“Might be best if you just brought your own horse and rode her. Figure that way you’d be more comfortable cause you already know her.”
Oh crap. Yeah, I knew her and comfortable was not the word to describe the way I was going to feel riding her on the ranch this summer.
“Ooookaaay. Uh, sure.”
I sure as hell wasn’t going to voice my concern to my cousin, Grant. The last thing I wanted was to give him the impression that I was going to be more trouble than I was worth. Breeze, on the other hand, well I knew she was waaay more trouble than she was worth.
“I’m going to leave here right after in-service. That’ll be over around noon, so I should get to the ranch around five thirty.”
“Good deal. See you then.”
I pressed End and stared down at the cell phone in my hand. My stomach was churning with a toxic mix of excitement and dread. This was the chance of a lifetime and I had romanticized it in my head for three full weeks now. In not one of those daydreams was I mounted on my own Appendix mare. No, with her mood swings the only thing she would star in was an equine version of the movie Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
I hastily dialed Debbie, my friend and sensei for all things horse.
“Hey D, what’s up?”
“He wants me to ride Breeze.”
I’m guessing she could hear the tension in my voice. She laughed, the jerk.
“It’ll be okay. She’ll be fine. There will be so much going on, she’ll have plenty to keep her mind busy.”
Oh please Lord let that be the truth.
“Okay, sure. You’re right. I’m going to choose to believe that or else I won’t sleep a wink tonight. Okay, you’re right.”
If I repeated it often enough maybe I could convince myself.
“You’ll be fine D. Really. It’s going to be awesome.”
“I know. I’m still super excited. Just a little unconfident. I knew that I was going to be clueless but I thought I would at least be riding a horse that knew what was going on. Now I’m going to be clueless on a bat-crap crazy mare.” My voice rose an octave at the end.
She laughed again and I tried to remember why I had called her. . .
“Well, I’ve got to pack and get Breeze’s stuff ready too so I guess I’ll let you go.”
“Alright, you’d better call me and let me know how things go. Ya’ll will be fine, D. Just have fun.”
“K, Bye.”
I quickly busied my mind with the details of what I would need for both myself and my horse for a month long stay. Maybe Deb was right and everything would be fine. Besides, Breeze could be absolutely great on a good day. I just needed to pray that she could put together a string of them.
Submitted by Claire
Pistols and Pearls
A compilation. The first story, about Brooke, was originally written by Claire at a time when both were struggling through a relationship dry spell. An avid reader, during this time Claire’s appetite for romance novels became voracious. At Brooke’s teasing suggestion that she stop reading the novels and write one, Claire wrote a chapter with Brooke as the heroine. Brooke reciprocated and when Molli heard about the fun they were having, she decided to contribute as well. And so it began.
Non-Fiction
- At the Ranch (1)
About the Authors
Brooke: 27-year-old former veterinary student. Blonde and blue-eyed with womanly curves and OCD tendencies. Her best friend is Claire.
Claire: 28-year-old former college athlete turned junior high coach. Tall and athletic with a face made for commercials, but a heart for her animals and a simpler way of life.
Molli: 24-year-old who is Claire's fun-loving colleague. Up for anything and constantly matchmaking. Her deep cleavage and sultry voice have the men following her like drooling puppies.
Claire: 28-year-old former college athlete turned junior high coach. Tall and athletic with a face made for commercials, but a heart for her animals and a simpler way of life.
Molli: 24-year-old who is Claire's fun-loving colleague. Up for anything and constantly matchmaking. Her deep cleavage and sultry voice have the men following her like drooling puppies.
