“
You done?” he asked, a little too perkily for my liking.
I replied cautiously, “Sure.”
He jumped up and was by my side in a flash. I had to do a double take. How did he
move
like that? There was a trick to it, and I swore I would eventually learn the secret.
Daniel took my hand and pulled me through the front door. The truck was back, but there was a horse trailer behind it. Why did they need a horse trailer? We continued until we stopped at the outbuilding. He let go of my hand only to step behind and cover my eyes.
“
Uh, Daniel,” I said apprehensively.
I started to protest until another set of footsteps approached and thick fingers took hold of my arm. It was Colt. They led me on, not saying a word. We must have gone about twenty feet and then Daniel removed his hands.
I had to refocus for a brief second. We were on the backside of the main outbuilding, and there was a corral with four horses. Callon was standing beside a Palomino, and she was beautiful. She was light blonde with flecks of white mixed in. Her eyes were the most playful caramel I had ever seen. She wasn’t as big as the other three, more slender…but she was perfect.
All three shouted in unison, “Happy Birthday!”
My mouth hung open. I couldn’t believe it. I had completely forgotten what day it was! My tongue disconnected from my brain as I tried to stutter out a response.
“
Y—you got me a horse for my birthday?”
“
Her name is Mandi,” Callon replied.
I stood frozen in awe. Colt pulled me forward toward the fence and was about to hoist me over when I stopped him. I touched his arm.
“
Thank you,” I whispered. He smiled and kissed my cheek. I glided over to Daniel and gave him a hug. “Thank you.”
I returned to Colt’s side, and he helped me over the corral, as the gate was further away. I landed on my feet on the other side. I cautiously approached Callon, who was still holding Mandi. I kept my eyes locked on her the entire time, before I touched her face. She bent her head so I could scratch her, moving her nose up and down as I did. I was beaming. I leaned around to make eye contact with Callon.
“
Thank you.”
Callon’s lips creased a smile. I was suddenly nervous. Callon really looked so much more dashing when he wasn’t brooding. But more than that, there was genuine warmth in his eyes, and it made me nervous. My stomach churned as I realized that a present of horses could only mean one thing.
“
You do realize I’ve never ridden a horse before,” I informed them.
Colt replied, “Don’t worry. We’ll teach you.”
I frowned at him, uneasy. Just what were they getting me into?
Callon pulled Mandi alongside, and I took a step back. She was huge, not in comparison to the other three animals, but in comparison to me. She was daunting. He handed me the reins, and we began to walk her around the corral. She followed easily. The other three Appaloosas just watched.
“
We’ll start you off riding Sam, the chestnut colored one.” Callon pointed out the biggest horse. “He’s a little calmer than Mandi. He’ll be a good one to learn on.”
Sam’s coat was more of a copper color, speckled with darker and lighter variations of brown. If I wasn’t scared before, I was utterly terrified now. Callon called out the others, so I knew their names. The sleek, slivery grey spotted one was Bo, and Charlie was the buckskin. His coat was very interesting. It appeared more like deerskin, but had black points on his mane, tail and lower legs.
Mandi was to be mine, Sam was Colt’s, Bo belonged to Callon, and Charlie was Daniel’s.
“
We’re taking you on a packing trip, Cheyenne,” Colt called out. “We got the horses now to make sure you were comfortable riding before we departed.” At least now I knew the reasoning behind it, although it didn’t make me any less antsy.
Callon took Mandi’s lead from me, pulled her bridle off, and hung it just inside the door to the outbuilding. He returned with a different bridle and proceeded to Sam. Sam didn’t fight him as he slid the leather over his head. He seemed calm enough. Callon disappeared again, and returned with a blanket and saddle. I watched as he saddled the gelding, tightening the girth on his belly.
Adjusting the stirrups, Callon turned to me. I looked to Colt with wide eyes. He nodded, trying to reassure me, and I gathered up the courage to step forward. Once at Callon’s side, I hesitated. I didn’t know what to do next.
