Breaking the Reins

by Juliana Haygert

  A few seconds later, a squirrel climbed a tree.

  Argus snorted and darted away from it, crossing the lanes.

  An SUV appeared on the road from under the tree tunnel. Moving too fast.

  My heart stopped.

  Argus jumped high, super high. High enough that the SUV missed his hind legs by a few inches.

  The horse tumbled on the grass. The SUV skidded to a halt. I ran to Argus, but stopped before I got too close and scared him even more. I fell to my knees by the side of the road, feeling like jelly. My heart pumped against my chest, and I couldn’t control my breathing.

  A guy got out the SUV. “Meu Deus!” He looked from me to Argus and back again, visibly lost. “What happened?”

  His brown eyes huge, Argus remained on the ground, shaking against a tree surround by beautiful purple Douglas Iris flowers. If this wasn’t a bad situation, I would have admired this place. Though they grew all over the Central California coast and were common, I loved these flowers.

  The guy walked toward him, but I raised my hand.

  “No. You’ll scare him away.”

  “It’s okay. I know how to deal with horses,” he said, a heavy musical accent dripping from his words.

  He knelt down on the grass, several feet away from Argus, spread his hands on the ground, and spoke stupid but sweet things to the horse. Like a mother talking nonsense to her baby. And several of the words were in another language.

  I just watched. And ... noticed him for the first time. He appeared to be my age, maybe a year older, at most. Even crouched, he was tall, with chin-length, layered, light brown hair, tanned skin, a strong jaw, thin nose, and full lips. His shoulders and arms seemed constricted under his white T-shirt, and the same went for the dark jeans covering his thighs. To top it all, he wore brown cowboy boots. All designer pieces. A Tommy Hilfiger cowboy.

  He was ... handsome.

  And a stranger.

  I thought I knew all the ranches or horse-related people in the region.

  Without taking his eyes from Argus, the guy scooted toward me and grabbed the bridle and reins from my hands.

  “Do you have any rope?” he asked, his voice low. I shook my head. “What’s his name?”

  “Argus.”

  He tucked the reins into his back pocket and raised his hands. “Hey, Argus, I’m going to get closer. But it’s okay. I want to help you.”

  I held my breath.

  He crawled toward the horse, whispering soothing words. Almost imperceptible, Argus shook less and less. The guy reached over and touched Argus’s foot. The horse neighed, but the guy didn’t take his hand away. He left it there, as if waiting for Argus’s permission to do more.

  And I stood as still as I could.

  “Good horsey,” he cooed. “See, I’m a good guy too.”

  Slowly, he groped for the reins.

  Then another stupid squirrel came down the tree. Argus shot up, kicked the guy back, and dashed in the opposite direction the squirrel went.

  I was undecided for a second. Should I go after Argus or help the guy, who was curled up in the grass, his hand on his stomach?

  The Good Samaritan in me spoke louder, and I scooted over to him. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

  With his eyes closed, the guy shook his head. “Not really.” Then why was he making a face? “I’ll be fine.” He took a long breath and sat up, opened his eyes, and looked at me.

  My breath caught. His eyes were green-blue, clear like water, and shiny as light.

  Amazing.

  I willed myself to move and rose to my feet. “Well, if you’re fine, I’m going after my horse.”

  “Wait.” The guy stood, gaining a good nine or ten inches on me. He still had his hand on his belly and made another painful face. His nose was kind of cute when scrunched up. Oh, what was I thinking? “He’s too far away already. We can catch up with him in my car.” The guy gestured to the black Grand Cherokee.

  “Hmm.” I closed my mouth, unsure of what to say. I shouldn’t have looked at him, noticed him, much less ride in the same car as him. “I’m sure I can find him later,” I lied, walking away.

  Lightning crisscrossed the sky, followed by deafening thunder. I wouldn’t make it home before getting drenched. However, I was more worried about Argus than me. He was the one who didn’t like storms, howling winds, and loud thunder. He was the one with past phantoms to overcome.

