Kendra broke off the thoughts before they really became catty and returned her attention to feeding the horses. She needed to focus on what was actually important. Colton’s bedmates had absolutely nothing to do with her.
“How’d everything go last night?” she heard Joel asked Colton.
“Good. Mom says hi.”
Kendra paused inside the stall. Mom?
“Tell her we’d love a visit sometime,” Joel said. “How’s your dad?”
“Same as always,” Colton answered in a low tone. “No better, no worse.”
Was there something wrong with his dad? Kendra snuck a glance, only to discover him watching her. His gaze shifted back to Joel.
Joel put a hand on Colton’s shoulder as he walked by. “Well, we’re almost done here, so when the
kids arrive for the trail ride, we’ll be all ready.”
“I’ll get changed and be right out.”
“Actually, if you want to take the day off, Brittany and I can handle things.”
Kendra felt the impact of Colton’s gaze again.
“Thanks, but Kendra and I have some work to do,” he said. “The sooner it’s done the better.”
Kendra seethed and grabbed two more flakes of hay, but didn’t want Joel to see the resentment she had for his employee and—more apparently—friend. Wishing she could give Colton a piece of her mind, she wondered exactly what kind of crappy chores he had in store for her today. If there was something worse than shoveling shit, he’d surely find it for her.
She braced herself when he returned from the house in his work clothes and jerked his head toward the Arabian barn. “Let’s go.”
Kendra followed. What thankless, smelly, impossible job had he come up with now? Once inside the barn, he stopped at Paelo’s stall and handed her the halter.
She accepted the halter with trepidation. “What?”
Colton nodded toward the huge black horse. “Put it on him.”
“You want me to put it on him?”
“I believe that’s what I just said.”
She stared at the animal. He paced back and forth in the stall, rustling shavings beneath his big feet, watching them with intense interest, head bobbing up and down. “Why him?”
“He’s a good teacher.”
“Him?” she squeaked.
Colton silently crossed his arms and leaned against the stall.
She took a determined breath. Despite her nervousness, she certainly wasn’t about to argue this unexpected opportunity to learn. She could do this…even with Father Superior looking on.
Kendra willed her hand not to shake as she slid the door open. Surprisingly, the horse stilled in the stall the moment she stepped inside. She lifted her chin to contemplate his towering height. How in the world would she reach his head without a ladder?
“Easy boy.” She spoke softly so Colton wouldn’t hear. “This won’t hurt. You’re the pro here so any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated.”
The halter wobbled in her unsteady, outstretched hand. When the black horse dropped his head and dipped his nose right into the constraint, she had to consciously tighten her slack jaw. Paelo waited for her to finish the job and Kendra secured the halter before he lost his patience. A current of burgeoning courage flowed over her nerves. The accomplishment of this first task tugged her lips up and she faced Colton with a triumphant smile.
He scowled. “Now bring him out and stand him in the aisle.”
After she did as instructed, he showed her how to secure the horse in what he called crossties, ropes attached to either side of the aisle. He demonstrated the quick release of the latches in case of emergency before spending the next hour going over the basics of a horse, its care and brushing techniques. She was happy to discover how much she remembered after studying her book over the past few days.