Shiver by CM Foss Page A

both directions while I continued talking to the horse and patting him all over, swinging my legs around to get him used to the feel and the sight of movement all around him. I jumped down and moved to his right side and repeated the exercise. He behaved perfectly, so I took his tack off and gave him a scratch behind the ears and left him to relax.
    As we exited the stall, Lawrence was smiling, having been silent during the process.
    “That looked easy.”
    “Yeah, he’s going to be great. Most of these guys are so used to being handled, of course, that the actual getting-on process is pretty easy. That’s thanks to your farm. But by the end of the month, we’ll have them walk, trot, canter around the whole property. They’ll be the best broke racehorses out there.” I smiled confidently.
    “I like that idea. Maybe when their racing careers are over, they’ll have a future.”
    “That’s what we’d like to see happen,” Ethan offered, thawing a bit from his previous display of unfounded jealousy. Business always brought him around. “I’ve rehabilitated a lot of off-the-track horses, and most of the time, they come barely broke. It’s no wonder they can’t find a new home.”
    The three of us moved to the next stall, and then the next, continuing to repeat the steps with quiet but comfortable conversation. Most of the horses were unfazed. A few hunched up their backs and scooted forward or tried to look behind them at me waving around, but nothing out of the ordinary or worrisome. It was a series of successful sessions. However, my body was once again wrecked.
    We walked into the tack room, both men waiting for me to pass through the door first. I went into the office and lay on the floor, propping my feet up on the wall. And I let out a long sigh of relief as my back returned to a normal shape.
    I looked up to see Ethan and Lawrence staring down at me with bemused expressions on their faces.
    “Is this normal for her?” Lawrence asked.
    “It’s hard to say much about ‘her’ and ‘normal’ in the same sentence,” Ethan answered.
    “You know, ‘her’ is lying right here. And I’d like to see you two do what I just did and come out unscathed.” I looked up at the ceiling and closed my eyes. “It’s nice to see you’ve found the common bond of making fun of me though. It really eases the mood.”
    As if he’d just realized that he and Lawrence were getting along, Ethan rather abruptly checked his watch and left, saying something about errands. That left Lawrence grinning at me.
    “That went well, don’t you think?”
    “Yeah, the horses are easy.”
    “No, not that. Ethan. I think he’ll come around and confess his undying love any day now.”
    I snorted. “Oh. If that’s what you’re up to, you’re wasting your time. He’s made it abundantly clear that there’s no chance of a relationship. It’s fine.”
    “Fine?” He cocked his head to the side.
    “Yes! Geez. What is it with you guys? I said it was fine. You know, you two are more alike than you probably want to know.”
    “Fine is never fine. I have sisters. They taught me that from an early age.”
    “Well, Ethan doesn’t have any sisters, nor does he have any relationships with girls beyond the superficial. There’s no reason he should question my fine.”
    “I don’t know about that. He seems to have a pretty good relationship with you. You’re a girl.”
    I sighed. “Thanks for noticing. He doesn’t, though.”
    That earned me a scoff. “You know that’s not true. I saw him cop a feel at least six times today.”
    “You did not!” I laughed.
    “I did. You must just be used to it. And I have to say, the man has some balls to be doing that, considering he thinks you and I are dating.”
    “He just can’t help but be a bit of an asshole. However, he has no right to any part of me. I just let it go.”
    “Really?” he asked sarcastically.
    “Yep. Shut up.”
    He reached down and grabbed my arm, pulling me