Andy Squared (6 page)

“Where are we going? Is it okay to leave them like that?”

“It's fine,” Ryder said, flipping on the light. “This is the tack room. We keep all the hardware we need to ride in here. Saddles, saddle pads, harnesses, halters, bridles, you name it. It's all here.”

“You just spoke Greek, because I have no idea what you said.” Andrew looked around the small room and noted all the cubbies with various leather contraptions in them or hanging next to them. Saddles filled half of the boxes, with long, leather ropes next to each. He gingerly reached out and touched one.

Ryder watched him, amused. Looking over the saddles, he found Magpie's and frowned, glancing from the saddles, to Andrew, and back again.

“What is it?”

“I'm just debating whether to put you in an English saddle or Western for your first time.”

“What's the difference?” Andrew asked, looking over the two saddles. He could visibly see the difference as soon as he got a look at them. “Oh.”

“Yeah. The English saddle has no horn to hold on to. It's smaller, lightweight, better padded. The stirrups are a little smaller…stirrups!”

Confused by the sudden change in tone, Andrew turned to look at him and blinked. “What about the stirrups?”

“You're wearing sneakers. You need boots. It's easier to keep your foot in the stirrup when you have a heel so you don't slip through. What size shoe are you?”

“Ten,” he answered, still mystified.

“I think my uncle is a size ten, hold on.” Ryder disappeared through a door Andrew hadn't noticed at the back of the tack room. Inside, the lights flipped on for a moment and then back off. Ryder emerged holding a pair of worn, brown boots in his hand. “Yeah, these should fit you. I'll just let him know you borrowed them. He shouldn't mind.”

“Um…what were you saying before about the saddles?”

“Oh! Right. The stirrups are smaller than a Western style,” which he gestured toward. “They use these at the fairs for those pony rides you take.”

“Took, Ryder. Took.” Andrew felt his face heat again.

Ryder rested his hands on his hips and leaned against the wall. “Fine, took. They're heavier with sturdier stirrups, and they have the horn. I guess it is okay to use when you first learn because you can hold on to it, but it's not as comfortable. I use an English saddle. I think you should too this time, and we'll see what you think.”

“Don't cowboys use those? The Westerns?”

“Well, yeah. So?”

“So…you lived in Texas.”

“That doesn't make me a cowboy, Andy.”

Grabbing a saddle and saddle pad, Ryder dumped them in Andrew's arms and then grabbed one of the rope-like contraptions Andrew had noticed and settled that over the saddle. “That's the bridle,” Ryder explained as he debated the helmets.

“I'm not wearing a helmet.”

“You're new, you're wearing one. Don't argue.”

The tone in his voice wouldn't allow for any argument. It was firm and very businesslike. Ryder was a different person outside of school. Andrew liked it
.
“What about you?”

“What about me?” Ryder asked.

“Aren't you going to wear a helmet?”

“I've been riding for years. I can manage without one if we're just in the field.”

Andrew glared as Ryder fitted the helmet to his head, then satisfied with the size, plopped it onto the stack Andrew already held. Andrew watched his friend pick up the same equipment for himself—minus a helmet. Ryder carried his stuff gracefully out of the room. Andrew followed behind, struggling a bit under the cumbersome weight and nearly tripping over a rope that rested on the floor in his direct path.

“I'll put Cobalt's things on first, and you can watch, and then we'll work on Magpie together.”

Setting the things down on a bench as directed, Andrew traded his sneakers for the boots. They stowed their shoes under the bench seat outside Cobalt's stall. Before they got started, Ryder showed him how to check the hooves for any debris and clean them out, and then gave Cobalt a quick brush over his back. When he put on the saddle pad and saddle, he moved quickly and Andrew could not keep up with the swift pace. He stared at the bridle as Ryder slipped it over Cobalt's head, over the halter, and made a face.

“What?” Ryder asked when he glanced back over his shoulder.

“I'm lost.”

