Page 99 of Road Trip
He shook his head. “About half of them belong to my family. The rest are boarders. It’s how he’s able to keep it going. That and the lessons. He gives lessons and trains horses, my grandmother runs the business side, and there are a couple of other trainers who come in. He’s also got three ranch hands who keep up with most of the physical labor. He’s had some award winning horses and used to breed them, which made him a lot of cash. He’s retired from that now. I know he wanted me to take over the business, but I had bigger plans. I stay involved as much as I can, and I’ve invested in the ranch as well.”
“He’s your father’s father, right? Your father isn’t involved?”
Kelly snorted. “That would be a big no. Dad doesn’t like to get his hands dirty. He totally rebelled against everything to do with the ranch when he got into high school. He competed until then. He was really good, too. Now it’s just investment banking. Mother enjoys being the trophy wife and turns her nose up at the ranch, too. Maybe that’s why Katie and I love it so much. It was our little rebel paradise. Everything goes full circle.”
Kelly seemed so relaxed here. He walked us along the stalls and introduced me to the horses, pointing out which were his favorites. He stopped at a stall with a beautiful reddish-colored horse. He called her over and nuzzled her face. She seemed to really respond to him.
“This is Ginger. She’s mine. I bought her my first year with the department.” He turned and smiled at me. “Want to go for a ride?”
Shit. Large animals were kinda scary. Trust Kelly. “Um, okay. I’ve never ridden before. I have no clue what to do.”
He smiled and stepped over to unlock the gate. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep you on a lead this time. We’ll just take her out for a walk around the property.” He grabbed a halter and rope and stepped into the stall with her. She seemed to get excited to see him and nudged him in the belly a few times while he was trying to get the halter over her head.
“Behave, Ginger. This is Abra, my girlfriend, and you will be nice to her.” He attached the rope to the halter and led her out of the stall.
I stepped back and made room for the giant horse. She was huge! He walked her toward the front of the barn and tied her up between two short walls.
“All right, doll. You’re about to get your first lesson,” he said with a smirk.
Luckily I wasn’t wearing anything too fancy.
“I’m not exactly wearing the right shoes for this.”
He looked down at my feet and shrugged. “You’re not really going to be guiding her. I just want to give you the feel of riding her, so we’ll put on a saddle and throw you up there, but I’ll do the driving this time.”
We got to work, and I got all tingly inside watching him in his element. He was so gentle with the horse, giving her pets and talking to her the whole time. We brushed her, and then he showed me how to pick out her hooves. I watched closely as he put on the saddle and the strap that goes underneath, which I learned was a girth.
“Doesn’t the saddle usually have that horn thingy? What am I supposed to hold onto?”
Kelly chuckled. “Just grab her mane or the edge of the saddle. This is an English saddle. You’re thinking Western. I’m no cowboy, Abra.”
-No shitSTARTI-. What he was was an incredible human being, a sensitive and generous man, and seeing this side of him really affected me, opening my heart to him in a new and tender way.
He led Ginger out of the barn, and I followed them over to a step stool box thingy. He got her in position and instructed me to step up onto the block.
“Just swing your leg over and get comfortable. This time I’ll do all the work. You just hold on, doll.”
I did as he instructed, feeling incredibly uncoordinated, and then I was riding a horse! Her body was so wide, my legs were really stretched out. I couldn’t even reach the stirrups. He stopped and held her still while he adjusted them to the right length for me.
Before we left the barn, Kelly slung an extra blanket over Ginger’s back behind the saddle. He then led us down the trail, heading past the main house and toward a wooded area. The gentle movement of the horse was actually pretty relaxing once I adjusted to her gait. The property Kelly’s grandparents owned was like a little oasis in the middle of the crazy Bay Area. I could totally see the appeal of living here and even allowed myself to fantasize living here with Kelly. For just a moment I could see the light at the end of this tunnel of depression.
Kelly walked until we reached a small creek that was covered by brush and branches from the trees. He helped me down from Ginger and then led her over to the water. He tied her to a sturdy tree there and lifted the blanket off her back. He spread it on the ground several feet away where a little bit of afternoon sunshine was still shining through. I liked where his mind was going with this.
“So...bring many girls here, Farm Boy? Is this your secret lair?” I knew the minute I spoke that it was the wrong thing to say.
He frowned deeply and looked away from me. “Actually I haven’t ever brought a woman to the ranch. Not any girls in high school, not anyone from college. Just you.”
“I’m sorry, Kelly. That was a terrible thing for me to say when you’re being so sweet.” I stepped over in front of him, noticing his fatigue.
“You seem to jump to that conclusion a lot. I can’t always tell if you’re joking.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry. I guess I know how to ruin the mood,” I said. This didn’t seem to placate him. “Look, Kelly, I’m sorry, I am. I make light of things only because, honestly? It all seems too good to be true. You are too good to be true. And if I make stupid cracks about it, then it might not hurt as bad when—”
“When I leave. Abra, we’ve been over this!”
“I know. I’m trying, okay? I will try to quit fucking up the mood with my stupid attempts at humor.”
He looked around the clearing for a few minutes, maybe trying to decide whether or not to continue with his plans. I wouldn’t have blamed him if he’d packed us up and headed straight back for the barn. I had to trust that he loved me and would put up with my idiosyncrasies.
