Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 128313 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 642(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128313 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 642(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
I entered the barn, and the warmth from the heating system immediately began to thaw my frozen bones. I filled up a feed bowl with chaff and made my way to Huxley’s stall. Most of the horses were lying down or sleeping standing up, but as if he sensed my approach, Huxley put his head over the stall door. I smiled as his head bounced up and down in excitement, smelling the food. I opened the stall door and stepped inside, placing the bowl on the ground.
I smoothed my hand over his neck and down to his shoulder under his winter blanket. His coat was shiny and soft, and he felt cozy and warm in his rug. Crouching down, I righted his crooked forelock and said, “I couldn’t sleep, baby boy. So I came to see you.” His ears twitched at the sound of my voice, but Huxley wouldn’t be pulled away from his late-night feast.
Leaving the stall, I then topped up his haylage and made sure his automatic waterer hadn’t iced over. I folded my arms over the stall door and watched Huxley. As he finished eating, he moved his head beside mine. I kissed his nose. “We have a tough season ahead of us, Lord Huxley,” I said, using his full show name. “But I think we can do it. Don’t you agree?” I asked, and as he huffed his nose over my hair, I smiled.
Stepping back, I patted him on the neck. “I’ll be back in the morning for training,” I said. “Get some rest, beautiful boy.”
Not quite ready to go home yet, I turned right instead of my usual left and wandered along the stalls. Every single horse here was exceptional. There were hundreds of stud farms around the world. Aunt Jeanie even had one herself. But when it came to the cream of the crop for international show jumping, dressage, and eventing, there was no higher caliber than a Knighton-bred horse.
Finding myself at a closed door, curiosity got the best of me. The barn was open and airy, and it was clear that something existed behind this door. Never one to mind breaking a few rules, I decided to take a look. Making sure the coast was clear, I slid the barn door open and peeked inside—there were a few more occupied stalls. Perplexed, I wondered why these few horses were housed away from the others, but as I walked along them, it didn’t take me long to realize that it was because these were the Knighton family’s horses.
I first passed by Lord Barnaby, a pitch-black stallion who looked ripped straight from Hades’ underworld. He belonged to Atticus. Next was Lady Aurelia, Forrest’s five-star-winning eventing horse. After that was Lord Sebastian, Felix’s regal dressage horse. But when I turned another corner, everything within me froze, and I lost the ability to breathe.
Staring back at me with pitch-black eyes and a coat so pristine it looked like the purest white silk, was Lord Henry. My heart kicked into a sprint, and a highlight reel whirled in my head of all my teen years spent watching this horse achieve the impossible. Lord Henry flicked his head up and down, seeking my attention, and I moved my feet closer. When I stopped before him, I lifted my hand and in total awe ran it down his thick, muscled neck. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say I was starstruck. Most people got flustered at seeing their favorite actor or singer in person. Me? It was this horse. The most impressive one to ever exist.
Lord Henry looked to be still in perfect fitness, even though he’d been retired from the circuit for eighteen months. In fact, he looked like he could join the Sandings Grand Prix tomorrow and dominate in the most prestigious arenas the world had ever seen.
Lord Henry was the lightest gray horse I’d seen in person. He was eighteen hands of pure power, muscle, and grace. I’d always thought that he looked just like Shadowfax from Lord of the Rings. Up close, I could confirm that he was his doppelgänger.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Lord Henry,” I said, removing my huge, robe-style coat now that I’d warmed up, leaving me in my plaid shirt and jeans. I hung my coat and hat on a nearby bridle hook, and then just stood, running my hand gently over Henry’s face. “You are the greatest horse I’ve ever seen jump,” I said, like he could understand me.
Canyon would tell me that he could. He was as close to me as a brother, and he always said that horses understood our emotions and tone of voice, rather than the words themselves. I liked to think that was true. I wanted Henry to know how much I admired him.
It was like I was deep in meditation, seeing my dream horse in real life. What I would give to just simply ride him over a course once. Henry stood still and let me fawn over him like the gentleman he was. Suddenly, a loud crash sounded from a nearby door, disturbing the serene moment, making Henry spook and retreat into the safety of his stall. Not wanting to be seen, I ducked into the empty stall beside Henry’s, putting myself well out of sight.