by Ali Spooner
“Not yet,” Mary Leah said as she snuggled into her warm body. She rested her chin on the top of Mary Leah’s head as they embraced.
A few minutes later, a breeze began to stir and the temperature dropped further. Despite the closeness of Coal’s body, Mary Leah shivered again.
“I think we better start back,” she said and they began walking toward the house. Their hands brushed together as they walked and Mary Leah surprised Coal by lacing her fingers between hers.
They walked back to the house in silence and when they entered the house, Mary Leah went in search of Melissa while Coal went to shower. “Good night,” she said and disappeared into her room.
The hot water pulsed over her body completely relaxing her. When she dried off and slipped into shorts and a T-shirt, she walked back to her room. She climbed between the sheets and closed her eyes with thoughts drifting back to the lake with Mary Leah. She surprised herself by admitting how much she enjoyed the physical contact with Mary Leah. She drifted off to sleep to dream of Tessa.
Chapter Six
Coal woke up breathless from her dream kiss with Tessa. The sun was peeking through her window as she wiped the sleep from her eyes and sat up in bed. The dream had been so vivid. Coal licked her lips and found the taste of Tessa on her lips. A tear slid down her cheek as Tessa’s last words came to her from the dream. Tessa had told her that she would always love her, but it was time for Coal to move on with her life and give the love Coal had blessed her with to another. She wasn’t sure she was ready for another relationship, but Tessa’s consent had set her guilt free.
What she was ready for was to begin training Shadow. She climbed out of the bed, slipped her feet into a pair of hiking sandals, and went to wash her face and brush her teeth. She returned to her room to dress in shorts, a sports bra, and tank top before leaving the house in search of breakfast.
“You’re up mighty early,” Harley said from the stove where he was frying bacon.
“I wanted to get an early start,” she said as she moved to the coffeepot.
“How about some soft scrambled this morning?” he asked.
“That sounds good. I’m also looking forward to trying your fried grits,” she said.
“I’ve got some cooking. Pour us some juice and drop some toast, and I’ll have eggs ready in a jiff.”
Coal dropped four slices of bread into the toaster and poured two large glasses of orange juice to place on the table. Harley placed a platter of bacon and fried grits on the table and went back to stir the eggs. When they were finished, he carried the frying pan to the table and divided the eggs between their plates while she buttered their toast.
“Will you be starting with Shadow?”
“Yes, I want to make him my cow pony,” she said.
“He’ll make a good one.”
“Yes, I think so too,” she said, taking a bite.
“I’ll clear out the corral for you after we eat if you want to get started.”
“I won’t need the corral,” she said, “I use a different method to train.”
“Okay, you have my interest.”
“I use the Native American technique of water training,” Coal said. “Shadow and I will swim until he is exhausted and he becomes used to my weight on his back. When he is ready, I’ll introduce a saddle and we will go from there.”
“I’ve never seen that in all my years of ranching. Would you mind if I watch?”
“No, not at all,” she said. “Besides, hitting the water is much easier on the body than hitting the hard ground.”
Harley chuckled. “That makes perfect sense. My old body groans from memories of breaking horses when I was younger. These days I gladly allow Gene and Lucas to eat that dust.”
†
Coal finished eating and took another cup of coffee with her as she left the bunkhouse. She walked to the corral and clipped a double-ended lead onto Shadow’s halter and led him out the gate. They were walking past the porch when Mary Leah spoke.
“You are starting mighty early.”
“Take your time with breakfast and come down to the lake at your leisure. This process takes some time,” she said.
“I will be there shortly then,” Mary Leah said.
Harley was eager to watch Coal and quickly fried up a platter of eggs for the rest of the crew and sent Gene to wake them up. “I’m going down to the lake to watch Coal with Shadow,” he announced before leaving.
Gene grunted something indistinguishable and went in search of the rest of the crew.
Harley emerged from the bunkhouse and walked around the back of the house when he saw Mary Leah. “Are you okay to walk or do you want me to get the gator?”
“I think the walk will do me some good.”
As they started across the pasture, they saw Coal and Shadow entering the water.
Coal stopped at the edge of the lake to slip off her sandals then led Shadow into the water. When they reached a depth that neither of them could touch the bottom, Shadow instinctively began swimming. Coal allowed his movement to pull her along beside him across the cool water.
Harley and Mary Leah walked over to the closest oak and sat on a low branch as they watched horse and trainer swim through the water. After roughly forty-five minutes, she climbed on Shadow’s back and floated above him until his progress brought him close enough to shore for his hooves to gain firm footing. When he felt her weight on his back he attempted to lurch forward and buck his back legs in the air, but the resistance of the water prevented the movement. Coal allowed him to continue toward the shore, but as soon as he started bucking, she turned his head and forced his forward motion to take him back out into deeper water.
They continued this routine for almost an hour until Shadow was exhausted and breathing hard.
“It looks like he is finally submitting control to her,” Mary Leah said, watching as they started toward shore. Just as she finished speaking, Shadow bucked and Coal flew off his side. She was able to maintain her grasp of the lead and pulled his head to the left taking him back to deeper waters.
