"You've pretty much mastered it, Izzy. Not so hard, is it?"
Nicholas felt proud watching Isabelle. In just over an hour, she had learned to ride Zephyr on her own.
"Yes! It feels incredible!" she exclaimed, reaching up to brush her fingers against the leaves above as Zephyr trotted along.
"Are you going to race Andrew now?"
"Let's wait until after lunch. I need to pick a different horse first." Nicholas glanced at his watch. "You're good with Zephyr on your own, right?"
"Of course," Isabelle replied confidently, pulling gently on the reins.
"I'll be back soon."
*****
As Isabelle sat atop Zephyr, enjoying the light breeze, everything felt peaceful and perfect.
Until a slick voice broke the tranquility from behind her.
"Excuse me, ma'am, you've truly caught me by surprise." A man,
