Sicilian Dreams (6 page)

Slightly opening her eyes she saw a truck rumbling down the road towards them. She sprang upwards, pulling up her jodhpurs and pushing Marco away from her as the truck drew up in a cloud of dust. Marco’s response to the interruption was a muttered expletive as he also turned to the newcomer.

‘Ciao Marco’ shouted an older man as he climbed slowly out of the truck.

‘Ciao Guido, tutto a posto, everything okay?’ replied Marco, slowly walking over to the truck brushing his long hair out of his eyes with one hand. His riding shirt hung at just the right level to hide any signs of his recent excitement and Cassie marveled at his apparent calm. He’s the one who should be called ‘Diavolo’ she thought. Just as quickly she felt annoyed because he probably did this sort of thing all the time. She had fallen for his charm hook, line and sinker and now she was just another notch on his belt to boast about. Guido was so short he had to hold onto the door of the truck and turn himself around to step down to the ground from the cab. His hat was jammed firmly down on his head so it was hard to see his eyes. She had rearranged her clothing so at least it was covering her, but her face felt flushed and she knew her hair was a mess, all tangled at the back from rubbing up against the stable wall. Oh dear, here comes the walk of shame she thought as Guido and Marco turned to her.

‘Who is this beautiful young lady,’ said Guido, his voice gravelly, but his smile wide.

‘Ti presento Cassandra Hayden,’ he said with a flourish of his hand towards Cassie so she had to walk out of the stables and over to the truck. ‘Cassandra this is Guido Cecchi,’ said Marco ‘our stable manager.’

‘Piacere’ said Guido taking Cassie’s hand and shaking it gently, so unlike Marco’s over the top hand kissing thought Cassie.

‘Piacere’ said Cassie shyly smiling at the little man.

‘You trust Marco to show you the sights of the estate on horseback?’ he teased, ‘I am the more experienced rider and would be happy to accompany you this morning.’

‘Grazie Guido’ interjected Marco ‘but your superior skills in everything are needed here this morning. Remember, we have feed arriving for the horses and much paperwork to complete.’ He gestured meaningfully towards the office. Cassie could see through the window and on the desk were piles of paper haphazardly scattered across its surface.

‘Guido doesn’t trust computers even though I have offered many times to teach him how to use one. In fact there is a brand new laptop under those mountains of paper,’ said Marco with amusement. Guido looked disgusted.

‘Boh,’ he said his arms rising upwards as if to ask God why anyone would bother themselves with computers. Marco and Cassie laughed.

‘Guido, I think Stella would be perfect for Cassandra to ride, no?’ he asked

‘Si, perfetto Marco. I will go and get her now.’ He disappeared into the gloom of the stables. Cassie leaned on the hitching post and Diavolo nuzzled her open palm tickling her with his whiskers. She giggled. Diavolo seemed huge to Cassie but he also seemed very gentle.

‘He is quite a charmer with the ladies’ said Marco smiling, fastening the noseband of the bridle around Diavolo’s head ‘but he seems to like you especially, like I do’ he said warmly his green eyes gazing at her with ill disguised passion. Cassie pretended not to notice. No more of this carry on she thought, while Guido was so close.

‘How big is he?’ she asked, trying to keep the conversation neutral. Her breathing had returned to normal and she had tried to smooth out her hair with her hands, but inside, she was churning with emotions. How had they gone so far so quickly? Cassie was never this forward with men. Talk about chemistry. She had never felt like this before with any of her former boyfriends but then again, there hadn’t been that many she mused. Two short lived flings at university both more about experimenting than anything else. They had all been kids really at eighteen and nineteen. She had dated after University but until she started going out with Rick, she hadn’t been intimate with another man. Right now, thinking about Rick, she suddenly realized that she felt nothing for him anymore. She immediately felt a sense of relief and then freedom, because it had been a painful, acrimonious break up. Her sense of betrayal at his infidelity had in turns hurt, rankled and chaffed at her like a sore that wouldn’t heal until recently. As recently, in fact, as the moment she had clapped eyes on Marco.

