***
Jace saddled each horse in his string checking girths, saddles and bridles to make sure nothing was amiss. After yesterday’s misadventure, where thankfully no one was hurt, he didn’t want anything to go wrong. He had noticed that Angela’s name was on the list for the ride today and he had taken extra pains to secure her an especially calm and quiet horse. The special saddle had been added to the rotation and the lift was ready to help the curvy young woman mount. Everything was in order.
Still, nerves gnawed at his middle. He didn’t want anything to go wrong on this ride. He wanted Angela to be calm, relaxed, and happy with her first experience on horseback. There was so much to see out on the prairie, especially if you had the right guide. Early spring flowers could be found in specific areas of the ranch and the new shoots of green grass promised an extravagant summer.
All too soon, the riders descended from the ranch house, full of Mrs. Wade’s excellent breakfast and an enthusiasm for the western lure. It was always a carefully managed bustle getting everyone ready to go.
Jace smiled when he saw Angela wheeling toward him and hurried to show her the horse she would be riding. She smiled shyly at him, but he could see the light of determination in her eyes. This little Angel was made of stout stuff.
“I got the best horse for you,” he smiled giving her a conspiratorial wink. “He’s slow, steady, and very gentle.”
“Thank you.” Angie looked up at the thickset bay and a shiver ran down her back. She was sure that the animal was well behaved and accustomed to riders like her, but fear turned her breakfast to ashes.
“Can I watch some of the others first?” she asked. Hoping that by seeing the guests and horses interacting she would find the courage she needed.
“Sure, just hang out here, and I’ll come back around for you.”
Other wranglers were helping guests mount using tall plastic stairs, encouraging each person to follow instructions as they explained how to use the reins. “Mostly you just sit there and let the horse do the work,” one cowboy chuckled. “Keep your legs a bit tight, and you’ll be stable enough.”
Angie swallowed at the man’s words. She could not keep her legs in tight. She couldn’t even use her legs. How was she supposed to sit on a horse for a two-hour ride? She would fall off and probably break something. What if she fell and the horse got frightened and dragged her across the ground like she had seen in old westerns movies she had watched with her father? She didn’t think she could do this, but before she could protest, Jace was there, a cheerful smile on his handsome face. She had only met him yesterday, but he felt like a friend and she appreciated it, but what would he think if she couldn’t go through with this?
“I’ll help you into the lift,” Jace was saying steering Angie toward a sling lift next to her horse. “Once you’re up, I’ll move you over the saddle then lower you down. It’s real easy.”
Angie swallowed but gave him a nod as she scooted into the familiar lift. She’d used these sling lifts most of her life, but she had never been lifted so high before and her hands ached as she clung to the fabric of her seat. She was halfway to the horses back when the icy wave of fear crashed over her and she gasped for breath.
“No! I can’t do it!” she cried. “Put me down, put me down, please!” Hot tears poured down her face as the cowboy lowered her back toward the earth and adjusted the lift over the chair.
“Hey, it’s okay,” Jace’s voice was soothing the way a cowboy might speak to a spooky horse. “Just breathe,” he added as she settled into her chair.
Jace squatted before Angela trying to get her to look at him, but her eyes were tightly closed as tears leaked from under long dark lashes. “Angela, it’s all right. You’re safe.”
Angie’s breathing was coming in quick gasps, and she put her hands over her ears focusing on pulling herself together. She had to calm down. She had to focus. As her hearing began to return, Jace’s words called to her, and she opened her eyes meeting his soft blue gaze.
“Better?”
Angie nodded. “I’m sorry,” she whispered embarrassment making her face flame. “I’ll go. Thank you for trying to help.”
She turned her chair and began pushing hard toward the back of the big house. She could feel the eyes of the other guests boring into her crooked spine and her heart sagged. She would never be able to do this. She would never be able to help others overcome their fear and need if she couldn’t even get on a horse. It was no use. Her last three years in college were for nothing. A trauma therapist had to be strong, physically, and mentally. She would never be either.
Making the turn around the back of the house Angie aimed for the gap in the fence line that separated the old house from the cabin and camping area and saw a woman slipping through the door of the ‘Bath House’ which had been converted to a day spa. Perhaps a trip to the spa would work some of the knots out, and she could get her head on straight again. It might be just what the doctor ordered.
In a few moments, she had stopped in front of the building that had been turned into a spa somewhere along the way of the remodel wondering what the place would be like. She hoped it was wheelchair friendly. The building wasn’t overly large after all.
“You coming in?” a dark-haired woman with kind brown eyes
