Taylor followed Rory into the house, which they
entered through the back door. The house opened up into a long hallway with a huge, airy kitchen jutting off to its left. Rory began to rummage through a closet in the hallway.
As she was searching for a pair of boots for Taylor, a very large young man with the same reddish-blonde hair as Rory appeared in the kitchen doorway.
“Hey, Rory,” he said.
Taylor was half-startled. He had never seen anyone quite so rugged-looking. He had had his share of burly bodyguards, so the guy’s size didn’t bother him, but he looked really tough. He surmised that the man must be one of Rory’s brothers, but he was unsure which.
Rory poked her head out of the closet. “Hey, little brother.”
Little? Taylor thought. Taylor remembered that two of Rory’s brothers were younger, so this one had to be either Dane or Patrick.
The young man stepped toward Taylor and held his hand out Taylor shook it and noticed that he had the same kind, brown eyes as Rory. Once he got over the fact that he was so solid, Taylor relaxed.
“I’m Dane,” the mystery brother said.
Taylor nodded. “I’m Taylor Hanson,” he said. “I work for Rory.”
Dane chuckled. “I’ll bet that’s fun.”
Taylor grinned. Dane obviously had Rory’s number. “So far, so good,” Taylor said. “She’s not been too rough on me yet.”
Rory shut the closet door. “I don’t see any in here,” she told Taylor. “Hey Dane, do you know where an extra pair of Patrick’s or Mark’s old boots might be?”
Dane sized Taylor up quickly and raised his eyebrows. Taylor didn’t strike him as the horsy type. “You guys are going riding?” he asked in apparent surprise.
Rory nodded. “If we can find a pair of boots for Taylor.”
Dane managed to find an old pair of boots in the basement, and although they were half a size too big, Taylor assured Rory they would do.
Taylor followed Rory to the barnyard. She climbed the fence quickly and dropped to the ground below. She motioned for Taylor to do the same, which he did … albeit not very gracefully.
The four horses in the barnyard all came lumbering over to Rory. Taylor tried not to be startled by their sheer size and obvious power. He remembered reading in a book when he was younger that animals could smell fear.
“Which one looks good to you?” Rory asked, taking the bridle of a white appaloosa with a smattering of black spots across its backside. “You have your choice of all of them except Aphrodite. She’s mine.”
Taylor eyed the other three animals. There was a reddish-brown and white paint horse, a deep brown one with a black mane and tail and a large white star on its forehead, and one that was sort of buttery-colored … Taylor thought maybe it was a Palomino, but wasn’t sure enough about breed names to mention it.
“Which is the gentlest?” he asked Rory.
Rory cocked her head and grinned. “You’re not scared, are you?”
“No,” Taylor said quickly. “I just don’t want to end up on my butt or in traction today.”
Rory looked thoughtful and nodded to the horse Taylor suspected was a Palomino. “Crackerjack,” she said. “He’s pretty mellow. He’ll like you. Why don’t you go ahead and take him?”
“Okay,” Taylor said. “What do I do first?”
“Walk up to him slowly and take him by the bridle,” Rory instructed. “Then just lead him out behind us.”
Taylor did as Rory instructed. To his relief, Crackerjack seemed more than happy to let Taylor lead him out of the barnyard and to the tack house.
Taylor watched as Rory swiftly saddled both horses. He was almost alarmed when she put her foot against Aphrodite’s side and pushed as she pulled the strap under the animal’s belly as tight as it would go.
“What are you doing that for?” Taylor asked. “Doesn’t it hurt her?”
Rory shook her head. “Nah,” she said. “Horses will blow themselves up when you saddle them. Then they let it out when you’re riding, the saddle slips and you’ll fall off.”
Taylor laughed. “You’re kidding.”
Rory smiled. “No,” she said. “They’re sneaky. Just like people.”
When the horses were saddled, Taylor watched as Rory put her foot in a stirrup and swung herself expertly onto Aphrodite’s back. “Your turn,” she told Taylor.
Taylor took a deep breath and looked at Crackerjack. The horse caught his eye, and Taylor could have sworn that he actually smiled encouragingly.
Taylor put his foot in the stirrup and took another deep breath. After a couple of less-than-graceful one-foot hops and two unsuccessful attempts to haul himself up into the saddle, he scrambled atop Crackerjack.
“I made it!” he said.
Rory smiled. “Good job!”
Taylor was alarmed when Crackerjack began to move under him. “He’s moving!”
Rory chuckled. “You’re alright,” she said. “If you want him to stop, pull back hard on the reins,” she instructed. “If you want him to turn to the left, pull gently to the left and lay the reins on the right side of his neck.”
Rory illustrated her point by turning her horse around in a circle. “See?”
Taylor nodded. “I think so.”
“If you want him to turn to the right, do the opposite. Why don’t you try it?” Rory suggested.
