hold him or he’ll savage Matt. What does savage mean?”
“It means they’ll try to kick or bite him,” Isabelle said. “Wild horses don’t like to carry men around on their backs.”
Cole Benton was Drew’s husband. Everybody knew his father was just about the richest man in Memphis. Nobody in his family could understand why he had married a tomboy like Drew Townsend and lived on a horse ranch in the Hill Country.
“Why is Matt riding that horse?” Tess asked. She was sitting on Buck’s shoulder, apparently happy as long as he held on to her with both hands.
“Because there’s not a horse in the world Matt can’t ride,” Sean said. “Even Cole and Drew send for him when they get a real bad one.”
Ellen hadn’t really had a chance to see the horse Matt was about to ride. Now that she did, she wished she’d stayed inside. Someone had tied the horse’s head so close to a post in the fence that the animal couldn’t move. Cole and Matt stood on opposite sides of the horse, trying to keep the blanket and saddle on long enough to cinch the saddle. The horse, white with huge black spots, threw his hindquarters from side to side, trying to kick his tormentors. His eyes were wide and wild-looking.
“Isn’t that horse dangerous?” Ellen asked.
“Very dangerous,” Jake said.
Ellen felt some of the color drain out of her face.
“Don’t worry,” Will said. “Matt won’t get off until the horse knows who’s boss.”
“Or until he’s thrown off,” Ellen said.
“Only one horse ever threw Matt,” Will said.
“Sawtooth,” Buck and Sean said in unison.
Ellen could tell Will was proud of his brother. In her opinion, he was just too bullheaded to know when he was in danger. She wanted to tell Matt that if he had to risk his own neck, to at least make Orin and Toby stay out of the way. A single blow from one of those hooves could kill.
Matt got the saddle cinched up. Ellen felt reluctant pride in his accomplishment but realized that brought him closer to getting on the horse’s back. She knew that moment had arrived when Toby and Orin scrambled through the rails to safety outside the corral.
“He’s going to ride him!” Noah called out in excitement.
“You can’t see from down there,” Will said to Noah. “You want to get up on my shoulders?”
He might as well have asked Noah if he wanted the moon. The child danced with excitement. Will stooped down, picked him up, and settled him on his shoulders. Will stood just in time for Noah to see Matt spring into the saddle. Cole pulled the slip knot that held the horse’s head to the post and quickly backed out of the way.
The paint was loose, and he had every intention of getting rid of the man on his back. Ellen couldn’t name all the jumps and twists, but Will was giving Noah a jump-by-jump account.
“That’s a fishtail,” he said. “It’ll snap your back in half if you’re not careful.”
Ellen didn’t think Noah heard a word of Will’s description. He was screaming encouragement at Matt and having far more fun than if he’d been riding the horse himself. Ellen wasn’t having any fun at all. Her heart was in her throat.
“Can you imagine any man wanting to do that?” Isabelle asked.
“You wouldn’t see me doing it,” Sean said.
“You wouldn’t have to,” Will said. “The poor horse would take one look at your huge body and faint.”
Ellen wished the paint had felt that way about Matt. He drove himself into the corral fence trying to crush Matt’s leg against the poles, but Matt raised his leg above the saddle, then lowered it the moment the horse tried to break into a gallop. Stymied, the paint went back to bucking, spinning, and trying to reach back and bite Matt’s leg. Matt didn’t look the least bit nervous. Ellen hoped she was wrong, but she thought she saw a smile on his lips. Only a crazy man could smile about being on the back of a horse that wanted to kill him.
Ellen didn’t see how Matt could
“It means they’ll try to kick or bite him,” Isabelle said. “Wild horses don’t like to carry men around on their backs.”
Cole Benton was Drew’s husband. Everybody knew his father was just about the richest man in Memphis. Nobody in his family could understand why he had married a tomboy like Drew Townsend and lived on a horse ranch in the Hill Country.
“Why is Matt riding that horse?” Tess asked. She was sitting on Buck’s shoulder, apparently happy as long as he held on to her with both hands.
“Because there’s not a horse in the world Matt can’t ride,” Sean said. “Even Cole and Drew send for him when they get a real bad one.”
Ellen hadn’t really had a chance to see the horse Matt was about to ride. Now that she did, she wished she’d stayed inside. Someone had tied the horse’s head so close to a post in the fence that the animal couldn’t move. Cole and Matt stood on opposite sides of the horse, trying to keep the blanket and saddle on long enough to cinch the saddle. The horse, white with huge black spots, threw his hindquarters from side to side, trying to kick his tormentors. His eyes were wide and wild-looking.
“Isn’t that horse dangerous?” Ellen asked.
“Very dangerous,” Jake said.
Ellen felt some of the color drain out of her face.
“Don’t worry,” Will said. “Matt won’t get off until the horse knows who’s boss.”
“Or until he’s thrown off,” Ellen said.
“Only one horse ever threw Matt,” Will said.
“Sawtooth,” Buck and Sean said in unison.
Ellen could tell Will was proud of his brother. In her opinion, he was just too bullheaded to know when he was in danger. She wanted to tell Matt that if he had to risk his own neck, to at least make Orin and Toby stay out of the way. A single blow from one of those hooves could kill.
Matt got the saddle cinched up. Ellen felt reluctant pride in his accomplishment but realized that brought him closer to getting on the horse’s back. She knew that moment had arrived when Toby and Orin scrambled through the rails to safety outside the corral.
“He’s going to ride him!” Noah called out in excitement.
“You can’t see from down there,” Will said to Noah. “You want to get up on my shoulders?”
He might as well have asked Noah if he wanted the moon. The child danced with excitement. Will stooped down, picked him up, and settled him on his shoulders. Will stood just in time for Noah to see Matt spring into the saddle. Cole pulled the slip knot that held the horse’s head to the post and quickly backed out of the way.
The paint was loose, and he had every intention of getting rid of the man on his back. Ellen couldn’t name all the jumps and twists, but Will was giving Noah a jump-by-jump account.
“That’s a fishtail,” he said. “It’ll snap your back in half if you’re not careful.”
Ellen didn’t think Noah heard a word of Will’s description. He was screaming encouragement at Matt and having far more fun than if he’d been riding the horse himself. Ellen wasn’t having any fun at all. Her heart was in her throat.
“Can you imagine any man wanting to do that?” Isabelle asked.
“You wouldn’t see me doing it,” Sean said.
“You wouldn’t have to,” Will said. “The poor horse would take one look at your huge body and faint.”
Ellen wished the paint had felt that way about Matt. He drove himself into the corral fence trying to crush Matt’s leg against the poles, but Matt raised his leg above the saddle, then lowered it the moment the horse tried to break into a gallop. Stymied, the paint went back to bucking, spinning, and trying to reach back and bite Matt’s leg. Matt didn’t look the least bit nervous. Ellen hoped she was wrong, but she thought she saw a smile on his lips. Only a crazy man could smile about being on the back of a horse that wanted to kill him.
Ellen didn’t see how Matt could
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