“I heard from Shorty about that. I’m really sorry,” Griff murmured.
She could see that New York City Wall Street broker Griff didn’t really grasp the enormity of the situation. Jordana said gently, “It’s more than that, Griff. Slade needed that ten-thousand-dollar first-place prize in this coming competition to stave off bank foreclosure of your ranch. Did you realize that?
“Why,” Griff said, halting and stunned, “no…no, I didn’t. Slade said nothing about that. I knew the ranch was precarious, but not in that much trouble.” His brows fell and he looked at his older twin and then back to Jordana. “He doesn’t share much with me,” he added quickly under his breath.
Nodding, Jordana said, “Don’t feel bad. He doesn’t share much with anyone.” She reached out and squeezed his upper arm. “Give him time and space, Griff. If you prove yourself worthy in his eyes by hard work around here, he’ll soften toward you over time.”
Griff nodded, grateful. “Thanks, Dr. Lawson, I’ll keep that in mind. I appreciate you taking the time to talk with me. Is Slade going to be okay?”
Releasing his arm, Jordana said, “Yes, in the long run. Slade isn’t going to be able to ride for six weeks, well past the time to get in shape for the endurance competition. He’ll need to use that cane for the next week and then he can get on with getting back to ranching a little more. He won’t be able to lift heavy stuff, either, so you might be there to help him in that way.”
Relieved, Griff murmured, “I can do that.”
Nodding, Jordana gestured toward the training barn where Slade had just arrived. “Let’s go see Thor.” Keeping her voice businesslike, Jordana didn’t want Griff to know just how badly she wanted to show Slade that she could handle Thor. They walked together up to the training facility.
Slade was needled by Griff’s presence. He noted that Griff had a pair of leather gloves tucked into his belt. Maybe he really was listening to Shorty and working odd jobs around here. Still, Slade felt as if his twin was imposing himself on them, and he didn’t like it at all.
“Thor’s ready,” he told Jordana, hooking a thumb over his shoulder.
Shorty waved hello to Jordana as she walked down the airy passageway. She returned the wave. In the cross ties stood tall, powerful Thor. Her heart pounded because she’d seen the stallion when Slade had ridden him. But now, it was different. She could feel the heat of Slade’s gaze on her back as she approached the saddled stallion.
Thor’s small, fine ears twitched back and forth as Jordana approached. His large nostrils opened to pull in her scent as she halted at his left side.
“He’s rarin’ to go.” Shorty chuckled, getting the saddle stirrups changed for her leg length. “Too many days of not being exercised.”
Jordana held out her hand for Thor to smell. “Yes, he is.” Smiling over at the wrangler, she added, “But so am I.” She knew a stallion who wasn’t well mannered would sometimes bite the hand, and so she was on guard.
Thor’s nostrils flared, showing red deep inside as he took in her womanly scent. His blue eyes were pinned on her. Jordana kept her hand outstretched while he picked up on her scent. She knew how important it was the for the stallion to know her long before she threw a leg over him. “That’s it,” she crooned to the stud, “this is a handshake, isn’t it, fella?”
Ears moving forward to pick up the sound of her soothing, husky tone, Thor shook his head, the cross ties jingling.
Laughing softly, Jordana allowed her fingers to slide firmly along Thor’s massive jaw. His white-and-chestnut coat gleamed. He felt like smooth velvet beneath her touch. The stallion pawed his right hoof against the concrete.
“He’s ready to go,” Slade agreed, coming up alongside her. He nodded to Shorty who was coming around the front of the stud.
“Does he always paw like this?” she asked.
“Always. He’s born to run.”
Nodding, she asked, “Do you walk him out of here?”
“Yes.” Slade saw his twin standing well off to the side. It was obvious Griff was unsettled by the powerful stallion. “I take the reins and walk on the right side of him.”
“Okay,” Jordana said, “I can do that.”
“No,” Slade said, waving for Shorty to come over. “Go to the arena. We’ll meet you there.”
Trying to hide her disappointment, Jordana nodded and turned away. Slade didn’t trust her to even walk his stallion to the corral! Heart sinking, Jordana realized that Slade probably wasn’t going to let her ride Thor in the competition. A fifteen-hand-high horse was tall, and she was diminutive against Thor. Or, was he just taking extra precautions? Walking out of the training barn, Griff hurried to her side.
