Chapter 6
Rachel zipped up her knee high leather riding boots and grabbed her helmet from the shelf in the closet. She slipped the strap over her arm and walked out to where Sam was waiting for her. She'd changed her jeans for a pair of dark blue jodhpurs in case she had to jump on the horse during the lesson she was going to give in a few minutes.
Sam had been looking out at the pasture where three of her Friesens were playing when he heard her and turned around. He let out a low whistle and said, "Love the pants and boots."
"Seriously the worst part about riding English," she muttered, blushing self-consciously.
"You'll be getting no complaints from me," Sam said, grinning at her.
"Oh, enough already," she said, embarrassed but pleased that he seemed attracted to her. "Come on, it looks as though Connor is ready to go." She walked towards the riding ring on the right side of the driveway with Sam falling in step beside her. In the ring was Connor, one of her worst students riding her gentle mare Star. She chastised herself mentally, trying to put herself in a proper frame of mind for teaching. Connor was difficult to teach because he didn't want to be here. He told her on several occasions that he would rather be sitting at home with his video games. His parents forced him to come. Rachel sighed, the next hour was going to be painful, made all the worse by Sam having to watch.
She motioned to the bleachers placed along the long side of the ring. "Feel free to grab a seat," she said. "There won't be any huge excitement in this lesson."
Sam looked out on the ring and watched the boy give Star a half-hearted kick to get her moving. "Yeah, he doesn't look like a real firecracker, does he?"
"No, but take a look at the mother," she muttered, nodding towards the end of the bleachers where a woman in a business suit was sitting with a cell phone in one hand and an open laptop on her knees. She was gesturing frantically in the air and her voice was steadily rising until they could clearly hear her tearing a strip off of a secretary or personal assistant.
"Charming," Sam said sarcastically.
"The majority of the parents that come are like her," Rachel said, shaking her head. She hooked her helmet strap on the railing of the ring and ducked underneath so that she was standing in the sand. "It makes me sad." She looked over her shoulder at Connor before turning back to Sam. "I've got to get on with this lesson, but feel free to leave at any time if you have to go."
"I'm not going anywhere," he answered matter of factly, leaning on the railing, "unless you tell me to go."
Rachel paused, blushed again, and then grinned. "And why would I do that?" She turned and walked towards the middle of the ring. "Talk to you in an hour then," she called back over her shoulder.
She was twenty minutes into the lesson when she called Connor to her, to show him for what seemed like the hundredth time where his leg should be positioned. She looked up at him to find him staring at Sam who was sprawled across the top three levels of the bleacher, looking relaxed and at ease.
"Is that your boyfriend?" Connor asked, looking down at her.
"No," she answered, "that's a friend of mine who happens to be a Police Officer." She didn't know why she added the comment about him being a Police Officer, but from Connnor's reaction, she was glad she had.
"Really?" he said, looking back at Sam with interest. "I want to be a Police Officer."
"No kidding?" Rachel said, surprised. She thought quickly before she continued, "You know, if you are an RCMP Officer and know how to ride, you could join the Musical Ride."
Connor continued looking at Sam as he thought about what she'd said. "You have to know how to ride really well to do that, though, don't you?"
"Yep, you do," she answered, holding her breath.
He looked down at his legs, making sure they were in the right position, picked up his reins and with a determined look, sent Star forward at a brisk walk.
Rachel almost did a happy dance right there in the middle of the ring. She was grinning from ear to ear as she called out commands to the boy and he actually listened to her and began to ride well. Twenty minutes later she was interrupted by Connor's mother calling from the edge of the ring.
"The lesson is over," she snapped, angrily. "I'm sorry, Rachel, but we have to go. The morons in my office are completely incapable of dealing with the simplest things." When Connor didn't immediately jump off the horse, the woman said, "Now, Connor." She turned and walked towards her car, pulling out her cell phone again.
"Sorry, Rachel," Connor said, dismounting and handing her the reins.
"That's okay, Connor. You did great today, by the way."
"Thanks, I'll see you next Monday," he said, hurrying towards the edge of the ring.
As she started to lead Star towards the gate, she felt a familiar twinge of pain in her leg. She sighed, the pain was starting earlier today, and she still had one more lesson to go.