Page 42 of Rival
“Oh man, your face. I’m teasing you, but I will try to help you remember as much as you can. It’ll get easier with practice. You ready to hop on?”
“No!” I practically shout, then wince.
Moving closer, he bends down so we’re face to face and cups my chin. “I’m going to help you up, Edith. You can’t mess up. I won’t let you. You won’t fall and you won’t hurt him. You’re going to feel amazing sitting up there. What are you afraid of?”
I tangle my fingers together, then blurt out, “I was riding with my boss the other day and when we were running, the horse stumbled, and I think I made it worse. The horse didn’t get hurt, but healmostdid. I don’t want to do that to Noir.”
Jaxon’s brows turn down for a brief moment before it falls away as he smiles. “Well, first, we aren’t running anywhere. Second, he won’t trip because the ground is perfectly flat in here. Third, there’s nothing you can do to help or hurt a horse if they fall. It just happens. I’ll be right by your side. We’ll practice you getting into the saddle a few times, then take a walk around the space. Sound good?”
“Yeah, if you’re sure.”
“I absolutely am. Think you can get your foot up into this stirrup? I know he’s pretty tall and you’re awfully short,” he teases, patting my head and I laugh, batting his hand away.
Then, with a deep breath, I nod and step next to him. Jaxon instructs me on how I should place my hands after I get my foot in the stirrup, then with his hands around my waist, he helps ease my body up as I swing my leg over. I wobble a bit and start to slide the other way, but his grip is firm on my thigh, and he stops me from falling.
“Good. That was fantastic. Get yourself comfortable for a moment. Shift until you feel like you’re in a good position.” I do as he says and with some small corrections, he adjusts my posture until it feels more natural. “Perfect. You’re doing awesome. Let’s get you down now.”
Again, he talks me through it before having me repeat the same actions for the next twenty minutes. By the time I’m hauling myself up the last time, my arms are sore and trembling from the exertion and I start to fall back, not quite making it over. Jaxon’s hand lands on my butt as shoves me up with a laugh.
“I think that’s enough. Don’t want you to wear yourself out.”
My cheeks are heated, and I can barely look at him knowing he just touched me there without a second thought.Did he realize where he just touched me?I shouldn’t say anything. I’mnotgoing to say anything.
Grabbing Noir’s reins, he holds him still for me and steps closer, this time looking up since I’m so far above him. “You did good. Ready to go for a walk?”
“You’ll hold on to him?” I ask nervously. My hands are clenching the pommel and I feel like I’ve got a good balance as long as I don’t let go. I don’t have anyone like Mason sitting behind me to ensure I don’t slip off either side, so I’m feeling a lot more exposed like this.
“I will.” Then he winks and adds, “For now. I’ll keep a hand on you just in case. Just an easy walk around until you feel comfortable letting go of the pommel. Keep your legs braced against him, but not too tightly or you’ll wear out quickly. Just enough so if you shift, you can catch yourself. It’ll take some getting used to when you’re finding that balance, but you’ll know it when you’ve got it.”
I nod and swallow convulsively when we start to move. After a few minutes, I realize he was right, and I begin to relax. Noir’sgait is so smooth and easy that I settle back, letting go with one hand first, then eventually the second until they’re resting on my thighs.
“He’s wonderful,” I whisper, smiling when Jaxon grins up at me. “Just perfect.”
Without looking away from me, Jaxon says slowly, “Yes… he is.” I’m not sure why he says it the way he does, but my stomach flutters as his eyes stay locked on me for a few moments longer before dragging them away.
I lick my lips and enjoy my very first riding lesson and I absolutely cannot wait until for the next one.
Chapter Nineteen
Jaxon
As I walk out of the bank, I check my phone for updates from my crew over at the big kitchen remodel we’ve got going and blow out a relieved breath that everything was delivered on time. Nothing was missing from the order, which was a worry of mine since that particular supplier is known to make mistakes when the orders are on the larger size.
Lifting my head, I come to an abrupt halt when I see the man I despise more than anyone walking out of the smoke shop next to the bank. Flashes of memory assault me from years ago, Clayborn Hughes completely wasted and laughing manically when I arrived with my parents at his home to find out why my sister left that pathetic party alone.
The pounding of my dad’s fist on the front door syncs with the pounding in my head, pushing my migraine from barely tolerable to downright torture.
“Hughes! You in there?” Dad bellows, his voice cracking, drowning out my mom’s sniffles. We’re all here, painfully desperate to find out just what the hell happened. All the cops were able to tell us was that Julia was walking alone along the edge of a twisting back road. ALONE.
I lift my head and peer at the peeling wood framed door when muffled voices grow louder just before my classmate’s dad whips it open. Blinking against the morning sun, he looks us over and sighs.
“I know why ya’ll are here. Lemme get ‘im.” I follow my parents into the house and barely take in the overabundance of wood paneling and the stale scent of cigarette smoke. My eyes fall to an overflowing ashtray and my nose wrinkles when the disturbed air blows some of it around as we walk past. “CLAY! GET YOUR ASS IN HERE, BOY!”
I wince again and mom grips my hand tightly, grounding me. Clayborn, or Clay as some call him in school, shouts something from somewhere in the house, but my mind is so lost that everything he says doesn’t register. It’s garbled as if he’s speaking under water.
Finally, with the three of us standing awkwardly in a tight group, we hear Clayborn’s pounding footsteps as he shoulders his way into the living room.
It’s obvious he’s still more than a little drunk as he stumbles into the room. His skin is sweat covered, and his eyes are half-lidded and red-rimmed. Much like my own, but for two VERY different reasons.
