Feels Like Home

Emmett didn’t hesitate. “Destiny.”

“I was thinking that, too.”

Rafe shifted his weight and looked apprehensive. “‘Destiny’ sounds like the devil horse you put greenhorns on to test them.”

“We wouldn’t do that, son.” Emmett clapped him on the shoulder. “You’ve come here with an honest desire to learn how to ride. If you’d bragged about your riding skill when we knew you didn’t have any, then we’d bring out the devil horse.”

“Trust me, I have nothing to brag about when it comes to horses. I can deconstruct a stock offering in no time flat, but when it comes to mounting up and riding off into the sunset, I got nothin’.”

Emmett reached for a halter hanging on the wall. “It’s not a bad place to start. You’re a blank slate with no bad habits. Meg, if you want to lead out Spilled Milk, I’ll fetch Destiny. Rafe, you come with me. I’ll show you how to put this on him.”

Meg watched the two men head down the row of stalls. Emmett ambled along with the slightly bow-legged stride of a guy who’d spent most of his life in the saddle. Rafe moved with the grace of an athlete, but there was no cowboy in his walk yet. Even so, the view of a jeans-wearing Rafe from behind was outstanding. Life at the Last Chance had just become more scenic.

DESPITE BEING ASSURED that Destiny wasn’t a powder keg ready to explode, Rafe studied the large brown-and-white animal from outside the stall. He wasn’t eager to get into a confined space with him.

“Come on in, son. He won’t bite.”

Rafe edged into the stall. “How much does he weigh?”

“Around a thousand pounds, give or take.”

“He must be pretty strong.”

“Yes, but he’s trained to cooperate with you. Come closer so you can see how to halter him. You put this on in order to lead him out of the barn. Later you’ll take the halter off and replace it with a bridle, which provides your steering mechanism. Don’t worry. He’s used to all this, so he won’t put up a fuss.”

“Right.” Taking a deep breath, Rafe approached Destiny. As Emmett put on the halter, Rafe ignored the enormous teeth and concentrated on Destiny’s deep brown eyes. He could see himself in the reflection there, and he looked like a cowboy, even if he didn’t feel like one.

“See how that’s done?” Emmett finished with the halter, snapped a lead rope to a metal ring and handed over the rope. “Go ahead and lead him outside.”

Before Rafe could object that he didn’t know enough yet, he found himself tramping back down the aisle between the stalls, towing a horse behind him. Emmett walked along, too, probably to make sure Rafe didn’t do anything stupid.

“How long has Destiny been at the ranch?”

“Let’s see. I guess it’s about twenty-four years, now.”

“Yikes! I didn’t mean you had to give me a geriatric horse. Can he handle my weight?”

Emmett chuckled. “Twenty-four’s not so old. Horses can live to be forty or more. Destiny was born when Jack was around ten, and he came up with that name for him. Thought it was real dramatic.”

“So this is Jack’s horse?”

“Not really. He’s a little too tame for Jack these days. Jack rides a black-and-white stallion named Bandit.”

“Destiny isn’t a stallion?”

“Not anymore.”

“Oh.” Rafe was torn between relief that Destiny was a pushover and humiliation at being consigned to a horse with no balls, one that wasn’t spirited enough for Jack Chance.

“Destiny’s a good starter horse,” Emmett said. “He has one bad habit, though. If you’re out on the trail and decide to climb off him, you’d better tie him up real good. He likes to work himself loose and head on home.”

“I’ll remember that. But I think maybe I should just stay in the corral today, don’t you?”

“Maybe for the first ten minutes, until you get the hang of it.”

“I don’t think ten minutes will do the trick.”

“You’ll be surprised at how fast you pick it up, son. Once you’re comfortable in the saddle, you and Meg should take ’em out and admire the scenery. We have a lot to look at around here.”

“Yes, you do.” Rafe couldn’t argue with that. Coming out of the house this morning he’d been greeted with a spectacular view of the snowcapped Grand Tetons. Funny that his mother hadn’t mentioned the amazing scenery when she’d described the ranch. Lining rockers up on the front porch made a lot more sense when a person could sit and look at those mountains.

When they emerged from the barn, Meg was already at the hitching post with her horse, the one he remembered from yesterday.

“Just tie Destiny up next to Spilled Milk,” Emmett said. “I’ll get you a blanket, saddle and bridle.”

“Thanks, Emmett.” Rafe walked the horse in a semicircle so he could approach the hitching post from the right angle and do a decent job of parallel parking next to the other horse.

After tying the lead rope to the post, he stepped back. “So far, so good.”

Meg settled a patterned blanket over her horse’s back and glanced at Rafe. “Looks like you and Destiny are making friends.”

“I figure he’s just putting up with me.”

“Just think of him like one of those dogs over there.” Moving with calm efficiency, she put a saddle on top of the blanket. “Emmett said he was treated like a pet when he was young, so in some ways he’s more dog than horse.”

“If I’d ever had a dog, I could relate to that analogy.”

“You’ve never had a dog?”

“Nope.”

“You don’t like them?” She leaned to tighten the leather strap running under the horse’s belly.

“I don’t know if I do or not. We didn’t have dogs when I was a kid, so I never got used to having them around. With my work schedule, it makes no sense to have a pet, anyway.”

“I know what you mean about that. I decided not to adopt a dog right now, either, considering the hours I work. I have a fish tank, but it’s not the same. I get my horse and dog fix when I go out to the stables back in Pittsburgh.”

She straightened and pointed to the strap under the horse. “It’s a good idea to tighten it, then wait for the horse to let out some air, then tighten it again.”

“Good to know.”

“Okay, now I’ll tighten it again.” She went back to her task, which gave him a chance to watch her without her being aware.

This morning she’d returned to her cute and wholesome look. Knowing that she could be all sunshine and daisies during the day and transform into a seductress at night fired his blood. He wondered which persona she’d have naked. Probably both.

“Rafe?” Emmett tapped him on the shoulder. “You okay?”

Rafe turned toward him. “I’m fine. Why?”