“Don't worry. I'll help you.” Leaving the halter tied to the crossties for the moment, they worked on the mare next. The two had to work close in the narrow space between the horse's body and the walls, and soon they were getting in each other's way as Ryder guided Andrew's hands. When their bodies brushed together for the fifth time, not that Andrew was counting, he felt an uncomfortable flush start on his cheeks and silently prayed it wouldn't spread to his neck. The air grew thick with tension as they prepared the horse. Ryder brushed up against him again, and Andrew shivered despite the heat from the horse's body.

“You cold?” Ryder asked.

“Uh…a little.”

Not seeming to notice Andrew's discomfort, Ryder stepped back. “You'll warm up.”

“I'm sure I will.”

“All right.” Ryder added, “Helmet on. We're ready.”

Andrew put the helmet on with a scowl and left it unbuckled. Ryder unclipped the crossties and showed him how to slide the halter off from underneath the bridle, and then they were off, walking side by side with the horses following.

“We'll head out to the west field. It's flatter.”

“Whatever you say,” Andrew said.

Once they passed through the fence and locked it in place behind them, Ryder helped Andrew climb up on the horse. Standing on the left side, he pulled the stirrup down and showed him how to put his foot in and pull himself up.

“It's easier with a horn,” he admitted. “And we have to adjust the stirrups for your leg length.” After another few awkward moments with Ryder's hands tugging his legs this way and that to get the length just right, he was settled. Ryder climbed up on Cobalt and Andrew followed him at a walk through the field.

Andrew soon became comfortable with riding because of the slow gait of the horse. Magpie could be controlled with just the slightest, gentle guiding of the reins and Andrew turned her where he wanted to go. He tested out his power over the large animal by gently tugging first to the left, then the right. Magpie's ears flicked back at him and she snorted. Ryder pulled up next to him with Cobalt and their legs nearly brushed together.

“Not so bad, huh?”

“Yeah, it's not bad,” Andrew admitted.

“Make sure you use your legs to stay on. You should use your thighs to grip the horse. Don't rely on the reins to keep you in the saddle. You could drop them right now and stay on,” Ryder said and dropped his to demonstrate. Cobalt kept walking in the same direction.

“No thanks,” Andrew said, unsure. He had no desire to look like a fool today.

“Just don't put too much weight on the stirrups. It'll make you unsteady.”

Andrew watched him, a little skeptical, but agreed to do his best. They walked around the field at a slow, easy pace. Andrew relaxed and let his thoughts wander to the calm, early winter evening. The sun moved closer to the horizon as they rode, casting a calming light over everything.

When they were about midway through the field, Cobalt broke into a run and Andrew gently pulled Magpie back with the reins to watch Ryder and his horse make a circuit of the field. When his friend joined them again, he was laughing and patting the horse's neck. His cheeks were flushed from the wind and his hair fell in messy strands around his face.

“That was amazing,” Andrew admitted, staring at him with wide eyes.

“You'll learn. We'll go slowly. Cobalt knows me, and I know him. That's important.”

“You make it look so easy.”

“It is, really. Once you've done it a few times it's not bad.” Pulling back lightly on the reins, Ryder stopped, and Andrew stopped next to him. “I think we'll stop for today. Don't want you to get sore in the saddle.”

“I'm fine, really,” Andrew insisted.

“Trust me. It feels okay now, but after you've ridden for a few hours, you won't be saying that. Let's head back to the barn. I'll show you how to groom Magpie.”

The pair took the ride back to the barn just as slow and easygoing as the one out to the field. They joked about different things: school, girls, and their friends. A few times Ryder would bring Cobalt close and their legs would press together between the horses. Andrew felt that same strange heat from before fill him. He looked around, sheepishly, sure his face was red. He hoped he'd be able to pass it off as an effect from the cold air.

“You feeling okay?” Ryder asked after a few minutes of silence. Andrew simply nodded.

Riding out here like this with Ryder…it felt good. He couldn't do something like this with Charlie. And Andrea would never go for it. It wasn't enough excitement for her.

Andrew was about to voice these thoughts when they spotted someone waving and running toward them along the fence. It was Ryder's uncle. He shouted and gestured toward the other field, separated from the one they were in by a low fence made out of short posts and bars. Inside that field a horse ran with its lead rope dangling from the halter. They could just make out his uncle's shouts as they drew closer.

