She tried her best to keep her hands to herself, to not touch Lea’s thigh, or her arm, or push too hard into her side when Eli took a turn sharper than she had anticipated, which seemed to be a lot. At some point, she leaned over Lea and shot Eli a dirty look, wondering if the woman was doing it on purpose. The responding smirk confirmed that fact.
Jewel was doomed.
Everything she wanted was sitting right next to her, but until they had some time to properly talk, they were going to have to leave well enough alone. Jewel wouldn’t push Lea to do anything, especially with what had happened the night before, without a good long conversation. When they got to the lake, Jewel got out and stretched her legs. It had only been a forty-five minute drive, but sitting in such close confines with Lea had pushed her to a limit she hadn’t known she’d had.
Eli got out and opened the back of the trailer. She got the horses ready while Lea helped and Jewel hung back. She had no idea what she was doing, so it would definitely be better if she didn’t intervene or attempt to help. She would only make it worse. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket and looked around.
She hadn’t been to this lake before, although she’d heard her students talk about it for years. She’d never found the time. She could see why they all loved it so much. It was gorgeous, as if they had dipped into an oasis in the middle of the high plains. Trees lined both sides, the lake below shimmering in what there was of sunlight, but it was a deep blue. She caught sight of a couple old men fishing down by a dock and wondered if they were there rain or shine.
Eli held out some reins for her to take, and Jewel hesitated before allowing the leather to fall into her fingers. “This is Mercy. She’s my best and my calmest horse, so don’t you go worrying about anything.”
Jewel drew in a deep breath and let it out. She hadn’t realized horses were so big. In retrospect, she should have. They were beautifully strong creatures. Jewel put her hand out for Mercy to smell, and Eli immediately clucked her tongue.
“Fingers flat or she might nip at them.”
Shoving her hand back in her pocket, Jewel looked at Lea with a tinge of fear. Lea looked relaxed as she ran her hands along the neck and muzzle of her horse. Together, they seemed to bond. Jewel would never have that—with the horse or with Lea. Perhaps they were too good as friends to be anything else.
Eli flung a saddle onto Mercy’s back, tightened the straps, and did some other things Jewel didn’t understand. She repeated the process with the other two horses, running her hands along them to calm them when they shivered. When she was done, Eli closed up and locked the trailer.
“Know how to get up?” Eli asked.
Jewel shook her head.
“All right then.” Eli stepped next to Jewel and put a hand on her side, guiding her into position next to the stirrups. “Put your left foot right here, hands here, pull up, and swing your leg over.”
“I’m not so sure about this.”
“You got it.” Eli gave her an encouraging smile. “I won’t let you fall.”
Lea was already up on her horse. How many times she had done this before, Jewel had no idea, but Lea was proficient at riding.
“You better not,” Jewel muttered. “Don’t grab my ass either.”
Eli snorted a bark of laughter. “I’ll try not to, but it’s just so plump.”
With a steadying breath, Jewel did exactly as Eli had told her. She swung her leg over the horse, settling into the saddle. She was far shorter than Lea on a good day, so the climb and swing had been more difficult than she anticipated. Her heart thrummed steadily as Eli handed up the reins.
“Mercy won’t go until I go, so don’t worry about too much. She’s a good follower.”
“Is that supposed to mean something?” Jewel accused.
Eli winked. “Sometimes following the leader is a good thing to learn.”
As Eli walked away, Jewel muttered under her breath, “What does that even mean?”
“It means,” Eli said as she got onto her horse, “That sometimes you can’t be bullheaded about things.”
Lea cast a curious look between the two of them, clearly trying to figure out what they were talking about. Jewel grimaced, but she understood. Do not poke the Lea.
Eli clicked her tongue and pulled on her reins. Together, the three of them and their horses moved slowly down the dirt road. Eli stayed in front, and Lea hung back so she and Jewel rode side by side. Jewel was so uncomfortable. Not only had Eli told her to stay in her lane, but she also was not used to riding the beast under her. The fear she might fall off was far too strong. She gripped the leather tightly, holding on for dear life.
Lea scoffed. “You need to relax.”
“How can I relax on top of this thing?”
“Take a breath, J. Seriously. The tenser you are, the tenser the horse will be.”
Groaning, Jewel waited a few seconds before doing as she was told. Her knees stopped pressing into Mercy’s sides, her shoulders slightly let loose, and she felt Mercy ease under her. Curse Lea for being right. She said nothing as Lea stayed right next to her, the clickity-clack of the hooves against the dirt road the only noise along with the wind.