Chapter 3
That afternoon, Ella was excited to get to the ranch for her riding lesson. She always loved going to Canter Cove for her riding lessons, and her lessons with Cody were great.
And Ella was happy that today she found out that she would be in the same homeroom as Kayla, with their French teacher, whom they loved. It was a shame that Ally and Josh were not in the same homeroom was they were, but at least they all had a friend who would be with them this year.
Ella had been at the ranch ever since book day this morning. Josh had a trail group to take out, so he went to book day really early to be back in time for this. His father said he would help him seeing as it was only his second time taking a group out, but he was still good at it from what Ella had heard.
Ella was so happy that Josh was now doing more at the ranch, and she wanted to do the same. She wanted to see how he was at taking a group out, but she also wanted to be there for support. And maybe, just maybe, if he made a mistake, Ella would have been there to laugh because that was the type of friend that she was.
So, maybe that was something she would ask him.
"Hey, Josh," said Ella when she found Josh in his horse's stall, Cobalt. He was a seal brown gelding, and he was beautiful. Josh was lucky to have him.
"Hi," replied Josh as he smiled at Ella.
"Still going on the trail group?"
"Yeah. Dad thinks I am actually good at it."
"That's good. I would like to see for myself."
"You can come out if you like. Dad won't mind."
"Really?"
"Yes. We can call it training," said Josh.
"Training for what?" asked Ella.
"You want to get a job here when you turn sixteen, don't you?"
"I have never thought about it."
"Well, it would be good if we could work together. We could both take trail groups out."
Ella thought about that, and it actually didn't sound like a bad idea. She was old enough to get a job, and maybe working at the ranch with Josh would have been fun. even though they fought sometimes, it just told them they were only meant to be friends. It didn't mean they couldn't work together, and now Ella could see herself taking out trail groups with Josh. That would have been great, and she would have been paid to spend all day with Blaze.
What could be better?
"That doesn't sound like a bad idea," said Ella after she had gone through everything in her head.
"I know," replied Josh.
"But Cody takes out trail groups. Do you really need someone else?"
"Cody also takes lessons. I will only be taking out the trail groups, and so will you. Then that will mean that Cody can take on more lessons if he wants."
"I highly doubt that. He likes taking out the trail groups."
"Well, I am sure my mum and dad will let you, anyway. Will you come today?"
Ella nodded.
"Great. I will go and ask dad, and you can get Blaze ready."
"What if he says no?"
"He won't. And if he does, you just have an excuse to take Blaze for another ride."
"Good point."
Ella smiled, and then she made her way to Blaze's stall to groom him. Taking trail groups out would have been fun and it would have given Ella the responsibility her parents had started to ask her to get. Seeing as she would have been turning sixteen in a matter of months, maybe it was really time to grow up a bit and act like a responsible young adult. That was what her mother told her to do all the time, so maybe Ella could have really looked into this job offer.
It was actually a good idea.
Ella quickly groomed Blaze and then she went to saddle him up. She hoped that Ryan said yes because she was actually looking forward to it.
And, what was another student?
Ryan took classes of them, so it shouldn't have been too hard for him to take another student on the trail group to teach her.
Ella was sure of it.
So, all she had to do was wait for Josh to come back.
...
When Blaze was all saddled, Ella grabbed her helmet and she walked to the front of the barn to wait for Josh. She thought that she would be nice, and she brought Cobalt out the front for him as well. She smiled when she saw Josh coming back, and he looked happy. He thanked Ella for bringing out his horse, and Ella knew that he was stalling to tease her.
Ella mounted Blaze and then she looked at Josh, "well? Are you stalling?"
Josh smiled at Ella as he continued to tease her, "why would I do something like that?"
"Because you are evil."
"You love it when I am evil."
"Not at times like this. What did your dad say?"
"He said that you can come, and if you impress him, we might just be able to take the trail groups together."
"That's great. And there will be money involved, won't there?"
