Cowboy Summer - 14. Joined Up

Caleb folded his arms on the top rail of the corral and smiled as he watched the boy who he was coming to think of as being family. It made absolutely no sense whenever he stopped to think about it. Rhydian had turned up in their lives three weeks ago, and somehow that shy, quiet, needy little boy who couldn’t ride and had no idea how to speak to a horse and actually listen had blossomed into a smart, capable, talented young man. The easy smile was impossible to miss, as had been the kiss swollen lips and dilated eyes of the recently in love.

Caleb nodded across the school at Bryce. The boy had arrived mid-morning on his horse. Indi was now turned out with Boy-Latte and Ikara while Rhydian worked in the school. Bryce was a nice kid, and Caleb remembered him from the summer schools Sammy ran. He knew how to ride rather than be a passenger on his own horse, and Caleb had spent a while chatting to him about the upcoming county rodeo. Bryce was still seventeen, and had to compete in the lesser category, which meant he wouldn’t be up against Rhydian in the Open. Not that Caleb had told him yet. Rodeo was going to be the day after his birthday, the boy had trained every day and his times were good, even if they were still mostly practicing on goats.

“How’s he doing?” Caleb’s shoulders bristled as he heard Jase’s voice, “Who’s the kid?” Jase came up and stood next to him, gesturing with one hand across the ring. Bryce and Sam were chatting softly, Bryce’s eyes never left Rhydian, followed him everywhere around the school.

“That’s Bryce. He’s Rhyder’s boyfriend.”

“Well no shit?” Jase sounded shocked, “Pretty boy done gone and replaced me already.”

“Jase…” Caleb’s tone was warning.

“Fuck Cay, you do always jump to the worst conclusions.” Jase snapped and punched him on the arm hard enough to sting, “I was gonna say about damn time and he’d done well for himself.” Jase growled, “Get over your fucking self alright?”

Caleb watched as Jase walked off around the corral, kicking dust and scrub grass with his boots, to join Bryce and Sam’s easy conversation. He knew it was stupid to hold a grudge two years on, knew hating Jase made him seem a little crazy. He also knew Sam had no idea why he still couldn’t forgive Jase for what had happened. In a weird way, Caleb had thought Jase had been the one. In hindsight, he’d been a hopelessly romantic kid. Not so different from Rhydian. And then when Jase hadn’t been the one, Caleb had chased after him and tried to make it so. It hadn’t worked, and he’d hurt about it for a long, long time. Caleb tried to shake the thought off, and focused instead on what Rhydian was doing in the ring.

Watching Rhydian with Shura was a sight to behold now. Boy and horse moved together as though they were talking in some secret language no one else could see or understand. Rhydian walked in a tight circle in the centre of the corral, and Shura walked with him. Exactly with him. The soft velvet muzzle never left the crook of his elbow, and Shura walked with his head low, his ears back, trusting his human. In all the time he’s known and worked with horses, Caleb had never seen anyone put in the hours Rhydian had to get to know his horse. Shura had been a damn good pick for the boy. The dapple quarter horse was strong and well rounded, a good twelve year old with enough experience under his belt to help teach Rhyder the things he needed to know. Caleb wondered if they boy had learnt enough to be able to link up and talk to another horse. He knew that no horse would be for Rhyder who Shura was, but the boy couldn’t ride one horse forever. Even Jase had two he used for rodeo fairly consistently.

“Sam?”

“Babe?”

“Can you go grab Samson for me?” Caleb named a strong young quarter horse, eight years old and very lively, “I think we should try something out.”

“Sure thing babe. Comin’ up.”

Caleb walked around the corral, much smaller than the school, to join Bryce and Jase. Rhydian had swung up into the saddle and without using the reins, was cantering Shura in a nice open circle around the edge.

“How’d your date go?”

“Great thanks,” Bryce blushed when he spoke, and Caleb could see exactly where he and Rhydian fitted together, “We had a really nice time.”

“Bryce here was just telling me it’s Rhyder’s birthday on Friday. How about that eh?”

“Yeah, I meant to talk to you about that. We should throw something together for him. And not just bonfires and booze.”

Jase sniggered.

“Kid’s turning eighteen, he’ll need cake.” Jase ruffled Bryce’s hair, “Everything else I’ll leave to his boyfriend here.”

Bryce beamed.

“Who’s with Sam?” Shura and Rhydian came to a halt by where they stood, and Rhydian’s eyes were fixed to where Sam was leading in the rich chesnut with the pale mane and white stockings, “Who is that horse for?”

“Giving you a test Rhyder.”

Rhydian wrapped his fingers unconsciously in Shura’s mane. He did not want to ride another horse. It was irrational, but it felt like cheating on Shura.

