Chapter 91 Part 91
Asher
He placed the lawn chair in the middle of the corral and sat down. Two of the hands, Blair, and Dylan stood by the railings, and watched him. He adjusted his hat, and took out his phone to check his emails. The stallion snorted, throwing his mane over his neck, and stomped his hooves. Asher didn’t look at the horse but typed out a message on his phone.
He glanced over his shoulder when he heard Eden’s voice, and his gaze settled on Emerson. She rested her chin on her arms over the railings, and watched him intently.
Asher took a peppermint out of his pocket and held it in his hand. The horse looked at him, and took a step closer. He locked eyes with the horse, and he let the emotion show in his eyes.
“If you want it, you’re going to have to come and get it,” Asher said.
The horse didn’t move. Asher stood up, and walked over to the fence post. He put the peppermint down on it, and leaned against the railing. After a few seconds, the horse walked to where Asher stood, and lowered his mouth to where the peppermint was, keeping a firm eye on Asher.
“This life ain’t so bad, you know. I’ve seen my fair share of bad things. You don’t want to trust me, but you’re being fed, and if you let me, I’ll brush your coat. I won’t hit you or kick you. You’re a stallion, a mighty horse that doesn’t want to be tamed. I get it. When I was younger, I didn’t want to be tamed, either. I wanted to be free,” Asher said.
He glanced to the side. The horse was still there, listening to his voice. “You see those hills over there, there’s a meadow just beyond it. It’s lush and green. The mountain calls to you, the woods whisper in the wind. They speak to me, too. I can feel their power calling out to me. If you learn to trust me, and let me saddle you, I’ll take you out there. I’ll let you run as much as you want to run. Life is all about mutual respect and trust. We need to trust each other. You have to trust that I won’t hurt you, and I have to trust that you won’t buck me off. We can be a team, and during the day, I can take you out to the big pasture with the other horses. It’s a better life than the one you had.”
Asher sighed, and placed another peppermint on the post. He walked back to his chair, and sat down again. It took a few minutes, but the horse followed him, and stood behind him. He lowered his head and nudged Asher’s face. He lifted his hand slowly, and stroked the horse’s jaw.
“That’s good, Stallion. If I hurt you, you have my permission to kick me, but I won’t ever hurt you. You’re too mighty to be abused. You have a warrior’s heart, I can tell because I’m a warrior, too.”
The horse snorted, and Asher stood up slowly, and lifted the brush. “You see this brush? You’ll feel much better after I give you a good rubbing down. You haven’t been brushed in a long time. You’re too handsome to look like a wild horse, the mares will notice if I brush you.”
Asher moved slowly, rubbing the brush over the horse’s flank softly. He moved with precise, even strokes over the horse’s body. His ears pricked every now and then, but he stood still as Asher brushed him. He cleaned the brush a few times, but soon his coat was glossy, and Asher put the brush down.
“Here’s another peppermint for trusting me to brush you. This time, though, you’re going to have to take it from my hand.”
He held his palm open, and the horse didn’t hesitate. He took his reward, and looked at Asher as he chewed. “I’m not going to saddle you today. Think about what I told you, and tomorrow, we’ll do this again. Do me one favor though, don’t be so hard on the ranch hands when they take you back to your stable later. I’ll let them bring some hay, and you can enjoy the sunshine.”
Asher’s hand stroked the space between his eyes and gathered his things. The horse followed him to the gate and Asher grinned. He handed the things to Colt, not sure when he’d joined them.
“Damn, Asher. What did you whisper to him?”
“Doesn’t matter. It worked,” Asher said.
“Yeah? Can I saddle him?”
“I’ll saddle him tomorrow. If he lets me on, I can introduce you to him.”
“Thanks, I might just get my money’s worth on this horse,” Colt said.
“You better,” Dylan said. “You just had to save him. If we can’t breed him, or ride him, he’s worthless to us.”
“Don’t let him hear you say that,” Asher said. “He’s smarter than you think, and if he lets you on him, he’ll be the best horse you ever had.”
Emerson left with Eden, and Asher went about his daily chores, going over to the grazing fields with Blair to check on the cattle. It was much later that afternoon when the sky darkened with grey clouds, and lightning flashed in the distance.
“Another storm brewing,” Blair said.
“About time for the last summer storms. We better buckle up, and get back to the ranch. I don’t want to get caught in a downpour this far away. This one looks like it might last a while.”
“So, what did you tell that horse?”
Asher smiled. “I just told him what he wanted to hear. Every horse is different, just like we’re all different, but in the end, we all want the same thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Love, understanding, respect, consideration. We want to be seen. We want to matter, to have a purpose.”
“Is that what you want?”
Asher smiled at his brother. “Don’t you?”
“I think you’re already getting that, Asher, you’re just too blind to see what’s in front of you.”
Blair clicked his tongue and started back to the ranch on his horse. Asher stared after him a while, wondering what the hell he was talking about.