"The stable hands call her Pearl. She's a very gentle white horse," Xavier explained as he led a white horse up to Yasmine.
Curious, Yasmine reached out and touched the horse's coarse mane. She was immediately fascinated by the unfamiliar texture.
Pearl snorted loudly, which startled Yasmine and caused her to unintentionally step back into Xavier's arms.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to. I've just never been this close to an animal before." Yasmine quickly straightened up, flustered.
"Oh? Hayden never brought you here?" Xavier asked. His slight smile betrayed his pleasure at the oversight.
"No." Yasmine shook her head.
"He really missed out, then," Xavier commented as he patted the saddle. "Come on, let's get you mounted."
Mounting for the first time, Yasmine panicked a little, but Xavier s