"I don't know. There won't be for me because I live here. But I don't know for you."
"I hope there is money."
"Is money all you think of?" asked Josh.
Ella smiled, "sometimes."
"You are rich, and you practically have money coming out of your ears. You can get a job here, but why is it so important to be paid for it?"
Ella was the daughter of Adam Little who just so happened to be the richest man in Sandy Beach, so that made her pretty wealthy. She didn't even need to get a paying job because she had so much money she didn't know what to do with. But, Ella didn't run around bragging about that, so people who didn't know that she was Adam's daughter thought that she came from an ordinary working class family.
"Doesn't everyone love money?" asked Ella.
"Yes, we do, but rich people don't need jobs and they don't have to worry about looking for a paying job. You are one of those people."
"I guess."
Ryan then soon walked out, stopping Josh and Ella from talking about rich people and money.
Then the trail group arrived.
Josh had saddled the horses that would have been needed since Ryan asked him, so he had been busy all morning. But, Ryan said it was part of his hob, so Josh said he was happy to do it without complaining. That was the good son that he was, and he said he always made Isabella and Ryan proud of him.
Ryan and Josh helped the riders mount their horses, as did Ella, if she was going to impress Ryan, before they headed to the trail that led to the beach. Josh growled at Ella about mounting their horses while they waited for Ryan, and Ella only laughed because Josh didn't have to mount Cobalt if he didn't want to.
And that made Ella laugh.
"Alright, you two," said Ryan before the group headed out, "I need you both to ride at the back, but you are not to distract each other. And you can help the riders if they need it. I will be up the front, leading the way, and I don't want to hear you two complaining or arguing about anything, okay?"
"Yes, dad," replied Josh as he and Ella nodded.
The group them made their way to the trail and Josh and Ella rode next to each other at the back. So far, Ella thought that Ryan looked pretty impressed with her. Ella thought that she had done an amazing job as she helped the riders onto their horses and no one fell off or came across any problems as they mounted. So, that had to be a good thing, and she was sure that Ryan liked what he saw.
"I think dad is impressed," said Ryan.
Ella smiled to herself, "is that great?"
"Yeah, it is. I can just see us working together."
"Well, as long as we don't argue, we should be fine."
"Who says we will argue?"
"I think everyone would."
"Yeah, they probably would."
Josh and Ella laughed. But, they were still quiet so Ryan wouldn't yell at them for not concentrating.
"Excited for the endurance race?" asked Ella.
"Very, but I wonder how long it will take for you and Ally to get lost," replied Josh.
"We won't get lost."
"You will. You manage to make a mistake each time we have a practice race."
"Isn't that what practice races are for?"
"Yes. Do you and Ally learn much from the mistakes that you make?"
"Sure, we do."
"I hope so, because Kayla and I want you and Ally to give us some competition."
"Is that a compliment or an insult?"
"I think it is a backhand compliment," said Josh.
"What do you mean?" asked Ella.
"A backhand compliment is a compliment that should be taken as an insult."
"That is exactly what I call you evil, Josh."
"Now that is an insult."
"It is."
Josh and Ella laughed one more time before they returned their attention to the trail group. Ryan had announced that they would start some trotting, so Josh and Ella had to keep an eye on that. No one would post today, but Josh and Ella had to make sure that the riders went in the right direction and they actually put effort into making their horses go.
So far, the group did well and as they were told, and it didn't give Josh and Ella much of a job. But, that was good for their first time, and Ryan must have specifically put Josh on this group based on the forms that they had to fill out before the ride started. That would have measured their skill level and Ryan must have wanted to put Josh with a relatively easy group to begin with. And clearly that was what he did today, and Josh said he was glad of that.
But, Ella couldn't help but laugh as she saw the riders bump around in their saddles. She knew that it was mean to laugh at them, but she couldn't help it. From her place at the back of the group, the bouncing around looked hilarious and Ella found it was great entertainment. But, as soon as Josh heard Ella laugh, he shot her a stern look, telling her that Ryan wouldn't have been pleased if he heard.
