Page 19 of Roughing It

Chapter6

Eden

Going back down to the stables to get saddled up on horses—or whatever it’s called—is a little easier now that I’ve met the trail guide. Miguel and I talked a bit longer before I wandered back to the lodge and found a flustered Phoenix, who had attempted to bring me tea. I quickly apologized to him and gave him a fat tip that he tried to refuse, but it was my own fault for making him run around like a chicken with its head cut off.

He seemed to appreciate it, and when I see him in the lobby on my way back, he gives me a genuine smile. Monty, who’s down there waiting with Flor and Sage, notices Phoenix’s grin and openly laughs.

“Don’t give that kid hope,” he said, leaning in toward me. “He’s going to think he has a shot.”

He has way more of a shot than you, my brain supplies, but I don’t say that aloud. I just ignore him and lead the way toward the start of the riding trail. Miguel is already out there with five horses saddled and waiting, and my heart rate picks up again.

When I see the horse I had already bonded with, I step forward to lay my hand on Clover’s nose. “Hi, pretty girl,” I croon, surprised at my own bravery.

Miguel is grinning at me. “I’m already yesterday’s dinner.”

I laugh and shake my head, then turn to my friends and Monty to see them staring at me with wide eyes. “What? We’re old friends.”

“Okay,” Flor says, drawing out the word. “I’m not sure I want to know.”

I can see Monty eyeing Miguel with suspicion in his eyes, and I want to slap him for being such an ass. Miguel clearly notices because his smile turns into a smirk, but he ignores it as he starts giving instructions on how to mount the horses, the proper way to hold on and balance, and where we’re going.

“We’re not children,” Monty interrupts after a few seconds.

“I’m aware of that, sir,” Miguel says without missing a beat. “But because these are animals and because they can be dangerous—”

“They’re just horses,” Monty says. His hand darts out before anyone can stop him, and he gives the tall black horse a hard slap on the rear.

Everything kind of happens at once. The horse makes a loud noise of protest, and there’s a sudden rush of movement before I’m pinned against the gate by both Sage and Miguel. The black horse is still prancing and tossing its head a few feet away… right where I’d been standing. My head spins as I becomeprofoundlyaware that if they hadn’t intervened, I would have been crushed.

“…the fuck do you think you’re doing? Jesus! You could have killed her!” I hear as the ringing in my ears starts to clear up. It’s Flor, and she’spissed.

“Calm the fuck down, she’s fine,” Monty fires back, and I look over to see Sage’s expression turn murderous.

“Can we still go?” I ask quietly. I think I’m still in a little bit of shock, but the last thing I want is to watch a fistfight break out. Never mind I was almost crushed to death by a horse. I’ll deal with that trauma later.

Sage drops one hand on my shoulder, and he stares at me in surprise. “You sure you want to go?”

“Of course.” I brush a stray lock of hair out of my face. “I didn’t go through all that trouble to become best friends with Clover only to abandon her.” I realize my voice is kind of shaking, and yeah, maybe the near miss is already affecting me, but I’m no coward.

Miguel looks hesitant, but he relents after a beat. I glance over at Flor and Monty, who are both standing there—Flor looking pissed, Monty looking vaguely amused—and I shrug. Monty gives me a wink, and I meet it with a blank face, which doesn’t seem to faze him at all.

What is up with this guy?

Luckily, I won’t ever have to see him again after this weekend, and maybe if he knows I have zero interest, he’ll give up and go home before the night’s out. Sage still has a grip on me, and he walks me over to Flor so she can pull me into a tight hug.

“I seriously thought you were about to die,” she gasps into my hair. “Maybe we should just—”

“No,” I interrupt. “It’s just a quick ride, right?”

She bites her lip, then nods and looks a little relieved. “It is. And the horse didn’t mean it. It’s not wild or anything.”

I can’t help my laugh because that’s so like her. “I know. I promise it’s all good.” Never mind my legs feel a little like jelly at the moment.

Miguel gets all the horses rounded back up, and then he takes my hand and pulls me over to Clover, and I give her neck a pat. The black horse makes me antsy, but Clover is oddly calming.

“You sure you’re okay, chiquita?” he murmurs.

I nod, squaring my shoulders as Clover nudges my shoulder, making me laugh. “Yeah. Clover’ll take good care of me.”

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