Page 67 of Told You So
Bethany steps in and begins to follow Sam’s lead, running her hand down the length of Shasta’s girth. “Try it, J,” she says. Bethany’s presence alone helps put Jesse more at ease, though it would seem he needs little encouragement.
Jesse reaches out his hand then smiles with awe. “She’s soft.”
“And she’s strong,” Bethany adds. “You can feel her heart beating.”
“Here, put your palm out like this,” Sam says and demonstrates how to feed a bit of carrot to Shasta. Jesse only hesitates a moment before his curiosity is too much for him to ignore and he steps closer and opens his palm by Shasta’s mouth.
I nudge Bethany and break off a piece of my carrot, nodding to her horse for the day. “You’ll be riding Trinity.” I give the palomino a pat on the neck.
“She’s beautiful,” Bethany says, running her hand down the curve of Trinity’s back.
“Yeah, and she’s a sweetheart. I thought she’d be a good fit for you. And she’ll love you forever if you give her a piece of carrot.”
“Oh, she’s an easy one, too, huh?”
I laugh. “Yeah, she is.”
Bethany stares at the carrot in her hand. “Sam and Jesse made it look easy,” she muses. Then she looks at me. “I’ve never actually fed a horse before.” Impatient for her treat, Trinity turns to Bethany. Startled, Bethany takes a step back.
“Here,” I say gently, and I take her hand in mine, cradling our palms together. “Keep your fingers open, and she’ll pick it up with her lips. It won’t hurt, trust me.” I squeeze her hand reassuringly and slowly ease it toward Trinity’s mouth.
In less than a second, the deed is done. The carrot crunches loudly between Trinity’s teeth, pieces of it falling to the dirt, and Bethany laughs. “That actually tickled a little.”
“Yeah, horse whiskers are like that.” I’m still holding her hand, though, and I know I should let it go. I promised I wouldn’t make this harder on her, but her nearness makes it almost impossible to take a step back. I’m supposed to be her friend, but I want more. I always have, even if I didn’t understand why until now.
Bethany looks at me, her eyes shifting over my face momentarily, then she removes her hand from mine and moves to the side.
“Yeah, so,” I nod to what’s left of her carrot. “Go ahead and give her the rest.” I pick up the curry comb. “We should probably get started.”
Thirty-Four
Bethany
Any other Saturday, I’d be working on homework and studying in my pajamas all day, doing chores intermittently, and keeping an eye on Jesse while my mom’s lunch turns into a shopping trip, then dinner and drinks with a client. But here I sit, on top of a butterscotch-painted beauty, finally comfortable in the way her body moves with each jostling step beneath me. In this arena, covered in dust, I feel strangely relaxed and at peace.
It could be that I finally feel like I know what I’m doing and that Sam is no longer watching from the sidelines. While any feud between us, I guess you could call it, is on hold during this project, I can tell she’s wary of my being here. This is more personal, and yet she’s opened up her home to us, which makes me hopeful, even if she has a watchful eye that rests on me more often than I’m comfortable with. Jesse looks happy, though, which makes it all worth it. He seems taller and even a little proud on the back of Shasta, and I have Sam and Nick to thank for that.
Jesse slows Shasta to a stop and whispers praise in her ear. Patting her neck, he straightens and looks around the arena, still taking it all in.
“Well, kid, I think she likes you,” Nick says from his dark, coffee-colored horse beside Jesse. Although Nick hasn’t ridden in years, he seems natural and confident enough to me.
“Should I give her some water?” Jesse asks as he stares at the trough.
“Sure, just a little.”
I ride Trinity up beside him so she can dip her nose in for a quick drink, too. “So, what do you think about all this horse stuff, J?” I ask him.
Jesse smiles to himself, watching Shasta’s ears flick back at us as she slurps down some water. “It’s cool,” he says modestly, but I know he’s giddy inside.
“Yeah, it is pretty cool,” I agree. I nudge Trinity away from the water, not wanting her belly to get too full, and Jesse follows.
Scanning the hillside, I admire the land that surrounds us as we clomp over to Nick. “Is all this Sam’s property?”
“Yep. It’s a bitch to take care of, too.” Nick cringes at his words and mouths asorryas he glances at Jesse, but my brother’s heard me say worse, and he’s too enthralled with Shasta to notice anyway.
There’s a whistle from the railing. When I look over, Sam is on the other side of the pasture and climbs up. “Anyone interested in a quick trail ride? I need to go to Reilly’s to let Petey out.”
“Uh, I dunno if we’re ready for that yet, Sam.” I glance back at Jesse. “It seems a little soon.”