  The first drops hit my face and I mentally cursed, adding a jacket to the list of things I should have picked up before rushing out of the house.

  The SUV stopped by my side, and the window rolled down.

  “Come on,” the guy said, leaning over and opening the door from the inside. He showed me the bridle and reins. “Besides, you have to get these.”

  Was he trying to trick me? A psycho luring a woman in before raping and killing her? Oh no. He could keep the bridle and the reins. I had about two dozens of those back at the ranch.

  I continued walking. “I’m fine.”

  The rain intensified.

  The guy drove the SUV to my side again and propped the door wide open. “Listen, I’m no crazy man, okay? I’m just trying to help.” He picked up his cell phone from his pocket and extended it toward me. “Here, you can keep this. If you think I’m crossing the line even for half a second, you’re welcome to call for help.”

  I eyed the cell phone. What game was he playing?

  “Oh, there’s this too.” He leaned over the backseat and grabbed a baseball bat. “Here. You can use it to hit me before calling for help.”

  I laughed.

  He smiled.

  And my breath caught again. Holy shit, the guy was too handsome. And for that alone, I shouldn’t get in his car.

  “Come on,” he urged. “You’re getting all wet.”

  Yes, I was, but I would also avoid a lot of trouble if I got wet instead of getting in his car.

  I glanced from side to side. Nobody was here. Nobody would know. All he had to do was drive me home, and then it would be as if nothing ever happened.

  Feeling like a teenage lying to her parents about a sleepover turned into going out, I got into the car, and he handed me a towel. Was there anything his car didn’t carry?

  “Thanks,” I said, taking the towel and keeping myself as far away from him as the seats allowed.

  “You’re welcome.” He started driving in the direction Argus had gone. “My name is Leo, by the way.”

  “I’m Hannah.”

  “Nice to meet you.”

  “You too.”

  “So, hmm, does your horse run away a lot?”

  “Argus isn’t technically mine. And no, this is the first time.”

  Leo frowned. “I saw Argus’s scars. What happened to him?”

  I sighed. “He was mistreated by his previous owner. Apparently, his owner beat him and even let his dogs bite him. The Santa Barbara County Animal Control Unit took him away and brought him to me.”

  “Sorry to ask, but why to you?”

  I glanced at him, wondering if he was just trying to keep small talk going or genuinely interested. It didn’t really matter. “It was my grandma’s job. Besides running a riding and training ranch, she also recovered traumatized horses.”

  “Was?”

  I looked out the window. The rain had picked up to a steady downpour, making it difficult to see much farther than the road. It would be impossible to find Argus like this.

  “She died eight months ago.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.” He peered at me with a small smile, and my heart fluttered.

  “It’s okay.” I busied myself by picking up the syringe and the ampoule from my pocket. “Maybe we should use this.”

  Leo glanced at my hands. “Sedative? Not my preferred method of dealing with horses, but it may help. Prepare it, just in case.”

  I broke the top of the ampoule and filled the syringe with the yellowish liquid. I recapped the syringe and returned it to my pocket.

&n
bsp; As we passed through some trees along the road, I spotted a white dot among them. “There,” I yelled.

  He pulled the car over a short distance from the trees, so as not to scare Argus away before we got close enough. If I thought Argus was shaking before, it had been nothing compared to now.

  Leo grabbed the bridle and reins. “Any plans?”

  “Not really, but just know he will be extra frightened. He seems to hate rain and thunder.”

  “Duly noted.” Leo grabbed a leather jacket from the backseat and offered it to me.

  I stared at it, then shook my head. “I’m not made of sugar.”

  His gaze locked with mine, and a shiver ran down my spine. “Maybe, but it would be better if you didn’t get a cold.”

  “What about you?”

  He smiled. “I never get sick.”

  He jumped out of the car, and I felt paralyzed for a second. What had just happened?

  I left his jacket on his seat and turned to leave the car, then saw him tiptoeing to where Argus was hidden. His wet white T-shirt became translucent and clung to his body, the muscles on his back contracting with each movement.

