But it was necessary to shut everyone out, or at least that’s what I told myself.
My heart beats a little faster as I follow him off the ice. Not only will I get to know my lineman better, but Danny will also finally have the opportunity to get to know my teammates. Well, at least one of them. He’s going to be over the moon. I can’t wait to see his face when I tell him.
Note to self: give Lily a big hug when I see her later.
Little does she know how much of an impact she’s already had on my life, and all for the better. I can’t wait to see her again.
* * *
Three hours later, I arrive with Danny at the equestrian facility. The sun’s out, enhancing the golden autumn colors. It’s a sunny day and quite warm for this time of the year.
I look around and see 1900 is written on the main building. I remember Ryan talking at a sponsor event about how the equestrian center has been in his family since that time. There are still parts of the original farmhouse and barns left, but modern additions have been carefully added. It’s a beautiful place. When I walked Lily back to her room the night we met, I didn’t pay much attention as my mind was occupied otherwise. But in the daylight, the property is stunning.
Tall double doors painted in dark red mark the entrance to every stable, whereas the rest of every building is painted in a dark gray shade. I like that color, and everything appears well looked after. I can tell this is a professional operation.
“You’re still sure about your teammate's invitation?” Danny asks for the third time, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. It’s like he can’t believe that what he wanted for so long is finally happening. I wouldn’t be surprised if he started to jump around like an excited child.
“Yes, I’m still sure. Now quit asking.” I shake my head at his excitement.
Lily asked us to come to one of the outdoor arenas, as she wanted to complete the warm-up before our arrival to spare us the rather tedious process. As neither Danny nor I know much about horse riding, we trusted her judgment. To be honest, I wouldn’t have minded watching her lead the horse around for fifteen minutes to warm up its muscles and joints before progressing to the actual training. That seems like a small sacrifice compared to what she’s done for me.
Whenever she’s around, I feel comfortable. Danny has remarked about how much I’ve opened up since she stepped into our lives, and he’s right. I think my teammates look at me with different eyes too. This is the first time I’ve wanted them to know who I am and allowed them to see my personality.
Gone is the lonesome wolf, replaced by a guy who is able to joke around and wants to take an active part in team development. Even my coach praised my changed persona, telling me, “Good job, Wolfe. Keep up the good work,” and I’m 100 percent sure he didn’t only mean my ability to shoot goals. It’s crazy how much I’ve limited myself, afraid that someone would guess my sexual preference. I closed myself off against everything and everyone, but with Lily at my side, I’m not scared anymore.
I’m still hiding my sexuality, but I can show them the rest. I’m happy. And Danny’s happy, which makes me even happier. And if Lily gets her first client today, that’ll make her happy too.
“This place is huge,” Danny says, doing a 360. “Looks a lot different in daylight too.”
I nod. Right in front of us are four long buildings with windows framed in the same red as the entrance doors. According to Lily, these are stables that host horses with different training levels. On our left are pastures where horses are grazing. A big gray one lifts its head and snorts as we pass by, and on a closer look, I see a baby horse hiding behind it.
“Those horses are pretty big. Do you think the ones Lily rides are as tall as the ones over there?” Danny points at a group on the next pasture as we walk toward the stables. One looks up briefly, then turns back to graze.
“No idea. Are younger horses already fully grown? Look at the babies over there. They aren’t that big.” I watch the foal jump around what seems to be his mommy. It’s cute in a way, but I doubt animals that size can be ridden. Maybe there’s a size in between the big ones and the babies?
“Have you ever gone horse riding?” Danny asks.
“Nah, never. I think horses are pretty scary, having a mind of their own. Have you?”
He shakes his head. “No, me neither. They’re pretty scary to me too, but I’m curious to learn what Lily does every day.”
Now it’s my turn to nod. “Yeah, me too. Where did she say to turn again?”
