Follow a Wild Heart: A Christian Contemporary Western Romance Series by Natalie Bright (top reads .TXT) 📗

Carli walked closer. “Hi, my name's Carli. Who are you?”

“I’m Shauna,” was the quiet reply. “I’m eight. Can we ride the horses now?” Excitement practically rushed out of every pore. She couldn’t stand still or stop the wide smile that covered her face.

“Hang on there, young lady. We’ll get to that soon enough.” Buck laughed at the overeager girl.

Carli turned to the boy. “You must be Jared.” She smiled at his mother.

Within a few more minutes Lexi was dropped off by her mother. While Lola and Buck kept the kids occupied, Carli introduced herself to the mothers and answered their questions. With all the paperwork in order, she turned to greet the second class of LoveJoy Riding School students. She brushed clammy palms on her jeans and took in a deep breath. After giving riding lessons for almost a decade in Georgia, she couldn’t figure out why this new venture had her nerves on edge.

Nathan pulled up in his truck, got out, and walked towards Buck and Lola. Carli hid her surprise, turning her focus to the kids. She hadn’t talked to Nathan since he and Lank had swung at each other like two hot-headed clowns.

Everyone gathered in a semicircle as Carli gave her introductory speech.

“Hello and welcome to LoveJoy Riding School and the Wild Cow Ranch. We’re so glad to have you here today. We’ll learn about horses and I think you’ll all have a good time. I’m Carli. This is Mr. Buck, Mrs. Lola, and Mr. Nathan. They are all here to help us. We just have a few rules. No yelling, especially around the horses. Keep your voices soft and low. Horses can sense your fear. No hurting the horses or each other."

“What about keep your hands to yourself?” Shauna interjected.

“Yes, for sure. Definitely. Is that one of the rules from your school?”

The little girl nodded her head.

“Thank you for reminding us, Shauna. Would you like to be the first to meet our horse friend? I can show you how to pet him.”

The little girl hesitated but stepped up. “What do I do? Will he bite me?”

“You just reminded me of two more safety rules. Don’t hold your fingers out to a horse like this. He might think they're something to eat. In the future, when we feed carrots or apples, we’ll hold our hands flat like this. And don’t stand behind a horse. It could spook him. We don’t want you to get kicked. Watch your feet so you don’t get stepped on.”

The girl said, “Sounds dangerous. He’ll hurt me.”

“You just need to know about safety. These are big animals. Some of them weigh a thousand pounds. So, we have to be careful. But mostly, they’re gentle and sweet. Here, take your hand and hold it under his nose. Let him smell you first. Then you can pet his shoulder. Like this. See, he’s soft.”

“Ooh, that tickles. His nose wiggled.”

“He likes you,” Carli told her. She turned to Lexi. “I could really use your assistance today. We’ve got some new kids and it’s their first time here. I need someone your age to help me.”

Lexi still scowled and mumbled to herself, but she peered at Carli rather than looking away.

“What do I have to do?”

“You can stand next to me. You’re closer to their age. They might trust you more. Little by little, we’ll all learn about horses.”

“I know what you’re doing, by the way. Making me think I’m gonna help you, but really you want to play shrink on me. Trying to be my friend but you just want to warn me about Raven. You’re just like my mother.”

Carli walked closer to the girl and dropped her voice to a low murmur. “You’re a smart girl, Lexi. But I’m no counselor and I’m not your mother. I haven’t figured out my own life yet. I’m glad you like horses and I’m glad you came back. I think you’ll enjoy your time here and I really hope we can be friends. As far as Raven goes, he’s not welcome on my ranch.”

After a big sigh, the girl let out, “Sure, I’ll help.”

Carli watched the busyness as everyone pitched in, adults and kids alike. A common interest brought together by the horses who clearly enjoyed the attention. She noticed the smiles on every face. The moments of laughter, and the looks of concentration as they focused on their tasks. Lexi and Lola worked to show Jared and Shauna how to brush their horses, and Nathan ran in between, helping find saddles to fit each kid and getting tack for everyone. Buck leaned against the fence, watching. Her heart lightened as she felt more determined than ever to make this riding school work. Deep down, she knew it was the right path for her.

Carli approached Nathan with a wide smile. She decided to keep the conversation neutral. “Nate, thanks for helping today. I saw how good you were with that little girl.”

“Shauna? That girl’s a pistol. Funny, too. She kind of took over, was showing me what to do. Although I don’t think she’s been around horses much. I like her. I'm glad to be of some help.”

“I’m surprised to see you here today. You haven’t answered my texts.” Carli leaned her back to the fence next to Nathan.

He looked straight ahead and didn’t turn to acknowledge her. “The last time I was here, as I recall, I professed my love and you called me an idiot. Thought I’d give you some space.”

“Yeah, well…” Carli stammered. “Don’t take it personal. I called both of you idiots.”

“You got that right about one of us being a bigger idiot than the other.”

“Honestly, I’m still confused over the whole situation. I’m not sure why you two got so angry at each other.”

Nathan laughed. “It’s not the first time Lank and I had words that turned into fists. We all grew up together, his sister and my siblings. We have a history, but I apologize for getting you involved and for