by Violet Howe
“Lunch just ended.”
She gasped. “Really? It’s after three. Must have gone well.”
“I’m following him back to the ranch.”
“Holy cow! It must have gone real well!”
I laughed. “No, it’s not like that. I’m going to see the puppies.”
“Okay, is that some euphemism for him seeing your puppies?”
“No! The puppies from the other night. In the woods. He invited me over to see them.”
“Oh. Okay. And you’re going?”
“Yeah, why? Do you think that’s a bad idea? Should I not go?” I almost put on the brakes.
“No, no, go! Go! I’m just surprised. Pleasantly surprised, but surprised. So, lunch went well?”
I bit my lip, replaying portions of conversations in my head. “Yeah, it did. He’s such an interesting guy. So many layers. There’s a lot more to him than meets the eye.”
“Well, from the way you described him, what meets the eye is good, so anything beyond that is cake, right? Speaking of cake, I have to go put the topper on the cake because they’re rolling it into the reception soon. Call me as soon as you leave there, okay?”
“I will.”
“And if that’s not going to be until tomorrow morning, at least text me and let me know you’re spending the night.”
“Oh, good Lord, Sandy! I’m not spending the night. I’m just going to see the puppies.”
“Hmm. Okay. If you say so.”
I wasn’t sure if I needed to park in the circle drive of the house or follow him to the barn, but he stuck his hand out the window and motioned for me to stay behind him, indicating a spot near the barn where I should park.
Cody greeted Dax heartily as he got out of the truck, and I braced for impact when I stepped out of my car, accustomed to Deacon’s habit of planting both front feet on my stomach and nearly knocking me down. But as Cody came toward me, Dax whistled, and the dog immediately sat, his tail wagging in full exuberance as I approached him and patted his head.
“Hello, Cody, and how are you today?”
His entire body wiggled with excitement, but he held the sitting position until Dax called for him.
I followed Dax into the barn to the stall where we’d left the puppies the night he found them, and I couldn’t help exclaiming in joy when I saw the cuddly little balls of fur rolling all around the hay and tousling with each other.
“Oh my gosh! They are so adorable! I can’t believe how much they’ve grown!”
Dax swung open the stall door and I stepped inside, kneeling in the hay to reach forward and pick up one of the warm, snuggly cuties.
“Watch where you kneel. I changed out the hay this morning, but no telling what all they’ve added to it since then.”
The mama dog nuzzled at my elbow, and I turned to pet her, astonished to see how much healthier she appeared after a week of food, warmth, and rest.
“Wow! You look like you feel better,” I said, ruffling the fur on the back of her neck before looking up at Dax. “Did you give her a name yet?”
“I’ve been calling her Little Mama.”
“Gee, that’s original,” I said with a grunt and an eye roll.
“Feel free to bestow a moniker upon her if you’d like. The task is yours for the taking.”
I held her face in my hand and examined her eyes. She was taller than I’d realized the night we’d met, likely because she had been laying down pretty much the entire time and was in distress.
“She’s a pretty big dog, huh?”
Dax nodded. “I think she’s probably a lab mix. The pups definitely have some Australian shepherd in them based on their coloring and the blue eyes a few have. But I’d say she’s more lab.”
“I think I’ll name her Debra.”
He scoffed as he leaned against the stall door. “Debra? That’s not a dog name.”
“Why not? You named a dog Cody. Why can’t I name a dog Debra? It’s sweet.”
“You can, I guess. It’s just not a dog name.”
I smoothed my hand over the top of her head and rubbed her ear. “I think it’s a wonderful dog name. What do you think, Debra?”
She gave me a wag of her tail and then turned her attention to the puppies seeking sustenance beneath her belly.
Kratos let out a loud snort behind us, and I stood and turned to face the huge stallion in his stall across the corridor.
“Is he telling me he likes the name, or he doesn’t?”
“Who knows with that beast!”
I chuckled at the look that transpired between the two of them.
