Riverbreeze: Part 1 by Ellen E. Johnson Read Free Book Online Page B

them times of unrestricted playtime before the
responsibilities of adulthood would end all that.
    Suddenly, he wanted some of that gaiety back.
He hadn’t ridden a horse in over two and a half years, really ridden a horse, but he was sure he could manage.
How difficult could it be? He remembered how to hold the reins; he
knew to put his feet in the stirrups. Surely that was all he needed
to know.
    He was ready for some fun!
    Suddenly he stood up, startling Jamie.
    “What! What is it? Did you see something?” On
alert, Jamie quickly looked around.
    “’Tis nothing, nothing like that.” Robert was
quick to reassure him, but he also had to grit his teeth against
the pain in his leg. However, that didn’t stop him. “But, Jamie, I
want to take you up on your offer.” He said, an urge so strong in
him, he couldn’t understand it. Robert knew it was reckless of him
and totally irresponsible, but he just had to do it.
    “My offer?” Jamie looked totally blank.
    “Two days ago you asked me if I would like to
ride Pisador.” Robert reminded him, but like the idiot he was, he
had refused and gone off to do more mind- numbing work, leaving his
brother once again, shaking his head in his wake. “I want to do it
now.”
    “What! Now?” Jamie goggled at him. “Are you
mad?”
    “Maybe so; I know not. But do you remember
when we used to ride Apollo and Peasblossom and how much fun we had
and….”
    Jamie interrupted him, angered by this sudden
change in his brother. “Of course I remember! Obviously you hadn’t
until just now, for some strange reason. But you cannot ride
Pisador now with your leg the way it is. Two days ago you might
have managed, but now…I mean you haven’t ridden in over two and a
half years and…!”
    Robert gave Jamie a cold look that froze the
rest of Jamie’s words. He didn’t need to be reminded of his
accident that had nearly crippled him. But he had healed and there
were days when one would never know how he had nearly sliced off
half his calf chopping wood.
    “Help me get on him.” Robert said in a tone
that brooked no further argument.
    “All right.” Jamie relented, shrugging his
shoulders. “We’ll see how far you get.”
    “Shut up.” Robert muttered.
    He moved closer to the stallion, murmuring a
few soothing words to the horse as he put his hand out slowly to
allow the horse to get the smell of him, but the big stallion
wasn’t having anything to do with Robert. He went to bite him and
Robert had to snatch his hand back quickly lest he lose a few
fingers. “Bloody bugger.”
    Jamie laughed. “So, you think you’re going to
ride him, hmm? He won’t even let you near him! I told you yesterday
you should have spent more time with them these past two weeks to
let them get to know you, but no, you wouldn’t listen to me…”
    “Shut up, I said!” Robert snapped. He was
determined to do this. “Come on, hold the bridle; keep his damn
mouth away from me while I mount him.”
    Jamie just stood there gaping at him for a
second. “You really mean it, don’t you?”
    Robert stood his ground. “Yes, I do.”
    “Oh Christ!” Jamie threw up his hands. “All
right, but if you fall off, blame me not!”
    Robert just laughed. “I’m not going to fall
off.”
    “You say that now.” Jamie muttered under his
breath.
    They finally got Robert up in the saddle. It
had required Jamie to hold tightly to Pisador’s bridle to keep his
head from swinging back to try to bite Robert while he used his
good leg to boost himself into the saddle. Luckily his good leg was
his left leg and he could mount on the left like the horse was used
to. And once up there it had taken all his strength and skills to
keep the horse under control.
    He took hold of the double set of reins and
hoped he could keep them straight. Meanwhile the horse bucked and
twisted, trying to unseat Robert. Jamie attempted to keep a hold of
the bridle and did a pretty good job of it for a while, until
Robert just told