“Dante broke lose again!”

Ryder groaned. “Stay here,” he instructed.

“What are you doing?”

“Going to get the damn horse back. Come on, Cobalt.”

Andrew watched as horse and rider wheeled in a tight circle and Cobalt took off straight for the fence. As they approached it, Andrew realized they were going to run right into it if they didn't turn or slow down.
He's going to kill himself!
He wanted to call out to Ryder to be careful but knew the wind would suck his words away unheard. He cringed, wondering what the damage would be, and watched in amazement when the pair effortlessly jumped the fence, landed on the other side, and kept going. Andrew couldn't believe they'd made that jump! Heart racing, he pressed a hand against his chest. Ryder's uncle wheezed when he reached Andrew, struggling to catch his breath.

“That boy is a daredevil, I'll tell you. Him and that horse. They make a great pair, though, wouldn't you say?”

“Yeah,” Andrew agreed, in awe. He kept his gaze on Ryder and watched as he and his horse caught up with the one loose. Ryder reached out, stretching his long body over Cobalt's neck, and grabbed hold of the other horse's lead. “He makes it look so easy.”

“He's been riding since he was a boy, and he's had that horse for I think close to five, six years now. I couldn't say no when he wanted to bring him along. I know what it's like to have to get rid of a horse. It's not fun.” A beat passed. “How's old Magpie treating you?”

“Huh? Oh, she's great,” Andrew answered, distracted by the loose-limbed way Ryder moved. He pulled the reins back on Cobalt and they slowed to a walk, turned, and headed back to the fence.

“Damn Dante. He's a wild one,” Mr. Kensington said through clenched teeth.

“Are you boarding him, or is he yours?”

“Oh, no. We're boarding him, but the owners didn't tell me he hadn't been completely broken yet. I charge a lot more up front for that. I've broken plenty of horses, but this one just doesn't want it. He has a free spirit. I think I might let Ryder have a shot with him.”

“What do you mean by broken?”

“Breaking a horse is kind of like training a dog. You know, get them used to your commands, and do what you want, when you want it? Except with a horse, it's training them to accept a rider, too not just the commands. Most horses spook out when they have a rider on their back for the first time. You have to go slow with it and be easy with them. If Dante wasn't good on a halter, I wouldn't have taken him. I guess since he seemed okay I figured it wouldn't be a big deal to take him in.”

“So what can he do?” Andrew asked.

“Well, he accepts a saddle now, but he doesn't like the bit at all.”

All this terminology…Andrew felt like he needed to study a book. What's a bit? He wondered. He sat up straighter, not asking. “And you think Ryder can do it?”

“Yep.”

“Can't he get hurt?”

Mr. Kensington looked up at him, his eyes crinkling up with his smile. “Sure he can, but he's smart. He's not an expert at it, but I've seen him work with spooked animals before, and he's pretty good. If he can get Dante to take a rider, well, I think it'll be a damn miracle, but I've run out of other options.”

The conversation lulled as Ryder headed back toward them, leading Dante. Andrew kept his eyes focused on Ryder, unable to take his eyes away from his shape. He held on to his reins with one hand, while the other held the lead of Dante. The horse followed after him with no resistance as if he hadn't just been running away. His uncle went ahead to meet them and open one of the gates, but Andrew stayed put.

The cold breeze blew through Ryder's long, brown locks and they floated on the wind, brushing against his lips. His eyes sparkled wide with laughter as he handed off the lead to his uncle. His lean body rolled with each step of his horse, looking more like an extension of the creature than a separate being. Andrew's pulse quickened at the sight and he shifted uneasily in the saddle, looking down at himself in alarm as other things stirred in his body—things that shouldn't be stirring when he looked at one of his friends. One of his
male
friends.

What the hell was wrong with him? It had to be the riding. Sitting in the saddle for so long…it was probably putting pressure in the exact wrong spot, at the exact wrong time. It had been a while since he'd gotten laid.

It's natural. Completely fine
.