Chapter Nineteen

Travis

I made my way to the ranch with Mike to spend some more time with the group. Mike loved this part of the experience when he got to show the group some mild jumping tricks with the horses.

“I didn’t know you did that. You don’t make them do it too, do you?” I immediately thought about Jillian and knew that she would never be able to do this.

He shook his head. “No, definitely not. In fact, most of the time we just showcase what you can do with a trained horse. We invite some of them up to try, but it’s nothing fancy, and we don’t force anyone to do it. You have to be so confident around the horses to try something like this. But it’s always a lot of fun, and the crowd is usually thoroughly impressed. I’ve organized a pitcher of iced coffee for us all when we arrive and some snacks. So we’ll do that first and then we’ll head on out to the horses. It’s really all about getting them excited about the whole thing, showing them that there’s more to what we can do out here. I think they come with a specific idea of what it’s going to be like here, so we like to shake things up a bit.”

“Cool, I’m looking forward to it. I think it’s a great idea. And nobody knows their way around a horse quite like you do.”

“I hope you’re going to partake.”

I looked at Mike and grinned. “Of course I will. You don’t think I’ve really forgotten how to do all this, do you? I remember it all. You seem to have forgotten that I grew up here too.”

He grinned. “I’m glad to see you haven’t lost your touch. Actually, I must say, Travis. You’ve settled in here a lot quicker than I thought you would, and you’re not complaining nearly as much either. I’ll be honest with you; I didn’t think you’d last longer than a week.”

“Mike! I told you I was staying for a month.”

“I know,” he said pleasantly, and I realized that for the first time he wasn’t actually trying to be horrible to me. He was just kidding around, and it was nice that we could have this sort of banter. “You can’t blame me for thinking that though. Come on, Travis, you and I both know this place isn’t where you want to spend your holiday. And we both know you only made the decision because you were inebriated.”

I laughed. “You got that right. But, and I admit to this reluctantly, I’m enjoying myself.”

“I’m glad. Now, we better go our separate ways while we’re both still getting along. This is so unusual. If Allison saw us, she wouldn’t believe it for a minute.”

I chuckled, and as soon as we arrived, I headed over to pour myself a glass of the iced coffee. Most of the crowd had already gathered around, and everyone was drinking and eating and getting along nicely. The more the group got to know each other, the more everyone started to get along. There was now a nice atmosphere amongst them all, and I wondered if any of them were going to keep in touch after this. I hoped Barry and his wife stayed in touch with Jillian. That would be nice. Already now I could see them all talking together. I looked around for Harper, but she wasn’t there yet. I wondered if she was getting herself ready in the room. Probably straightening her hair or putting on makeup, or something equally as ridiculous.

When Harper came out, I almost didn’t recognize her. She was wearing an outfit that was much better suited to the environment than I was used to seeing her in. The closer she got, the more beautiful she became to me. I thought she looked great in her city clothes, but nothing could prepare me for the way she looked in a more natural attire. She was breathtaking. The moment she got near, she smiled, and I resisted the urge to pull her in for a kiss.

“Wow.”

She blushed. “Do I look ridiculous?”

“Are you kidding me? You look gorgeous. Uh… you look amazing.” I didn’t know what to say without sounding like a bumbling idiot. “Where did you get the clothes from?”

“From Allison. I took her shopping this morning. She wanted something a bit fancier. And, well, I wanted something a little less fancy. She said I could wear some of her clothes while I’m here. It’s so comfortable.”

I smiled. No wonder the clothes looked so familiar. “It suits you.”

She looked down at her boots and then back up at me. She looked shy suddenly. “Thank you.”

I was just about to say something else when Mike gathered everyone around and asked us all to meet by the horses. Some stands had been set up so that everyone who wasn’t partaking could watch. For now, we all went to sit while Mike spoke to the crowd. He explained to them what jumping tricks were all about and then proceeded to demonstrate them for everyone to see. I could see that Mike was in his element and I was proud of him. He then invited me up with him, and the two of us did the same tricks that we used to do when we were younger. I was glad to see that we hadn’t forgotten the routine. And I was having more fun than I could have imagined. Also, every time I looked out onto the crowd, I saw Harper clapping and I felt excited. For a guy that was claiming to prefer city life, I sure was overly excited about seeing her in her new outfit. She looked radiant.

Once we showed them what we could do, we invited everyone to come up and try if they wanted to. Mike emphasized that nothing was compulsory and if they didn’t feel comfortable, they didn’t have to. In the end, only Harper and Jackson came up to try. I was sure Barry wanted to as well, but in the end, he chose to sit and watch with his wife and Jillian. Jillian had been the first person to say no. I figured her horse riding days were over. She just couldn’t seem to get the horses to stay calm around her, and I had a feeling she would simply never be the type to enjoy it. That was fine. She seemed happy to just sit and watch, and I was glad some of the others had stayed too so she didn’t feel like the odd one out.

Mike and I showed Jackson and Harper a few tricks, just a few simple jumps, and then told them to give it a try. I was a bit nervous watching Harper, but both her and Jackson executed the whole thing perfectly.

“You guys are amazing,” I said as I went up to congratulate them. They were both beaming. Jackson was punching the air with his fists while Harper was just sitting with a big smile on her face. I remembered back to a time when my father had first shown Mike and me how to do tricks. We’d been so pleased with ourselves. It was a great feeling knowing that you could do something like this, especially if you never before thought you could.

“Do you guys want to join us in putting on a show for the rest of the guys? It won’t take long to learn,” Mike said to them. “And it will be a lot of fun. We can get a video taken so you can show everyone back home how good you were.”

“Yes!” Jackson yelled.

“That would be great,” Harper agreed. “Nobody will believe it otherwise.”

I told the rest of the crowd to go off and get some snacks and drinks and to meet us back in half an hour. During that time, Mike and I spent showing Harper and Jackson what we were going to do. It wasn’t anything fancy, just a couple of rounds around the perimeter with each of us taking a turn to do a jump, but it was a big step for newcomers. While we practiced, I realized that I couldn’t take my eyes off Harper. I had to literally tear my gaze away from her so that it wasn’t so obvious. She just looked so beautiful in her new gear up on that horse, and she looked more the part than ever before. I was amazed at how easy she could go from one role to the other. A stylish city girl to a comfortable cowgirl. She looked good in both roles and seemed to move between the two with ease.

After a half an hour of practice, the crowd was back. Mike introduced us all, getting more extravagant with every name.

“And finally we have the beautiful Harper the Horse Whisper and her trusted stead, Thunder!”

Everyone clapped and laughed, and we all took turns making our way around our horses and doing our jumps. The whole thing was perfect, although Jackson did go a little overboard when it was his time to go around. He loved all the attention, and for a brief moment, I wondered if he really thought he was a cowboy. I felt a little sad watching him. I could easily have this life but I didn’t want it while he so desperately wanted it and probably couldn’t have it. Life was funny like that, but I was glad to see that he was enjoying himself.

Afterwards, when we were putting the horses back in the stable, I turned to Harper.

“The two of you were amazing,” I said to her when Jackson appeared by her side. “Half of riding is just getting the horses to trust them. You can’t do tricks without trust. I’m very impressed with how much the two of you have gotten the horses to trust you so quickly.”

I smiled at Harper as she climbed off Thunder with ease. I wondered just how far she could go if she really applied herself. I had a feeling that she was learning more about herself out here than she ever did back in the city. She looked so happy with herself. When our eyes met, I smiled at her. “You were great,” I whispered, and I think I saw her blush.