Page 103 of Ethan

"Haha." Ethan slung his arm around his sister's neck and kissed her cheek. This was a close-knit family. So different than I had experienced. I wasn't jealous of Ethan, but I wondered if I would have turned out differently if I'd been raised in an environment like this.

Ethan took my hand and led me down the steps, along a long gravel driveway, and out to the barn. It was classically red with wide barn doors. Outside was a large, fenced area with an arrangement of jumps. To one side, a round area surrounded by metal fencing.

Attached to the barn at the far end, a massive building. We walked into the barn. I was immediately overwhelmed by the scent of hay and what I assumed was horse manure. In total, there were eight stalls. The barn was incredibly tidy—and the floor swept clean.

"In addition to our four horses, we have four who board here in the barn. Another six that have outdoor boarding spaces. Mom and Eva take care of it all. Eva instructs riders as well. All the income is enough to keep the entire operation going. I used to teach riding lessons too."

My eyebrows arched. "Really? Do you miss it?"

Ethan sighed. "Actually, yeah. I've been thinking about taking one evening a week away from coffee shop work and tack teaching onto my visits with Phantom."

"That might be good for you. Help to keep your mind on the bright side."

"That's what I'm thinking. I need to be more proactive. Stress is a real trigger for me."

I turned to Ethan, wrapped my arms around his waist and tugged him to me. He stumbled into my arms, smiling, and placed his hands on my chest and tucked against me.

We kissed until a horse whinnied.

Ethan pulled away and laughed. "That's Phantom. He's wondering what I'm doing instead of coming to see him." He took my hand, and I followed him to a stall. Inside, a beautiful horse. Chestnut in colour, tall, and powerful looking. He bobbed his head up and down, exposing his teeth. To the uninitiated like me, he looked terrifying. He was a large animal.

Ethan hauled open the stall door, stepped inside, and used his hands against Phantom's chest to push him away from the door. He rubbed the horse's neck then held his face. He planted a kiss on what looked to be a velvety nose. Phantom blew air out through expanded nostrils.

Ethan looked over his shoulder at me. "You can come in. He's in a good mood."

I didn't move. "What happens when he's not?"

"He can get a bit pushy, try to pin you to the wall, and sometimes he'll nip."

Jeezus.

I decided to trust Ethan and walked onto the floor covered in chips of wood. He dug around in his pocket and produced half an apple. "Here, take this." He handed it to me.

Phantom was very interested in the exchange and took a step toward me. Ethan put a hand on his chest. "Hold it out to him. Keep your hand flat."

I exhaled a long breath and did as Ethan instructed. Turned out it tickled as Phantom took the apple from me. Thin but bristly whiskers accompanied his soft nibbling lips.

He'd been very gentle.

I took a chance and petted his nose. He wasn't so bad. He snorted and I nearly fell backward when he bucked his head up and scared me.

"He wants more apples from you. He won't hurt you." He smiled at me. "Unless he accidently cracks you in the chin with his head when he does that head toss. That hurts."

Ethan led me out of the stall and closed the door.

"Have you ever been seriously injured?" I asked.

"Gosh … a few times. If he refuses a jump for some reason, I can get dumped over the top of his head. I've had some hard landings. Been covered in a few bruises. Also, I was training this little Shetland pony we rescued. It had been abused so it was extremely nervous. Didn't like me on its back. Managed to dump me off and step on my chest. Broke my sternum."

"Fuck, are you serious? How old were you?"

"Fourteen, I think. I was out of commission for a while. It really hurt."

"I can only imagine."

Ethan laughed. "Then there was this time when I was eight and I decided to take my sister Emma's champion horse, Stormy, out for a ride. It was a nightmare getting him tacked up. Practically had to use a ladder. The horse was seventeen hands."

"How tall is that?"

---