So, with that, Ella took a moment to pull Blaze to a halt to compose herself.
And once that was done, she joined the group again without laughing.
...
The group continued to post down the trail for another half and hour, stopping to walk now and then to give the horses and riders a break. And when they arrived at the beach, it was time for an hour wait. Josh and Ella had orders from Ryan to help the riders tether their horses properly and then they were done for the hour. And, so far, Ella was sure that she and Josh had done a pretty good job.
"Well, I think we are doing well," said Ella as she and Josh sat in the sand.
"I am," replied Josh, "but I am not sure about you. You kept laughing at the riders."
"You have to admit that they did look pretty funny."
"Okay, maybe they did, but you shouldn't have been laughing at them."
"I saw you smile before."
Josh looked at the ground, "maybe," he admitted.
"Don't deny it, Josh," replied Ella.
"Alright," Josh gave in, "I won't. But you can't laugh again."
"I won't. I promise."
"Good."
"Are you excited for the lesson tonight?" asked Ella when she decided that it was time to change the subject.
"Yeah, it should be alright," replied Josh.
"I hope Cody does something for the endurance race."
"He won't. He might talk about the planning, but we won't do any practice for it."
"I want to practice for it," said Ella.
"We have had a lot of practice and I don't think we need anymore," replied Josh.
"I guess. Are you excited for it to be in RayBourne?"
"Yes. I have always wanted to see the riding school there, at the university. Apparently, it is amazing."
"I have heard that too. But the riders there will be snobs."
"Yeah, they probably will. But, we will be the better riders, won't we?"
"Yes, we will."
When the hour came to an end, Josh and Ella had to get up and make themselves useful. They got up and helped the riders back on their horses, and then it was time to head back to the trail. Josh and Ella had to ride at the back again, so Ella promised herself that she wouldn't laugh again. Josh said he was happy about that, so Ella decided she was as well. And when the riders did start to trot again, Ella found that she didn't laugh.
That was good.
...
The trail group continued on their way down the trail and Ella was happy that she was doing a good job. She had successfully managed to stop herself from laughing, and that was good. The group soon arrived back at the ranch, and Josh and Ella had to help everyone off again. And when that was done, Ryan took care of the business end of things, while Josh and Ella unsaddled the horses to turn them out into the paddock for a well-deserved break.
There were not that many riders in the group, so that meant that there were not that many horses to unsaddle and groom.
Five.
Just five.
That was good.
And then there were the three other horses; Blaze, Cobalt and Sheebah, the ones that Ella, Josh and Ryan rode respectively.
So they all had to be groomed.
Ella decided that she would unsaddle Blaze and then he would be able to have a rest before the lesson. He had been such a good boy on the trail ride, so he deserved to have a good break.
When Ella finished with Blaze, she went and put him in the barn and then went to help Josh with the other horses. It didn't take them long to finish with the horses and then they got them settled in the paddock for their well-deserved break.
"Do you want to go and get something to eat? I am pretty sure we have some ice cream if you want it," said Josh as he and Ella made their way up to his house.
"Ice cream? Are you seriously asking me that?" replied Ella with a smile. She and her friends loved ice cream, especially triple chocolate ice cream.
"Okay, that was a dumb idea."
"Very dumb."
Ella and Josh then made their way to the house so they could have some of that ice cream that Josh mentioned. It wasn't triple chocolate ice cream but was cookies 'n' cream ice cream which was Ella's second favourite ice cream. So, she was pleased about that which was great.
She loved ice cream.
"Do you think your dad will say that we can do it?" asked Ella as she and Josh made themselves comfortable on the couch in the lounge room.
"I think so. He looked pretty impressed," replied Josh.
"It should be fun."
"And, as long as you don't laugh at the riders, we should be able to do a pretty good job."