“
Here, hold these,” Callon said as he handed me Sam’s reins. He instructed me on how to mount. I placed my foot in the stirrup and grasped the saddle horn, thrusting myself up and swinging my leg over. I was amazed I was able to do this without much effort.
Callon readjusted the stirrups while I sat to ensure they fitted properly. He then led us around the corral. After a few times around, I was starting to feel more comfortable. Callon led us to the gate that opened to the field and we walked out. I was gaining confidence until he let go of the reins.
“
What are you doing?!” I screeched in panic.
“
It’s alright, Cheyenne. Just do what I tell you and you’ll be fine,” Callon said. He seemed to know what he was doing, so I relaxed a little. Even
he
wouldn’t let me get hurt. Right?
Ignoring my fears, Callon instructed me how to turn Sam. He told me that just because I pulled back on the reins, that didn’t mean the horse would stop. I would also have to learn to use my legs to direct my mount. Each horse had its own rhythm to its walk, and understanding that rhythm would help me avoid bouncing in the saddle and learn how to use my legs in the stirrups.
“
You’re doing good.” Callon nodded in approval as I walked in a large circle around him.
All in all, everything seemed to be going smoothly until a dark shadow filtered across my vision. Sam snorted wildly, rearing on his hind legs, and it was all I could do not to fall off. A split second later, we were running into the forest. A strangled scream escaped my lips. Instinct told me to hold tight as the landscape whipped by.
I leaned over and latched my fingers into Sam’s mane. My heart was about to burst from my chest, fear filling every ounce of my being. I heard shouting in the distance.
Sam was moving rapidly through the trees, weaving in and out. We were moving at such a high speed that I wasn’t sure how much ground we’d covered. I also didn’t know which direction we were heading. I kept my head low and tucked close to his neck; I didn’t want to get knocked off.
My chest was beginning to ache; the saddle horn was digging into it, and the horse had run for a long time. He wasn’t slowing. I frantically searched for the reins, only to slip in the saddle. I glanced up to see another tree nearing. We were going to make direct contact!
I squeeze my eyes shut, when a hand grasped my waist and yanked me into the air. My eyes flew open. I was now in Callon’s arms, safe. He was riding Mandi bareback, her mane in one hand and his other arm securing me to his side. He had me twisted sideways, firmly planted between his chest and Mandi’s outstretched neck.
I wrapped my arms around him in a death grip. He wasn’t letting go, and neither was I.
Mandi slowed, and thundering hoof beats echoed nearby. Colt and Daniel arrived riding Bo and Charlie. “Cheyenne!” Colt’s voice was tense and I heard his deep sigh of relief when he saw I was free from harm. All I could do was stare out into the forest. I began shaking.
“
Daniel, go find Sam,” Callon said firmly. Hoof beats disappeared in the distance. Callon’s long fingers moved, and he started rubbing my back, trying to sooth me.
No words were spoken, and we didn’t move for quite a while. I was sure they thought I might break out into hysterics. In actuality, I probably wasn’t far from that. Eventually the trembling slowed, and my pulse eased. Mandi moved, and my grip tightened again.
“
It’s alright, Cheyenne. I won’t let go. You’re not going anywhere,” Callon reassured me.
I could do nothing but trust his words; the thought echoed in my mind that I could trust them. The crunching of hooves in the forest told us Daniel was near with Sam in tow. Time to go back.
It was a long, slow descent back to the corral, and I was too terrified to move. Once we stopped, Colt’s hands came around my waist, but he had to pry my hands free before he could lift me down.
“
Cheyenne, are you alright? Cheyenne!”
I couldn’t speak. My legs slid to the ground, and Colt continued to hold my elbows for support. He was holding back, unsure if he should embrace me or not. I was not going to allow this situation to get the best of me. I would learn to ride, and this would never happen again.
I still said nothing as I walked away and stopped at the fence rail. Colt followed, and was waiting for my next move. I longed to wrap myself in his arms, but I knew I couldn’t. I needed to face this alone, or else I’d never get close to another horse again.