Taylor did as Rory told him, and was amazed when he discovered he had complete control of this creature that was 10 times his size. “Like that?”
Rory smiled. “You’re a natural.”
Taylor blushed. “I wouldn’t go so far as to say that,” he said.
“You ready to go?” Rory asked Taylor.
Taylor was heartened by the confidence he was gaining. “Sure,” he said. “Lead the way.”
Rory turned her horse and headed out toward the wheat fields. Taylor noticed a wide dirt trail around the circumference of them. Crackerjack walked quickly to get in step with Aphrodite, and soon the horses were leisurely strolling side by side.
Taylor noticed the October sun made Rory’s hair look like spun gold. He had never seen hair that sparkled quite the way hers did.
“I love fall,” he mused out loud.
Rory nodded. “I do too,” she said. “I love the colors. This is the best time of year to ride.”
Rory and Taylor rode in contented silence for a while. Taylor got lost in the rhythmic clop clopping of the horses’ hooves on the hard, packed dirt.
After a while, Aphrodite started to get antsy. “She wants to run,” Rory told Taylor.
Taylor raised his eyebrows. “And that’s got what to do with me?” he asked, dreading the answer.
“If she runs, Crackerjack’s going to run,” Rory explained. “He’s a follower.”
Taylor gulped. “How do I stay on?” he asked.
Rory smiled. “So you want to go for it?”
“If you promise I won’t end up breaking anything vital,” Taylor said.
“Okay,” Rory said. She pulled back on Aphrodite’s reins, and Taylor did the same on his horse. Both animals stopped.
“There are four different voice commands they know,” she explained. “They know walk, trot, canter and gallop. Each is progressively faster than the others are. When you want them to do one of them, you lean down, say it firmly to them and give them a little kick in the sides.”
Taylor looked worried. He patted Crackerjack’s neck. “Won’t that hurt him?”
Rory smiled. “No,” she said. “Just do it gently. I promise he’ll be okay.”
Taylor nodded with confidence. “Let’s try it,” he said.
“Okay,” Rory said. “We’ll start out with a trot and then move up. We won’t do anything more than canter today, alright?”
Taylor nodded. “I can do it,” he said.
Rory gave Aphrodite a gentle kick in the sides, and soon the horse was trotting. Taylor noticed that Crackerjack seemed to get impatient when Aphrodite sped up, but that the animal waited for Taylor’s command.
Taylor took a deep breath, tapped Crackerjack’s sides with the heels of his boots, and told him to trot.
Taylor felt the animal’s step change below him. Although it was startling at first, Taylor relaxed a bit as Crackerjack caught up with Aphrodite and eased into rhythm. Taylor noticed that trotting was a very bouncy gait for the rider, as he came up and then plunked down in the saddle over and over again.
“You okay?” Rory asked. Taylor wondered how she was able to keep from getting slammed down on her backside with every step Aphrodite took.
Taylor nodded. “I’m fine,” he said. “We can go on to the next thing.”
“Okay,” Rory said, looking ahead as she spoke out of the side of her mouth to Taylor. “Cantering is a lot faster, but it’s also a lot smoother. You’re going to want to lean forward a little and grip his sides with your knees to balance yourself and stay on. Move with him, not against him. If you feel like you’re falling, grab the saddle horn with one hand to steady yourself and pull back with the other hand. He won’t like it, but he’ll stop.”
Taylor positioned himself firmly in the saddle. “I got it.”
Rory smiled encouragingly at Taylor. “Ready?”
Taylor nodded. “Ready.”
Taylor saw Rory brace herself, and even before she spoke he saw Aphrodite’s muscles tighten. He watched Rory lean forward to give her horse a light kick and a command.
Aphrodite’s rough trot turned into a smooth canter, and Taylor could feel Crackerjack grow tense below him. Taylor leaned forward, and he knew his horse was anticipating his command. Taylor marveled at the feeling of power it gave him as he gave the animal verbal and physical permission to break into a run.
Taylor’s heart was in his throat momentarily, but he finally gave himself up to the feeling of freedom being astride Crackerjack was giving him. He was also surprised at what an almost sensual experience it was.
Taylor let the whipping wind blow his hair away from his face, and looked into the blue sky that was whizzing past him. He was taken for a moment with sheer happiness.
“Okay,” Rory shouted to him after a few minutes. “Let’s slow ‘em down.”
Taylor and Rory pulled back on their horses’ reins, and the animals slowed in unison. Taylor wasn’t even scared when Crackerjack danced sideways a little in excitement.
Taylor patted the horse’s neck.
“You’re a good boy,” he said.
Rory smiled at Taylor. “How do you feel?” she asked.
Taylor shook his hair away from his cold, wind-reddened cheeks. “Free,” he said. “For the first time in a long time, I feel absolutely free.”
