A Little Bit of Charm by Mary Ellis

and stirrups for each boy and let them mount full-sized trail horses. If his father wasn’t busy, he would lend a hand. Today was no exception as Ken assisted two of the young equestrians.
    As soon as everyone was ready, Jake swung up onto his Saddlebred gelding. “Men, we’ll start in the ring today. The horses will be tied to long leads but it’s up to you to control your mount. We’ll practice starting and stopping, then left and right turns. Remember to press hard with your right thigh to turn left and vice versa. Remember, you control the horse. Don’t let him control you. What do we say to get moving?”
    â€œGiddyup and shake the reins.” Six voices hollered in unison.
    â€œAnd to slow him down?”
    â€œWhoa. Pull easy on the reins to slow down and pull hard to stop.” Several boys chanted the memorized words like a beloved catechism.
    Jake grinned at his young protégés, even though they couldn’t see his pleasure. “Sounds like this posse is ready to ride.” He clicked his teeth and Pretty Boy took up a gentle, even pace. The boys rode around the arena to regain comfort and familiarity as he reviewed last week’s lesson.
    From the corner of his eye, he spotted Rachel sitting on the bottom row of bleachers. If her expression was any indicator, she enjoyed the progress his young riders were making.
    At least something around Twelve Elms pleased her, even if it didn’t happen to be him.
    I will only date my own kind .
    What did that make him—a two-headed alien from Mars? Jaketried to force thoughts of her from his mind, but with Rachel only yards away it was impossible. This hadn’t been the first time he’d been turned down for a date. He’d been refused on several occasions when he’d asked girls to school dances or a church outing. Then there had been the prom fiasco when he asked one of the cheerleaders. Sure, Jake, as long as I haven’t patched things up with Nathan Grimes. I’m still hoping the two of us get back together before prom . But the cheerleader’s thoughtless words hadn’t stung as much as today’s rejection over lunch. Never had he spent a more uncomfortable fifteen minutes as those in the old mill.
    He couldn’t relax until Rachel noticed the clock on the wall and left the arena for her tour. Then he settled into the most enjoyable two and half hours of the week.
    Afterward, Jake walked his group back to their bus. Every child kept a tight hold on the rope held by Mrs. Ingraham. “Next week we’ll practice mounting and dismounting and then try some balance exercises. You’ll also learn how to safely approach the horse to put on a halter. Sighted or not, everyone needs to learn the basics.”
    â€œBut how will we reach their heads?” asked Bethany. “I’m not tall enough.”
    Jake patted the child’s back. “I’ll let you think about that between now and next week.” He shook each small hand as they climbed the bus steps for the ride back to school. On his way to the office, he passed Rachel as she finished her last tour for the day.
    â€œRemember, Twelve Elms offers lessons in western pleasure, western showmanship, hunt seat, English riding, jumping, and barrel racing for ages seven and up.” She passed out stable brochures as the tourists headed toward the parking lot. “As you can see, we have something here for everyone.”
    Jake clenched hard on his back molars. “Everyone but me,” he muttered, letting the screen door slam behind him with a bang.

    Saturday morning
    Rachel left the chicken farm while Sarah still slept and Isaac was busy with early morning chores. She grabbed an apple with plain bread and cheese to eat on the way because she was too excited to cook breakfast. Today would be her first mounted tour, not as instructor but as a participant. Jessie had promised to come home for the next two Saturdays to