Page 75 of Heartsmashed
Duchess bolted, fast enough that it scared the shit out of me and had me thanking God I still had full control of my bowels. She galloped at a thundering pace, the pounding of her hooves like a drumbeat against the earth, and it sounded like a countdown to my demise. The wind slapped me in the face, my stomach dropped, and it was all I could do to hold on.
“Beckett,” Sawyer called out, half laughing, half serious. “Don’t pull straight back. Sit deep.”
The fuck?“What does that mean? Iamsitting,” I yelled.
“You’re hovering.” Ahead of us, Maren turned, already gathering her reins, but Sawyer said, “I’ve got him.”
Not yet he fucking didn’t. And if he didn’t hurry up, Duchess was going to finish the job Buttercup had started all those years ago.
Sawyer and Jasper caught up with an ease that would’ve annoyed me if I weren’t busy trying not to get bounced into the next county. Duchess veered toward a wider patch of grass, obviously thrilled with the freedom she had under my lack of control.
“Whoa, whoa, easy now,” Sawyer said, reaching over to grab the reins. She instantly slowed, her entire body calming. “That’s it. Good girl.”
Duchess tossed her head once, offended by the suggestion she’d done anything wrong, and then settled into a walk like she hadn’t tried to send me into early retirement.
I sat there, gripping the reins, my pulse pounding and my dignity left somewhere back on the trail.
Sawyer kept Jasper close, his hand still on Duchess’s reins until she stopped acting like a getaway car with hooves. Then he looked at me, all calm, a slight tinge of amusement curling his lips. “See?” He winked. “I’ve got you.”
That should not have made my heart do anything, not under the current circumstances, but it did anyway. Maybe because he said it like he meant it. Calm and sure, completely in control.
Hell, had I ever had anyone have my back like that?
“She heard the word G-O,” he said.
“I saidnotG-O.”
“Yeah, I don’t think it works like that.” He nodded at the reins. “Ease your hands. She’s not trying to dump you. She just thinks you gave her permission.”
“Fuck, I didnotdo that.” But I did as he said, easing the reins, and when we were walking again at a normal pace, I exhaled.
“Duchess, we are not friends,” I said.
Sawyer was grinning so hard his cheeks had gone pink. “Nah, not friends. She owns you. You’re her bitch.”
“For fuck’s sake.”
Maren rode up on the other side, nodding at us both. “Nice job staying with her.”
I glanced over at Sawyer. “Pretty sure that’s on you.”
“Nah, you did great,” he said. “You’re stillon, aren’t you?”
He said that like there wasn’t still time for her to go rogue.
A few minutes later, the trail widened along a fence overlooking the lake. Maren rode ahead to give us some space, and Sawyer slowed Jasper down beside me.
“Not bad, right?” he said. It was so peaceful out here, no one around except us. The lake reflected all the varying shades of the autumn leaves at their peak color, and yeah, it was beautiful.
But I had an even better view beside me.
“Worth the kidnapping,” I said.
“Told you.”
Duchess lowered her head, nibbling at the grass, and the fact that she was choosing to stay put for a while was surprising, but welcome.
“My parents started taking us riding when we were kids,” Sawyer said. “They were always like that. Finding things for us to try. Horses, theater camp. Baseball, pottery. Oh, and fencing for about five seconds, until Hudson got too competitive and used more than just the practice foils to duel with us.”
