Anicka was fast asleep when she was woken by Travis's alarm. She opened her eyes and looked at the small clock next to her bed and saw that it read four-thirty. She lay back and groaned.
Travis reached out with his arm and pulled her to him. "C'mere, you," he growled as she tried to wriggle out of his grasp.
"No," she said, "It's too early."
"No, it's not," he answered and pulled her closer to him, "It's never too early for this. Why do you think I set my alarm for four-thirty? We have time for this, time for a shower, then by the time we're finished Rita will have breakfast ready. We'll have plenty of time to get to the arena."
"Umm," she said as he started to kiss her, "Well, maybe there's time, we'll have to see.
Matt was waiting for them when they arrived at the arena. "Good morning," he said as they entered. And I can tell what you've been doing, he thought, for Anicka's olive skin was flushed a pretty pink.
"She's all yours," Travis said to him, "I'll pick her up later," and left her to Matt.
"Well," he said to her, "Travis told me that you can ride, and you've learned to help herd, but you've no experience with anything else. Are you ready to learn something new?"
"Yes," she answered, "but this is out of my experience. I rode more at the Yellowstone than I had in my entire life. I didn't grow up in the saddle, or learned to show in 4-H. I learned most of what I know from the hands at the Yellowstone. At least I can stay in the saddle!"
"Travis told me you didn't have any how experience. I decided that I'm going to train you like I'd train a colt. I'm going to start with the basics and teach you what I'd teach them. Can you ride bareback?" She shook her head. "Well, we'll start with that, bareback will teach you balance."
He swung into the saddle, "I want you to watch me," he said and began to circle the arena, giving her a private show as he circled and recircled the arena, sliding his horse, backing it up, watching as he moved it sideways.
How do you do that, she thought as she watched him, I don't see your hands move, or your feet, but the horse seems to be following your directions. This is amazing, it's beautiful. I want to learn to do this, but can I?
"What did you think of that?" he asked as he rode over to her.
"I've never seen anything like it," she said truthfully, "It's like you were communicating with the horse telepathically."
"Well," he laughed, "that's not exactly how it works but that's the idea. You communicate with the horse by pressure from your legs. You guide him the way you want to go and what you want him to do. Once you learn you'll find out it's not such a big secret. Here, I want you to see something.
He got off his horse and tied it to the railing. Then he picked up a small laptop and opened it. "Here," he said, "I want you to see this."
He played a video of a girl riding bareback with no bridle. Anicka watched as she guided the horse around the arena, not using her hands at first, but the horse was still under her control. She did a routine that was similar to what Matt had showed her, then finished it by sliding her horse. The applause she received from the crowd was deafening.
"Wow," said Coralee, "That was amazing and the control she had over her horse was holding onto a little of his mane. "
"You know," he said, "Reining is the hardest of the three areas we compete in. You may think it would be roping or cutting, but it's not. Reining is sheer artistry, a ballet you do with you and the horse. It's the hardest but it looks the easiest and Travis thinks you can do it. Tell me, are you game?"
She nodded, "I didn't know what to think when Travis suggested it, but I want to try. I don't know if I can do this or not, but I'll be disappointed in myself if I don't try."
"Okay," he answered and turned to a second horse that was tied to the rail and waiting. "I'm going to take the saddle off and teach you to ride bareback first. Then we'll work on you telling the horse what you want with pressure from your legs. It'll feel slippery at first, but bareback riding is all about balance. This horse knows all about it, so you can take your cues from him."
At first he had her walk around the arena, then speeded it up to a canter. It was scary without a saddle, or at least a saddle pad, but once she relaxed she enjoyed what she was doing.
He taught her how to communicate with the horse with her legs. He got on his horse and started guiding her around the arena, signally when she should go left or when she should go right.
It wasn't easy, but she tried to relax into what she was doing. At last Matt told her to halt, saying, "I have something I want you to watch." They got off their horses and he showed her another video, this one of a reining competition.
She watched, fascinated, not only at the horses but looking closely at the riders' tack. The saddles were like nothing she had seen before. The saddles, bridles, and even the blankets were showy, drawing attention not only to the horses but the riders, too. Some riders even wore chaps which she thought was unnecessary. If it were her it would only be a simple pair of jeans with a nice-looking shirt and hat.
"This is all about the show, isn't it?" she asked, and he nodded. "it's like everything is designed to catch the eye, I've never seen saddles and bridles like that. When I worked at the Yellowstone, everything was about function. I don't think I even saw a show saddle."
"Well, I guess you wouldn't," he laughed, "Unless someone was competing. Get back on your horse and I want you to follow me around the arena and do everything I do. Remember, communicate what you want to the horse with pressure from your legs. This is a smart horse, he knows what to do, just remember that. You're not cutting cattle now."
She did as he asked, trying to remember to not use her reins and only pressure from her legs to guide her horse. He'd call out to her every so often, "You're using your reins, don't, and don't kick the sides of your horse." And she'd try again to remember to do it right, but it was hard.
