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)
“He needs more push on the triple bar. His left hind was dragging.” The man snapped his head in my direction. A crooked smile pulled on his lips. He was dressed in all black, the total opposite of his gray horse—they looked like night and day.
Aunt Jeanie came up beside me, resting her arms on the top of the fence. She was the one who had spoken to him. Loosening his reins, the man headed over to us. I looked up at him from under the brim of my hat. When he looked down at me, his smile was blinding.
“Who’s this little cowgirl?” His voice was deep, and his accent was strange. He didn’t sound American.
Aunt Jeanie turned to me with a big smile on her face. She placed her hand on my shoulder. It was soft and warm. It felt nice. I hadn’t been around too many women in my life. “This is my niece, Hallie.” It sounded strange being called that. Her niece. But . . . I liked it. Aunt Jeanie gestured to the man again. “Hallie, this is Jasper Knighton. He’s an Olympian show jumper and currently ranked number one in the world in the Under-25s. And he’s still only nineteen!” My eyes widened. That sounded real impressive, and he was younger than I’d thought. Aunt Jeanie turned to Jasper again. “Hallie will be living with me and Luke from now on.”
Jasper nodded. “Nice to meet you, Hallie,” he said, and I felt my cheeks heat. “Do you ride?” He placed his helmet back on, fastening the strap under his chin.
“Yes, sir,” I said, forcing myself to find my voice.
“English?” he asked again, and I looked at the saddle he sat on, all shiny polished black leather with fancy stirrups. At the supple black leather bridle over his horse’s head. They looked nothing like the western saddles and bridles I was used to. I shook my head. “Have you jumped before?” He pointed to the fences he had just cleared moments ago. I shook my head again, too shy to speak.
“Jeanie,” he said, addressing my aunt. “Make things right with your niece and teach the girl to jump.” He looked at me again, throwing me a wider smile. “There’s nothing like it.” He turned his gray horse back toward the colored fences, kicking him on, calling out, “Nice to meet you, Cowgirl Hallie!”
Jasper began trotting around the arena again, then built to a steady canter and sailed over each jump with ease. When he had cleared the round, another man then entered the arena on a bay horse, and he and Jasper Knighton talked and chatted, taking turns at practicing the jumps. Both were clearly very good, judging by the lack of poles dropped and the number of staff who stopped their stable duties to come and watch them.
I could have watched them all day.
“Come with me, Hallie,” Aunt Jeanie said suddenly, taking me away from my newfound fascination. I looked back over my shoulder, just to see Jasper jumping another clear round. Aunt Jeanie nudged my arm, pulling my attention back to her. “Jasper Knighton comes all the way from England.”
“Does he live here too?” I asked.
Aunt Jeanie smiled. “No, darlin’. This is a training facility for professional show jumpers.” I was so confused. I had no idea what these things were. Her arm wrapped around my shoulders. “All will become clearer in time,” she said. “Jasper’s home is back in England. He’s just here using our facilities for practice while he competes in the US.” I nodded, still not sure what kind of sport this was. I only knew about riding horses for ranching purposes, not whatever all this fancy stuff was.
“This okay?” Aunt Jeanie suddenly asked, referring to her arm around me. I nodded. Daddy always walked with me like this too. It felt . . . It was nice but made me miss him too.
Aunt Jeanie stopped at the entrance to another huge white barn. She bent down, meeting my eyes. “I know things are real hard for you right now, darlin’. The world feels strange and unfair, and to make it so much worse, you’ve had to move away from everything you know. Your friends, your ranch.” Her voice cut out, and she looked out over the pastures around us, filled with horses. When she looked back to me, she said, “I may have never met you before today, but you’re my family, Hallie. I’ve always loved you. You’re my big brother’s little girl. I was made to adore you.”
Aunt Jeanie’s bottom lip wobbled. “To know that your daddy, after everything we’d been through, wanted me to be the one to take care of you if anything happened to him . . .” Aunt Jeanie cleared her throat. “That . . . well, that just means the world to me, darlin’.” She squeezed my arm affectionately. “And I’m gonna make sure I love you with all my heart and then some.”