"Alright, I won't laugh ever again."
"Do you know how mean that was?"
"Yes, okay, it was a little mean," said Ella.
"Very mean," replied Josh.
"Didn't we agree that you were the evil one?"
"Okay, I am the evil one, and you are the mean one."
"Evil and mean? I don't think we go together."
"No, I don't think so."
Josh and Ella laughed. Ella was glad that they were able to argue in fun now because it was never fun when they had a serious argument. So, now they would just tease one another, and it was always fun when they did. Kayla and Ally had to have been happy about that because they would have always been in the middle.
Even Ella knew that wasn't fun.
...
When Ella finished her ice cream, she looked at the time and it had gotten closer to her lesson time. So, she thought that she should have gotten to the barn, and maybe she could have annoyed Cody for a while. That would have been fun seeing as she didn't see him at book day. So, she needed to get on his nerves a little before the lesson.
Ella made her way to the barn and then she smiled when she saw Cody doing some work before the lesson. That was great because she could have followed him around while he worked, and she could have bothered him at the same time. maybe she could have asked him for a heart to heart, something that she liked doing. And she knew that Cody didn't mind having heart to hearts either.
"What are you doing?" asked Ella as she crept around to the stall that Cody was busy mucking out.
Ella then snorted with laughter when she saw Cody jump. He always denied it, but every time Ella snuck up on him, she saw Cody jump, and it was the funniest thing ever. She was sure that he found it funny as well, even though he denied that it ever happened. But, Ella could see him jump every time, so she thought that there was no point in him denying it because he jumped; he was scared.
"You are going to be the death of me, kiddo," said Cody, using the nickname he called Ella for a long time now.
"So, you know that you jumped?" Ella snickered.
"I didn't jump; I grimaced. Completely different."
"Not really."
"Yes really."
"Anyway," said Ella when it was time to change the subject, "I took a trail group out with Ryan and Josh today."
"Really?" asked Cody.
Ella nodded.
"How was it?" asked Cody.
"It was good. I thought it was fun, too, and if I impressed Ryan, Josh and I might be able to take trail groups out ourselves," replied Ella.
"You are looking to get a job here?" asked Cody, clearly intrigued now.
Ella nodded.
"As a trail leader?" asked Cody.
"I don't know," replied Ella.
"Well, if you do get a full-on job here, like Seth, I will be your boss."
"Who says?"
"I do. I am the head stable hand, and what do you think you will be doing if you actually get a job here?"
"Trail rides."
"Yes," said Cody, "but, you will also be mucking out stalls and grooming horses. Barn chores. I am the boss of that department."
"Well, that would be fun," replied Ella.
"Working with me as your boss isn't easy, kiddo. You have seen me with Seth.
Seth was Ella's best friend who was a bad boy. He was the type who smoked and drank to his heart's content, and he didn't care about the consequences. But, he was also a stable hand at the ranch, and he had worked at Canter Cove ever since he moved to Sandy Beach with his father and brothers.
And Ella had seen the way Cody was with Seth.
He was his boss.
He was strict.
But, surely Cody wouldn't be that harsh with Ella because she was his step cousin who he considered a sister, and she was also a girl.
So surely, he wouldn't have been that mean.
"Wouldn't you make an exception for me?" asked Ella.
Cody shook his head.
Well, Ella didn't expect that.
"That's not fair," she complained.
"That's life," replied Cody/
"I guess."
"But, anyway, I hope you do get that job with Josh. It'll be good for you."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"It'll just help you with the adult world."
"Why?"
"Responsibility. The fact that you will have an actual adult responsibility. That will be good for you."
"Then I hope I get it."
"I am sure you will."
"We should have a heart to heart," said Ella.
Cody looked at the time, "you do know you have your lesson soon, right?"
Ella nodded, "we have time."
"Not really."
"Then help me with Blaze. We can talk while we work."
"Fine. As long as you help me with Ally."
