Falling for Your Boss by Emma St. Clair

Chapter Twenty-Four

Zoey

There issomething so peaceful about riding horses. It’s been a long time, but I love the sway of the horse’s gait under me, even the smell of horse and leather. I also love seeing Gavin riding on Merlin, taking the time to teach Ella.

Sam’s words have been like a chorus in my head, playing all day long from the time I woke with Ella in my arms to this moment as we ride out over Gavin’s family land. Don’t let your head get in the way of your heart. It doesn’t take that much work though, as my heart seems content to gallop on ahead, dragging the rest of me behind whether I’m willing or not.

“If you want to go a bit faster, we can canter. The gait is a bit smoother than a trot. Not so bouncy,” Gavin explains to Ella.

When Merlin and Snowflake begin to canter, my horse follows suit, and it’s much more pleasant. I can already feel how sore my legs are going to be tomorrow though. Totally worth it.

Gavin turns, flashing me a grin and a wink. After so many years of seeing Gavin only in a suit, it should be strange to see him in tight jeans and a cowboy hat, but he looks just as good. Maybe even more natural than he did in his tailored suits. I’m not sure there’s a look that wouldn’t work on the man.

Ella makes a panicked little scream, and my attention jerks to her. For not thinking of myself as maternal, I’m shocked by how quickly she’s managed to carve out a place in my heart. Snowflake is tossing her head and stamping sideways. Ella bounces around the saddle, looking uncomfortable for the first time. I slow my horse and ride closer, but Gavin is already there.

“It’s okay,” he says, putting his hand on Snowflake’s bridle. “Sit up tall and gently tug the reins toward you. Tell her, whoa. She’s testing you to see if she can boss you around. But you’re not going to let her be the boss of you, are you?”

“No way,” Ella says, and I love the girl’s grit. Especially because I see the fear she’s trying to push down.

Ella does everything right, but Snowflake gives a little hop, sending Ella sideways in the saddle with a squeal. In an instant, Gavin is off Merlin. He slides Ella off, then hands her Merlin’s reins while holding on to Snowflake as she tries to pull away, rolling her eyes back.

“You okay, Ella?” I call.

She nods, looking miserable. “I’m sorry,” she says.

Gavin drops a hand on her shoulder and squeezes. “The only one who needs to be sorry is Snowflake. You did everything right. You did great. Snowflake just needs a little lesson.”

“Need help?” I ask.

Gavin grins and shakes his head. “Ella and I have got this. Right?”

She nods, her chin set. Gavin pats her on the head, and the sight of them together turns my heart more than it probably should. He hands her Merlin’s reins.

“Ella, can you hold Merlin? Unlike Snowflake, he has manners. Just hold on right here and stand by his front legs. At most, he’ll try to eat some grass. And that’s fine. Okay?”

“Okay,” she says.

I walk my mare over, wanting to be near Ella and also curious about what Gavin’s going to do with the naughty pony. If Merlin looked judgy last night, Snowflake looks downright haughty and unrepentant.

Gavin walks her a few feet away, leading her by the bridle while Ella and I watch. What do you do with a bad pony? I wonder if he’ll just walk her to calm her down, or maybe give her a smack on the rump. Do you spank horses?

What I don’t expect is for Gavin to suddenly swing up until he’s on Snowflake’s back, looking like a giant on the small, white pony. She flattens her ears along her head and stamps her feet, moving sideways and tossing her head.

“Oh, no you don’t,” Gavin says, working the reins and squeezing her with his legs. He’s too tall for the stirrups but seems to have no problem gripping Snowflake with his powerful thighs. It should be impressive, maybe, but instead just looks ridiculous.

Ella giggles.

“Gavin,” I laugh. “What are you doing?”

“Showing this pony who’s boss,” he says, giving Snowflake a kick with his heels.

She jumps into a canter, which is even funnier than watching him on her back when she’s walking. The pony runs with her awkward gait, still keeping her ears pinned back as her eyes roll.

I cover my mouth, laughing, and Ella grins up at me, laughing too. Gavin rides Snowflake off a ways, then back toward us. The pony slows to a trot as they near us, and Gavin grins. Ella and I clap.

“Well done,” I say. “A good show.”

Snowflake looks ticked. But she’s obeying. Gavin approaches us and tips his hat with one hand.

“There you go, ladies,” Gavin says, still dwarfing the small pony with his height. “Like I said, I just had to show her who’s boss.”

