Chapter 60
A/N Riding and the farm
They arrived at the farm and unloaded their luggage. They had stopped and gotten groceries for the week also. Henry carried in the heavy items. They put all the food away and went upstairs to change into barn suitable clothes.
Henry had met some of the horses on his last visit to the farm, but since they had not ridden he only got a small exposure to them. This trip would be different. He had zero riding experience, but Elizabeth was determined to change that.
She ran into the barn and straight to Buttercup's stall. He sensed her or knew her footsteps, because he stuck his head over the half door of his stall. "Hello, buddy. I have so missed you," she told him as she nuzzled his nose and ran her hand up and down his neck. She placed a kiss on his head and gave him a sugar cube from her pocket.
Henry watched their interaction from a few feet away. He was amazed at how comfortable and at ease she was with the huge animals that were three times her size. She amazed him with everything she did.
Elizabeth turned to him with a megawatt smile on her face. She seemed more relaxed and at home on the farm. He loved seeing her so carefree around the horses. "Henry, come over here they won't bite."
He walked over to her side and raised his hand and copied her movements, running his hand up and down the horse's face. When he got close to his mouth his whiskers tickled his hand. This caused Henry to laugh. "He is a big ole softy, isn't he?"
Elizabeth laughed at his words and said, "Yes he is a big baby and loves human touch. I swear he would purr if he could when you pet him."
"Let's go meet Toddler, he is the most gentle horse in the barn besides Buttercup. We will put you on him. We use him to teach new riders. He is used to riders with no experience so he will be perfect for you," she said as she walked down the barn to his stall.
"Oh great, I am not telling anyone I rode a horse named Toddler. I would damage my man card," he chuckled.
She bent over laughing at his statement and told him she would be sure and pass that information to all his ROTC buddies.
He placed his hands around her waist and pinched her causing her to squeal. He knew her ticklish spots and just how to get her to squirm.
"Okay, I give. I will not tell a soul."
They soon had both horses, brushed down and saddled up. They led them out to the round pen. She walked Toddler up to a wooden box and tied his reins to the side of the pen. She then walked Buttercup over to the other side and tied him up. Walking back over she was watching Henry and he had a terrified look on his face. She walked over and put her arms around his waist.
"Babe, you don't need to worry or be scared. I got you. It will be okay I promise. I would not put you in a situation I am not 100 percent sure you are more than capable of doing. You just have to trust me," she said as she nodded her head up and down.
He blew out a breath he didn't realize he was holding and pulled her closer to him. "I trust you, I have just never been one to let go of control and I am sure that is what will be required of me."
She patted his shoulder as she led him over to the mounting block.
Henry looked down at the wooden block quizzically. "What is that for?" he asked.
"It is for you to step up in the stirrup," she explained.
He had seen plenty of Westerns in his life and had never seen a cowboy use a box to mount a horse before. "I have seen plenty of people mount a horse and never seen them use this before."
"Well since this is your first time trying it, you can try it without it, but I don't recommend it. If you fall on your butt I will help you up, but I will also laugh at you. It is up to you," she told him with a smirk on her face. He was such a "city boy", she thought.
He shook his head, but stepped up on the block. He didn't want to hurt his pride if he failed and give her ammunition to laugh at him. He was sure before this was over she would have plenty to laugh at.
She untied the reins and walked over to the box. "Alright, take the reins and fold them up like this. Take a hold of his mane and step into the stirrup with your left foot. Then hold the saddle horn and swing your right foot over."
"Reins, mane, stirrup, saddle horn and swing my right leg over. Here goes nothing," he said with a fearful look on his face.
He performed the steps just as she told him and soon he was sitting in the saddle.
She nudged Toddler over towards the fence to adjust his stirrups to the right length. "Okay, I am going to take the reins and walk you around the ring. You hold onto the saddle horn. Loosen up your body and feel the way he moves. Don't tense up or try to fight the natural movement."
He nodded at her and once Toddler took a step he lurched forward in the saddle. He was not expecting the sudden movement and decided a death grip on the saddle horn would be needed.
"Relax, you are way too tense. Feel the movement with your legs. It will get easier. You are doing really good. Remember I learned to do this at 3 so I have been at it a while. It will take you trusting the horse and letting go of some control," she explained to him.
