Yellowstone

Chapter 18 - Something In The Orange

After feeding her horses, Elisabeth managed to get herself properly dressed despite Ryan's protests.

"You need to go back to bed and get some more rest. You've got more than one bullet in you this time." He told her.

Elisabeth sniffed and adjusted the collar of her work shirt. "I'll be ok, Stuart Little. I promise. You know I go kinda stir-crazy if I'm cooped up for too long."

"I know... I just don't want you to injure yourself further."

She gave him a look. "I'll be fine. Go mount up and head out. I'll be around here somewhere when y'all are done."

Ryan obeyed after a quick goodbye. He hopped up on Andorra and left the barn without another word.

Elisabeth took Milo from his stall and led him into a round pen, taking a lead rope with her. He still had his halter on, but that was only so she could catch him when they were done.

"Go on, shoo." She muttered, swinging the rope in a circle to get Milo on the rail. She clicked her tongue, sending him into a trot.

She kept him trotting for a bit before cueing him to canter for a few minutes.

Jimmy lingered near, watching while Elisabeth lunged her gelding. "How do you get him to listen to you?" He asked, watching the horse.

"Takes trust." She replied simply. "He wouldn't listen to me if he didn't trust me."

"But how do you know he wouldn't?"

Elisabeth swung the rope, making Milo switch directions and canter. "Horses are smarter than we give them credit for. They can read your energy, so to speak. So if I don't trust him, he won't trust me."

"But... how do they know?"

Elisabeth chuckled, keeping her eyes on the gelding. "No one really knows the answer to that except the horse, Jimmy."

"Easy, fella. Easy." She coaxed, bringing him down to a walk. Milo turned into the middle of the round pen, facing her. Jimmy seemed intrigued at the whole process.

She clipped the lead rope to his halter and led him out as Jimmy opened the gate for her. She put him away in the barn, deciding to take a walk with Jimmy.

"Why're you so curious all of a sudden?" She asked, trying to hide her limp.

"Well... I want to do bronc riding, but... it heavily involves horses. And I'm still kinda scared of them."

"Jimmy, I'm gonna tell you somethin' that Travis taught me when I was in the circuit. To be any good at the game, you have to do it for the horse. Because in reality, a horse is your only real friend."

Jimmy gulped a little, her words causing an ache to form in his chest.

"That's all cowboying really is, ok? It's just you and horse, workin' a damn job, tryin' like hell to not let each other down." She told him sincerely.

Travis had told her almost those exact words when she'd gone out on the road with him. She had carried his advice with her and in that time, she had become a better horseman and rider just by listening to him.

"What did you do in the rodeo? Aside from reining?" He asked, peeking up a little.

"Ran barrels and poles on Ryan's mare for a while, did some cutting with Lady... hell, I kinda dabbled in everything." Elisabeth said, digging her hands into her pockets.

Jimmy gazed at her in awe. "Were you not scared...?"

"I've been around horses since I was a kid. I think I love them too much to ever be scared of them. Bit of an unfair advantage, I guess." She said, stopping to admire a roan filly.