Page 107 of Red Mountain Burning
Elvis and Adiós
Acouple of days after visiting Joan, Margot walked the path to the farm sanctuary to have her first lesson with Shay and Elvis. She had exactly one hour before she needed to get back to the inn.
As always, her animals came rushing toward her looking for treats. Cody was especially excited today and nearly knocked her over with a jumping kiss to the face.
“I missed you too, Cody,” she said, playfully squeezing his ears.
She was glad to see the turkey come waddling up with her tail feathers spread. “Look at you, Precious. Back on two feet already.” A week earlier, she’d held Precious down as Shay cut out a bumblefoot infection with a scalpel. It wasn’t the prettiest procedure, but Margot had grown tougher since moving out to Washington State.
When she saw Shay come out of the red barn, she said, “Precious looks better.”
He pulled the straw hat from his head. “Yeah, I think we got all of it.”
“How’s Fantasia?” Margot asked, referring to one of their nowfouralpacas currently grazing on the other side of the field. A month earlier, Fantasia had stepped in a gopher hole and broken her leg.
“She’s still limping but seems much happier.”
Margot turned her eyes to Elvis, who was swatting at flies with his tail in the corral. “And Elvis? I hope he’s in an extra-good mood?”
Shay shook his head and turned back. “Don’t worry. You’re in good hands.”
“As long as he doesn’t throw me fourteen hands down into the dust, I’ll be happy.”
“He’s a sweetheart. Don’t worry about it.”
Passing through a round of gates, they approached Elvis, who was now chewing on a mouthful of hay. Due to his blindness, they’d learned to approach him carefully, always announcing their presence. “Here we come,” she said.
Margot put her hand on the white spot on his nose. “I haven’t ridden a horse in a long time, Elvis.” She broke into the chorus of one of her favorite Elvis songs, “Don’t Be Cruel.”
“Just remember,” Shay said. “You’re the one in control. Make sure he knows that, and you’ll be fine.”
“How do I show him I’m the one in control?” Margot was starting to wonder what she’d signed up for.
“With the reins. He goes where you want to go, always. Don’t let him push you around.”
Margot felt her heart kick as she recalled that fateful day when a horse named Serenity went wild with Margot on her back, racing across a field and then tossing her like a ragdoll into the dirt. There was nothing serene about Serenity, and Margot hadn’t climbed on a horse since.
Shay spat tobacco juice to the ground. “I thought I’d show you how to saddle him first, and then we’ll get you up and going.”
“Sounds great,” Margot said, her fear escalating.
They walked Elvis to the red barn and stopped at a fence where the saddle waited. Shay took a brush from a pail and handed it to her. Though she couldn’t ride, she’d spent plenty of time brushing Elvis. While she worked out a patch of dirt from his wiry hair, she said, “Are you still closing on your house tomorrow?”
“Yep, nine a.m.”
“I’m really happy for you.”
Shay nodded and spat again. “It’s the first house I’ve ever owned. It’s a big step for us both.”
Once Elvis’s back was clean, Shay handed her the pads. “Now set these on him. There you go.” He lifted up the saddle, and they swung it up onto Elvis. Shay showed her how to cinch the straps. “I think he’s ready for you.”
She looked at Elvis’s face and then the saddle, and then Shay. “I’m nervous.”
“Don’t be. We saved his life. He knows to be gentle.”
Knowing it would be best to get on with it before overthinking, she put her foot in the stirrup and pressed up. Shay gave her a boost as she threw her leg around. He handed her the reins. “Margot, you have the conn.”
“Thanks, Captain Kirk.” She made a clicking sound and sang the opening lines of the chorus for “It’s Now or Never.”
