small rise above the stables. “Don’t you need to go with them?”
“Nope. Decker has things under control.”
“I’m sorry.” She kicked the toe of her boot in the dirt. “I really never should have come.”
He winked. “This is why we have that ironclad cancellation policy—so people like you, who really,
really
wish they could ride—are less likely to stay home instead.” Cole paused, tipping up his Stetson. “You can’t possibly believe you’re the first person to come out here and be afraid of horses, are you?”
“Yes?” Her eyes were clear, wide, still frightened. “What kind of moron schedules a dude ranch vacation when she’s completely petrified of horses?”
“You’d be surprised.” Cole laughed, pointing to Jess. “That one over there dragged a scared friend of hers out here two years ago, and I thought the poor girl might need a Valium drip the first day she was here.”
“And did she end up riding?”
Helaughed. “She sure did. And once she mastered that, she decided to move out here, marry my brother, and take charge of the whole damn place.”
“Oh!” Elise put a hand to her chest. “Wait—do you mean Kyla?”
“The very one.”
Elise laughed. “Seriously?”
“Seriously. The kind of person who’s afraid of horses but schedules a vacation here is the kind of person who wants
not
to be afraid anymore. Luckyfor you, we’re especially good at that kind.”
He looked at her closely, taking a deep breath and summoning the voice he used for the colts when he was training them. “Elise, I am holding onto this horse, and she will not move without my say-so. I promise you that.
“Here’s something else I promise.” He walked Goldie in a small circle, winking at Jess on his way by. “I’m not putting you on thishorse today.”
Her shoulders fell significantly. In relief, he knew.
“What do you mean?”
He circled again, letting her see Goldie’s hooves practically drag on the sand, letting her watch her completely non-threatening, lumbering gait.
“Well, here’s the thing. At Whisper Creek, we’re pretty proud of our return rate. People come back because they had a great time here. That’s our goal, and theonly way we make that happen is by making sure nobody feels like she has to do something she’s not ready for.”
Elise nodded slowly, and Cole noticed her fingers loosening on the fence post. Good. Maybe if he kept talking, she’d let go fully by the end of the hour.
“And,”—he continued—“we definitely want you to come back, so we’re going to make sure you
want
to come back.”
“So,”—her hand looseneda little more—“if we’re not going to ride, what
will
we do?”
“We’ll walk.”
“We’ll—walk.” She nodded slowly, casing Goldie with wary eyes.
Cole smiled. He’d get her on this horse by tomorrow. He could feel it.
“Here. Take the end of this lead, and I’ll walk between you and Goldie. I’m holding the rope, too. You are completely safe.”
Elise gingerly took the rope in her right hand, finally lettinggo of the post and putting her left hand on the knot at the end. Cole gave Goldie a pat on the shoulder to urge her to start walking, and with a lumbering, slow gait, she started around the small corral. Cole kept his hand on the lead and his body between Elise and the horse, and two laps in, he could sense the woman thawing beside him.
He, on the other hand, was heating up much faster. So faras he could tell, Jess’s eyes hadn’t left him for the entire time she’d been standing there, and it was doing God-awful things to his concentration.
He shook his head, trying to focus on Elise. “How we doing?”
The tiniest smile had her lips creeping up at the corners. Score. “We are not yet running the other way.”
He laughed. “This is progress, then, right?” He stopped Goldie and fed her acarrot, then held one out for Elise. “Want to give her a treat?”
She shook her head. “One thing at a time, I
“Nope. Decker has things under control.”
“I’m sorry.” She kicked the toe of her boot in the dirt. “I really never should have come.”
He winked. “This is why we have that ironclad cancellation policy—so people like you, who really,
really
wish they could ride—are less likely to stay home instead.” Cole paused, tipping up his Stetson. “You can’t possibly believe you’re the first person to come out here and be afraid of horses, are you?”
“Yes?” Her eyes were clear, wide, still frightened. “What kind of moron schedules a dude ranch vacation when she’s completely petrified of horses?”
“You’d be surprised.” Cole laughed, pointing to Jess. “That one over there dragged a scared friend of hers out here two years ago, and I thought the poor girl might need a Valium drip the first day she was here.”
“And did she end up riding?”
Helaughed. “She sure did. And once she mastered that, she decided to move out here, marry my brother, and take charge of the whole damn place.”
“Oh!” Elise put a hand to her chest. “Wait—do you mean Kyla?”
“The very one.”
Elise laughed. “Seriously?”
“Seriously. The kind of person who’s afraid of horses but schedules a vacation here is the kind of person who wants
not
to be afraid anymore. Luckyfor you, we’re especially good at that kind.”
He looked at her closely, taking a deep breath and summoning the voice he used for the colts when he was training them. “Elise, I am holding onto this horse, and she will not move without my say-so. I promise you that.
“Here’s something else I promise.” He walked Goldie in a small circle, winking at Jess on his way by. “I’m not putting you on thishorse today.”
Her shoulders fell significantly. In relief, he knew.
“What do you mean?”
He circled again, letting her see Goldie’s hooves practically drag on the sand, letting her watch her completely non-threatening, lumbering gait.
“Well, here’s the thing. At Whisper Creek, we’re pretty proud of our return rate. People come back because they had a great time here. That’s our goal, and theonly way we make that happen is by making sure nobody feels like she has to do something she’s not ready for.”
Elise nodded slowly, and Cole noticed her fingers loosening on the fence post. Good. Maybe if he kept talking, she’d let go fully by the end of the hour.
“And,”—he continued—“we definitely want you to come back, so we’re going to make sure you
want
to come back.”
“So,”—her hand looseneda little more—“if we’re not going to ride, what
will
we do?”
“We’ll walk.”
“We’ll—walk.” She nodded slowly, casing Goldie with wary eyes.
Cole smiled. He’d get her on this horse by tomorrow. He could feel it.
“Here. Take the end of this lead, and I’ll walk between you and Goldie. I’m holding the rope, too. You are completely safe.”
Elise gingerly took the rope in her right hand, finally lettinggo of the post and putting her left hand on the knot at the end. Cole gave Goldie a pat on the shoulder to urge her to start walking, and with a lumbering, slow gait, she started around the small corral. Cole kept his hand on the lead and his body between Elise and the horse, and two laps in, he could sense the woman thawing beside him.
He, on the other hand, was heating up much faster. So faras he could tell, Jess’s eyes hadn’t left him for the entire time she’d been standing there, and it was doing God-awful things to his concentration.
He shook his head, trying to focus on Elise. “How we doing?”
The tiniest smile had her lips creeping up at the corners. Score. “We are not yet running the other way.”
He laughed. “This is progress, then, right?” He stopped Goldie and fed her acarrot, then held one out for Elise. “Want to give her a treat?”
She shook her head. “One thing at a time, I
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