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Athena pulled Beast to a stop and stifled the groan that had built in her lungs. “I didn’t want to do that transition. Why couldn’t we perfect what we were doing first?”
Brielle’s expression didn’t change even a smidge. “Because you need to be challenged. The way you led Beast through the rounds was near perfect. I can’t have you getting bored and then making mistakes.”
“But I made a mistake! I lost my rhythm.”
“Not right away,” Brielle corrected her. “You are doing better than I thought was possible this early in the process. I think you’ve earned a break.” She patted Beast’s neck with her hand. “Both of you.”
Beast blew a harsh-sounding breath out his nostrils. It might have appeared harmless, but the tension between Brielle and Beast had only grown. Brielle glanced warily at Beast once more, then nodded to Athena. “Good work today. Same time tomorrow.” She walked away, only to be replaced by Henry.
He grinned at her. “That was…”
“Good?” She eyed him, bordering on exhausted.
“No,” he drawled, “that was remarkable.”
“I bounced around in the saddle.”
Henry shrugged. “Not at first. Do you know how long it took me to understand a horse’s gait? You’re catching on at an astonishing rate.” He continued to grin up at her. “I think this calls for a celebration.”
21
Henry
Time was running out, but Henry knew Athena would continue to improve. Brielle had them working on perfecting their turns and Athena almost had them nailed. Watching her work with Beast had become one of his favorite ways to spend his time, and he wasn’t the only one.
As more of his family heard about Athena’s progress, they started to gravitate toward the corral where Brielle worked with the two of them. Even Hudson seemed intrigued.
He caught his brother’s eye and gave him a nod. Hudson turned his attention back to the practice without much of a reaction. Apparently, just because Athena was interesting didn’t make her welcome. Henry couldn’t believe his brother was still angry about Athena taking the room he wanted.
Hudson would just have to learn that he didn’t always get what he wanted. There were simply times when they had to do something for someone else who needed it more.
Henry turned his gaze to Athena again, and at that very moment, her eyes locked with his. She smiled and everything felt right. These were the moments he lived for, because heaven knew that life wasn’t perfect. The handful of arguments Henry had with Athena had been easily overlooked. They’d come out on top.
“Okay, Athena. Now I need you to try to get Beast to do something different. We need to focus on moving his back inside leg closer as you change his gait.”
“How do you expect me to do that?” Athena pulled Beast to a stop. “I don’t even know what that means.”
Brielle snapped her fingers toward one of the guys watching. “Grab me Cocoa.”
Elijah nodded and headed toward the barn.
Brielle moved closer to Athena. She grabbed the end of the whip in her hand and lifted it for emphasis. “This is a tool. You can’t shy away from using it when needed.”
“I already told you. I’m not—”
“You’ve felt it. The end isn’t going to bother him. His tail swishing flies away would probably give him more of a sting than this. You’re basically using it to tap him where your boot can’t.” Brielle stared hard at Athena, but she stared right back.
“I’m not going to use it.”
“You’ve tried all the other options. He’s not reacting to your guidance. Here, hand it to me.” Brielle took the whip and climbed into the saddle of her own horse. She sat tall and graceful—more so than Henry had ever seen. Most of the time Brielle’s face was covered in smudges as she joined Wade in all the work they needed to get done.
With her sitting atop the saddle like that, he could see her Callahan upbringing shining through. That family had been the top of the totem pole for as long as he could remember. He’d never been to any of the dressage events when he was younger. But he wouldn’t have been surprised to find out that she was an excellent competitor.
Clearly, she knew what she was doing and not just because she’d watched the events.
Brielle spoke with a loud, clear voice as she turned her horse into the steps she was trying to get Athena to do. She pointed out the gait of her horse and when the transition needed to take place. “Here is where you need to alert Beast to move his leg slightly more forward so that it appears seamless to the judges. Most horses don’t do this—and Beast definitely won’t because he’s new. It’s not a big deal, but you’re going to have to be more flexible when it comes to using this.” She stopped in front of Athena and held out the whip so Athena could grab it. “You’re not whacking him with it. You’re guiding him. Trust the process.”
Henry couldn’t tell if Athena was willing to do as Brielle had instructed. This could very well be the moment that would dictate the outcome of the upcoming competition. Everyone watched, waiting for Athena to cave.