“I take it you and Kratos are still at odds over who’s boss?”
“I’m clear on who’s boss, but he’s holding out on acknowledging it. He’ll come around, though.”
“What if he never lets you ride him?”
Dax smiled. “He will. In his own time. I’m in no hurry. It’s not like he’s ever gonna be a herding horse. He’s too fiery for that.”
“So, what will you use him for?” I asked as I watched the horse paw at the hay and stamp his foot.
“I won’t use him for anything.”
“So why did you buy him?”
Dax walked over to Kratos and held his hand up, moving it almost in slow motion as he watched the horse’s reaction. He was silent until his palm rested on the horse’s neck, and then he turned to speak to me as he stroked the muscles beneath the mane.
“He actually wasn’t for sale. A young rancher had him at the sale barn—the son of a rancher, I should say. He’ll inherit the title, but he hasn’t done much in the way of earning it. Anyway, Kratos was having none of it that day. I watched the young man try to whip the horse into submission, and when I’d been silent as long as I could—which wasn’t very long—I stepped forward and took the reins. For reasons even I don’t understand, Kratos calmed at once and let me lead him from the yard into a stall. As you can imagine, the man was quite pissed to have been shown up with his own horse, but in the end, we came to agree on a price that soothed his pride and got Kratos out from under any future whippings. Isn’t that right, boy?”
The horse let out a loud whinny and bucked his head up just as Dax pulled his hand back.
“He seems to be nodding.”
“One of the few things we agree on, I suppose.”
The horse in the stall next to the puppies answered Kratos’s neigh, and Dax made his way over to him.
“Alright, Dallas. We’ll pay attention to you, too.”
He walked right up to Dallas and patted his shoulder with no hesitation, smiling as the horse nudged his arm. Their relationship seemed much more relaxed than the one he had with Kratos.
Dax turned and looked at me, his head tilted and his eyes bright with the spark of an idea.
“I’m willing to bet that if you had never ridden in a truck, then you’ve probably never ridden a horse.”
“You would be correct. I sat on a camel once. Not sure if that counts. But no. I’ve never been on a horse.”
“Would you like to?”
I looked up at Dallas and glanced back to Kratos, excitement and apprehension rousing a flurry of butterflies in my stomach.
“Um, sure?”
Dax laughed. “Was that a question or a statement? Because you didn’t sound sure.”
“It’s something I would like to be able to say I’ve done, but not necessarily something I’ve been dying to do.”
“We’ve got a couple of hours before the sun sets. I’d love to show you some of the ranch, and horseback is hands-down the best way to see it.”
My insides tingled with the prospect of doing something so intimidating, and I glanced around the stables to see if there was a smaller horse. I spotted one a few stalls down that seemed smaller, and I pointed to her.
“What about that one? Can I ride her?”
His eyebrows rose and the shock was obvious on his face. “You want your own horse? Okay. I’d figured you could ride with me, but hey, i
f you’re up for it.”
“Go big, or go home, right? Is it hard to do?”
He shrugged. “It’s not hard, but she might be a bit more skittish if you’re nervous. Are you nervous?”
“No,” I lied, and then I laughed and said, “Yes.”
“Okay, well, come and meet Fallon.”
I followed him to the smaller horse and smiled as my internal butterflies swarmed. It felt like they were dive-bombing my insides.
“Can I pet her?”
“Sure,” Dax said as he laughed and ran his hand up the broad space between her eyes.
I laid my hand against the side of her neck, amazed at the warmth that radiated from the contact. She shifted her weight, and a ripple ran across her skin, making her ears twitch. I buried my fingers into the thick black hair of her mane, surprised at the coarseness of it when it appeared to be like silk.
“Hello, Fallon.”
Dax grabbed a lead from the hook on a nearby wall and slipped it over her head. I stepped back as he pulled the stall door open and led her out into the open area in the center of the barn.
I kept a cautious distance as I followed them, heeding the warnings I’d always heard about horses kicking. I flattened my back against the wall and gave them a wide berth as he examined her feet.
