Page 44 of Last Chance Cowboy
“Well, when you were injured, my horse helped you get to safety, didn’t he?”
“I think that was mainly you.”
“No. My horse was a big part of that. Kenobi is a good dude. He helps out whenever I need him to.”
“Isn’t he just trained to let you ride him?”
“I suppose. But think about it. A horse is a big animal. To an extent, if he doesn’t want you on him, you’re not going to be there. It’s a symbiotic relationship if you do it right. You’re kind of one with each other. And if you aren’t, then it doesn’t work.”
“If you aren’t, you get bit on the shoulder?”
“I can’t speak to that.”
“Well, that’s most of my experience with horses.”
“Onebite. I’ve been bitten a hell of a lot more times than that.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. But then, I’ve worked with all kinds of different horses, who have been through all kinds of different things, and they’ve worked with me.”
“What do you mean they’ve worked with you?”
“Equine therapy,” he said.
He deliberately kept it vague. She didn’t need to know that he had equine therapy, though it would be easy enough for her to figure out. Horses had saved his life. That was just the truth. It wasn’t that he was embarrassed about it. Hewasn’t. It was just that it was personal. And one thing he didn’t much like to do was get into the personal.
“Oh, that’s really interesting. What do you do with that?”
“There are a lot of different things. Riding, just being around the horses, letting them be around you. You build up a trust relationship, and it does something for you.”
“Maybe that should be next on my list. Maybe it would help me deal with horses and some other things.”
“I’m all for it.”
“If even you’re for it, then it must be good.”
“Well, I’m pretty damn smart,” he said.
“I’m sure you are.”
“Now you’re just being nice because you feel bad since a few minutes ago you insulted me.”
“No, that’s not true. I think you are smart. Look at everything you’ve taught me today.”
“Yeah, not much.”
“Much,” she insisted. “And it was interesting.”
“Only a few minutes ago, you were telling me that you were frightened.”
“Look at the progress I’ve made.”
“It’s a marvel.”
“So… did you… Did you grow up in the wilderness?”
The question set his teeth on edge, and he was grateful that right at that moment, the trail spit them out at the river. He didn’t want to get into talking about his childhood. They had already talked about too much.
