Page 17 of Jax

But even Ronnie knew she had been spotted as her little footsteps began to tiptoeing toward the still beast.

The closer Ronnie was getting the tenser I could see Max getting.

Horses were cowards. Not because of their personality, but because it was their nature. They were flight creatures. A horse staying still never boded well.

I had expected her to have backed up to the opposite fence already. This exercise was only supposed to get Max tolerating Ronnie in her space, but this wasn’t the reaction I was expecting. She should have backed up by now. Flight not fight instinct. Horses usually escaped that kind of pressure not withstand it.

Though not many things went as I predicted, I was dealing with wild beasts after all, but out of the ordinary was concerning.

My concerns became warranted when Ronnie’s foot knocked a pebble.

The small thing skipped and rolled to Max’s foot, knocking against her shoe with a soundless tap.

Her switch flipped.

Max’s front leapt into the air, her legs rearing high into the sky, and high above Ronnie’s head. A frightening shriek echoed in the air and Ronnie panicked.

Max’s feet hit the ground and her body grew ridged with the energy boiling from her.

Ronnie staggered back a step, ready to run.

“Stand still!” I called, shaking my head at her, but Ronnie wasn’t really looking my direction.

Ronnie was still as a statue, mirroring Max, the tension in the air thick.

“Shit,” I hissed, turning and hopping off the fence, and jogging along the outside of the pasture. I kept the rope slung over my shoulder as I slowed to a walk up to Ronnie’s side. I kept any noise minimal, trying not to light the energy between them.

My hands pressed against the wood as I poked my head through the gap. “Don’t move!” I whispered to Ronnie.

“What?” Ronnie breathed, the nervousness clear in her voice.

“Whatever you do, don’t step back. Stay still,” I commanded her. Ronnie was shaking so hard I could see the tips of her hair quivering against her damp face and fought the need to support her. I couldn’t get in the pasture. Not if I was going to fix the relationship between these two.

“I don’t want to spook her!” Ronnie whined, and I could sense her reluctance to stay where she was.

“Ronnie, look at me!”

She glanced back at Max once last time before turning to me, brown eyes creased with sadness and fear. “You won’t spook her. You just need to let her get used to you. Take a deep breath and trust me.” I made sure to keep my eyes on her, not letting her look away until I saw her chest expand as she took in a slow, deep breath and let a shaky one back out.

She kept doing it repeatedly, not looking away from me as she calmed from her panic and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Max begin to relax and her ears drop back.

“There, look,” I called to Ronnie, pointing over her shoulder. Her eyes turned to Max whose gaze moved to look at something in the opposite direction, not paying Ronnie any mind. “See?”

Astonishment.

It was the only readable thing on Ronnie’s face, gawking as Max turned away from her, eyes wide, jaw agape, her soft peach-colored lips parted on a soft breath.

It was only a small step, but her reaction showed me just how much she’d gone through with Max in the past year. The amazement lighting up her eyes just by Max allowing her to be within twenty feet of her was a milestone for her. It also made me more aware of Max’s issues.

The two of them had once been inseparable. I couldn’t count the amount of times I had to go drag Max and Ronnie out of trouble because of the crap the two got up to. Both caught doing shit they shouldn’t be doing. Not giving a crap about any lecture given to them, neither Max nor Ronnie had been one to listen.

“Ronnie, come on,” I called to her, breaking her trance.

She turned to me, her beautiful green eyes catching the sunlight in a way that made them almost glow before she calmly walked back to me.

I watched her painstakingly slow climb back up the fence and down the other side, taking it easy and steady as she dropped her boots to the ground next to me. She readjusted her long plaid shirt and jeans, sighing in contentment when she looked back into the pasture.

“Is that it for today?” Ronnie asked, looking a little disappointed.

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