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“Tora, Tooora— time to wake up.”
Distantly, he heard the soft voice calling him back into the land of the living. He considered opening his eyes, but sleep had him firmly in its grasp. It was rare he slept so deeply, so when it happened he was reluctant to give it up. Tora tucked his face deeper into the soft pillow that smelled like the fruity stuff Poppy like to put in her wash.
As sleep was about to claim him again, he felt her small hand gently on his back. “Come on Tora, wakey-wakey!” She cooed. A smile tugged as his lips, but he wasn’t about to give in just yet. Maybe if he kept this up she’d try harder to get him up. Possibly give him something to look forward to. He smiled to himself, liking his plan. Yes, this would be a good morning.
“OUCH! What the hell Bobby?!” he yelped flipping over in bed to face the woman who just unceremoniously poked him in the soft spot below his ribs. “Ya sadist…” he muttered rubbing the sore spot.
“I knew you were awake,” Poppy answered matter of factly. “Come on! Get up! Remember? I told you I had a surprise today?” She looked radiant, practically vibrating with excitement. Tora didn’t know what she had planned, but he loved seeing her seeming so happy.
“What ya got in mind?” He said groggily rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He reached for a hair elastic to pull his mane of messy black hair out of his face.
She kneeled on the bed beside him bitting her lower lip her eyes danced with her secret. She was already dressed in ass-hugging jeans and a tee-shirt that had her usual cutesy characters printed across the fabric. Tora didn’t really notice what was on the shirt. His eyes focused in on the V at her neck that allowed just a bit of her ample cleavage to peek out. He could feel his groin stirring as morning wood mixed with desire.
She grinned mischievously, “Okay! Wait here!” She hopped off the bed, and Tora enjoyed the view as she bounced over to her closet. She was rummaging through something, and pulled out a large box. He was intrigued. What had she cooked up in her little hamster brain?
She rushed back to the bed, jumping to land on her knees in front of him. She placed the large box in front of him. “Open it!”
He cocked an eyebrow at her curious what could have her so excited. Upon closer inspection, the box seemed to be a large shoe box. He lifted the lid not sure what he expected to find, but it certainly wasn’t what was lying inside. His brows scrunched together in confusion. His head tilted of its own accord uncertain if he was seeing this correctly.
“What’s this for?” he said not unkindly. He smirked as he looked up at her, “Ya got a cowboy kink or somethin’ Bobby?”
He was rewarded by seeing a faint blush spread across her cheeks dusting her ears. “No!” She squeaked shoving his shoulder. She huffed. Tora couldn’t help it, he pulled her in closer to him so he could kiss her. She turned her face, but he wasn’t deterred. He just tickled kisses along her jaw and neck. “Toraaa!” She complained, but couldn’t keep the pleasure out of her voice.
“It’s okay, Bobby. Ya want me to be a cowboy for ya, I’m down. Save a horse, ride a cowboy? That’s a saying right? Doesn’t sound too bad,” her murmured as he continued to nibble affectionately across her collarbone. She whimpered. He could tell he was about to get his way.
“Tora, wait,” she stiffened and pulled away. A sudden burst of self-control sending her back to business. The appendage in Tora’s pants continued to pitch a tent, ever hopeful.
“Okay, what’s with the cowboy boots then Bobby?”
A wide grin split across her face. “Remember when we were watching ‘Man from Snowy River,’ and you said how ‘Badass’ it’d be to ride a horse?” Tora blinked at her uncertain where she was going with this. “Well, today, we’re going horseback riding!”
Tora wasn’t sure he comprehended her words as an unfamiliar fear gripped his icy thug heart. “What?” He needed to make sure he understood this right. Did she actually say they were going to get on huge animals and ride them? Today? He had faced loads of things that could kill him, and it was honestly pretty routine for his life. But for some reason her words sparked a sort of primal fear in him. He schooled his face to look calm not wanting Poppy to see the hint of panic he felt.
“Horseback riding! I found this great place that does private trail rides up near Moonbright. And don’t worry, I checked, they have a horse big enough for you. They give a little lesson before going out so you’re comfortable. Then they take you through the mountains. The scenery is supposed to be beautiful.” She turned the full force of her cute hamster gaze at him. The smile that she knew could get him to do anything. The little woman knew how to weaponize her cuteness, and he was done for.
