The Horse from Hell
620 Words
The next morning, Damien regretted making the bet.
Deeply.
Profoundly.
Life-changingly.
Because standing in front of him was the largest horse he had ever seen.
The animal looked less like a horse and more like a prehistoric beast.
It stared at him.
Damien stared back.
Neither trusted the other.
"His name is Titan."
Damien pointed at the horse.
"That's not a horse."
"It is."
"No."
Damien took a cautious step backward.
"That's a monster."
Ethan looked annoyingly amused.
"It's just a horse."
Titan chose that moment to snort loudly.
Damien nearly jumped out of his skin.
Ethan laughed.
Unfortunately.
---
The first lesson lasted approximately three minutes.
Damien placed one foot in the stirrup.
The horse shifted.
Damien lost balance.
And immediately fell onto the ground.
The ranch hands erupted into laughter.
Ethan looked up toward the sky.
As if asking for patience.
"Get up."
"No."
"Get up."
"No."
"You made a bet."
Damien groaned.
Then stood.
Every muscle already hurt.
This was going to be a long month.
---
The second attempt wasn't much better.
Neither was the third.
Or the fourth.
By lunchtime, Damien hated horses.
Hated ranches.
Hated Texas.
And definitely hated Ethan Hayes.
The cowboy wasn't helping.
"Relax."
"I'm relaxed."
"You're squeezing the saddle."
"I am not."
The leather creaked loudly.
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
Damien looked away.
---
Somehow, after several hours, Damien finally managed to sit on Titan without falling.
A huge accomplishment.
For roughly thirty seconds.
Then Titan started walking.
Damien panicked.
The horse sensed weakness.
Immediately.
And increased its pace.
"Ethan!"
"What?"
"MAKE IT STOP!"
The cowboy folded his arms.
"No."
Damien looked horrified.
The horse continued moving.
The ranch hands were openly laughing now.
Traitors.
All of them.
---
Later that evening, Damien sat on the porch nursing his wounded pride.
His body felt broken.
Completely broken.
Ethan appeared carrying a bucket of tools.
The cowboy sat on the opposite side of the porch.
For once, neither spoke.
The silence wasn't comfortable.
But it wasn't hostile either.
Just quiet.
Then Ethan ruined it.
"You ride like an old man."
Damien glared.
"There it is."
"There what is?"
"The reason nobody likes you."
Ethan snorted.
"I don't care."
"Obviously."
The cowboy looked toward the sunset.
For a moment his expression softened.
Just slightly.
Then it disappeared.
Gone so quickly Damien wondered if he'd imagined it.
---
The next day brought another disaster.
Claire's parents arrived unexpectedly.
And immediately recognized Damien.
"You're the CEO."
Damien nodded.
The older man frowned.
"You're the one trying to buy the ranch."
The atmosphere instantly became tense.
Claire crossed her arms.
Ethan's expression darkened.
Damien suddenly felt very unwelcome.
Again.
The conversation quickly turned uncomfortable.
Questions became accusations.
Accusations became arguments.
And before long Damien found himself defending decisions he'd made years ago.
By the time dinner ended, he was exhausted.
More exhausted than any ranch work had made him.
---
That night, as he headed toward the guest room, he overheard voices coming from the kitchen.
Ethan and Claire.
Arguing.
Damien paused.
Unintentionally.
"You spend more time worrying about him than me."
Claire's voice was sharp.
The silence that followed was dangerous.
Then Ethan answered.
"That's not true."
"It sure looks true."
Damien immediately moved away.
Fast.
Because whatever was happening between them was none of his business.
Absolutely none.
Yet the conversation stayed in his head long after he closed his bedroom door.
And for reasons he couldn't explain...
The thought bothered him.
A lot.
Meanwhile, downstairs, Ethan sat alone after Claire left.
Frustrated.
Annoyed.
And angry that the city boy upstairs was somehow making his life more complicated every single day.
The month wasn't even halfway over.
And already things were beginning to crack.
- Writer