Henry finally relaxed and after a good half hour walking around the pen he was starting to feel the movement she was talking about.
She handed him back the reins and walked over and opened the gate to the pasture. She then stepped up onto Buttercup and led him out of the gate.
"Tap him on the hind quarters with your heels and he will follow me." she said as she turned back in the saddle to watch him.
He was unsure, but she had not steered him wrong yet so he trusted her. Soon both horses were walking side by side on the trail. Henry was getting more comfortable and let Toddler do the work and he just basically sat in the saddle.
"Just keep riding down the trail. Buttercup and I are going to run a bit. Let's go boy," she told him as she nudged his hind quarters.
Henry watched them take off and was amazed. She handled the animal so smoothly and rider and horse became one. They took off running through the open pasture. Once they reached the fence she turned back towards him. He could see the joy on her face and the thrill she was getting by riding. She was truly happy and the smile on her face was unmatched. They rode towards him and slowed when they got to him.
"Wow, that was impressive. Riding really sets your spirit free. It brings me great joy to see you so happy. I love you and thank you for bringing me here. We will definitely be doing this more since the weather is warming," he told her with a smile on his face.
"We better head back and get these guys brushed down, it will be getting dark soon and it is their feeding time. We can ride some more tomorrow," she said as she turned Buttercup towards the barn.
By the time they reached the barn, she was impressed at how quickly he had picked up riding. She remembers her Mom telling her about how she brought a "city boy" to the farm and taught him to love it and now she was doing the same. She hoped Henry would come to love riding as much as she did.
They got the horses settled in for the night and went in to fix some dinner.
It was still getting cool at night so Elizabeth started a fire so they could eat in front of it.
After dinner they decided to enjoy a glass of wine on the swing on the front porch. There was a bit of a chill in the air, but not too cold. They cuddled up together under a light quilt and let the stillness and quiet overtake them.
Henry had grown up a city boy and was not used to the quiet. He looked up and was amazed at the number of stars that were shining. Without the city lights they were so much more visible.
"It is so beautiful out here. When we were here before Christmas I didn't notice how many stars you can see. This must have been a great place to grow up."
Seeing it through his eyes gave her a new appreciation for the beauty and silence. She had not had much joy here since her parent's death, but having Henry here was bringing that joy back for her. She leaned over and placed her head on his shoulder. He leaned down and placed a kiss on the top of her head.
They enjoyed just being together and no other words were needed. They finished their wine and headed in to go to bed.
She wanted to ride to the lake tomorrow and spend the day there so they would need to get up early.
They walked hand in hand up the stairs to her room. He grabbed some pajamas and was going to shower in the bathroom in Will's old room while she showered in hers.
The hot water felt wonderful on his muscles which were starting to hurt after riding. He was in pretty decent shape, but he had used different muscles in a different way and he was feeling it. He finished his shower and walked back across to her room. He laid down on the bed with his feet still on the floor and closed his eyes willing the pain to go away.
This is how she found him when she stepped out of the bathroom. She giggled to herself. She hoped the riding would not make him sore, but it was obvious that it had. She stared at him. His skin was still slightly damp from his shower and his legs were toned and muscled. She was used to seeing him in shorts from all the days they spent running together, but him laid out on her bed like that, had her stomach turning and her core tightening. Damn he is hot. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and walked over and sat on the bed beside him.
He felt the mattress dip and opened an eye and looked at her. "How in the hell do my legs and back hurt so much? I am in pretty good shape, but they are killing me. How are you not hurting too?"
She laughed at him and said, "I have been riding a long time and remember, I have come out and rode a few weekends when you were doing ROTC training. It takes some getting used to but you will get there. Come on, let's go to bed, it has been a long day." She stood and reached for his hand to help him up.
He stood up and groaned. She smirked behind his back as she walked into the bathroom to get him some pain relievers. She also got him a glass of water and handed them both to him.
She crawled into the bed and scooted over to him. He raised his arm to tuck her into him as she laid her head on his chest.
"Goodnight Beautiful," as he kissed her on her temple.
"Goodnight Handsome," as she kissed him on his chest over his heart.
They both found they slept better with the other by their side and this night would be no different.