Rapunzelle: an Everland Ever After Tale (6 page)

But of course, Dmitri—for all of his love of horses—hadn’t shown any interest in going riding with her. Instead he stood, legs braced and his hands clasped behind his back, in the perfect picture of boredom. He wasn’t even looking at her, but instead had his attention focused on the remaining thoroughbred still in the corral with him.

And so she stifled a sigh, straightened her shoulders, and smiled at Roy Jr. She was going to go riding! An adventure.

She even managed to maintain her smile as Roy Jr. wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her onto the saddle. His hands lingered a little too long, and then dropped to her ankles to position her feet. She wanted to snap at him that she wasn’t a ninny; she could figure out how to sit on a horse! But instead she gritted her teeth and held her smile—her grimace—and thanked him.

And then, after he’d swung up on his own horse and clucked both animals into action, she forced herself to be positive. She was going riding! And she hadn’t even had to scheme with Briar to get out from her parents’ watchful gaze. She was going riding, and
goodness
horses certainly were taller than they’d appeared from the ground, weren’t they? But she was going riding, and she was determined to have fun.

If only she was going with Dmitri, instead.

“What is it, Meri?”

Dmitri watched Doctor Carpenter touch his wife’s elbow, watched the older woman—still lovely, even with the lines around her eyes and mouth—turn to her husband. She was frowning, and for the first time, Dmitri realized how little Zelle looked like either of her parents. And not just because Zelle always seemed ready to break into a grin, while her mother had looked concerned since Dmitri had met her.

Now, Mrs. Carpenter chewed on her bottom lip. “He’s going too fast. He should know better.”

Dmitri’s attention swung back to the two horses trotting towards the meadow. From where he stood, Zelle seemed to sit straight in the saddle, but she was gripping the reins too hard. Was she inexperienced?

“Roy Jr. should know better than to have her trot.” Max answered Dmitri’s unspoken question. “This is the first time she’s ridden, isn’t it?”

Doctor Carpenter made noise of agreement, and Dmitri’s chest tightened. Her first time on a horse, and Max’s fool of a brother had started the animal
trotting
? Without thinking, he pulled himself up on the fence rail to better watch the couple. While not really paying attention to his companions, he heard Zelle’s father curse quietly under his breath.

“She’s always looking for an adventure. But we told Roy Jr. that it was her first time on a horse. And she’s side-saddle! They should only be walking.”

Mrs. Carpenter snorted disapprovingly, her attention still on her daughter. “He’s probably showing off how fast his mare is, when she doesn’t know the first thing about riding. He’s a show-off.” A pause. “No offence, Max.”

“None taken. I’ve called him much, much worse.”

Dmitri had stopped listening to the discussion when he’d seen Roy Jr. kick the thoroughbred into a canter, and saw Zelle’s horse trying to keep up. The
durak
probably didn’t even realize it; Zelle’s mare was well-trained to follow the lead horse’s example, if not given other commands by her rider.

And from what Dmitri could see from his high perch, Zelle wasn’t in any state to give commands. Her frilly hat had blown off, and she’d thrown herself forward to hold the horse’s mane, rather than the reins. Had she dropped them, or just needed a better grip? He was sure she was terrified, if this was her first experience riding.

And then he’d stopped thinking, because Roy, Jr. had kicked his horse into a gallop. Max cursed, but Dmitri didn’t see why. He’d already leapt from the fence rail and was rushing across the corral. The other mare—coiled and ready—sensed his urgency. When he grabbed her mane and swung up onto her back, she sprang forward. He’d grown up on the backs of horses, and knew how to ride without stirrups, without a bridle. And Zelle needed him.

With an Old-Russian shout his grandfather taught him as a boy, he kicked the mare into motion, and she responded beautifully. With a powerful surge, she leapt forward. He tucked his knees up, locked his elbows in place, and leaned over her neck just as she gathered her hindquarters under her and vaulted over the corral fence.

Dmitri heard Doctor Carpenter’s “What the—?” and Mrs. Carpenter’s scream, but then he was past, racing towards the meadow. He saw Roy Jr., a distant speck on his own mare, and Zelle behind. As Dmitri rushed closer, reveling at the power in Max’s horse, he watched Zelle swaying alarmingly from side to side. She’d never ridden before, and now her horse was moments from breaking into a gallop? He had to reach her first.