  I swallowed, ashamed for noticing such things. Yes, I had a boyfriend, but I wasn’t blind. I tried not looking, but it was hard.

  Hiding the reins in his pocket again, Leo halted several feet from Argus, arms outstretched to the sides. He was saying something, but with the rain, I couldn’t hear what.

  And what was I doing inside the car when I should be helping him?

  Upset with myself, I shot out of the SUV and tiptoed closer, but not too close. For some reason, I thought Argus was starting to prefer the stranger to me.

  Leo took a step forward. The horse neighed loudly and retreated farther into the trees. It seemed that he would have blended with the bushes and Douglas Iris flowers if he could. So Leo changed tactics.

  He turned to me, grabbed the syringe from my pocket, and whispered, “Don’t move.”

  Following his own advice, Leo knelt on the grass, his hands visible at his sides. He stayed like that without saying a word, his eyes on Argus, and his breathing quietly controlled.

  After ten minutes, Argus stopped trying to blend in with the trees and flowers. After twenty minutes, Argus took a step forward. After thirty minutes, he took another step closer.

  By then, we were all soaked and shivering.

  I was about to give up, to tell Leo it wasn’t worth it, and to try and just grab the horse and inject him with the sedative somehow. Then thunder rang through the sky and Argus neighed, lifting his front legs. Leo jumped up and charged, putting his arms around Argus’s neck. The horse fought against it, but Leo was quick and strong and pricked him with the syringe. The horse neighed once more, but Leo didn’t let go. He even got the reins on Argus in no time. The horse stumbled; the sedative was already working. Leo pushed him against one of the trees and pressed his body to Argus’s. The horse didn’t like it, but Leo said something and ran his hand along Argus’s neck. The horse quieted some.

  After a few minutes, Argus slumped to the ground, his breathing slower and his eyes heavy.

  Leo looked at me over his shoulder. “Now what?”

  Chapter Two

  “There,” Leo said, and closed the stall door.

  Back at the road, he had tied Argus to a tree, then drove me to the ranch, where I’d gotten the truck and the trailer. He left his SUV at the ranch and drove with me to pick up Argus. It was hard, but we’d made the horse stand up and take a few steps by himself and into the trailer. Afterward, we’d driven the trailer back to the ranch and put Argus into a new stall in the stable.

  “Thank you,” I said, giving him a cup of coffee and a towel I’d brought from inside the house. I sipped from my mug and pulled my towel tight over my shoulders.

  “Obrigado,” he said, putting the towel around himself. Thank God, because I couldn’t take staring at that wet shirt over his muscles any longer. “If I were you, I would reinforce the door of the stall he’s in.” He looked around, closing a fist on the edge of the towel and tugging it tighter, and I noticed the thin black band on his right ring finger. Interesting. “Maybe even the walls.”

  I glanced at drunken Argus over the stall door. Even like this, he didn’t look peaceful. “For a horse in his condition, he sure is strong.”

  Leo leaned against the wall. “And beautiful. At least, he appears to be, without all the scars and cuts.”

  If it depended on me, the bastard who’d done this would rot in the filthiest prison in this country. Ugh, I couldn’t think about what he’d done. It hurt too much to know Argus probably wasn’t the only animal being mistreated out there.

  Taking a big swallow of my coffee, I focused on something else. I dared spying over my mug at this stranger, who was being way too nice to Argus and me. His wet hair clung to his face, adorning his perfect features, and the dampness on his skin glistened.

  Poor me and my weak will. I shouldn’t start any small talk. I should keep my mouth shut and send him away. I should get ready for the damn party I was already late to, but I couldn’t help it.

  “So, where are you from?”

  Leo smiled. “Brazil. My family and I just moved to the O’Connor ranch. I was on my way there when I almost ran into Argus.”

  I winced, trying to keep away the threatening images. Just thinking of what could have happened made me nauseous.

  Worse than that was looking at the horse and seeing his wounds. Most were scabbed over, but some would take months or even years to fully heal. The more visible ones were the stitches on his left hind leg, his left shoulder, his chest, and the left side of his neck. And he still had bandages on his right front cannon.