“Didn’t you pay attention?” He winks at me, and I blink back. This is the most open we’ve ever been in public, and I’m enjoying how we can have this banter with our pint-sized shield protecting us. I want to kiss him right now, but that would be taking things too far. Someone might see us. Instead, I give him a warm smile and shrug. He’s better at remembering directions anyway. If possible, I put the phone on speaker whenever someone gives me directions and let him memorize them.
“She said to turn right after the last stable. You’re the one who was here before when you walked her to the coach house.” He gives me a fist bump against my shoulder, and my belly flutters.
“It was dark, and I didn’t pay much attention to my surroundings that evening.”
He nods in understanding. I remember how hopeful I felt that evening to have finally found a solution to what seemed at that time like an unsolvable problem.
“That must be it.” He points to a big arena surrounded by a wooden fence and filled with sand. We both come to an abrupt halt as the horse and rider inside become visible.
“Holy fuck. That’s a big horse.” Danny’s mouth falls open as he watches the petite Lily on a well-muscled red horse.
“No kidding. How can she even handle him?” I scratch my chin. I’m a little worried.
“No idea.” He hasn’t moved, frozen in place, and so am I.
“Holy…,” I start as Lily turns the horse, who must be the stallion Cornado, to the left and approaches a big jump, or fence as she called it earlier. Whatever they’re called, they’re way too high for my liking. The stallion huffs as he strains against the reins. Holding my breath, I watch, mesmerized as they take off and fly through the air.
“She’s crazy,” Danny mutters beside me. “How can she not be scared to death?”
“No fucking clue.” I release my breath when Lily and Cornado land safely on the ground again. She slows him down and pets his neck.
“Let’s go over to where Ryan’s sitting.” I set my feet in motion.
“Tyler, glad you could make it.” Ryan pats me on my back.
“Good to see you. Ryan. This is Danny. He’s my roommate and personal trainer. He’ll also be responsible for Lily’s training from now.”
“Nice to meet you, Danny. Good to hear that Lily is going to work with you.”
“Hey, guys.” Lily brings the horse to a halt in front of us.
“Hey, darling.” She blushes at hearing me call her that. She shouldn’t be surprised; it’s the pet name we’ve agreed upon. “Do you always jump that high?” I raise an eyebrow.
She nods, and Ryan laughs. “Don’t be scared, Tyler. It might seem high to you, but horses can jump a lot higher. Cornado is still a youngster, and this is only a medium height.”
“So you’ve jumped higher fences?” Danny asks.
“I have. The higher it gets, the bigger the fun.”
I’m not sure I agree with her. What if she falls? She’s wearing a helmet, but there isn’t any other protective gear—not like in hockey where we’re wearing padding and guards.
“You’re nuts, Lily,” Danny says, speaking my thoughts. Lily and Ryan just laugh and shake their heads.
“You can pet him if you want.” Lily strokes the stallion’s neck.
I hesitate but then step closer to the big animal. He turns his head and watches me out of his dark eyes. I reach out with my left hand and awkwardly pet his neck. His coat feels silky and warm beneath my hand, and I rela
x my shoulders. He’s a bit smelly, though. Horses have a pretty intense fragrance around them.
“Put your hand out flat, Ty, and let him nuzzle it.”
I do as Lily says, surprised by the dry and hairy tickle of Cornado’s lips. Then he starts to lick my hand.
“You have sweaty hands, Wolfe.” Ryan laughs. “He likes the salty taste. But enough now, let’s continue, Lily. We don’t want the horse to get cold.”
We’re about to take our seats beside Ryan when Wioletta and Smithy arrive. After a brief introduction, Ryan explains Lily’s training to us in detail while we watch in awe as she takes jump after jump.
“See how she approaches the green fence and the one behind. She’s counting the strides in between to get the distance right. Show jumping is all about distances. As a rider, you have to learn to make distances work with different horses. The length of the canter strides varies with every horse. It’s the rider’s job to know how many strides are necessary between the fences. Also, some horses need encouragement approaching a jump, while other horses are overeager and need holding back. Lily is highly talented and adapts quickly to all kinds of horses, bringing out the best in them.”
