the Honeycutts. Rose, Matilda, and Uncle Russ rode into town to have lunch at a restaurant.
Jane ate a banana, changed into her riding clothes, and waited outside for Mak. “Why this one?” she said when he showed up with Cinnamon.
“After considering the pros and cons,” he said with a trace of humor, “it came down to color. Since you have chameleon eyes, I didn’t want to chance them turning white.”
He did have a quirky sense of humor. “So you want to see my eyes turn rusty-colored?”
“Look.” He rubbed his hand along the horse’s side. “She’s the color of your hair in the sun. A golden brown.” He gestured. “Shall we?”
She exhaled heavily. “I’m more than ready.”
“Fine. Since your first experience of riding on the beach a few weeks ago left a lot to be desired, I thought we might trot along a stretch of beach that’s about three miles long. How’s that?”
Sitting astride the horse she huffed. “Trot?”
“Yes.” His determined tone left no doubt he meant it. “You and the horse need to get to know each other. Isn’t that what you would tell a child you were teaching to ride?”
This was a test, she surmised. If she didn’t behave, he wouldn’t allow her to teach Leia. And every little girl should learn to ride properly. Her expression must have been one of acquiescence because he pulled on the reins to turn Big Brown, and they trotted off together.
As they rode through town, Jane looked at the restaurant windows. “Rose and Matilda are probably in one of those places having lunch.”
He looked over. “Mother really enjoys Matilda’s company.” He laughed. “But who doesn’t?”
Jane smiled at that. Matilda had a way of making everyone feel comfortable. As they rode out of town, she said what she’d planned to say for the past two days. “I wanted to ask about Leia’s leg. Does that have something to do with her not having learned to ride?”
“Partly,” he said, a furrow appearing between his brows. “Of course, she couldn’t for a long time after the surgery, and she didn’t want to be near a horse. Later, she seemed to have forgotten what happened, but she still has a fear. She wants to ride, begs me, but when I start to put her on a horse, that fear sets in. Then my apprehension surfaces, and horses sense that. She’s determined, in spite of the fear.” He took a deep breath and looked out over Big Brown’s head. “But so was Maylea.”
Jane closed her eyes against what he must be feeling.
“The doctors say the leg is healed but the right one is weaker than the left. As she grows, she will probably experience pain. Exercise should help the leg grow stronger. Horseback riding probably would.”
Jane knew horses picked up on a rider’s emotions. Maybe she could help Leia overcome her fear. Mak’s was a fear of a different kind. Could anyone help him overcome his?
“In Texas, do you train your horses in the ocean?” he asked when they reached the beach.
“The horses I have for my classes have already been trained. I just need to train the child and horse to accept each other and teach the child how to get the horse to know and obey commands or movements.”
“Here,” he said, “a wild mustang or a belligerent horse receives a lot of his training in the ocean.”
She wouldn’t mind getting into the ocean in a bathing outfit, but in her riding clothes? “Is that what we’re going to do?”
“Yes. Let’s trot on down.”
If he hadn’t hesitated before saying that, she might have believed him. She shook her head, and he smiled.
“Okay, Mak. So I asked a stupid question. This might be another one. Why do you train them in the ocean?”
“Not stupid at all. We take them into the ocean because they can’t buck or kick while getting used to a rider and commands. That tames them. And too, it’s not a bad idea for a horse to learn how to swim.”
“Makes sense,” she said. She soon found herself enjoying the Sunday afternoon trot
Jane ate a banana, changed into her riding clothes, and waited outside for Mak. “Why this one?” she said when he showed up with Cinnamon.
“After considering the pros and cons,” he said with a trace of humor, “it came down to color. Since you have chameleon eyes, I didn’t want to chance them turning white.”
He did have a quirky sense of humor. “So you want to see my eyes turn rusty-colored?”
“Look.” He rubbed his hand along the horse’s side. “She’s the color of your hair in the sun. A golden brown.” He gestured. “Shall we?”
She exhaled heavily. “I’m more than ready.”
“Fine. Since your first experience of riding on the beach a few weeks ago left a lot to be desired, I thought we might trot along a stretch of beach that’s about three miles long. How’s that?”
Sitting astride the horse she huffed. “Trot?”
“Yes.” His determined tone left no doubt he meant it. “You and the horse need to get to know each other. Isn’t that what you would tell a child you were teaching to ride?”
This was a test, she surmised. If she didn’t behave, he wouldn’t allow her to teach Leia. And every little girl should learn to ride properly. Her expression must have been one of acquiescence because he pulled on the reins to turn Big Brown, and they trotted off together.
As they rode through town, Jane looked at the restaurant windows. “Rose and Matilda are probably in one of those places having lunch.”
He looked over. “Mother really enjoys Matilda’s company.” He laughed. “But who doesn’t?”
Jane smiled at that. Matilda had a way of making everyone feel comfortable. As they rode out of town, she said what she’d planned to say for the past two days. “I wanted to ask about Leia’s leg. Does that have something to do with her not having learned to ride?”
“Partly,” he said, a furrow appearing between his brows. “Of course, she couldn’t for a long time after the surgery, and she didn’t want to be near a horse. Later, she seemed to have forgotten what happened, but she still has a fear. She wants to ride, begs me, but when I start to put her on a horse, that fear sets in. Then my apprehension surfaces, and horses sense that. She’s determined, in spite of the fear.” He took a deep breath and looked out over Big Brown’s head. “But so was Maylea.”
Jane closed her eyes against what he must be feeling.
“The doctors say the leg is healed but the right one is weaker than the left. As she grows, she will probably experience pain. Exercise should help the leg grow stronger. Horseback riding probably would.”
Jane knew horses picked up on a rider’s emotions. Maybe she could help Leia overcome her fear. Mak’s was a fear of a different kind. Could anyone help him overcome his?
“In Texas, do you train your horses in the ocean?” he asked when they reached the beach.
“The horses I have for my classes have already been trained. I just need to train the child and horse to accept each other and teach the child how to get the horse to know and obey commands or movements.”
“Here,” he said, “a wild mustang or a belligerent horse receives a lot of his training in the ocean.”
She wouldn’t mind getting into the ocean in a bathing outfit, but in her riding clothes? “Is that what we’re going to do?”
“Yes. Let’s trot on down.”
If he hadn’t hesitated before saying that, she might have believed him. She shook her head, and he smiled.
“Okay, Mak. So I asked a stupid question. This might be another one. Why do you train them in the ocean?”
“Not stupid at all. We take them into the ocean because they can’t buck or kick while getting used to a rider and commands. That tames them. And too, it’s not a bad idea for a horse to learn how to swim.”
“Makes sense,” she said. She soon found herself enjoying the Sunday afternoon trot
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