started prancing away from it.
“There, there,” Peter crooned, patting her neck in a soothing gesture. “It’s just a noisy little bird. You’re okay.”
He didn’t yank on the reins or grab the saddle horn in a death grip the way most adults would have done. Instead, he let the mare have her head and waited for her to settle. When she did, he smiled and ruffled her mane. “There’s a good girl, Sparkle. You’re doing fine.”
“That was fantastic, Peter,” Mike praised him without hesitation, strolling over to meet them. “You calmed her down in record time. I’m real impressed.”
“I didn’t want her to be scared.” Staring down at the reins clutched in his pudgy fingers, he added, “It’s no fun to be scared.”
Resting a hand on his shoulder, Mike waited for the boy to meet his eyes. “No, it’s not. It takes a brave person to make someone else feel safe.”
“I’m not brave. I’m just a kid.”
“From what I’ve seen, you’ve got more courage than most grown-ups do their whole lives.”
Peter’s miserable expression morphed into joy, and his eyes suddenly glowed with pride. “Thanks, Mr. Kinley.”
“Anytime. Since you’re the last one on, how’d you like to walk Sparkle back to the stable for a rubdown?”
“Awesome!” Seeming to catch himself, he took a breath and more quietly said, “Yes, please.”
Chuckling, Mike rumpled his unruly hair and strode on ahead of him. It was almost dinnertime, and Sparkle followed sedately in his tracks, sniffing at his pockets for the oat treats he always kept there.
In the barn, Mike supervised while the kids untacked their equine friend and showered her with compliments and hugs while they brushed her coat. She ate up all the attention, and Mike was fairly certain that if she’d been human, her head would’ve ended up being twice its usual size by the time they were done.
They turned her out into the pasture with her stablemates and walked over to the house, where three cars were parked in the turnaround. After assuring the children’s parents that everything had gone according to plan, Mike was surprised to discover he wasn’t as glad to have the first lesson over with as he’d anticipated.
“Huh,” he grunted to no one in particular. Since he didn’t say anything beyond that, he was surprised when Lily laughed.
“Not as bad as you were expecting?”
“Not even close. ’Course, I had some help.” Catching Abby in a one-armed hug, he grinned down at her. “You were a real trouper out there, rodeo girl.”
“You, too, Daddy. And Lily was just fab, don’t you think?”
“‘Just fab,’” he echoed with a groan. “You’ve been spending too much time with those college girls who volunteer over at the rescue center.”
Giggling, she squirmed out of his grasp and bolted for the back door. Through the open kitchen window, he caught the scent of what smelled like a fresh batch of his mother’s secret-recipe snickerdoodles.
That left him alone with Lily for the first time since they’d arranged their unlikely partnership. Figuring he owed her a thank-you for her help, Mike swiveled to face her, intending to say something about how well things had gone. Then she smiled at him, and any coherent thought he might have shared with her went straight out of his head.
Coming down through the leaves stretching out overhead, the late-afternoon sunlight picked up a subtle pattern of lighter blue in her eyes, making them look like stars. He was standing close enough to pick up the fragrance of roses mixed with saddle oil, and he couldn’t help thinking the unique mixture of class and country suited her perfectly.
Well aware that he was gawking at her like a teenager with a crippling case of puppy love, he struggled to knock his brain back into gear.
With her usual impeccable timing, she broke the silence. “It’s getting late, and I’ve got some paperwork to do, so I should go. Thanks so much for today, Mike. I had a
“There, there,” Peter crooned, patting her neck in a soothing gesture. “It’s just a noisy little bird. You’re okay.”
He didn’t yank on the reins or grab the saddle horn in a death grip the way most adults would have done. Instead, he let the mare have her head and waited for her to settle. When she did, he smiled and ruffled her mane. “There’s a good girl, Sparkle. You’re doing fine.”
“That was fantastic, Peter,” Mike praised him without hesitation, strolling over to meet them. “You calmed her down in record time. I’m real impressed.”
“I didn’t want her to be scared.” Staring down at the reins clutched in his pudgy fingers, he added, “It’s no fun to be scared.”
Resting a hand on his shoulder, Mike waited for the boy to meet his eyes. “No, it’s not. It takes a brave person to make someone else feel safe.”
“I’m not brave. I’m just a kid.”
“From what I’ve seen, you’ve got more courage than most grown-ups do their whole lives.”
Peter’s miserable expression morphed into joy, and his eyes suddenly glowed with pride. “Thanks, Mr. Kinley.”
“Anytime. Since you’re the last one on, how’d you like to walk Sparkle back to the stable for a rubdown?”
“Awesome!” Seeming to catch himself, he took a breath and more quietly said, “Yes, please.”
Chuckling, Mike rumpled his unruly hair and strode on ahead of him. It was almost dinnertime, and Sparkle followed sedately in his tracks, sniffing at his pockets for the oat treats he always kept there.
In the barn, Mike supervised while the kids untacked their equine friend and showered her with compliments and hugs while they brushed her coat. She ate up all the attention, and Mike was fairly certain that if she’d been human, her head would’ve ended up being twice its usual size by the time they were done.
They turned her out into the pasture with her stablemates and walked over to the house, where three cars were parked in the turnaround. After assuring the children’s parents that everything had gone according to plan, Mike was surprised to discover he wasn’t as glad to have the first lesson over with as he’d anticipated.
“Huh,” he grunted to no one in particular. Since he didn’t say anything beyond that, he was surprised when Lily laughed.
“Not as bad as you were expecting?”
“Not even close. ’Course, I had some help.” Catching Abby in a one-armed hug, he grinned down at her. “You were a real trouper out there, rodeo girl.”
“You, too, Daddy. And Lily was just fab, don’t you think?”
“‘Just fab,’” he echoed with a groan. “You’ve been spending too much time with those college girls who volunteer over at the rescue center.”
Giggling, she squirmed out of his grasp and bolted for the back door. Through the open kitchen window, he caught the scent of what smelled like a fresh batch of his mother’s secret-recipe snickerdoodles.
That left him alone with Lily for the first time since they’d arranged their unlikely partnership. Figuring he owed her a thank-you for her help, Mike swiveled to face her, intending to say something about how well things had gone. Then she smiled at him, and any coherent thought he might have shared with her went straight out of his head.
Coming down through the leaves stretching out overhead, the late-afternoon sunlight picked up a subtle pattern of lighter blue in her eyes, making them look like stars. He was standing close enough to pick up the fragrance of roses mixed with saddle oil, and he couldn’t help thinking the unique mixture of class and country suited her perfectly.
Well aware that he was gawking at her like a teenager with a crippling case of puppy love, he struggled to knock his brain back into gear.
With her usual impeccable timing, she broke the silence. “It’s getting late, and I’ve got some paperwork to do, so I should go. Thanks so much for today, Mike. I had a
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