fearful child riders. Victor was soon putting Taylor on anything and everything she was willing to ride. She reminded him so much of himself at that age.
Victor tried his best to praise Taylor as best he could; he got the feeling she didn’t get much of it at home.
He also told her mother how gifted of a rider she was, in hopes her mother might come to appreciate Taylor’s talents.
He remained concerned about her life outside of the barn.
He often asked her if she needed help with any homework once school started back up, and she always said no.
Considering she wasn’t his kid, Victor didn’t want to push too hard, but he did ask Johnny if anyone at home was even trying to help her.
“Considering I flunked outta high school and my sister barely graduated, probably not,” Johnny replied.
“She’ll be starting fourth grade. I don’t think that requires a PhD in mathematics.
” Johnny dropped a hand onto Victor’s shoulder as if he were talking to a child.
“Vic, some people ain’t made for book learnin’.
My sister has already tried her best with that girl.
Best just teach her the things she does wanna learn and leave it at that. ”
Victor decided to let it go. “There’s a show down near Tulsa next weekend.
I was hoping to sign Taylor up in a class, if you get your sister to sign this.
” Victor handed Johnny a piece of paper, the typical type of permission slip he offered parents of students who went with him to shows.
“Taylor wants to try her hand at a trail class. I think it’ll be a good place to start. ”
* * *
“Every time he speeds up like this, you can feel him brace against your aids,” Victor explained to his training prospect’s owner as she stood in the center of the ring and watched him circle around her on her bay roan gelding.
“So every time he braces, I push with my inside leg and bring his head around with my inside rein, and I don’t let up until he softens.
” Victor picked up the inside rein and held it until the gelding stopped pulling and yielded to the pressure, curling his neck around and breaking into a walk.
Once he relaxed, Victor released the rein and let him travel forward again.
This particular gelding had been started with hard hands and strong bits, and he’d never been given the time to learn how to carry himself properly.
He worked on a figure-eight, explaining his methods as he moved, showing his owner how a relaxed and supple horse could fix unrelated problems simply by giving a horse a job they understood and enjoyed.
After fifteen minutes, he hopped off and asked her to try him out.
Once she jumped on, he sensed someone watching him.
He turned and saw a tall blonde woman by the gate, someone he could recognize even at this distance. A grin split his face, and he jogged over as she slipped through the gate and opened her arms for a hug.
“You’re early!” Victor explained as Skyler dragged him into a powerful embrace, her chin easily resting on the top of his head. “I thought you weren’t coming until tomorrow!”
Skyler pulled back, white teeth flashing in an easy grin. “I’ve made good time driving. What can I say, I was excited to see my favorite person!”
“Seems like a slight to your husband.”
Skyler laughed. She looked about the same as he remembered—slightly over six feet tall, tanned by the Californian sun, pretty enough to be a model but lacking the feminine wiles to do so.
Back in high school, it was likely that Victor wore more make-up than she ever had, and Victor had hardly worn any.
“He’s my second favorite on his best day,” she said with a chuckle.
She was wearing a polo shirt with her barn’s logo on the breast, as well as a pair of dusty jeans and barn-appropriate boots. She looked at home at any stables.
“You should have been a dressage trainer,” Skyler said, jerking her head toward the bay roan Quarter Horse doing circles at the other end of the ring. “You teach the same principles.”
“Everything is dressage, if you think about it.” Victor turned toward the gate. “Is your horse still in the trailer?”
“Yup. Wanna show me where I can put her?”
They left the barn and headed outside, where Skyler had pulled in with her matching truck and side-loading four-horse trailer. Skyler took the lead on opening the trailer and comforting the horse inside before she and her mare disembarked together down the side ramp.
“That’s a horse,” Victor exclaimed. The bay mare had to stand at least 17.2 hands, if not taller, and even though most of her was covered by a thin sheet, her neck made her shine and musculature clear. “How tall is she?”
“17.3 and three quarters,” Skyler said before being jerked toward the grass by a hungry horse on a mission.
“Hey! Would you—” The mare began devouring the grass for a few seconds, then whipped her head up at the sound of a horse neighing from inside the barn.
She returned the call in an ear-splitting whinny, and Victor laughed.
Still feeling lively after a long drive, it seemed.
“Let’s get her in the barn before she hurts herself,” Skyler said with a roll of her eyes. “Come on, you big dork.”
The enormous mare let Skyler drag her toward the barn. The horses inside showed interest, though Blitz seemed particularly curious about this beautiful big woman being stalled in his barn. Victor stopped and touched his forehead as Skyler pulled her mare to the opposite side of the barn.
“Yeah, you wish,” Victor joked. “I don’t think she’s into short kings.”
Blitz snorted, as if offended. He nickered softly, but upon being ignored by this new pretty lady, he sighed and returned to his hay. Most stallions weren’t so easily dismissed, but Blitz was notoriously mellow.
In the mare’s stall, Skyler was removing the shipping wraps from the horse’s legs.
When Victor stood at the door, the mare stretched out her nose to sniff him.
Once done inspecting Victor, she went to her hay rack to demolish the hay Victor had put there.
Skyler began rolling up the polo wraps used for her legs, a task Victor took over.
When he returned to the main hallway with polo wraps in hand, he spotted Skyler ducking under the stall guard across Blitz’s stall door.
When he peeked in, Skyler had her arms around Blitz’s head, planting kisses above his eye. Victor had to smile.
“So glad you still have this loveable little guy,” Skyler cooed. “I remember when you were just a lil baby, buddy.”
Blitz loved attention no matter who was providing it, so he submitted happily to the treatment.
“Can I ride him?” Skyler asked.
“You’ve barely been here ten minutes and you already want to ride my horses?”
“It’s been so long since I’ve ridden Western. I wanna try.”
“Why don’t we get you settled first?”
Skyler nodded, and they went to work moving everything out of her trailer and truck and into their appropriate places between the barn and house.
Skyler hadn’t changed since Victor had last seen her—full of bubbly energy and prepared to talk your ear off if she thought you were receptive.
She’s always been the social butterfly between both of them, and it was because of her that Victor had any life beyond horses as a teenager.
Despite her height, she drew in boys like flies to honey, even if she wanted little to do with any of them.
It was fitting that she’d found the grumpiest Irishman to marry, a yin to balance out her yang.
Victor had only met him a few times and hadn’t been impressed, but he also wasn’t sure anyone would when it came to his best friend.
In his eyes, she deserved the sun and stars.
Victor made her lunch and they spent an hour catching up in his living room with both of his dogs vying for a spot in her lap.
Victor had a busy training schedule today, however, so he had to get up and get back to work.
Skyler said she’d be taking a nap, and Victor insisted she rest to the best of her ability.
A few hours later, Skyler returned to the barn in tan jodhpurs and tall boots. Once Victor finished up with a student’s lesson, he gave Skyler permission to tack up Blitz and take him for a ride. In return, she told Victor that he could try out her mare if he liked.
“I don’t wanna stress her out,” Victor said.
“She needs some exercise after being stuck in a trailer for the past two days. Or are you scared?” Skyler asked with a smirk.