Page 76 of The Only Seconds that Matter
“Here.”Victor knelt down in the clean sawdust on the floor of the stall and slapped his knee.“Use my thigh as a stepstool.Then just swing your leg over.”
Sebastian’s mount was about as uncoordinated as those attempted by the six-year-olds Victor had as students, but Blitz didn’t move, and eventually Sebastian was able to climb his way on.The expression on his face at the end made it all worth it.He looked like a child who had been plopped down on a fat pony at the fair.
“Oh my God,” he laughed, grabbing two fistfuls of Blaze’s copious mane.“I’m so high up.”
“How’s it feel?”Victor asked, grinning.
“Terrifying.I can’t imagine doing this for a rodeo.”
Victor reached over and slipped an arm around Blitz’s head, twisting him slightly so that he moved away from the stall wall.Sebastian let out a little yelp and clamped down with his legs, as if Blitz had done more than a simple turn in a circle around a 10x10 stall.Once Blitz came to a stop, Sebastian let out a large gulp of air, and his shoulders dropped from around his ears.Victor had to laugh.
“Don’t make fun of me!”Sebastian pleaded.“I can’t help that I’m a scared little baby.”Sebastian leaned forward and patted Blitz firmly on the neck.“You’re such a big sweetie.Can you take a picture, Victor?”
Victor took the phone that Sebastian handed him and took a few pictures of him smiling atop of Blitz.Just as Victor handed his phone back, there was a knock on the metal part of the stall, and Victor twisted around to see who it was.Johnny and Taylor, because of course.
“What’s goin’ on?”Johnny asked, eyeing Sebastian.
“Just teaching my date how to rope a steer,” Victor replied coolly.“How’d you like the rodeo?”
“Uncle Johnny’s better than all those guys,” Taylor volunteered with an assured nod.“Aren’t you?”she asked, looking back at her uncle.
“Yeah,” Johnny muttered, still giving Sebastian the stink eye.
“Sebastian, this is my friend Johnny and my student Taylor.This is my date, Sebastian.”
“Sebastian is a boy’s name,” Taylor said, wrinkling her nose.
“Taylor, why don’t you wait for me down by the exit over there?We’ll leave in five minutes,” Johnny said.
“But I want to—”
“I ain’t gonna ask again.”
With a pout, Taylor stomped miserably away from the stall.
“Something up?”Victor asked darkly, his tone daring Johnny to talk shit.
“Nah, just makin’ sure all’s good here.”Johnny knocked his knuckles against a stall bar like a twitch.“You enjoy the rodeo, Sebastian?”
“Sure, it was fun.New experience for me.”Maybe he was being nice, or maybe he didn’t feel the tension between Victor and Johnny.“You train horses, too?”
“I used to ride the broncs.”
“You used to ride rodeo?”Sebastian looked legitimately impressed.“Wow, you’re crazy.”
Johnny’s pissy look lightened as he fought back a smile.“You could say that.”
“So, uh, Victor, how do I get down?”
“Just swing your leg over and slide down.Yeah, like—nope, other leg.It’s like—” Victor reached up to help Sebastian figure out what to do with his legs on the way down, and he still nearly ended up on his ass.He grabbed onto Victor to keep from toppling over, and Victor grasped both of his elbows to keep him upright.For a second, they were standing only a few inches apart with their arms entwined.The moment didn’t last when Johnny cleared his throat.
“Guess I need to work on the dismount,” Sebastian said with a forced smile.
“You from these parts?”Johnny asked, lip slightly curled with disdain.
“Oh, no no.I’m from New York City originally.This is the closest I’ve been to a horse in my life.But I can see why you like it.He’s very cuddly.”Sebastian reached out to pet Blitz’s head.
“You need something, Johnny?”Victor asked, wondering why the hell Johnny was hanging around.