“Isn’t this one too big for her?” Danny again expresses my concerns. To me, the stallion looks enormous.
Ryan scratches his beard. “Well, it’s true that size wise they’re not an ideal match, but she handles him well. He’s quite taken with her. I worked with him for a while myself, but we never clicked. It’s like in a relationship. A horse and a rider need to have chemistry. He never liked me very much, and I never connected with him either. It seems he’s a lady’s man, our Cornado. For now, he’s chosen Lily as his rider. We’ll see how far she can take him, and then we’ll make a decision about his future.”
“So he’ll be for sale eventually?” I wonder how Lily feels about the horse being taken away from her. Hell, I’ve no idea how she copes with that. She’ll be the one to develop the horse, only to watch him be sold? That’s brutal.
Ryan shrugs. “That’s business, man. I have to think long term and sometimes sell a horse, even a highly talented one.” He smiles at me apologetically. “But no decision has been made regarding this one. Like I said, for now, Lily is going to ride him and take part in international competitions with him. There are development classes for young horses. She’ll learn a lot participating under my supervision.”
“That’s so exciting,” Wioletta chimes in. “I can’t wait to see them. She has such a fine and elegant riding style. It’s a pleasure to watch her. I can’t wait to see how Fortuna looks underneath her. If I only had half her talent.”
Ryan turns to Wioletta. “You’ll get there in no time. Lily has a talent for coaching as well, and since she’ll be training the mare, I suggest that she should be the one giving you lessons as well. If needed, I’ll supervise from time to time. Other than that, Lily is capable of doing this on her own.”
“I’d like that. It’s such a perfect opportunity. Everything here is so well organized. I didn’t even know you offered training for amateurs like me. I’m so glad I met Lily through Tyler.”
Ryan laughs. “It’s a small world! I’m glad Tyler found Lily too.”
Truer words were never spoken, I think as I watch Lily approach another jump.
Chapter Ten
Lily
It’s the first time in weeks that Cornado is working with me rather than against me, and I’m walking on sunshine. I’ve been nervous about Tyler and Danny coming to watch me train, but thankfully my promise to make Cornado an extra portion of mash if he behaves today seems to have worked wonders. I have to keep that in mind for our first competition. He’s jumping like a star, and I couldn’t be happier.
“Just one more combination, Lily. Take the one on the right,” Ryan says into my ear. Thank God for these communication devices. There’s no yelling around the arena anymore in modern show jumping training since his microphone and my earpiece are connected via Bluetooth.
I exhale and approach the double combination. “Easy, boy,” I tell Cornado, who’s straining against the reins. He loves to jump, and today he really wants to do well. The ground flies beneath his hooves as we approach the first jump, a wide oxer.
Cornado grunts with effort as he takes off from the ground, then easily sails over the big fence. Blood pumps through my veins, and I can hear my own heartbeat as we land between the oxer and the second jump, a high vertical. I hold him back a little, adjusting his canter stride to the close distance, and he lifts his big body off the ground again.
It feels like flying today. Everything we’ve worked on the past couple of weeks finally comes together. I love it when the wind rushes past me and I can feel the power beneath me. Nothing compares to this feeling of freedom combined with an insane adrenaline rush. It’s always been like this for me, and I don’t think I could live without it. There’s something magical about a horse and a rider becoming one.
“Good boy.” I pet his neck after we safely land on the ground again.
I’m startled when I hear applause; that’s never happened before. Luckily, Cornado doesn’t seem to mind the strange noise and keeps calm.
Tyler, Danny, Wioletta, and Smithy are all clapping and cheering, standing next to Ryan. For a moment, I completely forgot about them. It had only been the stallion and me, the world around us ceasing to exist, finding that perfect harmony with an animal ten times my size.
“Good job, Lily. You’re ready for your first competition with him. Let’s talk tomorrow about the details,” Ryan says.
Stunned, I nod and my cheeks heat up. This is what I’ve been dreaming about, my first international competition.
