Page 15 of Mistletoe Cowboy

“I have little scrawny legs, though,” she said worriedly.

He smiled. “You’ll do fine.”

He had a calming nature, Teddie thought, because the words relaxed her. She noticed that Bart reacted to it. He tossed his head, but his ears stayed turned to the front, not the back. It was only dangerous when a horse had both ears flattened, because that meant trouble.

Teddie stroked his mane. “Sweet horse,” she said softly. “I’m so happy I got you, Bart.”

He seemed to relax even more.

“Okay. Contract your legs at the knee and see if he’ll respond by going forward.”

He did.

“Wow!” she exclaimed softly.

Parker chuckled. “Good job. Now, when you want him to turn left, put more pressure on your left leg and move the bridle very gently to the left. You don’t want to hurt his mouth.”

“Okay.” She followed the instruction and so did Bart. “This is awesome,” she said.

“Horses are awesome,” Parker agreed. “Try turning him the other way. Same procedure.”

She did. Bart followed through beautifully.

“How do I tell him to stop?” she asked.

“You pull back very gently on the reins.”

She did that, and Bart stopped in his tracks.

“Nice job,” Parker said.

“Can we go riding now?” she asked.

He smiled at her excitement. “Not just yet. First things first. You have to know what to do in case of an emergency. That’s the next lesson. But we have to stop for now. Boss man is bringing over a few new horses for the remuda and I have to work with them.”

“It’s so nice of you to help me with Bart,” Teddie said as she dismounted cautiously. “I could never have done this by myself.”

“I love horses,” Parker said. “It’s no trouble. I enjoy working with this sweet old man, too,” he added, patting the horse’s withers. “So let’s get him unsaddled and back into his stall.”

“I’m with you,” she said, and followed him back into the stable.

* * *

“How are you doing with Bartholomew?” Katy asked at supper one night.

“Really good,” she told her mother. “Parker’s so smart!”

“He knows horses, all right,” Katy replied.

“No,” Teddie corrected. “That’s not what I mean. He’s really smart. He had a phone call Saturday when he was over here. I only heard what he was saying, but it was way over my head. Something about Einstein-Rosen bridges and somebody named Schrodinger.”

Katy’s mouth opened. “Are you sure that’s what he said?”

“Well, I think so.”

“Did he mention a cat when he talked about Schrodinger?” Katy pressed.

Teddie frowned. “Yes. But the cat was alive and dead in a box until you opened the box he was in. Strange!”

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