“Riding more horse’s helps bud,” Sam brought Samson into the corral on a rope head collar, “More experience, and greater confidence. Let Shura have a little rest eh?”

Rhydian turned to Caleb with a very measured look, weighing things up.

“This is one of those conversational things isn’t it?”

“Might be.”

“I’ve been reading those books in the lounge you know, I know how this works,” Rhydian slipped off Shura’s back as he spoke.

“Good. Then let’s see what you’ve learnt.” Sam handed over the rope of the head collar and took Shura’s reins at the same time. “This is Samson. C’mon Shura buddy, let’s go have a bit of munch and some water eh?” Sam shut the gate of the corral on his way out, leaving Rhydian and the new horse alone.

Rhydian un looped the head collar and gently began to fold the long rope into a thick skein about a three feet long. Samson was a well-trained horse, used to taking lots of different riders, so he simply stood there, patient but deeply uninterested in Rhydian. When the horse turned his face away to check out what Bryce and Caleb were doing, Rhydian saw his chance.

He slapped the thick rope against his leg and boot with a shout, and sent the horse careening away from him across the sand. When the horse stopped, Rhydian stepped forwards and shouted again, waving the rope to send the animal cantering around the school. The next time he stopped, Rhydian moved him along again, sending him away, making him feel unwelcome. After a bit, Rhydian sent him in the other direction, keeping the horse in his sights, never letting him stop for more than a moments rest. When Samson stopped and turned to Rhyder, the boy shouted and slapped the rope and sent him off again. He knew what he was doing. When Samson looked at him, his head was high, wild, defiant; he was not yet ready to give up.

Rhydian did nothing but stop to let the horse drink from the bucket which Sam had placed just inside the gate of the corral. The horse neighed and whinnied and tossed his head, but Rhydian did not let him settle and rest. All the time he held the horse’s gaze. All the time he watched the eyes, the head, and sent the horse away out of his presence. Then there came a where moment everything changed, and it was Bryce’s hot breathed whisper which made Rhydian heart soar almost as much as knowing he was on the way to having won.

“Look at that… amazing.”

Samson was loping around the outside of the ring, his head was down, his muzzle nearly scraping the sand, and he was licking and chewing with his mouth, gumming and grinding as he moved in an easy way around the ring. His ears, which until then had only ever spun around wildly, were fixed on Rhydian, satellite dishes pointed towards the boy at all times. Rhydian didn’t slap the rope, but continued to walk in a tight little circle in the centre. Now the horse was keeping pace, his gait taking him ever nearer on each pass. Rhydian turned sharply, giving the horse his shoulder, and stopped. Samson trotted right up to his back and stopped, nose pressing into the furrow of Rhyder’s spine.

The boy grinned secretly to himself. It had worked, he was winning. Rhydian walked gently across the sand with the horse following him, and as he passed Sam traded the rope for a bridle and bit, and continued to walk, carrying and fiddling with the item in his hands. He’d done it, joined up with another horse, forced the animal away and welcomed it back, established a link that allowed the horse to trust him without fear. When Rhydian stopped in the centre of the school, Samson stopped with him, remaining soft and trusting, his head low and his ears turned back.

Rhydian placed his hand gently on the horse’s neck, stroked him, eyes shuttered and nearly closed. He could think of nothing but his breathing, matching his heartbeat to the big chestnut horse as his fingers moved over the soft fur. He drew the loop of the reins carefully over Samson’s head and neck, then held the bridle properly, placing his free hand on the side of the quarter’s horse’s long nose. Samson took the bit without being fully asked, and by the time Rhydian had the straps settled, he knew he could ask the beast anything. He decided not to bother with a saddle, but simply walked to the corral fence and stepped up. Samson was there when he turned, waiting patiently. When Rhyder sat astride the horse, he felt the connection between them zing through his legs and crotch, electric and hot. He kept his breathing steady, and within minutes had the big pale maned chestnut walking the circumference of the corral with Rhydian holding the reins loosely, holding on with his knees.

“That’s very good Rhyder.” Caleb smiled when he spoke, and Rhydian felt his heart soar.Caleb kept his voice low and calm when he spoke, but there was no mistaking his joy. “Well done.”

“What’s it like babe?” Bryce asked softly, “Is he really different from Shura?”

“Some.” Rhydian turned the horse with a touch of one heel and the thought, “His stride his shorter, stronger. He’s got much more power up front.”

“Good judge,” Jase nodded in agreement, “He won’t make such a great cutting horse, but he’ll be great for pole bending and barrel racing. He looks fast.”

“I always thought Samson would look good in Western dressage personally,” The Texan hefted the saddle onto the edge of the corral, “You want to trade up and put him through his paces Rhyder?”

Rhydian drew Samson to a halt next to where Bryce stood.

“You and Indi wanna come with us?”

