I heard his vehicle, then he exchanged a few words with Gemma in passing, and soon I heard his steps on the stairs.
“Morning!” He looked so damn happy and excited it made my breath catch.
“Morning. Give me two minutes and I’ll be done here.”
“That’s okay, I’m a bit early.” He sat on the couch, and started to pet Thomas O’Malley who was still snoozing.
“Eager much?” I snarked, making Carter chuckle.
Once I sent the final email, I looked at him. He was completely concentrated on his conversation with Thomas.
Being friends with Carter was easy in some ways and really fucking hard in others. As I watched the man he was now, I felt ayearningthat I hadn’t felt in a long time, if ever.
His clothing didn’t look brand new anymore, a testament to his dedication to try and be a better horse person. He sat there on my couch as if he belonged there, petting a barn cat who couldn’t have been happier about the attention.
Carter realized I’d stopped typing and lifted his gaze, smiling when he saw me watching them.
“Ready?”
I smiled back. “Yeah, let’s go get your girl.”
We went downstairs to fetch Ramona from the paddock where she’d been for a few hours after her breakfast.
When we got to the gate, I handed the rope halter and lead rope to Carter, making him stop in his tracks.
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep the others at bay. You’ve seen us do this so many times you should have some clue.” I said the last bit a little teasingly, hoping to lighten his nervousness some.
I stopped with my hand on the gate latch when I realized he was actually nervous.
I put my hand on his arm. “Hey, take a deep breath.”
He did as I told, letting a big shuddering breath out, then shook himself a little. “Okay, okay.”
“You can do this. Take a look at the halter.” I turned so he knew I wasn’t going to go inside the paddock yet.
He held the halter in his hands and turned it awkwardly, not used to it whatsoever.
“Now you see where there’s that loop? That’s on the bottom, it’s where you attach the lead. You have the long bit, yeah, that. It goes over the neck, behind the ears, and then you tie it to… yes, right there.” I smiled. “Does it make sense now?”
“A bit more. Can you still help me out?” He was nervous, but less than before.
“Of course. She’s a good girl, so she won’t cause a fuss. You can bribe her first, too.”
For a second, Carter frowned, then he chuckled and patted his pocket. “I remembered the candy.”
“Excellent.”
I opened the gate and looked at the horses who were all little ways away. “Let me call her this time. She’s used to me coming to get her.”
At Carter’s nod, I called out to Ramona, who snapped her head up and looked at us curiously, her jaw working on the grass in her mouth.
“Come on, girl!” I watched as she considered, then started toward us. “There you go. Good girl.”
She walked over, and Carter handed her a peppermint, patting her neck. “Hey, girl. I hope you don’t mind some fumbling first thing in the morning….”
I smiled as I watched them interact. She realized she was going to go somewhere, and stood still while Carter tried to figure out the halter again.
“You can put the lead rope over her neck, so she knows she’s supposed to stay still,” I murmured, and watched as he did it carefully. “She’s not going to break.”
