Somewhat pacified, Stone tossed the bag of items they’d purchased into the back with their luggage. Sliding behind the wheel, he groaned and patted his stomach. “I was joking about your horse, but let’s hope mine doesn’t take one look at me and buck me right out of the saddle.”
Laughing, Micah took yet another photo with her phone, capturing George standing with his arms around Gloria’s waist in the doorway of their store. “I hope we are that happy when we’re old and gray, Daddy.”
Looking at the couple as he prepared to turn on to the highway, he grinned. “It would definitely be a blessing, babygirl.”
Chapter Thirteen
Micah
It turned out neither of the horses they were assigned seemed to mind their weight as both settled into the saddles after listening to a short lecture given by Cody, their guide for the ride. They were included in a group of six others, including another couple and a family of four. All had been on horseback before with varying degrees of experience. Micah had ridden in high school and worked at a stable while in Girl Scouts, trading labor for free rides. Stone had ridden a few times on a friend’s family ranch but hadn’t been on a horse since.
“You look very natural in the saddle,” Micah complimented as another man named Randall went from horse to horse adjusting stirrups. “Oh, and thank you for the boots,” she whispered softly after her turn with Randall.
“You’re welcome,” Stone said, having witnessed the exchange between Cody and the teenager who insisted her flip flops were just fine. It had taken both her parents as well as the two hands to impress upon her that no one was going anywhere until she changed shoes. They’d waited ten minutes while she huffed and pouted but had finally given in when becoming aware that every set of eyes were on her. With her feet now clad in a pair of hiking boots, she flirted with Randall as he made sure the shoe’s heel would keep her foot from sliding completely through the stirrup.
“Okay, is everybody ready?” Cody called from the front of the group. At a chorus of “yes,” he twirled his hat in the air as if rounding up strays and whistled. “Then it’s time to giddy up, cowgirls and cowboys.”
Micah giggled while Stone rolled his eyes. She was beyond excited to take her place in line, the scenery breathtaking as the horses began to plod uphill. “Can’t we go faster?” she asked, looking over her shoulder at Stone.
“This is fast enough,” he said. “You’re pretty far from the ground. Maybe we should have asked for a shorter horse.”
“Daddy, you worry too much,” she said with a toss of her curls. “I like being tall for once.”
It was all fun and games until she realized that not only was she taller, their entire group was going higher and higher up the mountain. Her hands tightened on the reins when she made the mistake of looking down and saw there was very little trail between her and the drop into the valley below.
“Please don’t buck me off,” she whispered to her horse whose name was Jedidiah, Jed for short.
The horse’s snort startled her and a bull flashed into her mind.
“Easy, Micah, loosen your grip on the reins,” Stone called out.
“He might run!” she said, trying to keep the terror out of her voice because she remembered something about animals sensing fear.
“He won’t, baby. He’s probably made this trip a million times. Remember what Cody said, just sit back in the saddle, relax your muscles, and let your horse lead the way.”
Easy to say but far harder to do, but Micah did remember Cody saying the same thing and since he was the one leading this group, she tried to swallow her anxiety and trust both him and her Daddy. That didn’t mean she wasn’t flooded with relief the moment her horse took a final step and she realized they were on flatter, pretty even ground. She’d made it!
“Good job.”
Glad she didn’t jerk the reins as the words startled her a bit, she managed a smile. “Thanks, but if I’m honest, that was a bit scary.”
“You have nothing to be scared about. I wouldn’t have booked this trip if I didn’t trust that you’d be perfectly safe,” Stone assured her.
“I know, Daddy, I’m just being silly.” She was even able to smile and kiss him back when he leaned over to press his lips to hers.
After he pulled away, he grinned and took his phone from his shirt pocket. “Give me a big smile.”
“Did you hear that, Jed? Give Daddy a nice big horsey smile,” she teased when the horse looked over to him.
“Perfect,” he said, snapping several photos.
Having forgotten her fear during the impromptu photo shoot, Micah was able to take a moment to survey her surroundings. “Wow, it really is beautiful up here.”
“It is, isn’t it?”
The question didn’t come from Stone but from their wrangler. “Yes, I never really knew there were actual mountains in Texas. I mean, I’ve been to the Hill Country, but this is nothing like that,” she said, gesturing to the view.
Cody gave her a grin. “That’s why I love my job. Nothing beats working outdoors and reminding city folk there’s more to life than skyscrapers and concrete.”
