“What would have happened to Darkside if you hadn’t taken him?”
“Well, Earl wanted to shoot him. The groom got word to me, and I offered five hundred dollars for the horse. The only thing Earl liked better than abusing his horses was money, so he sold Darkside to me instead of destroying him.”
The image of Darkside’s glorious body lying lifeless on the ground tightened a fist around Julia’s heart. “Thank you for saving him. I know he hasn’t seemed very grateful, but I am.”
“I’d about thrown in the towel on Darth Horse here, but then you came along. Goes to show you should never give up on something you think is worthwhile.”
George walked up with a saddle on one hip and a bridle slung over his shoulder. “Changed your mind about riding the devil horse?”
“No,” Julia said. “I’m more determined than ever.”
The groom did a double take. “You’re going to ride him?”
Julia lifted her chin. “He’s my whisper horse.”
George looked dubious but asked, “Who’s tackin’ him up? Me or you?”
“I’ll take care of the saddle,” Sharon said, hefting it onto her own hip. “I’ll help Julia with the bridle.”
“You want me to come in and hold him?” the groom offered, as he passed the bridle to Julia.
“No, we’re good,” Sharon said, unlatching the gate and holding it as Julia slipped through. “Just hang around outside the gate for when Julia needs a leg up, will you?”
At the opposite end of the paddock, Darkside threw his head up and whinnied before he trotted toward them, his tail swishing with temper and curiosity.
“Was George the groom who worked for Earl?” Julia whispered, never taking her eyes off the stallion.
“How’d you guess?”
“He’s less afraid of Darkside than your other hands. I figured he might remember how Darkside was before Earl mistreated him.”
“Yeah, when Earl sold all his horses, George was out of a job, so I hired him on here. He worked out better than the horse,” Sharon said.
Julia choked on a nervous giggle. Darkside was almost upon them and his back looked very far off the ground from where she was standing. His hooves kicked up little puffs of dust as they struck the earth, reminding her of his weight and power.
“Howdy, big fella.” Sharon reached into her pocket and offered him a carrot bit. The horse took it off her palm without hesitation. “Now that’s a first,” Sharon said. “Usually he has to dance around and try to scare me before he’ll eat.”
“I’ve gotten him addicted to carrots,” Julia said, giving her whisper horse a treat too before she reached up to stroke his nose. She looked into his large, liquid eye and found no malice there. “Hey, buddy. Feel like having a rider today?” As usual, Darkside sniffed at her back pockets, and she laughed. “Males are all the same.”
Sharon snorted. “Ain’t it the truth? Here, snap this lead line onto his halter and hold him for me while I get the saddle on.”
Julia followed her instructions and stood by Darkside’s head, scratching behind his elegantly pointed ears to distract him. “How does he feel about being saddled?”
“No worse than about anything else, which could mean anywhere between ornery and furious. I’d bet Earl never tacked him up, so he doesn’t associate the saddle with being hurt.” Sharon slid the saddle into place so smoothly the horse didn’t seem to notice. She walked around his head to ease the girth down and back again to buckle it up. “He may not like it when I start to tighten it up.”
Julia decided food was the best distraction. “Hey, boy, you want another carrot?”
Darkside grunted when Sharon pulled the girth tight, but otherwise he didn’t object.
“Now’s the hard part,” Sharon said as she came up beside Julia. “He’s head shy. Not surprising the way Earl whipped him.”
Julia sucked in a deep breath. “Okay, tell me what to do.”
“First put the reins over his head so they’re around his neck. That way we have something to hold him with when you take the halter off.”
Julia gave Darkside’s halter a tug to lower his head and lifted the reins over his ears, letting them slide down his glossy neck. Sharon brought them together in a close loop and held on. “Now unbuckle the halter and ease it off.”
As she unbuckled the strap of the halter, Julia took another deep breath. Once she took this off, the only thing controlling Darkside would be the loop of reins and the horse’s goodwill. As the halter slipped off, Darkside stretched out his neck and shook his head, his long, coarse mane whipping Julia in the face.