“What now?” he asked.
“Slade is going to test ride me on Thor down in the arena,” was all she said.
“Can you ride that stud?”
Nodding, Jordana saw Griff’s expression told her different—he didn’t believe her. “Yes, I can.”
“He’s a big horse.”
“Every horse is, Griff. Not just Thor.”
“He’s mean,” Griff muttered, turning to see Shorty leading the dancing, prancing stallion out of the barn.
Jordana heard the growl in his tone. “What do you mean?”
“Shorty was having me feed the horses in the training barn two days ago. When I tried to slide open Thor’s box-stall door, he attacked me.”
“What?” Surprised, she almost stopped.
“Yes,” Griff said, unhappy. “He bared his teeth and charged me as I started to open the door.”
“That’s not good,” Jordana murmured.
“It scared the hell out of me. I’ve never been around horses at all, and he was the last horse on that side of the barn to be fed. The other horses whinnied or nickered and welcomed me into their box stall when I brought in the hay. Not him.” He turned and glared at the medicine-hat stallion who was prancing and tossing his head.
Jordana got to the arena and pulled open the long pipe-rail gate. Griff followed her in, and they stood holding it open for Shorty. Thor danced into the large arena, snorting and continuing to impatiently toss his head. Slade limped in at a slower pace, a scowl locked into his expression. Jordana waited until he moved into the corral before pushing the gate shut and locking it. Climbing between the pipe rails, she walked out to where Slade stood next to his stud. Griff remained outside the corral, hands on the fence and watching from a safe distance.
“I’m ready,” she told Slade as she halted beside him. Shorty was walking the stud around the arena. The sand flew beneath his small, sharp hooves as he danced from side to side. Shorty was calm and quiet and just maintained a steady walk.
Slade looked down at her. “Are you sure about this? He’s full of himself today. More than usual.”
“More than ready,” she said with a grin. “Just because he’s full of himself doesn’t mean he’s intractable.”
Grunting, Slade said, “Come on….”
Following him, Jordana took a deep breath to quell her excitement. She wasn’t afraid of the stallion. She knew Slade was afraid for her. He obviously didn’t believe she could even mount Thor, much less handle him.
“Shorty, give her the reins and step away.”
“Sure, Boss,” he murmured, smiling at Jordana as she opened her hands to receive the reins. He stepped over to Slade’s side.
Now for the test. Jordana saw the stallion’s eyes flick toward her. His ears were pointed in her direction. Good, he was listening. Talking softly to him as she did to any horse she was going to ride, she slowly moved the reins over Thor’s head. The stallion snorted and started to step away.
“Whoa,” Jordana murmured in a firm tone. “Stand.”
Instantly, the stallion stopped moving. A well-trained horse knew “whoa,” “stand” and a whole bunch of other English words. Pleased that Thor obeyed her, she kept her full attention on the stallion. He whipped his chestnut-and-white tail, which was long and flowing, from si
de to side. That was okay. If the stud had moved his tail up and down, it was a sign of anger. Thor was curious about her. And that’s exactly where Jordana wanted the stallion to be.
Gathering the reins in her hand, she gripped a piece of his long mane and inserted her left boot into the stirrup. Thor was tall, so Jordana had to draw on all her strength to pull upward and lift her right leg over the horse’s back. She had a good pull on the horse’s mouth so he couldn’t step forward while she was mounting.
Like a gentleman, Thor stood quietly as she mounted. Slipping her boot into the right stirrup and settling down in the specially made saddle, Jordana quickly gripped the horse’s barrel. Thor’s ears were flicking restlessly. Snorting, he tossed his head.
Jordana didn’t look toward Slade or Shorty. She clucked and squeezed Thor’s barrel. Instantly, the stud jumped forward. Not surprised, Jordana flowed forward with him. She used both hands on the reins. The stallion wanted to run. She wanted him to walk. The battle was joined.
