Page 57 of A Cowboy in the Streets

But she didn’t seem bothered by it at all. Somehow, in between all the errands I dragged her on, she found time to do her job and do it well.

Because what the hell was I looking at right now? A goddamn miracle.

Belle loped around the ring with James sitting tall in the saddle. Despite the lack of bridle, James was in complete control. She rested her hands on the saddle horn and used her legs and seat to guide Belle.

“Fuck me,” Blaine muttered at my elbow. “Did you ever see the like?”

I couldn’t tear my eyes away. “No, I never have.”

James looked like a legend. The kind of woman people told stories about around the campfire. Her hair streamed in a wild, dark river under her helmet as they loped around the ring. James’s body melded to Belle’s, her commands so precise and perfect that it was hard to see them at all. But Belle felt them. And she obeyed. Willingly. They were completely in sync.

But the real surprise came when James took Belle down the center of the ring on the diagonal. When they got to the center, Belle gave a small hop, changing her lead leg, and continued the lope in the other direction.

Blaine whipped off his ballcap and smacked it on the fence. “Did you see that? A perfect lead change. Holy shit, Belle the Bitch might have some real potential.”

“She’s been working on that all week,” Ben piped up. “We wanted to surprise you. I promised not to say a word. Are you surprised, Dad?”

I glanced over at my kid, who was beaming with pride. Pride in himself for keeping a secret and pride in his friend for pulling it off. “Yeah, I’m surprised. I had no idea Belle had come so far.”

Blaine rested one foot on the bottom rung of the rail. “She said she thinks Belle has a problem with the bridle. Considering she’s doing more without it than any of us could do with it, I’d say there’s a good chance she’s right.”

“She mentioned that.”

I watched as James slowed Belle to a trot and then a walk. It wasn’t as quick a transition without the bridle, but she got the job done. I shook my head, awed. Any decent rider understood the importance of an independent seat, but what James had just accomplished with Belle was nothing short of extraordinary.

“Can’t enter a show without a bridle,” Blaine said, stating the obvious.

“That’s true.” I scrubbed a hand over my smooth jaw. For once, I had remembered to shave. Yesterday I had left a rosy-red burn between James’s thighs. Considering the amount of time those thighs spent in the saddle, I figured I ought to do my part to keep them comfortable.

“Maybe Belle doesn’t like people yanking at her face,” Ben suggested. “I sure wouldn’t.”

That gave me pause. When was the last time someone had actually been gentle with Belle? Even Blaine, having seen plenty of other trainers hit the dirt first, had gone in with a strong hand right from the start. Not in a cruel way. Blaine would never be cruel. But for a sensitive animal already in pain? Maybe it had been too much.

“James will figure it out,” I assured Ben. “Whatever Belle’s issue is, James is a good trainer. She’s patient. They’ll work through it together.”

Steven exited the barn and headed straight for James. “Hey, James, you forgot this.” He shook the bridle, making the metal bit clang.

Everything happened at once. James had started to dismount, leaving her balanced on one leg in the stirrup when Belle leaped into the air and kicked her hind legs out behind her. James never stood a chance. She landed like a sack of potatoes against the rail. Her helmet made an ominous thump as it hit.

I crawled through the fence rails and sprinted to James, shouting orders as I went. “Stay back, Ben! Blaine, get Belle.”

I sank to my knees in the dirt next to her. Still breathing, thank god. Her eyes were closed, her skin pale, her helmet dented. At least she had been wearing one. That would have been her skull. Muttering curses, I gently unbuckled the chin strap.

“Please wake up, buttercup. Please.”

Chapter 25

James

“I’m fine,” I said for the millionth time as Adam leaned across the center console to unbuckle me. “Stop babying me.”

“You will be fine,” Adam corrected. “Right now, you have bruised ribs. The doctor said not to do anything strenuous for the next couple of days.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, I was there. This isn’t my first injury, and I’m pretty sure unbuckling a seatbelt does not count as strenuous activity.” I did air quotes around the words and immediately regretted lifting my arms.

Shit, that hurt.

I breathed through the pain, turning my wince into a smile. From the look of Adam’s furrowed brow and flat mouth, I wasn’t fooling him one bit. “I’m fine. I just want to go inside, take a hot bath, and get into bed until tomorrow.” Except I didn’t have a bathtub. Dammit. “A hot shower, I mean.”

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