***
Poppy had rushed him along out the door. They had to get on the road so they didn’t miss their appointment. So thirty minutes after receiving his gift, they were loaded up in the car sporting boots and jeans ready for action. Poppy set her phone to give directions through the car’s audio, and hit play on a playlist she had obviously put together for this occasion. Tora couldn’t help but roll his eyes with a smirk as twangy country music started blaring through his speakers.
Tora watched out the side of his eye as Poppy moved to the beat singing along with the music happily. Traffic wasn’t busy yet this early on the weekend. The oppressive industrial buildings of the city faded into the sprawling countryside that led toward Poppy’s hometown. Tora felt himself breathe a little easier as he always did once he was out of the city. Poppy’s excitement was infectious, and he could feel himself warming up to the idea of horseback riding. That dude in the movie had looked pretty badass when he dove over the cliff on his horse after those cows. Though, he hoped she didn’t expect him to do anything like that today. Nah, if anything it’ll be boring. This place does trail rides as a business, so the horse will probably do all the work.
The GPS guided them off the main highway onto an narrow country road that wound its way deeper into the mountains. No other cars were on the road, and Tora speed along enjoying the opportunity to feel the car’s tight performance. Complete control. If Quincey were psychoanalyzing him he’d probably comment about his control issues being why he felt that nervous pang when thinking about riding a horse. How much control did the rider actually have anyway? Was it like driving a car? Tora suspected it wasn’t.
Poppy squealed as they passed what looked like a ranch with horses in a pasture. “Oh, Tora! Look they’re so pretty! I’m so excited. It’s been ages since I’ve ridden.”
Tora glanced over to see her beaming looking out the window. “When’s the last time ya went?” She’d obviously been on a horse before, but hadn’t talked about it much. Tora secretly wondered how much of a noob he’d look like compared to her. He mentally berated his competitive nature, but couldn’t help hoping he didn’t make a fool of himself.
Poppy was quiet for a moment seeming to reflect on her last ride. “It was with my dad,” she said quietly, “He had a friend who would let us ride their horses. We didn’t go often, dad worked a lot. But we always had the best time when we did go out. I think I must have been 12 or 13 the last time. We went before dad got sick.”
Tora moved his hand from the gearshift to find her hand. He gave her hand a squeeze. Words were not his strong suit, and he was glad Poppy seemed to find comfort in his use of physical communication to express himself.
They continued their journey up the mountain in comfortable silence listening to Poppy’s eclectic playlist. It hadn’t only contained Country music like Tora originally expected. It was a strange blend of Country, Motown, Disney, and Hip Hop that left Tora feeling a bit like he had whip lash from the sudden changes. Tora was just beginning to think he had figured out what to expect coming from the spears when the beat turned from jaunty and uplifting to sensual as DJ Regard’s ‘Ride It’ began pumping through the surround sound. Tora bit the inside of his cheek trying not to laugh. He let his gaze creep to the side to look at Poppy. Had she realized she put this song on the playlist? She was sitting in the passengers seat staring straight ahead determined not to look at him. He could tell because her cheeks were beat red. He cocked his eyebrow certain she could see him.
“Oh shut up,” Poppy shot.
The laughter shook his shoulders silently until he couldn’t hold it anymore. Tora lost it. Picturing her putting this playlist together, and going from some cartoon character singing about adventure to this sex anthem was just too much. What even went on in that hamster brain of hers?
She was giggling with him now. He’d gained some control, and turned his shit eating grin to her, “I mean, Bobby, if I’d known this is what ya were talkin’ about when ya said ya wanted to go riding, I woulda taken ya a lot sooner.”
She smacked him playfully. “Stop it!” She whined, “I was tired when put this together. I wasn’t paying attention.”
“Uh-huh,” Tora nodded, “Sure, Bobby. Whatever ya say.”
The GPS signaled they were nearing their destination. Tora followed the prompts to a dirt road. He slowed as they made their way up the drive following hand painted signs directing them to the parking area. A clear space between a row of worn horse trailers and an old shed was the only obvious place to park. There was a little barn with fences coming off the side that housed clean horses.
“So uh, where do we go from here?” Tora asked since no one appeared to signal where to go.