Slade stood there, eyes narrowed speculatively, as he watched the featherweight deal with over a thousand pounds of raw stallion energy. At first, Thor tried to take over, but Slade saw Jordana sit the saddle and play with the reins so that Thor had to curve his long neck and bring his head perpendicular to the ground. He knew enough about dressage to realize that Jordana’s legs and hands were asking the stallion to collect himself in a highly balanced way. Thor wasn’t used to dressage, so Slade wondered what his stud was going to do about it. Would he fight Jordana? Or submit? Slade wasn’t sure as she got the horse to do a dancing walk around the corral.
Tension thrummed through Jordana. She kept her shoulders squared, her spine supple and legs taut and firm against Thor. The power of this animal was exciting to her. He was ten years old and in excellent shape for an endurance horse. His white-and-chestnut coat gleamed in the sunlight, his mane fine and feathery as it moved like ripples of water across his deeply arched neck. She felt as if she were sitting on top of a keg of dynamite that was ready to explode at any second. Yet as she asked Thor to flex his neck and collect himself, he did just that. Exhilaration swept through Jordana. She knew this horse had not been trained for dressage, yet, with her light, constant touch on his bit to keep it from sawing on his mouth, Jordana had secured the horse’s surrender.
“I’ll be darned, Boss,” Shorty whispered, impressed. “Lookie at that stud. He’s mighty tame under her direction.”
Grunting, Slade didn’t say anything. As Jordana worked with her strong legs and light hands, she was getting his stud to do things he’d never seen him do before. Looking like a tiny jockey on the massive stallion, Jordana impressed Slade. But he kept those thoughts to himself.
Jordana felt the stallion respond quickly to her leg pressure. She had him moving diagonally across the arena, neck flexed, his body in balance. When she arrived at the other side, she moved him the other way in the arena with a simple pressure of her other calf against his barrel. Her joy soared. Not only was Thor listening, but he was trying to please her! Allowing the reins to ease, she asked a slow trot of Thor.
Thor wanted to run. He snorted and lunged forward, wanting to gallop. Instantly, Jordana countered and pulled on the reins just enough to let him know he couldn’t do what he wanted. He had to do what she asked of him, and that was all. Headstrong, Thor snorted violently, humped his back and tried to throw her off. Instantly, Jordana gripped his barrel hard with her legs and rode out the two hop-scotching jumps.
Shorty snickered. “Hey, Boss, she’s got his number!”
Grinning a little, Slade nodded. It wasn’t unusual for Thor to do what they termed “crow hopping.” It was a series of bucks and jumps designed to throw off an incompetent rider. But Jordana had stuck like proverbial glue to the stallion’s back when he’d tried those antics with her. “Yes, I think she might,” he admitted in a gravelly tone.
Jordana worked with Thor. It was important the stallion do exactly as she wanted, when she wanted. He was chomping on his bit, foam gathering on the sides of his opened mouth. She could feel the power of each of his long strides as she kept him at a sedate trot. Literally, she could feel the stallion puffing up and trying his best to run, but she kept him under control. With every stride, he grunted and snorted, as if to scare her. But she wasn’t scared. Riding Thor was like riding a lightning bolt.
When she finally allowed him into what was called an extended trot, she felt Thor begin to release some of that stored power. Amazed at the speed and stride of the stud, she posted in the saddle. Jordana was sure that Slade never posted in the saddle, and the horse seemed confused by the motion on his back. Talking soothingly to Thor, his ears flicking, Jordana understood the stud’s sudden wariness. His long legs struck out, and as she continued to keep a firm, guiding hand on him, Thor eventually adjusted to her posting.
Now, Jordana wanted to see if Thor had the floating trot of Stormy. She knew not all mustangs possessed this very Arabian trait. Did he? Squeezing her legs more, and yet holding the reins where they were, she asked that of Thor.
“I’ll be darned, Boss. Look it!” Shorty crowed.
Eyes slitted, Slade watched his powerful stallion move into a strong, flowing trot. Thor’s tall legs snapped out with military precision as he moved into that distance-eating floating trot. He knew to ride that kind of a trot was the hardest on the rider. Yet, Jordana was flowing like a ribbon in the wind as he moved with effortless ease around the arena. Some of his anxiety abated.
“She’s doin’ it!” Shorty said, smiling.