“Thank you,” I manage to reply. “He was such a good boy today.”
Ryan jumps over the fence surrounding the arena and strokes Cornado’s neck. “Let me take our boy here so you can have a look at Wioletta’s mare. Get her ready and warm her up a little. I’ll join you later and have a look at her as well.”
I dismount and hand the reins to Ryan. “So you’re my groom today?” I wink at him.
“Don’t get used to it.” He winks back while the others laugh.
“That was impressive.” Tyler draws me into a kiss as I join them. “You’re incredible.” He hugs me tightly and kisses me again. It’s just a light peck on the lips, but my stomach flutters at the brief contact. I’m hit by a wave of his aftershave, and that doesn’t help to diminish my attraction either. Crap, why does the man have to smell so good?
“Unbelievable.” Danny hugs me briefly and shakes his head. “You’re truly flying with the horse. Aren’t you scared?”
I shake my head. “Never. It feels like flying. For me, there’s nothing like it. I love it.”
“I can tell.” Wioletta hugs me as well. “Never stop riding, Lily. You have such a gift. Fortuna is going to love you.”
“I’m impressed,” Smithy says, hugging me as well.
“Thank you.” I move back to Ty, who puts an arm around me, pulling me into his side.
“I’m glad you’re back on the ground.” He kisses me softly on my head, and my stomach flutters even more. Why does he have to be so sweet?
Sure I’m beet red by now, I quickly say, “Has Nick taken care of Fortuna?”
“Yes, he promised to keep an eye on her and bring her some hay. Everyone here is so helpful. I’m so happy to be here.” Wioletta has a huge smile on her face.
“We all love what we do, and the horses always come first. Nick is a great guy. He knows what he’s doing. Has he put her in the mare’s barn?”
Wioletta nods, and I motion the little group forward. “Let’s get to work, then.”
* * *
“Come on, Lily, just one more.” Wioletta pushes my hand away as I try to put it over the shot glass. Ignoring my protests, she pours another one for me and sits down beside me.
“Na zdrowie!” She lifts her glass. I’m drunk already, and this shot won’t make it better. The world is sp
inning around me, and I have a hard time thinking.
I have no idea how Wioletta is still standing, but it seems Polish people have a higher tolerance for vodka. At least I won’t have trouble falling asleep tonight in the guest room at Tyler and Danny’s place. Whatever they do later, I’ll be soundly asleep.
Danny seems buzzed as well, but Tyler and Smithy have a game tomorrow and haven’t touched any alcohol.
I’m not sure how I’m going to feel tomorrow with all the alcohol in my system, but tonight was a fantastic evening. Wioletta and Smithy have been warm and welcoming and put food for a whole regiment on the table. I’m still amazed at how much each of the men has eaten, and there’s still plenty of leftovers. Wioletta has treated us to a national Polish dish called bigos that was truly delicious, only topped by the homemade chocolate mousse she served for dessert. I can tell she loves cooking.
She and Smithy are the sweetest couple. Whenever she enters the room, his eyes light up. It’s obvious that he adores her. I can only hope to find a man like that one day as well. They’re a picture-perfect couple in every sense, and I’ve felt nothing but welcome in their company from the very beginning.
Wioletta has an outgoing personality and encourages everyone to take part in the conversation. She made it easy for me to open up, and I’m beyond grateful. I’ve always had trouble talking to new people, but that’s not the case with Wioletta and Smithy. Being Ty’s fake girlfriend has its benefits. I’d have never met them without him, and I wouldn’t have my first client, either. Working with Wioletta and Fortuna will help me become a better rider and teacher, and I’m looking forward to assisting them in forming their partnership.
Fortuna is a lovely mare similar in size and character to Bellezza. She’s a joy to work with, and we’ve already been able to improve certain areas. Fortuna is a quick learner, and with some training, she’ll be a reliable partner for Wioletta in the future. I can’t wait to see where they’ll be in half a year.
Defying Gravity: An Ice Tigers Hockey Novel Page 7
