Page 38 of Bones
He sighed, his eyes pained. “Bones, please. Mac asked me to do this, and I really don’t want to force you.”
But I will if I have to.I heard the unspoken subtext. I glared at him for a few more seconds, debating making this into a big fight out of sheer stubbornness.
Choose your battles,Wolf barked in my head.
“Fine,” I said through my teeth.
He let out a breath, his eyes brightening again. “Alright, let’s go.”
I followed him outside where two horses waited already saddled up. I paused nervously. I knew I’d ridden a horse with Trey when I first got here, but I’d been unconscious for most of it. I didn’t have any experience with horses. Not many people had them in the desert. Finding enough food for them proved difficult and most people owned bikes. Scavenging parts for bikes didn’t take much work, and thanks to the boiling sun, the solar panels that powered the engines stayed charged.
Trey noticed I’d stopped. “You comin’?”
I didn’t move, hating to admit I didn’t know what to do.
He turned and strode back over to me, his brow furrowed. “What’s wrong?”
I swallowed my pride. “I don’t know how to ride a horse.”
Understanding dawned in his eyes and he smiled that gentle smile. "Oh! Well, I'll teach you. C'mere."
I followed him over, feeling more nervous as we got closer and I realized exactly howbigthe horses were.
“This one is Violet and this one is Marigold.” He gestured to the two horses.
Violet was dark brown, and Marigold was a golden palomino. Marigold lowered her head and nudged Trey in a move that seemed affectionate.
“You’re riding Violet. She’s very gentle.”
Violet swung her head toward me, and I stopped in my tracks.
“You’re ok,” Trey said. “She just wants to say hello. Here, hold your hand out, like this.” He demonstrated reaching forward with one hand, offering the back of his palm to the horse who sniffed it.
He turned back toward me, reaching out to take my hand and tug me forward. I let him, but my heart pounded in my chest. I held my free hand out like he did, and the horse’s whiskers tickled my skin as she sniffed me. I stared at those massive hooves and couldn’t help picturing how they could crush a human foot or a skull. Once Violet stopped sniffing, Trey pulled me forward again, going alongside the horse to stop at her side.
“Hey Vi,” Trey said in a calm, even voice as he stroked the horse’s shoulder. He raised my hand he held and set it on the horse’s warm side. “You try.”
I stroked my hand down the horse’s side. Her coat felt warm and soft under my fingers. Violet swung her head back again, staring at me and huffing at my shirt.
"Don't approach a horse from behind. I mean, Vi will be fine ’cause she's gentle, but some horses will feel threatened," Trey continued with a wry smile. "Trust me, it's a real good way to get kicked. Now that you've greeted the horse, you can mount up. This is called the horn." He reached up and grabbed the part of the saddle sticking up. "You hold onto this, put your foot here in the stirrup, and then push up and swing your other leg over." He demonstrated, moving with a practiced ease, and then smiled at me from on top of the horse. "To get off, you do the same thing, just in reverse." He swung one leg over, holding onto the horn and lowering himself down to the ground.
Violet ignored us and snagged a mouthful of grass.
“Your turn.”
I had to stand on my tiptoes to reach the horn, but I managed. I got my boot in the stirrup, a little awkwardly, and then pulled myself up the way Trey had done. I wasn’t as fluid as Trey, but I did it, a flutter of accomplishment coming to life in my chest.
“Nice.” Trey grinned up at me. “Here I’ll adjust the stirrups a little. Your legs are a bit shorter than mine.”
I moved my feet so he could adjust the straps until I could reach both more easily. He slipped them back on my feet and then stood, surveying me.
“How do you feel?” he asked.
I wasn’t sure exactly what he meant. “Fine?”
He chuckled. “Shoulda seen that one comin’.” He grabbed the reins and handed them to me. “Hold these with one hand. Keep ’em loose. You don’t need to worry too much about steering ’cause Violet will follow me, but all you do is move your hand with the reins in the direction you want her to go.”
He moved over to Marigold and mounted, taking the reins and checking on me one more time. “When you want the horse to go, you just squeeze gently with your legs or tap with your heels. Don’t kick ’em unless you want ’em to take off. To stop, you just pull back on the reins like this.” He showed me. “Alright, ready?”