I turned, and faced the trio.
“
Well, not too bad for a first ride, huh?” I couldn’t quite remove all the panic in my voice, but I did my best. “I think tomorrow I’ll leave out the excitement if you don’t mind.”
Colt took my hands.
“
I think leaving out the excitement would be a good option.”
I sighed.
“
Come on. Let’s go sit on the porch,” he offered.
I nodded as Colt hoisted me over the fence rails once again instead of heading for the gate. Daniel was on the other side and we headed up to the house.
We sat silently as we waited for Callon. I had to try again tomorrow before fear set in and took hold. My father’s warnings about letting fear overtake me pushed me forward.
Callon’s gaze locked with mine as he stepped up on the porch. His expression was strained.
“
Cheyenne, I’m so sorry. I didn’t expect Sam to bolt like that. How are you feeling now, sweetheart?”
He called me sweetheart? I fought to push down my surprise at the endearment.
“
It’s not your fault. It’s just one of those things. I’ll be fine. I need to get back on a horse tomorrow. And I’ll probably be scared to death. But unless I do this, I’ll never be able to get near a horse again.”
Sympathy made a crease in his brow. “We can do that. I’ll ride with you until you’re comfortable.”
I nodded. “Thanks.”
“
Cheyenne,” Colt said, breaking our discussion. “If you’re feeling up to it, we have a couple more presents for you.”
I blinked. “More? I would have thought the horse was enough. I wasn’t expecting anything…”
He cut me off. “We know, but we have more for you.”
He glanced at Daniel, who disappeared, literally. I rubbed my eyes. Did he just fade from sight or was I still a wreck from the runaway ride? This wasn’t the first time he’d vanished like that, either, now that I thought about it.
Moments later, he was back with a box in hand. I would have to ask about that trick later. Daniel placed the package on my lap and I hesitated.
“
Go ahead and open it,” he said cheerfully.
I opened the large white box, and gasped. Sitting inside was a black cotton skirt, a button-down blue blouse, and a matching necklace, earrings, and bracelet.
Tears glistened on my lashes. This was my first birthday without my parents, and this was exactly what my mom would have picked out. Colt had to have known.
“
This is more than I deserve,” I whispered.
“
Oh, you deserve it, Cheyenne,” Daniel said warmly. “And you get to wear your new outfit tonight because we’re taking you out for dinner.”
My eyes lit up. They were taking me out?
“
Really?” I hadn’t been allowed out of the cabin since my failed escape, barring my daily runs. This was going to be a real treat!
“
Yes,” Callon replied with a small grin.
Colt flashed his always-brilliant smile. “I know you’ve ruined some of your clothes recently, so I thought you might enjoy something new. Actually, you have a couple of other new items in the bedroom, as well. I hope you don’t mind. Callon and I picked them out for you. I looked at your sizes before we left, and the sales clerk was very helpful.”
“
I don’t mind at all. Thank you.” I rose with the box in hand and hugged Daniel first. He sighed. Callon looked at me fondly as I bent to hug him as well.
“
Thanks, Callon.”
He turned and kissed my cheek. I froze, stunned.
“
You’re welcome.”
I shook off my stupor, and stared at him briefly. He must be being nice to me because it was my birthday—otherwise, how could I explain his civil behavior?
Finally, I faced Colt. I bent to kiss him on the cheek, but he turned at the right moment to capture my lips. I drew back and half-heartedly glared. Then I whispered, “Thank you, Colt, even though you seem to be a trouble maker today.”
I wasn’t given the opportunity to move as he wrapped me in a bear hug, and I squeaked. He chuckled as he set me to my feet. I headed for the front door, stopped and turned slightly. “What time are we leaving for dinner?”
“
Five,” Callon replied.
Nodding, I proceeded to my room. Laid out on the bed were several new outfits and a new two-piece swimsuit. I shook my head, knowing it was Colt who picked out the swimsuit.