Page 3 of The Only Seconds that Matter
“I just don’t have the time to waste on a difficult horse at the moment.”
“Ain’t that the truth.”Johnny removed his hat to scratch at the sweaty hair beneath.His hair was darkened with moisture, but there was a red sheen to it.That might explain the fact his skin was more pink than tan.“She dump ya?”
“Twice, yeah.”
Johnny grinned.He was missing one of his canines, and the rest of his teeth were a little crooked.Typical rodeo smile, Victor thought.
“You’re never so good or advanced a horse can’t humble ya.”
Victor couldn’t help but smile at that.“They’re good at keeping me honest.”
Johnny laughed, then stalked toward the trailer.“Alright, get her off and let’s get this rodeo started.”
After Victor unloaded the horse, Johnny whistled, “Woo-ee, ain’t she a purty one,” as Victor led her around the trailer.
Johnny approached the mare and ran a hand along her neck and shoulder, then bent over to pick up her front foot.Then Johnny grabbed her hind foot and pulled her leg forward, holding it there for a few seconds.
“Can you walk her off?”Johnny asked, so Victor untied her and pulled her forward, first at a walk and then a trot.When they returned, Johnny nodded.“Lookin’ good so far.”
“She’s had a thorough vet check.”
“Never hurts to check though.Listen, my daddy was a horse trader, I seen itall.You would not believe all the tricks people get up to to make a lame horse sound.You got her at an auction?”
“Yeah.I’m not a trader though.I do sales sometimes, but we’re talking higher level sales, higher than 5k.”
“You like ‘em fancy, eh?”
“I just don’t sell anything I can’t stand by a hundred percent.”With a sigh, Victor gestured toward the mare.“Except this one, I guess.”
“I suppose I’ll trust your word.Where did you say you were from?”
They hadn’t discussed it, but maybe his lack of accent gave him away.“California.”
“I been there a few times for a couple rodeos.Nice state.Nice horses.You show?”
“I used to.I don’t do as much of that anymore.It’s expensive and time consuming and not the thing I wanna dedicate all my time to.”Victor wasn’t going to mention how fed up he became with his fellow reiners.The amount of abuse that went on behind closed stalls for the sake of futurity money was far beyond what he was willing to tolerate.He didn’t show horses to nerve-block their tails and yank on their mouths until the bit numbed their tongue.All he wanted to do was ride and train good horses, and he could do that without riding two-year-old babies into the ground until they fell apart.
“What kinda riding you do?Penning?”
“Reining.”
“Oh, the fancy shit.”
Victor bit back a laugh.“I’ve trained some cow horses.Most of my horses can do anything.”
“Well, I ain’t much of afancytrainer, but I do know how to keep my ass on a horse, and it sounds like that’s what this mare needs.”Johnny leaned in closer to her head.“She’s got a bit of a mean eye.Some horses are just born with a bit of spite.Don’t mean they’re bad horses, just means they don’t take shit from nobody.”Then he took the lead rope from Victor and led the mare toward the barn.
CHAPTER 2
Johnny led the mare to a hitching post and vanished into the barn for a moment before returning with a dusty saddle that probably hadn’t seen a drop of oil in ten years.He threw it on the mare without a care for how she handled the process, then girthed her up in the same manner even as she pinned her ears and shifted back and forth with irritation.All the while, Johnny talked—about the weather, about his job, about horses.
“Whose horse is that?”Victor had to ask, pointing to the gray-faced chestnut.
“Oh, that’s Colonel.”
“I thought it was a mare.”
“It is a mare.”