She wasn't aware that Travis had been watching her for the last fifteen minutes. She was working too hard on concentrating not to ride the way she was used to. The horse responded nicely to her touch, she was the one who made mistakes, not him.
At last Travis broke his silence, "How's she doing, Matt?"
Matt rode over to him, "Well, if she can forget everything she's learned about riding, she may pick this up. She's doing well bareback, she told me this is the first time she ever tried it, but her balance is pretty good. It'll take time but I think we can make her into a reiner."
"How long have you been standing there?" she asked him, she hadn't even noticed when he came into the arena."
"Long enough," he said, "That's enough for today, he'll meet you again tomorrow morning. Rita has lunch read, would you care to join us, Matt?"
"No," he grinned, "I've got to meet my girl. I'll see you tomorrow, Anicka." She handed him the reins of her horse and he left the arena.
Rita had fixed pork carnitas for their lunch. Travis grabbed a beer out of the refrigerator but Anicka poured herself some ice tea. Beer seemed to almost be the beverage of choice around here. She didn't remember so much drinking at her parents' ranch.
Rita's food was so good it was almost criminal. The green sauce of the carnitas had a more sour taste and was hotter than the red sauce she'd use for chicken or beef. Anicka was suddenly aware that she's worked up an appetite.
"Well, what did you think of Matt?" Travis asked her, "I thought he'd be a pretty good match for you and he yells less than I do."
She set her fork down and smiled at him. "Well, if Matt ever gets tired of his girlfriend, I may try to hook up with him." She smiled at him then went back to eating.
Travis started to choke, then began coughing, then put a napkin to her mouth. He then began to laugh. "Good luck with that," he told her, a wicked grin on his face.
She arched her eyebrows, "It was just a thought," she said, "Although I know going from one friend to another is not kosher."
He stood up and removed their plates from the table. "Hey, I'm not done with that," she objected.
He came to her and pulled her out of her chair and tossed her over his shoulder. "You are now," he said and proceeded to carry her up the stairs and dropped her onto their bed.
She struggled a little as he pulled off her boots and jeans, then she reached over and undid his belt. They got their clothes off as quickly as they could, then began to kiss.
Travis nibbled on her neck then moved down to her breasts. They were fuller now, she no longer had the skinny body of an adolescent, her body was becoming more womanly as she gained back her health.
He made love to her slowly and deliberately, not caring that he should be back at work. Her taunt about Matt had spurred him on and it was delightfully wicked to be fucking when he should be working.
They fell asleep for a short time, then Anicka woke, sitting suddenly upright and started crying.
Travis sat up, "What's wrong ?" he asked her and put his arm around her shoulders.
"I had this dream, this horrible dream. I was in an arena showing horses, and I suddenly I could see policemen standing around and his parents—she would never say the name of her ex-were standing there, watching me.
"I had just finished my routine and they started walking towards me. One of the policemen reached out to take hold of my bridle—and then I woke up."
"Shh," Travis tried to soothe her, "It was just a dream. You'll always be afraid until this is resolved, but maybe it's best to just leave it alone."
"I try, but I can't," she buried her face in his shoulder, "Sooner or later they're going to figure out that something's happened. I don't know if he told them where he was going or not. Somehow he figured out that I went to the Yellowstone and that's where he found me. He was going to take me away by force, but I couldn't let that happen. He tried to grab me so I stabbed him with the pitchfork. I don't even know if he was dead, or if Rip took care of that for me."
"You had the right to defend yourself," he told her, "The last time I checked self-defense wasn't murder. You were terrified of him, you didn't know what he was going to do. He was trying to kidnap you, what did he think, that you would just come with him willingly?"
"I thought he force me to come with him. I was always very passive when we were together, and always went along with what he wanted. I'm sure he thought resistance on my part would be futile, but he didn't reckon with what he'd turned me into."
"Why are you so afraid, why can't you just let this go?" Travis didn't quite understand.
"Because as soon as they discover he's missing, they're going to blame it on me, that's why. And face it, I am the reason he's gone. They're going to start looking for him and if they go to the Yellowstone will they say that yes, I was there?
"Travis," she went on, "They go to horse shows, mostly for the roping and cutting competitions, but they may check out the reining, too. What if they're there at a show where I'm competing—they'll recognize my name if they hear it, and then what?
"Well," he drawled, "You could always compete under the name of Wheatley."
She looked at him, puzzled.
"I'm asking you to marry me, you little idiot! Are you going to say yes?"
"Only if you really mean this, Travis, I don't want you to do anything because you feel sorry for me or you're trying to protect me." Her blue eyes stared straight into his.
"Will you marry me, please? It may be the only way I can keep you out of Matt's clutches." He smiled at her, then kissed her.
"You crazy cowboy ," she said, "Yes, Travis, I will marry you."