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“You still haven’t told me what it means.”
He adjusted the strap of his bag on his shoulder. “It’s a competition of sorts. The horse has to be really in tune to the rider—years of training and practice sometimes isn’t enough. The rider guides the horse through several movements using the slightest bit of pressure from their thighs. If you think staying on a bucking bronc is hard, then you should see the stuff these horses can do while making it look like they’re making all their own decisions.”
Athena’s gaze turned thoughtful. “Oh.”
He stared at her for a moment longer but wasn’t capable of interpreting what her eyes were only giving him glimpses of. “How about we go eat? Then you can ask me all the questions you want.”
12
Athena
Athena all but inhaled the lunch Henry had brought for them to eat. Eating fast was part of her ability to survive. It wasn’t until she looked over at Henry and found him staring with a nearly full sandwich in his hand that she realized what she’d done.
She ducked her head and blushed fiercely. If she was going to stay here for a few days—maybe weeks—then she’d have to retrain herself to slow down a bit.
“It’s… it’s really good,” she said quietly, blushing even more.
“I’m glad you like it.” Henry looked down at his sandwich, then held it out to her with a crooked grin. “You want some of mine?”
She fought the urge to scowl at him. It was sweet, actually, for him to be offering her more. Unfortunately, her innate nature didn’t want to be dependent on anyone—not even the handsome cowboy sitting across from her.
A cowboy exited the barn at that very moment, leading the beautiful black horse she’d come to love so much. The horse stomped and tossed his head. He kicked out his back legs, making another cowboy jump to the side.
Athena shot to her feet, much to Henry’s surprise. She brushed off the crumbs that had landed in her lap. “I want to see the animals.” More specifically, she wanted to find out what they were doing with the horse they’d deemed a beast. She pointed toward the cowboys with the horse. “Where are they taking him?”
Henry followed the direction of her gesture. “Looks like they’re going to do a training session.”
“Can we watch?” Athena didn’t wait for him to respond before she marched after them. The horse didn’t seem to like the fact that he was being dragged out to the corral. His ears flicked backward, then to the sides.
She rushed forward, able to catch a glimpse of his wide eyes before they closed the gate behind him. Athena climbed the fence, placing her boots on the bottom rung as she watched the men work.
Nothing they seemed to do was able to calm the beast once he was in there. He was jumpy any time one of them came close to him. They hadn’t even put a saddle on his back yet. The beast bucked and leaped around wildly. He threw his head hard enough that the lead rope fell from the hands of the cowboy who was supposed to keep him steady.
As soon as that happened, the horse charged toward the cowboy. In less time than it had taken her to scarf down her lunch, both cowboys had jumped the fence and were standing on the other side near Athena.
“I don’t know what Brielle wants us to do. Obviously, this horse can’t do dressage. He should be entered into the rodeo instead.”
“You know how Annabel feels about that,” the other one muttered, gesturing. “Just look at him, though. You know he’d win competitions if we could just get him to calm down. Have you ever seen a coat like that one? It’s practically cobalt when the sun hits it right.”
Henry’s chuckle interrupted their chat. “I told you guys that it wasn’t going to work. That horse isn’t happy unless he’s in his stall with a big pile of oats.”
The first cowboy turned around, leaning against the rail as he crossed his arms. “That’s what I said. No one is going to teach that beast how to have manners. He’s too old for that.”
His brother nudged him in the side. “Well, I’m not telling Annabel. That’s on you.”
“Come on, Daniel. I thought you weren’t scared of anything,” the first cowboy teased. “You’re the biggest out of all of us. You were supposed to be able to show that animal who was boss.”
Athena listened to the interaction with half an ear. Her eyes remained on the horse who was still cantering around the corral. Round and round he went, but he never got close enough to their side of the corral to cause them any worry. He tossed his head, sending his mane into the air.
If the cowboys were right about one thing, it was that this beast was too beautiful to be put in an arena with men who only wanted to prove how long they could remain in the saddle. This gorgeous specimen needed to be showcased like the piece of art he was.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Athena slipped her leg through the metal bars and stood just inside the corral. She marched toward the horse, her heart pounding with exhilaration. Athena paid no heed to Henry, who called after her. Instead, her eyes remained fixed on the creature she’d befriended the moment she’d seen him.
The beast slowed his steps and stared at her from his place on the far side of the corral. His ears twitched. His nostrils flared. Then he pawed at the ground.
Athena held up her hands, inching ever closer to the animal. She didn’t know what she was doing. If she’d been separated from her body, she would have been yelling at herself to get back to where it was safe. Clearly this animal wasn’t friendly. Just because he appeared to like her when he was caged didn’t mean he would like her now.
Her head buzzed with these thoughts, weaving doubt through her brain with each breath she took. What if the beast trampled her? She wouldn’t be able to leave. She’d be stuck here until she got better.
