Chapter 16

Sarah POV

The stable hands were as kind to me as they had been to Chloe, and I was shown several horses, from which I opted for what seemed the gentlest, a brown gelding named Jack. I copied the leg-up maneuver to get in the saddle, which was more comfortable than I had thought it would be. A groom led my horse to the paddock.

It really was a beautiful day, and there was a gentle breeze as Grace, Chloe, and I walked the horses around the training circle. Grace did show a talent for the saddle, at least as far as I could tell, which meant that Chloe was trying to copy her. I thought we were all doing very well for a first lesson.

“Head up a little, Chloe,” Ella called out from by the gate where she was sitting on her horse. The stallion pawed the ground and shook its shiny mane. “You have to show these animals who the boss is.”

Chloe ignored her.

“You’re both alphas, and soon you will learn the responsibilities that come as your birthright. Who knows whom you’ll be riding with one day? You have to perform exceptionally, or it will reflect poorly on your father.”

“This is Chloe’s first lesson,” I told her. “I think we can leave the speeches about performing for kings and presidents for another day.”

Ella looked at me blankly.

“You both look splendid on your ponies!” I called to the girls.

“This is fun!” Chloe called.

Grace was smiling.

“Is anyone feeling up to a little good-natured horse race?” Ella called out next. I had a fond thought of strangling her.

“No, I think not,” I said. “Chloe and I are still getting used to the saddle. We don’t even know how to steer yet.”

“Seriously, Ella,” Chloe said with open scorn.

“How about you, Jack?” Ella shouted, an odd quality to her voice. “You want to race?”

My horse went still, then spooked and bolted. I saw the groom who had been leading Jack fall to the side. My back bent back painfully, and suddenly my gentle little gelding was galloping out of the paddock.

“Mommy!” I heard Chloe shriek in terror. I tried to look back and could see several stable hands were chasing us, but two betas were holding back the children, for which I was grateful.

I looked forward and tried to be soothing even as my hands strangled the pommel and my hair fell out of its bun into my eyes. “Jack!” I called. “Jack, please! Slow down!”

A few more yards of galloping, and I felt my body list to the right. A second later I’d slid out of the saddle and landed with an Oomph! onto the dusty ground. I bit my tongue and tasted blood, and my ribs hurt.

I rolled onto my back and saw that my fall had further scared the horse. Its hooves reared up, and I waited to be trampled on, which I knew meant broken bones, at the least. I was so sorry Chloe and Grace would see.

“Jack, settle!” a familiar voice commanded.

Instantly, the horse calmed. In fact, it seemed to sort of collapse in on itself. As I stared at the creature in bewilderment, Zane’s face appeared between mine and the sun.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

I wanted to say something about how he kept coming to my rescue, but I thought it might sound like I was trying to flirt. Swooning in his arms, I admit, held a great appeal at the moment.

“I’m fine,” I said, getting to my feet with a little help from a strong grip and a steady pull. Once I was steady, Zane nodded and walked over to Jack, who was now trembling.

“Shh, shh,” he soothed, gently petting the horse, which calmed at his touch. Jack put his head down and nudged against Zane’s leg, and for all the world it looked like an apology. “You’re a good boy, right? Something just spooked you.”

The horse whinnied, and Zane looked over to where Ella was sitting on her horse, talking to the girls, who were crying. I was going to shout to them that I was fine, but I remembered poor Jack and stepped several paces away, getting between them and them, before calling to the pups.

“I’m OK, sweeties. Don’t be scared. I’ll be there in just a minute.

I looked back to see Zane had Jack completely under his control, and the horse was walking slowly back toward the paddock. A stable hand came running up and quietly took Jack’s reins, then led him back to the stable.

I finally realized there was another horse nearby, a study brown stallion with a blaze of white on his forehead.

“Bentley,” Zane said, and the horse trotted right over. Zane looked at the girls and waved. They waved back.

“Want to ride back?” he asked me. “I’ll show you how to steer.”

“Yes!” Chloe called. “Ride with us, Mommy. Grace says you have to get right back on the horse so you don’t get scared!”

Zane leapt up on his horse and then held his hand out for me. It was a little more awkward than graceful, but I ended up in the saddle in front of Zane, his chest a solid wall behind me and his warm arms feeling altogether too nice.

Patiently, he showed me how to hold Bentley’s reins, the pressure to use to turn him, and the way to just let him know I was there. He then showed me how to lightly kick Bentley’s sides to get him to move. We ambled back to the others with Chloe cheering me on.

Grace still looked frightened, and I saw she had put a great deal of space between herself and Ella. I waved to her and got a small wave back, then Zane pressed on Bentley’s sides, and the horse sped up just a bit. The trot kept throwing me back against Zane, but he seemed to just ignore it, so I did too, as much as I could.

When we neared, the spite was clear in Ella’s eyes. Before, I had known she didn’t like me, but now I knew she was legitimately dangerous. But how could I possibly discuss that with Zane? She was his sister-in-law, the twin of his late wife.

For now, I just resolved to be careful around her and to make sure she didn’t hurt the girls, intentionally or just as the collateral damage of her next shot at me.

“Come on, Grace,” Zane urged. “Show Sarah what you’ve got! Race you back to the stables!”

Grace looked to Chloe, who nodded, then she spurred Daisy into an impressive trot. Zane put on a good show but let her win the race. Ella tossed her hair and trotted off. Good riddance.

Back at the stable, I was impressed with their attention to detail as the grooms instructed me and Chloe about how to unsaddle the horses and care for them. I learned about a curry comb and did my best to buckle on a horse blanket. Then it was water and oats. Grace managed to produce another carrot for Daisy, whom she praised for being such a good girl.

“Make sure I bring carrots next time,” Chloe told me.

“Of course.”

“Well, as the winner, you little speed demon,” Zane said to Grace, you get to pick what we do on Saturday.

As one, Grace and Chloe shouted, “LunaWorld!