Page 32 of Stables Spurs Suits
“They were from Australia. Alan got them for me when the Banana Ball team went on tour there, and that mini goat ate through the entire toe section.”
“Dibs,” I say, and Preston and Dean both look at me.
“What?” Preston asks.
“Dibs on buying him new Ugg boots for his birthday,” I reply.
“Size twelve,” Dean says, and I jump on my phone and quickly order a pair. The express shipping from Australia was about the same price as the boots themselves, but according to the website, they’ll get here right on time.
“Done,” I say as the confirmation email pops up as a notification on my phone.
“Seriously?” Dean asks, and Preston leans in and kisses his cheek.
“See, everyone wants to spoil you. Can you please just let us?”
“I suppose a few gifts wouldn’t be so bad,” he says, reaching up and grabbing Preston by the shirt and pulling him down to kiss him properly. I get back to work unlatching the girls.
I finish up and head over to the new stables to get two horses saddled for Matthew and me to take out along the new trail. Well, the part that’s leveled out, at least. It’ll be good to make sure it will ride well, and these old workhorses are used to uneven ground and long rides. Not that I expect we’ll be out for more than an hour. We’ll be taking it super slow, and I’ll have to note down any low-hanging branches that might have to be trimmed back to allow for a wider group to follow it. The whole point of this trail is to give the guests a great experience, and not being all cramped up or forced to ride single file will be key to that.
I get Thor and Whiskey saddled up and tied to the post outside the new stables, then I head over to the old stables to check how Matthew’s going. He should be done washing Lokiby now, that is if no one interrupted him and scared Loki into playing dead on the filthy barn floor.
As I get nearer to the stables, the sounds of music start to grow louder, and someone is singing along. I’m almost to the door when I realize it’s Matthew singing “Stayin’ Alive” at the top of his lungs. I peek over the door frame, and nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to see. There, in the middle of the stables, is Matthew, dancing in front of Frigg, the beautiful golden mare that’s essentially the leader of the wild horses we took in last winter. She’s put on a good amount of weight now and is starting to look strong. Matthew is jumping side to side as he sings to her, but that’s not even the strange part. Behind him is Loki, and as if he’s under some kind of trance, like a pied piper kind of thing, he’s stepping side to side in time with Matthew’s dancing, like he’s trying to join in on the fun.
Matthew does a little jump, crosses his legs, and spins in place. The second his golden hazel eyes meet mine, he stumbles and scrubs his hand through his hair as he rushes to shut off the song.
Loki stops too, but he nudges Matthew with his head, bowling him over.
“Looks like he doesn’t want you to stop,” I say, and Matthew pets Loki, laughing as he tries to stand.
“Yeah, he’s getting pretty good, don’t you think?” he asks, and I nod.
“You both are. So, how long has this been going on?”
“What? The dancing or me washing Frigg? Because I finished Loki like an hour ago and figured you wouldn’t mind if I gave this girl a wash too. She’s such a beauty.”
“I meant, how long have you been teaching Loki to dance?”
“Oh. Umm, I haven’t been teaching him. He just sort of likes to stomp when I’m messing around. Really, I think he might befaking the whole deaf thing sometimes, with how on beat he is. I guess you could call it dancing. Do horses dance?”
“There are whole events dedicated to making it look like they are,” I reply, moving slowly around the side of Loki, running my hand over his side as I go, and he turns into my touch. “But also, he’s not faking it. We’ve had him checked out more than once. His hearing isn’t coming back, but his eyesight is perfect. He probably spotted me watching before you did.”
Matthew turns to Loki.
“You could have warned me,” he tells the horse, and then he picks up the brush he dropped when he fell and starts brushing Frigg’s mane again.
“Do you still want to try that ride?” I ask, and he spins excitedly.
“Yes. Can we go now? I mean, she’s pretty much done.”
“I’ll get Loki put away, then,” I say and I grab his lead rope from his stall.
“He won’t need that. I figured out another way to get him to go in,” Matthew says, and I step aside as he passes Loki and comes over to his stall. “Watch this,” he says, and he unlatches the gate, opens it wide, and as he steps to the side, he bends forward in a low bow, his other hand coming out at the side as if he’s thanking a crowd after a stage performance.
Loki clocks him and turns in place, then trots right on in, snorting on his way past as if to acknowledge him. Once he’s inside, Matthew returns to an upright position and closes the gate.
“How?” I ask.
“I was messing around the other day, leading the horses to their stalls and bowing to them as they stepped through, to thank them for being so good. He must have been watching me. I opened the gate ready to go get him and bring him over and he just walked on in. I gave him the bow he so rightly deserved, andthen the next day, I tried it again with him. I just opened it and bowed as I did now, and it worked. He’s pretty smart.”