“Yeah. Sure thing.”

Sam turned out Shura to be with Boy-Latte and Ikara while Bryce saddled up, and Rhydian, already with Samson fully dressed, took him on a weaving pattern around a set of poles in the sand school. Samson was very responsive, and he turned well. Jase was right, a cutting horse he would not make, not found of backing up over his hocks, but Samson was a good horse, nice and strong. His trot and canter were livelier than Shura’s, much more up and down whereas Shura moved like a steady wave. It was nice, different, interesting, but Rhydian knew which horse he preferred.

The two boys took the horses out away from the hills, taking the trails through the low lying fields to the south of Iron Hill ranch. The grass was mostly tan-brown this far into the summer, and most of the fields had been cropped short ages ago for hay. Rhydian kept Samson on a fairly short rein, because the big brown creature was plenty powerful, and rode side by side with his boyfriend. Their stirrups chinked together, and Rhyder rode one handed like he always did, but he held Bryce’s hand too.

It was good riding in the sun with the boy he loved, and even better to know he had said it. Told Bryce he loved him under a billion stars and a moon bright as a mirror while the freight train rolled by. It had been beautiful. Rhydian leant over in the saddle and kissed Bryce’s knuckles.

“Don’t go.”

“I can stay. Sam said I can stay for dinner and such.”

“No… I meant…”

“I know what you meant Rhyder,” Bryce drew Indi to a halt and the blue dun tossed his head, throwing sunlight in his dark mane, “I don’t really wanna think about it babe.”

Rhydian moved Samson around in a tight circle so he could stop with his knee touching Bryce’s.

“I don’t ever wanna leave babe. I love you.”

“Then let’s just be in love ‘kay?” Bryce stood up in his stirrups and placed his hands on Rhyder’s knees to kiss him. Indi chose that moment to shift his weight from foot to foot, and Rhyder wrapped his arms around the boy and hauled him off his horse and into his lap. “Rhy!”

“Babe?”

“Am I not riding my horse no more then?” Bryce managed to twist around, sitting in the saddle in front of Rhyder, wriggling in his lap. Rhydian grinned and wrapped his arms around the boy.

“I think I like riding double.”

“I can tell,” Bryce didn’t sound upset at all that Rhydian’s hardening dick was pressing into his butt, “Take the reins buddy and we’ll go roll around in the hay loft, if you want.” Bryce scooped up Indi’s reins and used them to lead the horse alongside.

“You reckon maybe one of these days we could have sex indoors?”

Bryce slapped his thigh playfully.

“I never said anything about having sex with you Rhyder,” It took Rhydian three desperate heartbeats to realise Bryce was teasing him, “Yet.”

Rhydian shook the reins gently and guided Samson along with his feet. It was a lot harder to stay joined up with the horse now with Bryce was distracting him.

“Does that mean I might still get lucky?”

“We’ll see babe,” Bryce kissed his hand, holding the reins. “Maybe I’ll have to show you how a really good Californian guy treats his boyfriend.” Bryce wriggled in his lap, “Gee up Samson. No dinner for you if we miss ours too.”

Rhydian had never slept with anyone before by choice. Not lain down and slept. The last time had been the year when he’d been ten and the whole family had moved house for the first time. He and Claudine had shared a bed for just one night, and his sister had stolen all the covers.

He and Bryce had cuddled together on the hillside for ages listening to the train, and later the sounds of nature, but they had both had to go back to separate houses. Now Bryce was lying with his head on Rhydian’s shoulder, and he wasn’t going anywhere until after breakfast. Rhydian wondered why he couldn’t sleep.

It wasn’t the lack of space, because he couldn’t imagine being anywhere other than pressed up right against Bryce, inhaling the dusty clean scent of the boy, all apples and cinnamon. Bryce’s breathing was damp and even, lips parted and moving softly and unconsciously slack on his neck. There was surely not a better place in the world to be. Rhydian wanted to wrap his dreams around Bryce and join him in whatever wonderful place his imagination took them. But he couldn’t sleep. They only had days, and he wanted a lifetime. Maybe he would never feel this way again. Maybe he and Bryce would never spend another whole night together. If he slept, he might miss it. He kissed Bryce’s forehead, softly, but not softly enough.

“Rhy?”

“Mmm?”

“Come to sleep babe. Worrying’s gonna give you wrinkles.”

“But…”

Bryce’s fingers tickled the back of his neck.

“Shhhh… you don’t need to miss out on the here and now ‘cause you’re worrying about the future. Kiss me.”

Rhydian couldn’t refuse him.

“Now sleep. Maybe I’ll wake you up in an interesting way.”

Rhydian buried his face in the curve of Bryce’s neck, and finally let go of his worries, and drifted into unconsciousness.