“That was nice of him.”
Her lips tightened. “I suppose so.”
Curious, he searched her face. “Would you like to stop and talk for a while?”
She hesitated then nodded. “Sure. Let’s stop in the peach grove.”
He helped her dismount and they secured the horses, then strolled through the grove.
Suddenly, she stopped and looked up at him. “Charles, I need to tell you something.”
At the serious look on her face, concern rippled through him. “Is something wrong?”
She sighed and started walking again, her hand brushing against his. Without thinking, her took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“No, nothing is really wrong. Except I’m terrified of horses.”
So he’d been right. But this sounded worse than he’d thought. “I’m listening if you’d like to talk about it.”
“I believe it’s time I did.”
“But, Livvy, honey, you were riding just now as though you loved it. I don’t understand.”
She nodded. “This is the first time in years I’ve enjoyed riding. I don’t understand, either. But trust me, I’m telling you the truth.”
“Did something happen to cause this fear?”
She bit her lip. “I loved it the first year of my lessons. Then one day I decided to take the horse out alone. I knew it wasn’t allowed, but I did it anyway. We got lost in the woods. Something spooked the horse, and he threw me.”
“Were you injured?” The thought of what might have happened made him cringe.
“Just a twisted ankle. But I lay there alone for hours before my father found me. I was terrified. Darkness had begun to fall and I imagined all sorts of wild animals ready to attack.”
“That’s terrible. What an awful experience for a young child.”
She gave another nod. “My grandfather insisted that I get back on the horse the following day, and Father agreed. Although he realized later that it might not have been the right thing to do. They meant well.”
He frowned. “Then why in the world did you volunteer to teach riding lessons to the girls?”
“They wanted it so badly and I felt you were being unfair to them. Once I’d volunteered, I was determined to see it through.” She threw him a quick glance. “Still am.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know, Livvy. This might not be a good idea.”
“Charles, I told you because, since you’re in charge of the riding lessons, I felt you had a right to know. I’m a good rider and perfectly capable of teaching the class. I plan to keep the lessons simple.” She shot him a glare. “And you’ve already agreed to it.”
He threw his hands up. “All right, all right. Don’t get riled. I’m not going to change my mind. But promise me that if you have any problems you’ll come to me.”
Tenderness slid across her face. She reached her hand up and touched his cheek. “I promise.”
He took her hand and pressed his lips to her palm, then quickly released it. Now why in the world had he done that?
* * *
Livvy trembled as she removed the saddle from the huge horse. Well, at the moment the small bay mare seemed huge. Livvy was glad that Hank was at his sister’s house today. She needed these few moments alone.
At least, thanks to Trent and Abigail’s recent help, she’d made it through the ride without humiliating herself.
Relief coursed through her now that she was no longer keeping her secret from Charles. Although she knew her fear wouldn’t cause any problems or danger for the girls, she still felt he had the right to know.
He’d been so concerned and gentle with her, but he’d stood back and let her mount her horse without assistance when they left the grove. He wouldn’t coddle her and she was glad about that.
She finished caring for the mare, and headed for the house. Mama was a little nervous about her riding again, but she could tell that Father was relieved. He’d encouraged her to ride for years, but he’d never pushed her.
Thank You Lord, for giving me courage today.
She pushed open the back screen door and went inside.
Chapter 9
The ruler hit the desk with a loud whack, the sound reverberating through the room. Lily Ann jumped up from her desk with a gasp, then sank slowly back to her seat. But few of the children had enough hearing to be affected at all, which made the act useless.
Charles sighed. He didn’t often lose his temper and shouldn’t have this time. But the children were restless and uncooperative. Had been all morning.
He stepped over to Lily Ann’s desk and placed his hand on her shoulder, smiling contritely. “I’m sorry, Lily Ann. You didn’t do anything wrong. I just lost my head a little bit.”