Page 61 of Hotshot

“You’re too kind.” I rolled my eyes, hiking my legs off the edge of the chaise. “I’ll do the same for you. Are you ready to learn how to ride?”

“Uh…a horse?”

“A horse,” I confirmed, checking the time. “You’re not in a hurry, are you?”

“No, I’m meeting up with my friends later, but I?—”

“Excellent. Be right back.”

I slipped inside the house and returned a few minutes later with a baseball cap for Denny, two water bottles, and a pillow. I set the cap on his head and motioned for him to follow.

“Where are you going?” He scrambled to his feet. “This is a sex thing, remember? I’m not actually riding a horse, Hank. Hank!”

I cupped my ear and shrugged, a big ol’ smile on my face as I continued to the barn.

He found me cooing to Bess while I wrestled a saddle onto her back.

“Say hi to Bess. She missed you, Den.”

“Hey, Bess.” He grabbed one of the water bottles I’d set on the ledge of a stall, and uncapped it as he checked out the barn. It was half the size of the one in Colorado but equally as nice. Three stalls lined one side of the structure with an office and tack room opposite. He set the bottle on the ledge and addressed the horse. “Hank is being tricky. How do we handle this?”

“She says you just listen to the master and hop on up.”

“The master.” Denny laughed, then pointed at the black horse munching on hay in his stall. “How’s Fred doing?”

“He’s doing great, and he’s gonna hang tight while we take a walk with Bess. C’mon over.”

Denny shook his head. “No, that’s okay. Maybe tomorrow. I’m not ready for?—”

“Sure you are,” I intercepted. “This is our reason to spend time together, remember?”

“No, it’s sex.”

“That’s the bonus. I’ve been here for a while on my own and you were right, Den. No one will buy us being friends without a reason. So get your ass in the saddle, and let’s do this. I’ll get you a helmet and…I brought a pillow. Helmet is nonnegotiable, but the pillow is your call.”

He gritted his teeth. “Very fucking funny.”

I chuckled. “C’mon. We’ll take her outside, and I’ll show you how to mount.”

I walked Bess into the sunlit paddock next to the barn and talked Denny through a series of simple instructions.Foot in stirrup, hike your leg over, gaze forward, straight posture, rely on your balance, be in sync with the horse’s movements, and gentle with the reins.

“Why don’t I just watch you do it?” Denny suggested.

I inclined my chin in agreement and glided onto the saddle, nice and easy. “It might feel awkward at first, but like anything, you get better at it with practice. As for Bess…she’s a gentle soul. She’ll need a minute or two to get used to you, too. But you’ll get to know each other quickly.”

Denny wrinkled his nose. “I don’t know about this.”

I dismounted like a pro, and held a hand out. “Your turn. Do you trust me?”

“Yeah, but, I have a hypothetical question…what if she bolts? Is there an SOS code or something?”

“Help!”

“I’m glad to see you’re taking my safety seriously,” he huffed sarcastically.

“I did offer you a pillow,” I singsonged.

“Don’t you need a horse too? Why is Fred alone? Who watches them?”