That’s when Snowflake makes her move.

Side-stepping, the pony comes to an abrupt halt, rears a little, then bucks, throwing Gavin clear over her right shoulder. He hits the ground, rolling a little and losing his hat in a cloud of dust.

Snowflake dances around him, throwing her head, then gallops off, making sure to flatten his hat as she does. The whinny she throws over her shoulder sounds a whole lot like laughter as her hooves pound away over the scrubby grass and back to the barn.

Maybe I should be worried about Gavin, but it’s not like he had that far to fall. And if you’ve ever seen a small pony throw a giant man off her back, you know it’s impossible not to find it hilarious.

Gavin’s face is priceless: slack-jawed and wide-eyed. The shock turns to a mock glare as Ella and I burst out laughing. I try to hold back, at least a little, but Ella does not. She laughs long and loud, and I can see the change in Gavin’s face as he hears the sound. It’s the most unguarded she’s been since Eleanor dropped her off.

“You okay?” I call out through my laughter.

“My pride is a little banged up, but otherwise I’m all right.”

“So, just to clarify,” I say, “who is the boss? Because from where I’m sitting, it looks a whole lot like Snowflake is the boss.”

Ella continues laughing, and Gavin gives me a look like I’m really in for it later. Good. The idea of him chasing me down and exacting revenge gives me a flutter of excitement. He gets to his feet and brushes off, then turns to pick up his hat.

It’s then, as he’s bending over to pick up the hat that we see it.

I cover my mouth with my hand, though it doesn’t muffle the sound. Ella is still holding on to Merlin’s reins, but barely, and I swear, even the horse looks like he’s laughing.

“Gavin!” I shout, but then I can’t get out any of the other words.

He looks at me, trying to work his hat back into some semblance of the right shape. Looking between me and Ella, he says, “What now?”

We only laugh harder. It doesn’t take him long though. First, his nose wrinkles. Then, he squeezes his eyes shut. “I fell in a cow pie, didn’t I?” he asks.

There’s no need to answer, not that we could. The tears are falling down my face as my stomach cramps up. Gavin twists around to look at his behind. He stomps over to a nearby tree and begins to rub himself up against it. Obviously, he’s trying to dislodge what he can, but it’s an even funnier picture than the sight of him on that small pony.

“Laugh it up, ladies. Laugh. It. Up,” he calls, but there’s no heat in it.

I can hear the smile in his voice as he puts his misshapen hat back on his head. The man even looks amazing when he’s been thrown from a pony, has cow poop on his pants, and is wearing a ruined hat.

Merlin snorts, and Ella pats his neck. Gavin strides back over to us, taking the reins. Ella plugs her nose.

“That bad, huh?” he asks.

“Worse than that bad,” she says.

“Guess you’ll have to ride with me,” he tells Ella. “Seeing as your pony gave me the slip.”

Her eyes go wide. “Um. I think I’ll ride with Zoey. No offense, but she smells better.”

“Traitors,” he mutters, but he picks up Ella, who is still laughing, and helps her on in front of me, giving my thigh a little pinch as he does.

I swat his hand away, though honestly, I’ve been aching to touch him all day. After our kisses last night, the awareness in my body is hard to ignore. If I thought I was attuned to Gavin’s presence before, now that I’ve felt his lips on mine, it’s more like there’s an invisible, electric current tying me to the man. It’s torture having to keep apart with Ella around. Though maybe she’s the best layer of protection. Otherwise, we might still be in that tack room. I settle my arms around Ella.

“I’ll get you back later,” Gavin whispers to me, his eyes gleaming.

“Just so long as you change and shower first,” I tell him. It’s a lie, because as badly as he smells, I’d still let him kiss me. That’s how desperate I am.

I realize, watching Gavin’s cow-pie-stained rear as he walks away, that I’ve done what both Abby and Sam advised me to do. I’ve loosened up my control and stopped letting my head stifle my feelings.

Just as it did in the office when I finally spoke my mind, it’s incredibly freeing. As long as I don’t think about when it’s all going to come crashing down. Because one thing I know is that it always does. You can be in the middle of enjoying your life when it just gets ripped away.

Merlin stands still, letting Gavin hop back on. But I swear, his horse looks just as amused as we did. Back at the barn, we find Snowflake, her head buried in the oat trough, looking as unrepentant as only a pony can.