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I
should I wait until tomorrow? Give her a chance to calm down
after the trailer ride.
Shrugging, Branimir said, As you just let her stretch
long as
her legs and don t ask too much of her, I think she ll be fine. She s
going to have to deal with being trailered to shows and having to
compete shortly after arriving.
Great. Did you bring her saddle?
You bring her in, and I ll go get her stuff. Branimir
Yeah.
handed Austin the lead rope and started to walk off.
She should
lead fine for you. Just be careful around her ears. Mary s gotten
better about letting me touch her there, but she s still pretty
nervous about it.
Gotcha.
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THE LONGEST STRIDE
Branimir walked away, allowing Austin to deal with Mary as
he would. The new relationship between Austin and the mare had
to start being built, and while Branimir would be there to support
it, he couldn t interfere in it. He wouldn t be there to fix anything
if it went wrong after a couple of days. Austin would have to figure
out all of Mary s quirks on his own, and Austin wouldn t beat her
if she frustrated him.
When he got back to the small barn, Austin had Mary in
crossties and was grooming her. Branimir stood in the doorway,
watching Austin s muscles flexing under his shirt. Yep, the man
was a heart-stopping hunk and Branimir couldn t wait to get him in
bed, under or over him. It didn t matter to him. He simply wanted
to have Austin as close to him as humanly possible without
wearing the same skin.
Great, now he had an erection, making walking a bit of a pain.
He grunted and lifted the saddle onto his shoulder as he wandered
over to where Mary stood. He lowered it slowly to the floor, not
wanting to startle her by dropping it.
Austin looked up with a smile, his gaze dragging up over
Branimir s body, lingering a bit at the bulge in his jeans before
continuing up to meet Branimir s eyes. He licked his lips, and
Branimir bit back a groan.
have to admit I might be looking forward to quitting time a
I
little more than I should today.
Reaching out, Branimir brushed his thumb over Austin s
bottom lip. Do get distracted. Evening will come soon
n t
enough.
Austin nipped the pad of Branimir s thumb before stepping
back. right. I can t be distracted with such a demanding
You re
lady like Mary here. Let s get her saddled up and I can take her out
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THE LONGEST STRIDE
to one of the outdoor rings.
They worked quickly to settle the tack on Mary, making sure
nothing pinched her skin or bunched up under the saddle. The mare
mouthed her bit, but didn t protest anything they did. After leading
her from the barn, Branimir gave Austin a leg up and they headed
to an empty ring. Branimir opened the gate and Mary trotted
through.
He leaned against the top rail and watched as Austin walked
her around the arena, letting her stretch and warm up. He could see
Austin s lips move, but the pair was too far away to hear what his
lover said. Austin stopped in the middle of the arena and tightened
his girth once more. They walked around while Mary got used to
Austin s weight and balance, which was different from Branimir s.
When they drew near Branimir, Austin looked up.
Have you
tried her paces?
I ve done a little dressage with her. She s pretty well trained
and has great elasticity. She ll need work on some of the more
advanced moves, but I think she ll be perfect as an eventer
because, while she s good at dressage, she s not great. Yet she has
enough flash to get high marks on her moves. Branimir grinned.
think you picked a good horse, Austin. Once she s got some
I
more experience under her belt, she ll be a four-star level
competitor.
Austin sat a little straighter. A
re you sure?
I ve worked with a lot of horses. Some went on to be nothing
more than good afternoon hacks for retirees. Some have gone on to
be the top mounts in their discipline. Trust me& once she trusts
you completely, Mary will give you everything she has.
Branimir waved Austin away, signaling him to take Mary out
and ride her. Resting his chin on his folded hands, Branimir drank
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THE LONGEST STRIDE
in the graceful partnership between Mary and Austin. The longer
they worked together, the more seamlessly they would move
together. He was happy he would be around to watch it happen.
* * *
Austin concentrated on Mary s movements, making sure she
listened to him as he asked for each new dressage step. He could
see what Branimir meant. Mary s Gospel had great elasticity and
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