Poppy looked around and pointed to a little dog running into the barn. “Barn wisdom, when in doubt, follow the dog.” Poppy opened the door and proceeded to follow the stubby legged creature. Tora took a deep breath shrugging as he followed after her.
“Hello?” Poppy called into the barn. It took them both a minute for their eyes to adjust to the dim light.
“Hello! Coming!” A voice called from inside a stall. A middle-aged woman emerged from a stall wearing a baseball cap and riding jeans smeared with dirt and horse hair. “Welcome! You must be Poppy?” The woman wiped her hand on her jeans before offering it to Poppy.
“Yes, are you Jenny?” Poppy shook the woman’s hand as she nodded confirmation. “And this is my boyfriend Tora.”
“Nice to meet you,” Jenny extended her hand. Tora muttered a greeting. Tora was mildly surprised by the woman’s grip, but guess it made sense with her line of work. He was also pleasantly surprised to find the woman didn’t seem to be intimidated by him. He wasn’t sure if that was because she routinely took on 1000 pound animals or because Poppy had a way of softening his presence. Either way, it was nice not to feel like people were terrified of your very presence. “Welcome, welcome. Come with me, I’ll take you over to mama. She pairs all our horses and riders. Then we’ll get tacked up and head out.”
Tora followed behind the two women who chatted like old friends. It never ceased to amaze Tora how Poppy could strike up a conversation with anyone. He looked around the barn aisle. Horses munched hay or dozed happily. They all looked clean and seemed to be cared for, that was a good sign he guessed. They came out the other side of the barn to a seating area in front of a pen filled with loose horses. An old woman stood at the gate looking over the horses. The old woman turned hearing the group approach. Her sharp gaze and worn leather face reminded Tora of Alice.
“Mama, meet Poppy and Tora! We’ll be taking them out today,” Jenny greeted the older woman. “Poppy, Tora, this is my mom, Sybil.”
“Nice to meet you,” Poppy greeted cheerily. The old woman nodded greeting in return before turning her assessing gaze to Tora.
“Look sharp there boy. Ya ever been on a horse before?” Just like Alice, this woman got straight to the point.
Tora shook his head, “Never.”
Sybil’s eyes held a glint of humor. Tora could tell he’d just been made a mark. “What about you little lady?”
“Not in a long time. I used to ride some when I was a kid.”
“Either of ya get spooked easily?” Sybil asked.
Tora and Poppy looked at each other before shrugging, “No, not really.” Tora shook his head along with Poppy’s answer.
“Good. You’ll be fine. Jenny go ahead and fill out the paperwork. I’ll get the kids.” Sybil grabbed a couple ropes from the fence before entering the pen filled with loose horses.
Jenny went over the paperwork which consisted of standard liability and hold-harmless agreements as well as agreement to follow safety precautions and payment agreement. Poppy and Tora signed. Jenny inspected their footwear and took them over to a bin filled with all sizes of helmets. It took a minute to find one big enough for Tora. He felt a little silly in the headgear, but understood the reasoning. He wasn’t keen on chancing breaking open his skull today anyway.
By the time they’d finished, Sybil had two horses tied to a hitching post waiting for them. It was fairly obvious which one was for each of them. The one on the left stood almost two feet taller than the other. The tall black horse looked like he was part elephant he was so thick. Tora would never admit it, but he was a bit intimidated by the beast’s size. Now he knew what some people must feel about him. The little horse on the right looked more like a cartoon character. It had brown and white patches like a cow, and fur longer than any horse he’d ever seen.
“Poppy, you’ll take Trotter over there. Go ahead and grab a brush from the bucket there, and introduce yourself. Don’t let him fool you, he ain’t tired or starved. Tora, you’ll be with Duke today. Go and give him a brush, he’s just like a big dog.” Sybil pointed each to their mounts.
Tora took a stiff bristle brush from the bucket and approached the massive creature. The horse swung his head to face Tora causing Tora to pause uncertain if the animal wanted him to come closer or not.
“You’re okay son, Duke is just a curious sort. Want’s to give ya a sniff first,” Sybil called.
Tora held out his hand to allow the horse to smell him. Thick whiskers surrounding massive nostrils tickled Tora’s hand. The horse’s soft muzzle searched his hand probably looking for treats. Tora cracked a smile. This wasn’t so bad. He stepped closer to be able to brush the large animal’s back which Duke seemed to enjoy.
