Chapter 17

Austin had just finished his morning chores when his phone rang. He looked at the screen and was surprised to see it was Mrs. Draper calling.

“Good morning,” Austin answered.

“Morning. I was wondering if you had some time today. I’ve found a couple of horses I might want to buy, and I don’t want to make a mistake this time.”

“Of course. I’d be happy to check them out for you,” Austin said.

They arranged a time to go horse shopping.

Austin hooked the trailer to the pickup. When Naomi arrived, he handed her the keys. On the ride to the first stop, she had some questions.

“What are some tips when buying a horse?”

“Usually, the seller will either have the horse in a stall or tied up so we can see it. Watch the seller around the horse. If they’re comfortable touching and walking around the horse, it tells you they think it’s safe.

“I also like to check to see if the horse looks sleepy. Unfortunately, some sellers will sedate problem horses,” Austin said.

“How would I be able to tell?” Naomi asked.

“They’ll hang their heads, and their bottom lip may hang down.”

“What else?”

“Ask them about the horse. Its age, how long they’ve had it. If it’s only for a short time, dig into that. It might be they’re simply a horse dealer who buys and sells horses for a profit, which is fine. It just means they don’t know much about him or her, and you’ll want to take extra time checking the horse out,” Austin said.

“What if they aren’t a dealer?”

“Then it could be a red flag. If they’ve only had a horse for a short while, they might not get along with the horse or, like your last one, it has a problem.”

“I can see that,” Naomi said. “What else?”

“You ever wonder why people check a horse’s mouth?”

“I know you’re not supposed to look a gift horse in the mouth.”

Austin smiled.

“They check because you can get a good guess at a horse’s age by looking at their teeth. If they are straight and come together flush, they’re younger. As a horse gets older, their teeth will tilt forward. Something else to check is that a gelding’s canine teeth are grown in by the time they’re four.”

“Good to know. Okay, why do you examine their hooves?”

“It’s a health check,” Austin said. “I also personally prefer a horse with bigger feet. Once we get there, I’ll show you what to look at.

“What do you plan to use the horse for?” he asked.

“I want to ride it in steeplechase races.”

“Long, short, or varied lengths?”

“Why does that matter?” Naomi asked.

“Overall, a thoroughbred would be best because of their speed, stamina, and jumping ability. For shorter races, you should consider a quarter horse. They’re better sprinters. For longer races, I might pick an Arabian. They have better endurance and versatility, so they would be my pick for a longer course,” Austin said.

“Which would you pick?”

Austin considered her question for a moment.

“If most of the time you’re just going to use it as a pleasure horse that you sometimes race, I might go with the Arabian. Personally, I would consider a quarter horse because they have good cow sense, but I doubt you’ll use yours like that. If it will mostly be a racehorse, get the thoroughbred.”

They’d looked at three horses, all of which Austin rejected. Naomi was impressed by how quickly he identified problem horses. She realized she should have taken someone like him with her when she bought her previous one.

Austin rejected the first mare when it came time to ride her, and the seller refused to get on it. After they left, Austin told her that if the owner wouldn’t ride the mare, she shouldn’t, either.

The second one, the seller rode. Austin stood back and pointed out what he saw, which looked promising. Then Austin rode it. Naomi noticed the seller wince when Austin tried to jump the horse. It balked at the small fence, and Austin came out of the saddle. She was impressed that he used the horse’s neck to hang onto as he came down so he landed on his feet. Naomi would have probably gone face first.

Everything looked fine for the third horse, and Naomi was ready to buy it. Austin asked if they could have a vet come check the horse for what he called a ‘pre-purchase exam.’ The seller said he would only use his vet, so Austin suggested they walk away.

“What was that all about?” Naomi asked when they got back into the truck.

“Something just seemed off. If the last horse doesn’t work, we can come back and buy this one.”

The last horse was a gorgeous Arabian named Storm. The seller said she was gray, but to Naomi, she looked pure white. She was perfect, as far as Naomi was concerned.

When Austin asked for a pre-purchase exam, the seller countered by allowing a thirty-day trial to see if Naomi and Storm would be a good match. During that time, Naomi could have her vet check out Storm.

When they returned to Austin’s, she wanted to ride Storm.

“Why don’t you allow her to settle in?” Austin suggested. “Horses can be sensitive to change. She’s at a new stable and part of a new herd. Let’s turn her out into the pasture to get to know the other horses.”

She watched Storm act tentatively when Austin led her to the pasture. His big horse met them at the gate.

“Red, this is Storm. Be nice and introduce her to the other horses,” Austin said.

As soon as Storm was let loose in the pasture, she and Red faced off.

“Oh, boy,” Austin said under his breath.

“What’s going on?” Naomi asked.

“There’s a herd hierarchy. Red is currently at the top of the pecking order, but I suspect Storm might have been on top where she came from. If I’d known that, I might have introduced them differently.”

“What should we do?” Naomi worried.

“Leave them to figure it out. One will come out on top, and all will be well. This way, it’ll get worked out quicker. I just hope no one gets too roughed up,” Austin said.

She wasn’t so sure when Storm tried to kick Red, who pushed her with his chest and chased her around the pasture. There was a lot of nipping, bucking, and racing around while the rest of the horses stayed out of it.

“Will they hurt each other?” Naomi asked.

“Maybe,” Austin said. “But they have to work it out. There’s nothing we can do to help them decide who the boss is; one of them must come out on top. Everyone needs to understand who’s in charge.”

“What should we do in the meantime?” Naomi asked.

“Let’s go inside and have an iced tea. I know where there’s some leftover carrot cake.”

Austin took her inside and gave her some cake and a drink while he left to let his dog out. When he came back in, she’d been thinking about how they left things after they’d had sex.

When Austin joined her, Naomi said, “About us ... uhm.”

To his credit, Austin didn’t play dumb.

“I understand. The age difference is a problem for you.”

She sighed.

“I’m just not sure what to do. It’s so wrong...” Naomi trailed off.

“If you’re worried about word getting out, I would never tell anyone.”

“No, I never thought you would. It’s more me; I’m afraid I took advantage of you,” Naomi said, finally voicing her primary concern.

Again, he showed maturity beyond his years when he didn’t come back with something like she could take advantage of him any time she wanted.