Page 35 of Headed for Home

The goat chomps on the fabric, chewing until an unmistakable rip sounds.

“Dude, did you hear me? I’m a taken man.”

Our conflict of interest gains the attention of his buddy. He trots over to us, a gleam in his beady eyes.

“Oh, hell no. I’m not getting double teamed by you two.”

A threatening thrash stops the incoming one in his tracks. By the time I wrangle the other horny goat off me, there’s a large hole torn in my shirt. I shrug and accept the damage as free air conditioning. A whistle purses my lips while I dust myself off and get the goats fed. They barely sniff the pellets, too preoccupied following me into the barn.

Cassidy is saddling a horse in the center aisle when I strut inside. I don’t get to admire her methodical technique for more than three seconds. Paisley whizzes past me, pushing a full wheelbarrow. Her dedicated concentration on the pile of shit narrowly misses slicing off my toe. I leap from her path, which allows me to inspect the spotless interior.

“Damn, how long was I gone?” Not that I saw it before, but this must be an improvement.

“At least thirty minutes,” Cassidy answers as she finishes tacking her steed.

“What? No way.”

“Rookie.” She glances at the condition of my shirt. “Doing okay over there?”

“Your goats took advantage of me.”

Her grin slides to the naughty duo loitering behind me. “They’d never do such a thing.”

“I feel violated, but I’ve put myself back together again. Just call me Humpty Dumpty.”

Paisley laughs, returning from her poop duty. “I like this guy.”

“You can keep him company while I ride Levi.” Cassidy gives the horse’s neck an affectionate pat.

“Gonna make me jealous, beauty.”

“Good.” Cassidy winks and takes hold of Levi’s reins, his hooves clomping on the concrete to announce their exit.

“C’mon, lost cause.” Paisley claps my back. “We’ll get you turned on.”

I lock my knees. “Excuse me?”

She rolls her eyes. “Cassidy is sexy in the saddle. You won’t be able to control yourself.”

“Oh.” The strain in my posture deflates. “That’s nothing new.”

“You’ve seen her ride before?”

I nod. “Years ago. When we were in middle school. She was at the county fair for a barrel race or something. Her horse was scary fast, but Cassidy handled him like a pro. I imagine her skills are even more impressive now.”

“Ah.” The blonde’s features pinch. “She’s such a natural talent. Meant to be on the back of a horse. Too bad she doesn’t compete anymore.”

“No?”

“Nah, but that’s not my story to tell.” And her hasty retreat tells me she’s done talking about it.

When we get to the outdoor arena, Cassidy is already sitting on Levi. Her untamed hair blows in the slight breeze while she steers him to the outer edge and urges him to trot. The gait seems bouncy, but she’s one with the horse. Their pace increases in speed until it seems like Levi’s legs don’t even touch the ground. Cassidy hovers in the saddle to avoid jolted impact, at least I assume. It’s like they’re both floating.

She guides him at a diagonal across the ring. There’s a mutual respect while they appear to get cues from each other. I notice she barely touches the reins, controlling him some other way. The training that requires goes way over my head. All I can do is watch in stunned silence.

“Damn,” I breathe.

“Told you.” There’s a smug edge in Paisley’s voice.

---