“Snakes?” Mia frowned. “Isn't it a little cold for snakes?”
“It's been warmer lately, but it could have been a stick that looked like a snake,” Laura replied. She frowned at the mare trailing Carter's horse. “She's usually our best-behaved horse. I would never have put him on her if I thought she'd do that.”
Mia nodded. So much for Sweetness being the easy horse.
“But, Grayson did great. He kept his head and held on,” Carter said. “I'm very impressed.”
“I'm basically a cowboy then, huh?” Grayson asked, his grin getting bigger as he thought about it.
Carter mussed the boy's hair with his hand. “Most definitely.”
The ride back was much less uneventful. Alexander tried to convince Laura to let him gallop again, Laura said no, and Alexander continued to ask. To keep him from trying to anyway, Laura had Lily and Alexander work on various riding drills and techniques.
They crested a small hill and the barn was back in sight. Mia's heart rate was almost back to normal and she no longer felt like she was running on pure adrenaline anymore.
She looked back to see Carter and Grayson whispering secrets. Grayson kept giggling at whatever Carter said. Grayson looked completely comfortable and safe with him.
Mia thought of the interview she'd read on Carter where he said he never wanted kids. It was a shame. He was so good with Grayson, Alexander, and Lily. Not just anyone could have Grayson giggling and happy after such a scary afternoon.
They were almost to the barn when Carter pulled his horse to a halt.
“Before we finish, you have to ride Sweetness home by yourself, Grayson,” Carter announced.
Grayson's hands tightened and his face paled. “I do?”
Carter nodded and dismounted, leaving Grayson up on the horse by himself. He looked so small and afraid up there that Mia almost said no.
“Yes, because I don't want you to be afraid of horses.” Carter reached for Grayson and picked him off his horse. He walked him over and placed him up on the gray mare's back. “I'll be right here the whole time. I'll make sure you're safe.”
Grayson swallowed hard. “Okay. I trust you, Carter.”
It went against Mia's instincts not to run over and rescue Grayson from this, but she was so proud of the brave face he was wearing. She also knew how important this was.
When you get thrown off a horse, you have to get back on, she thought. Even though Grayson wasn't thrown off, he was scared. This was necessary to prove to himself that he could do it.
“You ready?” Carter asked, handing Grayson the reins to his horse.
Grayson pressed his lips together as tight as they would go and gave a short, tight nod. Mia loved how brave this kid was.
Carter started them at a walk, then moved to a trot. He jogged alongside the horse, never letting go of the horse, and making sure that Grayson was in control. They made a sharp turn into the far paddock and kept running. Mia held her breath as they came around back into view.
Grayson was smiling. The fear was gone and he was enjoying the ride now. Laura moved into position just in case som
ething happened, and Carter let go of the horse and let Grayson trot on his own.
Grayson did marvelously. He turned the horse toward Mia and his siblings and came up to them. His siblings praised him for his bravery and he beamed with pride. The fear was gone, which was exactly what Carter wanted. Carter looked rather proud of himself as they all turned to bring the horses back to the barn to groom them after the ride.
Once at the barn, the kids all rushed inside after tying up the horses to get the brushes and prove that they knew what they were doing. If they took care of the horses, they knew they would be more likely to be able to go riding again. Laura was teaching them well and Mia was grateful.
Mia brought Jasper to the fence just outside the barn and then frowned. Where the kids knew exactly what to do, it had been a long time since she'd groomed a horse. Jasper looked over at her as if to say, “what the heck lady? Get this stuff off me!”
Mia undid the saddle and fumbled with it before taking it off. It was heavier than she expected, but she got it on a nearby saddle rack with an “oof.” The saddle blanket was much easier. She looked around the stall, searching for the curry comb.
“Looking for this?” Carter asked, holding up a curry comb. He walked over and greeted Jasper while he handed her the comb. “I'll help you.”
“You don't have to,” Mia replied, but secretly she was glad of the offer. She didn't remember exactly what to do next, so having him here would be a huge help. “Don't you have to do your horse?”
Carter worked on Jasper's hooves, picking out the dirt and checking for stones. “The kids are taking care of Max,” he said. “One of the perks of being the boss.”