“So far…” Slade muttered. “Let’s wait and see what happens when he gallops.” Slade knew from long experience that the stud’s favorite gait was an all-out gallop. He lived to run. It was bred into his blood and bone. Jordana might think she had control over Thor, but until she had ridden him at that all-out gallop, she wouldn’t realize his raw, competitive power.
Jordana slowed Thor back down to a sedate trot and then asked him to stop. The stallion fought her, moving his head and trying to take control of the reins. No way! Jordana glanced for the first time toward the center of the arena. Was Slade unhappy with her? Or did he trust her? She saw his face dark and unreadable and those gray eyes narrowed like those of a predator.
“Okay,” she told Thor, “he still doesn’t think we can get along.”
Thor snorted and finally halted. He switched his tail from side to side, his ears back and mouth opening and closing. All signs that he didn’t like what was being asked of him.
Jordana knew enough about the stallion to now ask him to canter. The canter was a slow, controlled run. In a gallop, the horse was asked for all his speed and stride. They were very different gaits. She collected Thor with her hands and legs. And then, she gave the stallion the signal to canter.
Thor exploded beneath her, nearly unseating Jordana. Caught off guard by the powerful leap forward, she quickly seated herself and got him back beneath her control. Thor fought the bit, shaking his head from side to side. He was grunting and snorting with every cantering stride. How badly he wanted to run! Jordana felt the unequaled power of the stallion she was riding. Never had she felt this kind of massive energy in any horse. Now, as she flew around the arena fighting Thor with every stride to get him to canter, Jordana saw why he was the top endurance champion. The wind tore past her even at a canter. Jordana’s whole focus was on being ahead of this feisty stallion and guiding him where she wanted him to go. Her hands ached and sweated on the slick leather reins. She couldn’t afford to let Thor get the best of her now. Would he buck and crow hop at this gait? She didn’t know, and she wasn’t about to be caught off guard again.
After warming Thor up in the arena at a canter, she glanced over at Slade.
“Let him run!” he called out.
Okay, a full gallop. Sucking in a breath, Jordana got ready for the ride of her life. Thor heard his master and lunged. For a split second, Jordana was behind the horse’s change of gait. Settling down, she released t
he reins. Thor dug into the deep sand, grunted and stuck out his long neck. His hooves plunged into the soil, the sand flying in veils all around him as he sailed forward at high speed. His tail lifted up like a flag, a very Arabian characteristic. Jordana’s attention narrowed to the quick striding stallion who was finally off the leash and running as hard as he could. They flew around the arena in a blur. For a bit, Jordana simply let the stallion get it out of his system. She was a mere jockey on the hard-running stud. But at a certain point, she needed to reestablish control.
When she pulled in on the reins, Thor snorted and fought her hard. The reins slipped through her fingers. He lunged forward, ears pinned against his neck. It was his way or no way! Quickly gathering the reins through her aching fingers, Jordana leaned forward and hauled him in. Again, Thor fought her. Again, she reestablished her superiority. The stallion reluctantly slowed down, his legs high and long.
Slade watched the battle between woman and stallion. Jordana’s face was intense, her mouth thinned, her eyes ahead of the horse to ensure he was going where she wanted him to go. An unwilling sliver of a smile tipped the corners of his mouth.
“I’ll be darned,” Shorty crowed, “she’s handling him, Boss! How about that? I never thought another man except yourself could handle Thor.” Taking off his hat and shaking his head, Shorty added, “Much less a woman to ride that machine!”
And Thor was a machine, Slade knew. There had been times when he’d had trouble handling the competitive stallion. He watched as Jordana worked and wrestled with Thor. The stallion didn’t want to surrender his will over to her. But he didn’t like surrendering over to Slade, either. It was always a fight, a part of his makeup as a stallion. But handle Thor, she did. Pride for her flowed through Slade. He found himself watching Jordana move the stud around and move him in the other direction. Thor hated giving over his freedom to any rider. He constantly tossed his head, chomped aggressively down on the bit and flattened his ears against his neck. Yet, Jordana was controlling him. His heart opened to this woman who looked as light as a postage stamp on the back of his stallion. She was small but mighty.
The Last Cowboy Page 15