  “My turn,” Leo said. “Do you live here? Alone?”

  And just like that my defensive wall sprouted right back up. “Why do you ask?”

  “Just curious. I didn’t see anyone else. I can’t imagine living all alone at such a big place.” He put his empty mug over the short wall of an empty stall. “And your parents? Do they help?”

  “No. My father has a horse breeding farm and he doesn’t approve of this ranch.”

  “May I ask why you have it, then?”

  “The ranch was my grandma’s. She left it to me, but everyone keeps telling me I should sell it.”

  “Why?”

  “My father wants me to take over the family business once I graduate from college.” It was the truth, but not all of it. I avoided telling him about what Eric thought. Bad me.

  “College, huh? What major?”

  I squinted. “Are we playing twenty questions or something?”

  He averted his eyes. “No, sorry. I didn’t mean to pry. It’s just ... you seem so independent and, well, you’re caring for this horse, so that’s something. I’m intrigued, I guess.”

  I watched him as he turned to peek at Argus. I was intrigued too. Way more than I should have been.

  I sighed. “Economics. Next fall I start my sophomore year.”

  “You don’t sound happy about it.”

  “It was my father’s choice, not mine. He wants me to enroll in an MBA after. It’s not bad, and yes, I want to take over the family business, but I’ll say no if that means selling this ranch.” My honesty surprised me. Not that it was a secret. My father—and Eric—knew my opinion on the matter, but I’d never told a stranger.

  He looked at me, and once more, the green-blue of his eyes amazed me. “This place means a lot to you.”

  “It does,” I whispered, without taking my eyes from his.

  He brushed a strand of wet hair from my face, his fingers grazing my cheek, lingering on my skin. His gaze fell on my mouth, and I licked my lips without meaning to. He rested his hand on my cheek, and a shiver rolled down my body.

  Why did I feel like this—and I wouldn’t name it because it would only make everything worse—about this stranger? Yes, he was handsome, but so was Eric. Maybe it was just my body reacting to something equally attra
ctive but in a different way. Besides, Eric probably looked at other girls too—just appreciating the view—and still remained faithful and loving to me. I could look at the guys around me and appreciate their good looks, couldn’t I?

  Still, I didn’t like it.

  I stepped backward, releasing myself from his touch.

  “Thank you for helping me with Argus. I don’t know what I’d have done if you hadn’t showed up. So thank you.” I took his empty mug from the wall. “But, if you don’t mind, I’ve got some place to be.”

  His brows knitted together. “Sim, sure. I understand.” He removed the towel from around his shoulder, and I fought the urge to look at his white shirt. More specifically, at the chest and shoulders under the shirt. “Thank you. For the coffee and the towel.”

  I didn’t wait for him to go. I shouldn’t wait for him to go. Because I could change my mind and start a new conversation before he reached his SUV, or I could just gape at his behind and make a fool of myself.

  I nodded and dashed out of the stable and into the house without looking back.

  ***

  I stopped my car in front of the gates, and pressed the button to slip my window down. I leaned over the door and punched in the numbers. A second later, the gates slid sideways, allowing me to pass.

  I drove down the long, winding road, admiring the familiar view. On the right were lush green lawns, trees on the horizon, and hidden behind it, a lake. I sighed and turned my head to the left. More green lawn, followed by a huge stable topping a hill, where my parents’ prized horses stayed. Behind it, there were other stables, simpler though, and extensive fields.

  Right at the end of the path, a white four-story house presented itself.

  To many, it would be a dream house. To me, it meant control and seriousness. Not that growing up here had been bad. Far from it. It was just that, when I visited my grandma, which had been often, I experienced how caring and warm and open a person could be, and I missed that.

  I stopped the car by the front steps, and a valet opened the door for me.

  “Eric called to let us know he would be arriving late,” my father said as I climbed up the front stairs. He looked impeccable in his brown suit. I had his green eyes and his straight, dark brown hair, though his was cut short with every strand in the right place.