Page 95 of Doing Life

Lance had to grin. Boone had made them all learn, including him, how to get Chris on and off his horse. The rest of them weren’t tied down, so to speak, so even Lance had a bit of an advantage over Chris. Chris knew how to release himself in case of emergency and make a jump for it, but ugh.

He could hold on and know the horse would eventually head for home and shelter and food. He had to be patient.

Patience was his new middle name.

Horses wanted their familiar stuff. Just like dogs and people.

“Okay, y’all,” Boone said once Chris was up. “Let’s get Lance up next, and then you last, Brick. I want Lance to practice holding his mount in place.”

“Sure.” Lance could so do that. Binky, the gelding he usually rode, was as gentle as a mouse.

“Okay, cool. Here we are.” Like they always did, Boone led him to Binky, putting his hand on the horse’s side. He felt hisway along, murmuring, and checked the girth and the stirrup. Then he got his boot in the stirrup and swung up. He was used to the way Binky moved now, stamping and swishing his tail.

He sat with the reins in his hands, waiting for them all to get mounted. He would have the reins, as always, but Boone would also have a long lead on Binky, just in case.

“Okay, we’re all up. Let’s head out. Brick, I need you to take up the rear, but keep a good half a length behind Chris, okay?”

“You got it. Are we going somewhere cool?”

“Down to a stream that runs along the back of one of the main pastures. Much nicer than a stock tank or a bass pond.” He could hear the laughter in Boone’s voice.

“That sounds good.” Now that Brick was up on the horse he sounded happier, more relaxed, and Lance was glad for it.

He still wasn’t one hundred percent sure on this whole horse therapy thing, but he did know it was good exercise. He used muscles he didn’t know he needed to, sure, but not only that, it was good brain work. He had to pay attention; he had to focus on the horse. He had to steer. So many variables.

Mainly though, it was great to be outside in the sun and the wind doing something new and something he’d probably never do again.

Sloan was not a horse guy. Not really.

Dogs, yes. Chickens? Lance could see that. Even those goats, maybe. But he wasn’t a rancher.

The wind blew hot in that way it could be in late autumn in Texas. So hot it kind of made his nose hairs want to curl up and die.

At least it wasn’t still, he figured. That breeze was what made it bearable out here in the sun.

“Where are you, Lance?” Boone’s voice was sharp. “You gotta pay attention. No daydreaming.”

His cheeks were on fire. “All right, sorry, boss.”

“I know as warm as it is out here, it’s easy to just get into the motion of the horse, kind of doze off a little bit. But I need you focused here. I need you thinking. I need you completely on this.”

He nodded like he was riding the rodeo. “On it. I got you, I promise.”

“Somebody’s getting in trouble,” Chris singsonged, and that made them all crack up.

Boone blew out a near-aggravated breath. “No, the whole point here is not being in trouble, right?”

There was a pause in the conversation before Brick spoke up. “How on earth did you come into this shit, Boone?”

“Pure dumb luck and a little coercion.” Boone’s chuckle was full of mirth. “I’m one of Matt’s friends. We were sitting one night, bullshitting and playing dominoes, I think. He was telling me about his brother. Him and Luke were just starting this place up then, and he was talking about how it was building Luke up, how the work helped.”

They bobbed along for a few, Boone murmuring to his mount, to Lance’s.

“At any rate, I was fascinated by all the plans and all the thoughts. He was talking about hiring a horse guy, and I thought, shit, if I can get in on the bottom level of this, I could make myself something to be proud of. So I told Luke. I said, why you have to go hiring outside? You could hire inside. I’m right here.”

There was something in Boone’s voice, something curious that Lance couldn’t quite grasp. He wasn’t sure what that meant, that hint of…it sounded like wanting to him. Like needing? Lance didn’t know.

Whatever it was, it was fascinating as all get-out.

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