Page 74 of Forcing Fate

“Up.”

I twisted to see General Rafe standing behind me, jerking his head to the horse.

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from screaming in frustration. “I need a leg up, sir,” I replied with as much dignity as I could muster.

Please call someone else. Please don’t be the one to help.

He grunted, dropping to a knee and lacing his fingers together. I closed my eyes for a brief second, wondering what I had ever done to deserve this level of mortification. With as strong as he was, I wouldn’t have to worry about getting on a horse for the first time—I’d have to worry about the man throwing me clear over her back.

The mare snorted and nosed my shoulder.

“I’m going,” I breathed.

I placed my boot into the General’s hands and reached for the mare’s mane. My stomach dropped as the ground fell away and I was lifted into the air. I grabbed her mane and threw my leg over her broad back. My very first curse slipped through my lips as I scrambled with my dress. The fabric snapped taut. It wasn’t wide enough to accommodate straddling a barrel.

“Rip it,” the General ordered.

“No!” I hissed.

I tugged at the hem, trying to pull it high enough that I could sit in the saddle. The mare shifted beneath me and I held in a yelp. I had a moment of horrifying realization that if I was going to straddle this horse, the hem of my dress would ride to the middle of my thigh.

The fabric’s tension went slack as a ripping sound rent the air. I whipped my head to gape down at General Rafe as my rear settled deep in the saddle. He braced his hands on the horse’s flank and shoulder, and between them lay my dress, ripped above my knee. My jaw fell open.

He had just ripped my dress.

In front of everyone.

I glanced at the stableboy, whose jaw hung open in shock.

“Go.”

My teeth clacked together as I snapped my mouth shut and pursed my lips. I would deal with it. My calf was mostly covered by my boot, but the top half and knee were exposed to the bright sun—and every set of soldier’s eyes.

So much for acting like I was one of them.

The saddle was sun-warmed under my rear and thighs. It was strange, feeling it move between my legs rather than sitting sidesaddle. How did men get used to this?

I squeezed my legs around what girth of the mare I could reach. The stirrups dangled uselessly, and I clenched the reins in my bleeding hands as the stableboy let go. She responded to my touch, walking forward. I gulped at the height I was from the ground but tried to keep my back straight and ride her with confidence. I tugged on the left rein, and she obeyed, turning in a tight circle. I coaxed her straight, then pulled on the right rein. Shouts jerked my attention from the mare’s movement between my legs. Recruits stared at me with a mix of shock and open horror. A few sneered, but what snagged my attention was the man who rode his horse into the line of recruits. I gritted my teeth, ignoring the breeze against my bare knee, and continued my circle.

Well, they all got their show.

I rode back to the stableboy whose eyes were plastered to my calf. It was probably the most female skin he had seen since he was a suckling babe. I reached to tug my torn skirts over my leg, and the mare snorted as my weight shifted. I righted myself quickly. It wasn’t worth me losing my seat. The damage was already done.

The boy gawked with his mouth hanging open, and General Rafe clapped him on the back of his head. He startled and lunged for the mare’s bridle. She raised her head high in the air and took a step back, eyes rolling in mock fear. The boy muttered, reaching up slower, and she snorted as he secured her bridle.

How was I going to dismount?

If I swung my leg over the mare’s neck, everyone would get another show. If I rotated it over her back, I would fall. At this point, falling seemed inevitable. I was too high up and the angle was too awkward for me to catch myself.

“Down.”

I glared at General Rafe. Curse him and his one word commands. Curse him for ripping my dress.

“Yes, sir!”

I leaned forward, over the mare’s neck, and lifted my leg over her back. My chest slid along the saddle as I let myself drop off the side. My feet hit the ground, but the force of my momentum pushed me down. I fell flat on my rear, looking up at the white belly of the mare. I cast General Rafe a deadpan stare, then shuffled to stand before rejoining the line.

“Well, that was embarrassing.” The bounty hunter smirked beside me.

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