Jenny and Sybil went back and forth between Poppy and him putting different items on the horses, and giving them tidbits of information. Tora tried to retain what he could, but couldn’t recall all the different horse clothes they put on the animals.
It wasn’t long before they were ready to ride. The women led them into a small fenced in arena with a step stool in the middle. Jenny got Poppy up first, and started walking along beside her teaching her the basics.
Tora looked over to the old woman who was looking at him with the same type of knowing gaze Alice would level at him. “Ya ready boy?”
Tora nodded.
“Okay, just step up there. Put yer left leg in the stirrup, and swing ya right leg over. Yep there ya go.” Sybil stood holding the reigns under the horse’s chin. “Okay, now remember to sit back on the pockets of yer jeans, and adjust yerself so ya don’t squish anything important,” the old lady said matter-of-factly with a wink. Tora felt the tips of his ears heat, and did as she said as discretely as possible. This whole plan suddenly seemed like a terrible idea.
Sybil walked around the horse adjusting things and Tora to her liking. She rattled off instructions, and Tora did his best to keep up. It was hard to focus on learning the cues while he tried to stay balanced on the moving animal. Tora looked across the arena to see Jenny had left Poppy’s side, and Poppy was walking solo down the rail on the furry creature. Duke’s plodding gate rocked Tora with every step, and Tora’s legs swung struggling to figure out how to hold on to the slick sides.
“Relax yer ass. Yer gonna give yerself saddle sore,” Sybil barked. “Relax and let yerself move with the horse. Stop trying to hold yerself still.”
Tora took a breath allowing his muscles to relax. His legs found purchase as he sunk into the movement with the horse. It was actually kind of a cool feeling. Tora followed the old woman’s instructions as she taught him how to use his reigns and legs to cue the horse to stop, go, and right/left. By the end of the mini lesson, he wasn’t exactly ready to go on a full cattle drive, but he felt confident in being able to move the horse without someone leading him.
Jenny brought out two more horses fully tacked, and she and Sybil mounted before leading the pair out of the arena.
“The trailheads this way. We’ll take it up 30 minutes to a lookout point, and head back down the other side,” Jenny called. Sybil took the lead, and Jenny went behind keeping Tora and Poppy between them in case either needed help.
Poppy’s horse might have been much smaller, but his little legs marched determined to stay ahead of Duke. While the giant was unfazed by the little pony’s one-sided race. The trail took them through a thick forest. Tora had to admit, it was a beautiful place. Peaceful. It felt surreal compared to his life.
Poppy chatted with the women as they made their way up the gently sloping trail. Tora found himself relaxing into the rhythm of Duke’s stride. It was rare that Tora felt relaxed outside, but something about Duke’s swiveling ears made Tora feel more comfortable like he knew the horse would help keep lookout so he didn’t have to so much.
The ride up the mountain was uneventful. The only reason Tora realized they must be getting close was his ass started to sting a bit. Otherwise, he was relaxed and enjoying himself. At the lookout point, they were able to stand side-by-side overlooking the rolling country with a river cutting through the hills. Vastly different to the cityscape Tora had grownup with, this was untouched land.
“It’s beautiful,” Poppy whispered.
“Sure is,” Tora snuck a peek at her, not wanting to make her self conscious, but wanting to enjoy her enjoying the view.
***
Poppy dozed in the car on their way back into the city. The ride had been thoroughly enjoyable, but the excitement seemed to have taken it’s toll on the hamster. Tora’s ass-cheeks felt a little bruised, but otherwise had no complaints about the day.
Even if he’d gotten a hell beast to ride, he would have enjoyed just getting to watch Poppy’s face light up. He recalled her giggling happily as they let her trot for a bit on the way back. Duke had trotted a few paces for him, but Duke was more than happy to go back to the walk when Tora realized it’d be much more difficult to keep his junk safe while bouncing wildly at the faster gate.
It had been a memorable day. He smiled as a little snore escaped Poppy. Tora thought back to what the old woman had said to him before they left. He’d been a bit taken aback at first, because somehow the old woman seemed to know him too well. But he figured she must have the same type of old lady magic Alice did.
“Ya may look tough on the outside boy, but ya got a good feel to ya. I can tell, the horses like ya. Don’t let that shit in the city harden ya. She’s good for you. Trust yer heart and keep yer eyes soft.”