‘He is 16 hands high,’ said Marco, patting the horse on his shoulder ‘he is a Sanfratellani horse, a real warrior. The Sanfratellani were originally the wild horses of Italy and they roamed the hills and plains of eastern Sicily. These days there are not many left, but Diavolo was born to a mare of the herd that had been captured while she was pregnant. She was brought here and he was born here at the estate. I helped Guido to train him when he was old enough.’

‘Where is the mare now?’ asked Cassie

‘She is still here, on the back lands of the estate. She is still at heart wild and Guido is the only one who can get near her. Isn’t that right Guido?’ said Marco as they heard the clip clop of horse hooves on the concrete.

‘Si Marco, she loves only me’ he chuckled, leading a smaller bay colored horse to the hitching post. This is Stella, my little star’ he said to Cassie ‘she is a gentle girl who will look after you well.’ He ruffled her mane and she snuffled softly, her large gentle brown eyes fringed with incredibly long lashes.

‘She is beautiful,’ said Cassie, holding out her hand for Stella to sniff her. It wasn’t that she was so much shorter than Diavolo, but she was slighter and more delicately built with dainty hooves and fine legs.

Diavolo turned his great head to nuzzle at Stella’s neck and she didn’t start or jump with fright. Good, thought Cassie, just what I need, a smooth ride. She was starting to feel more positive about climbing on the back of a horse now she had met her trusty steed.

Guido quickly saddled up Stella and then Marco fetched two hard hats from the tack room and fastened the strap under Cassie’s chin.

‘It feels comfortable?’ he said.

‘Yes, it’s good,’ said Cassie, nodding her head and getting used to the feeling of the hard hat.

‘Allora, andiamo, let’s go’ announced Marco with a flourish, gesturing for her to lift her leg and place her boot in the stirrup, which she did. Next minute, Cassie felt his hands around her hips and she was lifted up and onto the saddle as if she weighed nothing.

‘I can mount a horse you know’ she said ‘I have actually had some riding experience.’ then Stella decided to move off then she squealed and Marco roared with laughter.

‘Si, I can see this Cassandra, you are in total control.’ His mocking tone rang in her ears as she glared at him while he swung himself into his saddle with graceful ease. Stella had stopped walking as soon as Cassie had screamed and now she held the reins uncertainly, waiting for Marco.

‘Buon viaggio’ said Guido, lifting his hat in a playful salute.

‘Si, ci vediamo dopo Guido, see you later’ said Marco, turning Diavolo with a light touch of his thigh on the horses flank.

He led the way and the horses walked sedately out of the stable yard and onto the white gravel road. As they meandered slowly down the road Cassie began to relax into the gentle rocking movement on Stella’s back. Stella was quite happy to follow Diavolo and this suited Cassie just fine. Nice and slow she thought and now she could appreciate the gorgeous scenery opening up before them as the road turned a corner and a new vista of seemingly endless rolling hills and sharp escarpments appeared before them. How far did the Boschieri estate go she thought? There didn’t seem to be any fences or gates on this side of the estate, just endless rows of olive trees and higher up, vines planted in neat rows. The sun felt warm on her back and she realized why they had to go riding early. It would be impossible by midday for man and beast to be out in the blazing sun. Marco rode in a relaxed manner clearly as confident and comfortable on Diavolo’s back as he was on the ground. Both Alpha males thought Cassie, with a smirk. I wonder if Diavolo ever gets the upper hand? That would be something to see she thought. Just as she was getting comfortable on her own horse, Marco turned Diavolo to the right and Stella immediately followed as they left the road and entered the rolling countryside. There wasn’t much grass, the earth baked brown around the odd grey green patch of stubbly growth. The path dipped down a little and crossed a dry
riverbed and Cassie tightened her reins and clung onto Stella with her legs, but there was really no need as Stella moved smoothly over the rough ground like a pro. Marco kept looking around to check on her and he grinned as he saw her panic stricken face as the path now started to climb steeply on the other side of the river bed.

‘Are you okay Cassandra, are you enjoying this?’ he asked.

‘Yes I am but how high are we going to climb?’ she asked a little nervously.

‘Oh quite high but do not worry, horses can climb like cats you know’ he grinned wickedly. Oh that’s just great thought Cassie. Nice that they can climb like cats but I have never wanted to ride a cat as it climbed a tree. And indeed, Cassie began to see that horses were great climbers as they traversed a particularly steep patch of the hill and Cassie clung to Stella’s mane like a beetle, her head low against the horses neck.