“Okay, so maybe I spoke too soon,” she said to Harley.
“She’s getting there,” he answered.
The silence of the morning was broken when they heard hollering from the corral where Gene and Lucas had begun training of their own. “Sounds like the excitement has begun in earnest,” Mary Leah said.
“More like someone just hit the ground,” Harley said.
“Ouch, I bet that hurts.”
“It’s no fun, that’s for sure,” Harley said as his eyes wandered back to Coal. “I think she’s got the right idea.”
“It has to be less painful for both horse and rider,” she said.
“Without a doubt,” he said. “I’m going to walk back up and see how things are going at the corral. Can I bring you anything when I come back?”
“A bottle of water would be good.”
“I’ll see you in a little while then,” he said.
Melissa was sitting on the top rail of the corral watching the two young cowboys as they both struggled to stay on bucking steeds. Just as Harley climbed up to join her, he heard Melissa groan. “That had to hurt,” she said as Gene gingerly climbed to his feet. “How’s it going with Shadow?”
“Much less painful than this,” Harley said. “She has a much different method, and it seems to be working.”
“Good, I’ll go down and check on them in a bit,” Melissa said as her body leaned hard to the left, mimicking Lucas who was barely hanging on in the saddle.
At the lake, Coal climbed back onto Shadow and started for the shore. This time he failed to buck and she turned him to the left to walk in two feet of water while he adjusted to the weight of her on his back. After several minutes of walking calmly, she turned Shadow and they headed toward shore, and left the lake to walk to where Mary Leah was sitting. Shadow adjusted to her weight and walked toward the trees.
When they arrived, she slid down his back an
d allowed Shadow to drift off to graze while she walked over to Mary Leah.
Mary Leah smiled as she approached. The wet clothing plastered to Coal’s body left little to her imagination. Her eyes slowly wandered from the broad shoulders down to Coal’s slim waist and powerful legs. She felt a warmth flow through her as her eyes caressed Coal.
“I’m glad you came,” Coal said, returning her smile.
“Me too, it looks like you are making good progress.”
“After a short break, I think we’ll both be ready for a bridle and saddle.”
“He’s a beautiful animal and you two will make a handsome pair,” Mary Leah said.
“Thank you, ma’am,” she said as she sat next to Mary Leah, the water still dripping from her body.
Mary Leah blushed when Coal caught her staring at her.
“What are you blushing for?”
“The wet T-shirt look is nice on you,” Mary Leah said.
It was Coal’s turn to blush when she realized her nipples were rock hard and visible through the dark shirt.
Mary Leah chuckled softly when she attempted to cover them. “Don’t bother, the look is very enticing.”
Coal blushed furiously. “If I didn’t know better I’d say you were flirting with me, Mary Leah.”
“That’s because I am,” Mary Leah said as they locked eyes. She watched the smile grow on Coal’s face as she watched the tip of her tongue snake out across her lips in anticipation of a kiss. Coal accepted the invitation and was moving slowly toward Mary Leah’s lips when the jarring sound of the gator broke the silence of the moment.
She glanced up to see Harley and Melissa flying across the pasture, coming in their direction. “Damn,” she said.
Mary Leah chuckled. “No worries, I won’t let you forget what you were about to do.”
“Is that a promise?” she challenged.
“Oh, most definitely,” she said with a devilish grin.
“We thought you two would like something to drink,” Melissa said as she walked up to them and handed out bottles of water. The look she got from her sister made it obvious her arrival interrupted a special moment. She shrugged when she realized what the look meant.
“How’s it going?”
“I think he is ready for some tack,” she said. “In a few minutes I’ll go change into riding clothes and grab my tack from the barn, and we’ll see.”
“How are things going up at the corral?”
Harley smiled. “I think Gene and Lucas are going to be very bruised and sore by the end of the day.”
“I bet,” she said with a grin.
“Drink up, and I’ll give you a ride back up to the house,” he said.
“Let’s go, I’ll finish this later,” Coal said and put the lid back on the bottle. “Are you going back to the house?”
“No, I think I’ll stay and watch if that’s okay.”
“Most definitely,” Coal said. She looked at Melissa.
“I’ll stay until you get back and then have Harley take me back to start on some lunch.”
“Okay, boss,” she said as she followed Harley to the gator.
“You go change clothes. I’ll grab your tack and meet you at the corral,” Harley said as he slowed the gator at the back of the house.
“Thanks, Harley,” she said as she stepped out of the vehicle.
†
“You have horrible timing, sister,” Mary Leah said.
“Yeah, I got the impression from your glare that I had interrupted something. I’m sorry.”
“I was about to be kissed,” Mary Leah said with a pout.
“I’m sure Coal will forgive me,” Melissa said.
“I might not,” Mary Leah said as she nudged Melissa’s shoulder.
“It’s just a matter of time,” Melissa said.
“You think?” Mary Leah asked.
“Oh yeah, you can feel the chemistry building between you two.”
Mary Leah smiled as she allowed her sister’s words to sink in.
†
Coal slipped out of her damp clothes and rinsed off with a quick shower then dressed in jeans, shirt, and her well-worn ropers. She ran a brush through her hair, and walked out to the corral. She arrived just as Gene flew off the back of a large mare.
