Page 126 of Holiday Hire

"No way."

"You did," he insists.

I glance at the horse, my chest tightening.

"Come on, Phoebe. You might never get this chance again. The snow is perfect and there's no wind right now. Trust me. You won't regret it, and I promise I'll keep you safe," he asserts.

I glance at Trojan. He's a huge horse. He looks fierce. I shake my head. "No, thanks."

"You don't trust me?" Alexander asks with disappointment in his voice and expression.

"No, I trust you. I just..."

He steps forward and puts his hand on my cheek. "Then trust me. Come on. I'm going to be on the horse with you. Everything's fine. You're going to love this."

I glance back at the horse.

"You only live once, Pheebs. And I promise you I won't do anything crazy. We'll go slow."

I take a deep breath and then release it, agreeing. "Okay."

His face lights up. "Yeah? You'll go?"

"If you promise I'll be safe."

"Scout's honor," he says, putting three fingers in the air.

I laugh nervously, not believing I'm going to do this. "Okay. How do I get on this thing?"

21

Alexander

Trojan nuzzles into my chest, blowing air through his nose.

"Do horses get colds?" Phoebe asks.

I arch my eyebrows. "They can. Why do you ask?"

"They seem to sneeze a lot."

I chuckle. "Trojan's just happy to see you."

He nuzzles deeper into my chest, then snorts loudly.

She teases, "He looks like he's into you."

"You're stalling. Time to get on him." I reach for the stirrup and order, "Put your foot in here and swing your leg over the saddle."

Her eyes dart between Trojan and me. She says, "Why don't we let him rest in case he has a cold."

"He doesn't have a cold. Come on. The snow doesn't come often."

She takes an anxious breath and then puts her hand on my shoulder and left foot in the stirrup.

I say, "On three, boost yourself up. I'll help you."

"You're sure about this?" She bites on her lip.

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