Strangely, she felt quite safe. It felt natural going uphill on Stella’s back. I bet it’s scarier going downhill she thought, and then you would have to lean backwards instead of forwards. She was about to find out as they reached the top of the hill and Marco paused to allow Stella to stop beside Diavolo.

The view was incredible and Cassie gasped as she looked out over the arid rolling country, which seemed to stretch forever.

‘Is this all part of the estate?’ she asked in awe.

‘Si a great deal, but beyond the estate is a national park which is many thousands of hectares. It is beautiful country, no?’

‘Unbelievably so’ said Cassie. ‘The landscape is so different from anything I have seen before. Much more rugged but stunningly beautiful.’ High up on a hill in the distance she thought she could see a building of sorts.

‘What’s that?’ she asked.

‘That is an old Benedictine monastery. It is still operational although there are few priests left who live in. It is just inside the national park and is open to the public one Sunday of every month. The monks sell honey from their hives and olive oil. It is very good, I will take you there one day.’ Cassie smiled at as she gazed into the distance. A monastery perched in the clouds she thought. It all seemed so romantic.

‘I am pleased that you are enjoying your ride. Now for a little excitement don’t you think?’

‘What sort of excitement?’ asked Cassie, instantly on her guard. Marco laughed at her, his white teeth gleaming in his tanned face.

‘What goes up, must come down and that is where we are going now,’ he said, pointing straight down the hill in front of them. Cassie peered down in dismay, memories resurfacing of a classic Australian movie called ‘The Man From Snowy River,’ which she had watched as a child. She recalled a scene where the riders plunged over a bluff and rode their horses straight down the cliff like face of the slope, leaning backwards in their saddles, one arm on the horses neck, the other thrown up and out as if to provide balance in mid air.

‘Okay Marco, stop teasing me now, we aren’t going down there are we?’ She asked pleadingly.

‘Si, absolutely we are going down Cassandra. It is the easiest way and the horses love it. They know this slope, it is nothing for them.’

‘Marco,’ said Cassie very sternly ‘I am not going over this cliff and down that slope, no way, no how!’ She put her hands on her hips and glared at him. He roared with laughter, his head tipping back.

‘It is not a cliff Cassandra, it is just a little slope, gentle, like me, andiamo, follow me,’ he yelled as Diavolo responded to his command and took a gigantic leap out over the bluff. Cassie stared incredulously, her mouth open in shock as they disappeared from view. She didn’t have time to do anything else apart from scream as Stella took to her heels and followed Diavolo. They seemed to be suspended in mid air for too long as Cassie’s eyes closed and her scream of fright died. Suddenly she was jerked back as Stella landed on her front hooves. She screamed again as Stella proceeded to leap down the slope but the motion of the horse instinctively made her lean back and as her right hand grabbed at a handful of Stella’s mane, her left seemed to fly up into the air of it’s own accord and suddenly she was at one with the horse’s movement as they plunged down and down. As Stella came to a screeching halt next to Diavolo at the base of the hill, Cassie realized her heart was racing and her adrenaline levels must be dangerous high, but she was exhilarated at the same time. Letting go of Stella’s mane and patting her madly she exclaimed, ‘that was some ride but I am never going to forgive you’ she panted, trying to calm down.

‘Never Cassandra?’ asked Marco, winking and grinning at her dangerously ‘we will see.’ The horses were panting and blowing, clearly excited by the ride and Marco suggested they walk for a bit until they cooled down.

‘There is small reservoir a short distance from here. We will take the horses there for a drink,’ he said. Stella followed dutifully behind Diavolo as they slowly wound around the base of the hill and entered a small area of woodland. The trees were the same grayish green of the landscape but it was cool and dim under their canopies and it felt wonderful to Cassie after the heat of the sun on her back. They came to a clearing and a small lake appeared in front of them. The water sparkled in the sunlight and the horses snorted and stomped their hooves in excitement. Tiny black pebbles ringed the lake and Diavolo and Stella walked right into the shallows dipping their muzzles deep and drinking with delight.