like people. Well, I think Colby
prefers me.”
“Looks that way so far,” Sally said.
“So teach me something else about riding,
Sally.”
“Nothing to it. Just remember to keep your
heels down in the stirrups. A cowboy rides on the balls of his
feet. And if your mount needs to relieve himself like Colby's doing
now, you rise up a ways from the saddle to get the pressure off his
kidneys.”
Mel tried it. She could feel the metal of the
stirrups under the soles of the old boots she'd borrowed from the
ranch's collection, but still, she felt secure enough standing up
from the saddle. She smiled. She was learning. She could do it, not
beautifully the way Lisa did it, but not as clumsily as she'd
thought either.
On a surge of pleasure, Mel leaned forward
and clucked at Colby. He broke into a smooth trot. Twice around the
inside of the fence he trotted until she put him back into a walk.
It had felt good, Mel thought. Trotting had actually felt good. She
was so elated that she couldn't stop smiling.
Half an hour later Sally asked, “Had enough
for one night, Mel?”
She brought Colby to a halt next o Sally.
“Colby was great, wasn't he?”
“I'll say. You both did great.” His grin
radiated pride in her.
But her legs felt weak when she slid off the
horse and stood on the ground again. Without being asked, Sally
relieved Colby of his tack. He nodded at Mel and led Colby on his
way back across the stream and across the road to the path up the
mountain where he could rest with the other horses for the
night.
* * * *
That Saturday the rain came down as if it
meant to drill holes in the earth. Mel called Denise who said to
please come anyway even if they couldn't ride. “Sue can bring you
over,” and of course, Mel's mother agreed to take Mel home on her
way back from her afternoon in town.
The gusting wind made driving hard, and Sue
watched the road carefully as she drove Mel over to Denise's house.
“My aunt was raised in Colorado,” Sue said, “but she went east to
college and got married and had a baby, and the family thought
she'd never come back. Then she got divorced and came home with
this black artist she'd married out of the blue. Everyone thought
she was nuts, but Ty turned out to be a great guy, and he's
wonderful with Denise, who's a sweetheart. Don't be put off by Ty's
wild paintings now. They may look weird, but people pay a lot of
money for them.”
Mel didn't see any paintings that day. They
pulled up in the driveway past the mailbox painted with a
psychedelic coyote, and Denise immediately hustled Mel upstairs to
her bedroom.
“Ty's behind on work he promised for a show
next week and my mother's at the restaurant, so we can just hang
out in my room and talk, okay?”
“Fine. What's Lily doing?”
“I already took care of her. She's in the
barn. Do you want to go see her now? Or we could wait until the
rain lets up some?”
“Sure, we can wait,” Mel said, although she'd
been looking forward to communing with Lily.
They played Cribbage, which Denise said Ty
had taught her, but she seemed embarrassed that she kept winning
even though Mel assured her she didn't mind.
While the rain slashed at Denise's window
pane, Mel looked around. Pictures of horses filled the room and
Denise's bookshelves were crowded with horse stories and models of
horses. When she saw Mel looking, Denise said, “Boring, huh? I've
got a one track mind. My mother says if I'm not careful I'll grow
up to be a jockey. But actually, I might like that.”
“Well, you're little enough.”
“Not brave enough though. I'd get scared in a
race with all the other horses pounding past me.”
“Then you'd have to stay in the lead,
wouldn't you?” Mel asked.
Denise laughed. “I'd rather run a stable.
Want to go into business with me?”
“Yes!” Mel agreed with such enthusiasm that
they both laughed and proceeded to brainstorm a name for their
business. When they finally settled on Easy Riders, Denise said it
was
prefers me.”
“Looks that way so far,” Sally said.
“So teach me something else about riding,
Sally.”
“Nothing to it. Just remember to keep your
heels down in the stirrups. A cowboy rides on the balls of his
feet. And if your mount needs to relieve himself like Colby's doing
now, you rise up a ways from the saddle to get the pressure off his
kidneys.”
Mel tried it. She could feel the metal of the
stirrups under the soles of the old boots she'd borrowed from the
ranch's collection, but still, she felt secure enough standing up
from the saddle. She smiled. She was learning. She could do it, not
beautifully the way Lisa did it, but not as clumsily as she'd
thought either.
On a surge of pleasure, Mel leaned forward
and clucked at Colby. He broke into a smooth trot. Twice around the
inside of the fence he trotted until she put him back into a walk.
It had felt good, Mel thought. Trotting had actually felt good. She
was so elated that she couldn't stop smiling.
Half an hour later Sally asked, “Had enough
for one night, Mel?”
She brought Colby to a halt next o Sally.
“Colby was great, wasn't he?”
“I'll say. You both did great.” His grin
radiated pride in her.
But her legs felt weak when she slid off the
horse and stood on the ground again. Without being asked, Sally
relieved Colby of his tack. He nodded at Mel and led Colby on his
way back across the stream and across the road to the path up the
mountain where he could rest with the other horses for the
night.
* * * *
That Saturday the rain came down as if it
meant to drill holes in the earth. Mel called Denise who said to
please come anyway even if they couldn't ride. “Sue can bring you
over,” and of course, Mel's mother agreed to take Mel home on her
way back from her afternoon in town.
The gusting wind made driving hard, and Sue
watched the road carefully as she drove Mel over to Denise's house.
“My aunt was raised in Colorado,” Sue said, “but she went east to
college and got married and had a baby, and the family thought
she'd never come back. Then she got divorced and came home with
this black artist she'd married out of the blue. Everyone thought
she was nuts, but Ty turned out to be a great guy, and he's
wonderful with Denise, who's a sweetheart. Don't be put off by Ty's
wild paintings now. They may look weird, but people pay a lot of
money for them.”
Mel didn't see any paintings that day. They
pulled up in the driveway past the mailbox painted with a
psychedelic coyote, and Denise immediately hustled Mel upstairs to
her bedroom.
“Ty's behind on work he promised for a show
next week and my mother's at the restaurant, so we can just hang
out in my room and talk, okay?”
“Fine. What's Lily doing?”
“I already took care of her. She's in the
barn. Do you want to go see her now? Or we could wait until the
rain lets up some?”
“Sure, we can wait,” Mel said, although she'd
been looking forward to communing with Lily.
They played Cribbage, which Denise said Ty
had taught her, but she seemed embarrassed that she kept winning
even though Mel assured her she didn't mind.
While the rain slashed at Denise's window
pane, Mel looked around. Pictures of horses filled the room and
Denise's bookshelves were crowded with horse stories and models of
horses. When she saw Mel looking, Denise said, “Boring, huh? I've
got a one track mind. My mother says if I'm not careful I'll grow
up to be a jockey. But actually, I might like that.”
“Well, you're little enough.”
“Not brave enough though. I'd get scared in a
race with all the other horses pounding past me.”
“Then you'd have to stay in the lead,
wouldn't you?” Mel asked.
Denise laughed. “I'd rather run a stable.
Want to go into business with me?”
“Yes!” Mel agreed with such enthusiasm that
they both laughed and proceeded to brainstorm a name for their
business. When they finally settled on Easy Riders, Denise said it
was
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