When he’d finished, he stood upright and placed his hands on his hips, staring at me with a grin.
“You sure you want to do this?”
I nodded and swallowed hard at the lump of fear that had risen in my throat, but the tingle of excitement was coursing through my veins. How long had it been since I’d actually been physically afraid? How long had it been since I’d pushed myself past something so intimidating that my mouth went dry and my feet felt glued to the ground?
“You don’t look sure.”
I forced a smile and licked my lips, trying to get moisture to return to my mouth. “I want to do this.”
“Alright,” he said, with a slight shake of his head.
I watched him dress Fallon in her blanket and saddle, my body teetering between nausea and exhilaration. I stayed plastered against the wall while he led Dallas from his stall to take his place by Fallon, and I tried to distract myself by focusing on the bulge of Dax’s biceps and the sculpted muscles across his back outlined beneath the fabric of his white shirt.
To my surprise, he grabbed a heavy coat from the hook by the door, but then he turned and offered it to me. “You want something heavier? We’ll be back before sundown, but it’s gonna be chilly this late in the afternoon.”
I nodded, and he held the coat out for me to slide my arms inside the sleeves. The weight of it was comforting, and the smell of him lingered on it even though I’d never seen him wear it.
He took another coat from the same rack and tossed it over Dallas’s saddle and then turned to me with a grin.
“You ready?”
A nervous giggle escaped me and my hand went to my throat. “Oh, God. Yeah. I’m ready. Let’s do this!”
I took a step toward him, and my stomach lurched. I moved my hand to cover it and whispered, “Just breathe.”
He turned and raised an eyebrow. “Ever After? Drew Barrymore?”
I smiled and exhaled. “No, I really was just telling myself to breathe, but good call. Good movie.”
“Well, come on, Cinderella. Your noble steed awaits.”
21 INTO THE WOODS
“Put your left foot here,” Dax said, indicating the stirrup.
I took a deep breath and lifted my foot, and he helped wedge it securely in place.
“Okay, now grab the horn and swing the right foot up and over.”
I giggled again. “Up and over. You make it sound so easy.”
“It is. I’m right here, and I won’t let you fall.”
His voice was calming, a little above a whisper. I had seen him speak quietly to Kratos on the lake shore that day, and again with the mama dog the night we led her out of the woods. His tone was reassuring, and his confidence was bolstering.
I grabbed hold of the saddle horn and pushed my weight into the stirrup, lifting my right leg up and over as instructed. My rump landed firmly in the saddle, and Fallon shifted her weight beneath the addition of mine, a movement which was quite unsettling from the dizzying height atop her back.
“Whoa,” I said, instinctively tightening my grasp on the saddle horn to steady myself.
“You’re okay. She’s only adjusting,” Dax said. “Here, cup your hand like you’re making the letter C with your palm down.”
I did as he instructed, and he placed the reins in my hand.
“Now, close your hand over it, but you want to have some slack. Don’t pull it tight unless you want her to stop. If you want her to go left, lay the reins on the right side of her neck like this to gently guide her to turn that way. To go right, that way.” He placed his hand over mine and moved them together as he talked, and the combination of the moving, living creature beneath me and the sparks that flew from the contact with Dax almost overwhelmed my senses. “You have your feet firmly in the stirrups? You’re going to want to ride with your weight on your feet. Go ahead and try. Stand up in the saddle, and let me see if the stirrups need to be adjusted up or down for you.”
I leaned forward to shift my weight in the stirrups and stand. It was odd to feel off kilter. I’d done all manner of leaps and jumps in ballet, and I’d been held high above my partner’s head and even tossed. None of that was as intimidating as standing astride Fallon’s back completely out of my element.
I sat back down when he finished with the stirrups, and my stomach flipped as Fallon swished her tail and turned her head toward Dax. Even though her movements were small, it felt as though the ground itself was shifting, and I had to force my mouth to smile when Dax looked up at me.
