Read Online The Seacroft: a love story (Paines Creek Beach Book 2) by Aaron Paul Lazar - Free Book Online Page A

the planet.
    She laughed to cover her nerves. “So. How do we get them ready?”
    Cody opened the stall door, grabbing a lead rope from a hook on the wall. “I’ll teach you.”
    He grinned at her, and she melted.
    “Deal?” he asked.
    “Um, yes. I’d love to learn.”
    Minutes later, both horses were tethered in the aisle in what Cody called “crossties,” and after a brief lesson, Vivian stood beside Popeye, cleaning him with a soft bristled brush. Shocked at how much dust lay beneath the horse’s beautiful coat, she worked hard to make him shine.
    Down the aisle, she slid secret glances at Cody. He wore jeans and a thin tee shirt, and through that fabric she saw his muscles ripple and swell as he worked his way from Serendipity’s head to tail. She tried not to stare, and busied herself in untangling Popeye’s curly mane until it glistened free in the sunlight that shone through the skylights overhead. But she couldn’t stop thinking about Cody.
    He showed her how to put the English saddle on Popeye’s broad back, carefully sliding it from his withers backwards, so the horse’s fur would lie flat. After buckling the girth, he instructed her how to adjust the stirrups. He held one stirrup out and showed her how to estimate the length, bringing the stirrup iron up to his armpit and touching the little metal bar under a leather flap with his fingertips. “This method gives you a pretty good guess, usually. Go ahead. You try it.”
    She did, fumbling a bit with the thing. It adjusted much like a belt buckle, and she finally figured out how to adjust the stirrup to length.
    The bridle seemed a little more complicated, with talk of throatlatches and curb chains and brow bands. She wasn’t really sure how Cody got the bit between the big horse’s teeth so easily, but if she were ever invited to ride again, she’d give it a try with his help.
    Working so closely with him made her painfully aware of the attraction she’d so long avoided. She hated to admit it, but there it was. For some reason, she thought it made her seem ridiculous. He’d never look at her, so she was just torturing herself, really. And why? She had enough on her plate these days just keeping up with the bills for her mom’s care and those lingering medical bills for her brother.
    She told herself to forget about it and just try to enjoy the ride on Popeye.

Chapter 12
     
    They led both horses out into the sunlight, which now blazed overhead. Cody gave her a leg up, and to her relief, she landed relatively gracefully on the saddle. Cody approved of her stirrup length, and she picked up the reins as if she intuitively knew what she was doing.
    “It’s easy to guide him, Viv. Just pull back gently to slow or stop him. He knows the word ‘Whoa.’ And to turn him left, gently tug on the left rein. Same for the right. Easy peasy. See?”
    “Easy peasy?” she laughed. “Where did you get that phrase?”
    He chuckled and glanced at his feet. “Probably from one of the triplet’s silly shows I guess.”
     She loved the way he ducked his head, letting his lustrous black hair fall over his forehead to hide his eyes.
    “Anyway,” he said, adjusting her reins so they were not so slack. Let’s try going in a few circles up here on the lawn. It’ll give you a chance to get the feel of him.”
    “Okay. How do I make him go forward?”
    He grinned. “Oh, geez. I forgot. Just squeeze gently with your calves and shift your weight forward. He’ll move right along. And make this sound.” He made a clucking sound and before Vivian even thought to squeeze his sides, the horse responded and began to move forward.
    “He knows the words ‘walk,’ ‘trot,’ and ‘canter,’ too,” Cody said, walking beside Popeye.
    Vivian balanced on the horse’s back, enjoying the powerful feeling of his muscled body beneath her. She felt so high in the air, it was a thrill she’d never anticipated. After a few minutes of learning how to turn, stop, and