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Chapter 14
Slade
I loved watching Merry work.She was a natural with the kids and the horses, alike. In all honesty, she reminded me a lot of Nan in that way. But she didn't trust herself. It was her biggest downfall.
Right now, she was in the arena with a group of kids from a group home with a less than stellar reputation. Four older girls and one older boy sat atop horses while Merry worked with the youngest, a small and smart as a whip boy named Tobias. I chewed the inside of my cheek while I watched her say something to the older kids before leading Tobias and his horse, Leon, to the far end of the massive arena where we had some jumping fences set up for the advanced classes. My stomach knotted as I watched them, considering. Leon was a good horse; Tobias was a strong rider, and Merry needed to learn to trust herself. Questioning her calls would not be doing any of us any favors. Clenching my hands into fists, I stood in watch. Everything was going fine. Merry began exactly as I would have, talking to Tobias and Leon, having them do a few low practice jumps first, which both Tobias and Leon handled like the pros they were. The older kids, whose names escaped me at the moment, were beginning to cause a bit of a ruckus, as she gestured him over to the main jump fence. I couldn't hear everything that was being said, but I heard enough to know that the kids were picking on Tobias, and that they didn't want him to succeed. I could tell from the look on the kid's face that he could hear them perfectly, and even Merry's jaw was set in a hard line, as she checked Tobias and Leon and gave a few last minute instructions. Tobias nodded and started to trot with Leon, gaining speed into a full canter, and headed straight for the first fence. Their form was exceptional—the jump was going to be perfectly executed. The older kids were snarling and grumbling, but their yells had quieted when Merry turned to glare at them. They were a few feet away from the fence; Tobias leaned in, and Leon's front hooves raised off the ground. I held my breath, even though I knew they had it in the bag. And, suddenly, Leon reared up onto two legs, flinging Tobias' small form off his back and flying through the air. Well, he would have flown, anyway, but he still had the reins, so he kind of hung there, getting flung around as the horse bucked wildly. "Drop the reins!" I yelled, taking off towards them in a full sprint.
"Drop the reins!" Merry repeated.
"Aww, look, the little baby can't jump, after all!"
"Not such a big shot now, are ya, Toby?"
"Have a nice trip, see ya next fall!"
I shook my head in disgust as I ran past the group. That last hurled insult hadn't even made sense in this situation, I thought wildly. I reached Tobias in record time and knelt on the ground next to Merry, who was on her knees next to him, checking him over. I nodded to her and jerked my head toward the huddle that was getting closer and closer.
The kids continued to snicker and make snide remarks under their breath. "Serves him right, for being such a show off," I heard one of them say. Merry heard it, too, and her eyes blazed with anger.
"You go deal with them," I urged. "I've got this."
I winced as soon as I said it. The ground shook around me as she stormed off.
"What in the actual fuck is your problem?" she yelled. "Are you that jealous and threatened by a little boy who's half your size that you can't even be bothered to ask if he's okay? That you would actually rather sit there on your high and mighty little pedestals and continue to insult him and dare to say things like it serves him right? What the hell is wrong with you? Have you no compassion or care for anyone other than your pathetic little selves?"
I looked up to see their eyes widen and took a little pleasure in the fact that they were seemingly stunned into silence.
Merry didn't care. She was on a roll, now, and happy to continue her rant. "Do you realize…" she began, her voice low and seething with anger "…that he could have been fucking killed or seriously injured? Do you know that? Do you even fucking care? Of course not, that would require you to be decent fucking human beings for more than a millisecond at a time, wouldn't it?"
Oh, holy hell. I watched with a wince as Blake stomped towards her. She saw him coming and stopped mid-rant, giving off a deer in the headlights look before bursting into tears and taking off toward the barns.
I watched Merry run off, knowing there was nothing I could do about it, right then, except to give her space. Tobias' injury was more important. He was the smallest of the group, but also, the bravest. I hoped his fall wouldn't change that.
I scooped him up, off the ground, and carried him off to a hay bale near the entrance to the arena. Blake got the horse under control and led him into a nearby pasture to graze. Neither of us wanted to take a chance upsetting Merry, at that second. We were giving her a wide berth. For now, at least. At the storm in Blake's eyes and the knot in my stomach, I had a feeling that wouldn't last long.
Kneeling on the ground in front of Tobias, I gave him a quick once over, checking his eyes, first, for any sign of concussion or head injury. Not seeing one, I shook my head. How had the horse gotten spooked?
"Hey, buddy, you okay? Anything hurt?"
Tobias shook his head. "I'm fine. I want to ride. Can I try jumping again? That was so cool!"
"You liked that, did you?" I grinned, thankful that both his pride and spirit were still intact.
"It was like flying!"
"Until you fell," I quipped. Tobias' wide grin lit up his face.
"Yeah, that part sucked. But next time, I won't fall."
Turning to gaze into the field where Leon was still acting strangely, I shook my head. "I don't think that's such a good idea for today, buddy. It's not like Leon to act that way. I need to get him checked out and make sure he's okay, just like we have to get you checked out.
"I'm fine! I don't need a doctor. I need to ride!" Standing, and utterly convinced that the kid was right as rain, I ruffled his hair.
"Tomorrow," I promised, hoping it was a promise I could keep. "For now, why don't you go take a seat with Miss Layla?"
Layla was an aide from the group home Tobias visited from.
"Aw, dang it!" he muttered, even as he obeyed, shuffling off towards the bleachers, where Miss Layla was watching with a worried frown.