Ally was Cody's bay mare whom he had named after his sister, Ally. Back then, Cody thought that his little sister was dead, so he named his horse after her. Now it was a little confusing when both, 'Ally's,' needed to be talked about at the same time. But Ella knew that Cody never would have changed his horse's name so everyone just got used to it.
"Deal," said Ella.
With that, Cody and Ella made their way to Blaze's stall when he waited peacefully. They each got a brush and made their way into get Blaze all nice and groomed. And it was time for Ella to have her heart to heart with Cody, but she needed to think of something to talk about. And sometimes that wasn't easy, but Ella was sure that she would have been able to work it out.
"So, about that heart to heart," said Cody.
"What about it?" replied Ella.
"What did you want to talk about?"
"I need to think of something."
"You haven't thought of anything yet?"
Ella shook her head.
"That's a shock," Cody teased.
"I will think of something," replied Ella.
"We all know you will."
Ella laughed.
"Well, while you are thinking, I should tell you that Mason is here. You can come and spend some time with him after class if you want."
"Why is he here?"
"Because Jade isn't at home, and someone needs to look after him, don't they?"
"I guess so."
Cody smiled.
"So, I have thought of something," said Ella.
"What?" asked Cody.
"Does it feel weird to be a dad?"
Cody smiled, "no," he said, "it doesn't feel weird."
"Why?" asked Ella.
"What do you mean, 'why?'"
"Well, parenthood is a major life transition for couples."
"Yeah, it is. But you prepare for it, don't you?"
"Okay, you do, but how do you prepare for it?"
"Research. Talk to family members who have already had a baby. That kind of thing."
"But you are a bad boy turned good boy who now has a baby."
"Yeah, I know. But it feels good."
"Why?"
"Because after marriage you kind of want to start a family with your husband, wife or whoever you married. I am sure you would agree."
"I guess," said Ella.
"So, that is why it doesn't feel weird to be a dad," replied Cody.
"Well, I think you make a pretty good dad."
"Thanks, kiddo."
Ella smiled. That was a pretty good heart to heart, she thought. And when Blaze was all saddled and groomed, it was time to go and get Cody's horse ready. Cody and Ella made their way down to the paddock where Ally was housed with her adopted pinot son, Aden, who was also nearly one year old. Ella decided that she would still help Cody with his horse because that was the deal, and she was happy to help, anyway.
"You should teach us free riding," said Ella once Cody had clipped his horse's lead rope on and headed back to the barn.
"Like I said to Ally; I am not sure if you four are ready for that," replied Cody.
"We could be."
"How old are you?"
"Fifteen; you know that."
"And how long have you been riding for?"
"Ten years."
"Right. I am twenty-three, and I have been riding for eighteen years. That's eight years more than you have. And that means eight years more experience."
"But I want to learn how to do it," said Ella.
"And I will teach you. Maybe when you all turn eighteen," replied Cody.
"You'll still be our teacher by then?"
"I'd like to think so."
"You are so cute," said Ella.
"What have we said about calling me, 'cute,' kiddo?" replied Cody.
"To not to."
"Exactly."
Ella laughed. She may have heard Cody tell her not to call him, 'cute,' on a number of occasions, but that never stopped her. He would always tell her not to, but then he would go and do something that was well and truly, 'cute-worthy,' as Ella referred to it in her mind, and she would call him cute.
And it wasn't long before Ally was all groomed and it was nearly time for the lesson to get started. Ally and Kayla soon arrived to groom their horses, as did Josh and the rest of the class. Cody and Ella made their way to the arena to wait for the class. Ella mounted Blaze with a smile and she was so excited right now.
She had had a great day!
Even book day (which was about school) was good.
She then took a trail group out with Josh which was so much better than she thought.
And she had a nice heart to heart with Cody.
That was something she had wanted to do for a long time.
So, her day had rated as a pretty good one in Ella's book, and she was glad that she enjoyed it.