“Ouch,” she said as he landed.
The blow knocked the wind out of Gene.
“I think these two may need to take a break before lunch,” Harley said. “I’ll drive you back out and get you set up, and then come back to check on them again.”
Coal followed him to the gator and saw her tack loaded in the back. “Thanks for loading my tack.”
“No problem,” Harley said with a grin.
They drove back to the lake and she walked over to Shadow and led him over to the gator where she slipped a bridle over his head and removed the halter and lead. Harley held the reins as Coal stroked Shadow’s neck. Next, she introduced the blanket to him, laying it gently across his back. Then she picked up her saddle and draped it across his back. He stomped his feet, but allowed her to continue to cinch the girth around his belly. She draped the reins over his neck, secured them on the saddle horn, and then slapped Shadow’s back haunches to spook him. He lurched back away from her and when the stirrups hit his side, he began bucking trying to dislodge the saddle. He ran several hundred yards, bucking and jumping from side to side.
“Unless you need us, Harley can take me back, and I’ll start lunch,” Melissa said.
“No problem, I’m going to let him get used to the saddle for a while, and then I’ll mount him.”
“I’ll drive the gator back when lunch is ready and give you both a ride in,” Melissa said.
“Okay, boss,” she said as Melissa and Harley pulled away.
†
She walked over to sit beside Mary Leah and picked up her water bottle, took a drink and then turned toward her. “Now, where were we?” she asked with a grin.
“I do believe you were about to kiss me when we were interrupted,” Mary Leah said.
“I thought you were about to kiss me,” Coal teased as she leaned forward.
“Does it really matter?”
“No, it doesn’t,” she said as she reached up to stroke the side of Mary Leah’s face while she leaned forward to brush her lips softly across hers. The merging of their lips was tender at first then surged electric when Coal penetrated Mary Leah’s lips with her tongue. Tongues swirled together in a dance of dominance as her hand found the back of Mary Leah’s neck to pull her closer.
Mary Leah’s hands sought out Coal’s waist and held her close as they kissed. They were oblivious to the approach of hooves and were startled from their kiss by the sound of Shadow blowing air through his nostrils in an impatient gesture as he stood three feet away from them.
Coal looked over to Shadow and then turned back to Mary Leah. “It looks like I’m going to have to take you away somewhere to get an uninterrupted kiss.”
“Just let me know when,” Mary Leah said.
“Maybe we can go for a ride in my truck later tonight.”
“Find a place to park like a pair of teenagers,” Mary Leah said.
“That’s not a bad idea,” Coal said and quickly kissed her. “Now, I need to get back to work,” she said as she turned away from Mary Leah.
“Be careful.”
“Always,” she said with a grin.
She walked over to Shadow and ran her hand down his neck. “Are we ready to ride?” she whispered.
The young horse shivered under her touch. She continued to talk quietly with him as her left foot slipped into a stirrup. She took the reins in her left hand as she pulled her body onto his back. She quickly located the other stirrup with her right foot and squeezed her knees into his sides. She had to duck a low branch as Shadow took off in a dead run deeper into the pasture.
Coal gave him his head, allowing him to run as far as he wanted to run. He quickly worked up a lather of sweat and began to slow his sp
eed. Suddenly he stopped dead in his tracks. Prepared for this move, she managed to keep her body from flying over his head. When he failed to dislodge her from his back, Shadow bucked wildly for several seconds, but Coal’s knees locked tight against him. When he stopped bucking, she leaned over to pat his neck and speak to him with her soothing voice. She used the reins to turn him back toward the lake and found that it was no longer in sight.
Mary Leah watched them quickly disappear into the horizon. The speed at which Shadow and Coal departed took Mary Leah’s breath and she worried for Coal’s safety when they were out of sight, but had to trust in her skills as a horse trainer to know what she was doing. Still, her heart raced when she finally saw the dust that was being kicked up by Shadow’s hooves as they came thundering back toward her.
Coal slowed him to a canter and maneuvered him through figure-eight patterns until he grew accustomed to the pressure of the reins against his neck to follow her instructions. She pulled back on the reins, pressing her knees into his sides, and he backed up quickly in a straight line. She dismounted and walked forward to turn and face Shadow. She dropped the reins and waited to see if he would run off. She smiled as he dropped his head to look at her and stood his ground. She stepped forward and placed her hand on his forehead. “Good boy,” she said as she stroked his face. Coal picked up the reins and walked to his side, and mounted him again. There was no resistance as she sat squarely upon his back.
A flicker of bright light caught her attention and she looked up to see the gator approaching the lake. Lunch must be ready. She urged Shadow forward into an easy canter.
“Would you look at that?” Harley said aloud. Mary Leah looked up when they heard them approach. “Lunch is ready so Melissa sent me after the two of you. Are you sure you didn’t trade out horses with someone?” he teased.
“No, sir. Shadow is turning out to be a right good cow pony,” Coal teased back. She smiled brightly at Harley. “Take Mary Leah in the gator and we’ll ride along beside you.”