“Now, if you keep your butt in the saddle, it’s gonna bounce you to hell and back, and that will make your feet hit her sides and she’ll think you want to go faster. Which, of course, leads to more bouncing and more kicks and the cycle intensifies. So remember, keep your weight on your feet.”
“Got it,” I said, lifting myself to set the weight onto my feet again.
Fallon danced to the right a little in response to the movement, and I jerked my hands onto the saddle horn, forgetting that I held the reins.
“Okay, now remember, you don’t want to pull that tight. Give her some slack. She’s gonna follow Dallas, so you don’t have to do a whole lot. She won’t go off on her own as long as he’s leading her. You sure you’re okay?”
I nodded, trying to hold my position so she wouldn’t shift again. I was having a hard time acclimating to her moving beneath me without my control. Actually, the whole experience felt like I had no control, but unlike emotional situations where the feeling would make me shut down, the physical fear fired me up and motivated me to overcome it.
A splash of red on the wall behind Dax caught my eye as he worked with the straps on Dallas’s saddle. It was a weathered insignia painted on the wood. “Double D Ranch” was scrawled in a fancy script in red letters, with two D’s intertwined in the center in black. As I studied it, I realized the faded D’s were supposed to be horseshoes. There was a year of establishment beneath the design, but before I could determine what it was, Dax and Dallas had started walking.
Fallon immediately fell in line beside them, and I lurched forward at the uneven rocking from side to side as she placed her weight on each leg, one at a time.
Dax looked up at me and grinned, his eyebrows raised in question. “You okay?”
I nodded and grinned back, still unsure of my balance as my body tried to match the rhythm of her gait.
“You look like a natural,” he said, his smile widening as he flashed me a quick wink.
“Ha! I don’t feel like one,” I said, looking back down at Fallon as a warm blush flooded my cheeks.
He paused to open the gate at the edge of the barnyard, and Fallon stood patiently beside Dallas while we wa
ited.
Cody’s barks behind us drew my attention, and I tried to turn in the saddle but stopped immediately when I felt Fallon move.
“Where’s Cody?” I asked as Dax led Dallas through the open gate and waited for Fallon and me to follow.
“He has to stay in the barn. If you remember when you were telling me how impressed you were with his skills, I mentioned that they were limited. Running alongside a horse is not one he’s mastered. He gets so excited that he loses all sense and doesn’t follow any commands at all. He’s the biggest pain in the ass to ride with.”
Dax closed the gate behind us and swung into Dallas’s saddle with so little effort it seemed an extension of his body. His movement was so fluid it was almost like I was watching it in slow motion and soft focus.
He was at least six inches taller than me on the ground, and with the added height of Dallas above Fallon, Dax seemed to tower over me when we were side by side.
He talked as we rode, pointing out land features and telling me the history of the ranch. After a while, the flat, green pasture lands gave way to woods, and he led us into them without a moment’s hesitation despite the lack of any visible trail or markings.
“I assume you know where we’re going? And how to get us back home?”
He glanced over his shoulder at me and his lips curled into a sly grin. “I wouldn’t be much of a cowboy if I couldn’t find my way home on my own ranch, now would I?”
“Guess not,” I said.
Fallon and I had settled into a somewhat comfortable pace, and I began to relax a little. In the beginning, I was so paranoid about keeping my weight on my feet that I didn’t dare actually sit in the saddle. It didn’t take long for the perpetual hover to start a fire in my upper thighs, though, so I had to figure out a balance that worked where I could sit but maintain the majority of my weight in the stirrups. I made sure I held my feet out away from her ribs to ensure I didn’t accidentally give her the wrong signal with a bump.
The terrain had gotten rougher the deeper in the woods we went, and I realized we were climbing.
“Are we going up?”
Dax nodded. “There’s a great vantage point at the top of this hill where you can see a good deal of the ranch. Probably the most you can see from one spot without being in the helicopter.”