Even the joy, the freedom, of being on the back of such a magnificent animal wasn’t going to distract Dmitri. At this moment, the only part of this horse that interested Dmitri was her speed, and he urged her even faster, not caring if his eyeballs jolted from their sockets. He had to reach her!

When he was close enough to call to her—which he did—Zelle’s own horse gave into her rider’s mixed commands, and began to gallop. When he was close enough to see her tension in her shoulders, Zelle began to tilt too far to one side. And when he was close enough to grab her, she lost her grip on the mare, and was launched through the air.

It was simultaneously the most thrilling and most terrifying thing she’d ever done. Who would’ve thought that riding a horse—something that everyone around her seemed to do on a regular basis—could be so stimulating? At first, Zelle had just enjoyed being so high up, feeling the gait of the animal beneath her, getting used to the strange rocking motion. But when her horse began to jog—and why would it do that, without her telling it to?—she became less at-ease.

She considered calling to Roy, Jr., to tell him to slow down. It didn’t take long to realize that her horse was following his, and that he was intent on showing off. Maybe he thought that Papa still wanted to buy it? But then her animal began to jog harder—or whatever the horsey name for this jolting irregular motion was called—and she forgot about chastising him. Forgot about everything except holding on for all that she was worth.

The faster she sped across the meadow, the harder her heart raced. This would be ideal, would be one of the highlights of her life, were she not so scared. Realizing that, she laughed aloud, which seemed to startle the horse into going
even faster
. That’s when she exhaled, closed her eyes, and began to pray.

The horse rocked her from side to side, and she felt her knee—why did someone think that
sideways
was a good way to ride a horse?—losing its grip, and scrambled to hold on… And then a mighty
jolt
, and her foot came out of the stirrup. With deepening dread, she felt herself leaning too far to the right,
away
from that silly little horn her leg had been hooked around. She swallowed her scream as she slipped off completely. A moment of weightlessness…

She slammed into something hard. The ground? Then why did she still feel like she was flying?

Zelle opened her eyes to find herself staring up at Dmitri’s chin. He’d pulled her from her horse? She was sitting in his lap, still sideways, but infinitely more comfortable. His thighs cushioned hers better than that stupid saddle had, and his arms cradled her. He was bent forward, intent on whatever was ahead of them, but Zelle didn’t care. She wanted to touch him, to thank him for saving her.

He was her hero-prince.

With a sudden laugh at her foolishness, she turned to see what had caused that little frown between his eyes. And caught her breath. He was riding without reins, without a bridle. His fingers were wrapped through the mare’s mane, and he was gently turning her back towards the DeVille ranch using only his touch. His gentle, compelling touch.

He’d ridden to save her, and now she felt utterly, utterly protected. She was having an adventure. With another laugh, she threw her arms out and leaned back against him and kept laughing. The wind whipped the little hairs around her face, pushing them back with their much longer neighbors, and she grinned just to feel the rush of cold air on her teeth.

How amazingly
thrilling
.

This
was riding,
this
was an adventure. The way she felt here, being held by him, riding with him, was much,
much
better than anything she could’ve felt alone on that silly horse. Anything she’d felt before,
ever
.

She’d have to ask Briar if it was normal to feel this breathless atop a horse, or if it was just because she was in his arms. Zelle was pretty sure she already knew the answer.

Laughing again, she pressed herself back against his strong chest, felt the muscles of his upper arms tighten around her, and reveled in the marvelous excitement, the perfect safety, she felt in his arms.

She was breathtaking. From the moment he’d pulled her off her runaway horse and onto his lap, Dmitri had felt a
rightness
. He tried to tell himself that it was just the aftermath, knowing she was safe after so many heart-pounding moments when he wasn’t sure if he’d get to her in time. But no, he knew the truth; having her here in his arms was what made his heart slow, his shoulders relax, his head clear. Taking a big lungful of air scented by her strawberry goodness, he knew.

It was her. She was the one who made it feel so right.

Did she know how close she’d come to disaster? Being thrown from a galloping horse was no joke; he’d seen men die that way. But either she didn’t know, or didn’t care, because practically the first thing she did after landing in his arms—after looking up at him like he was her savior—was to laugh. Laugh, and throw her arms wide open and face the racing wind and
revel
in it.

Her sheer joy left him breathless. She had no idea how hard it was to control a spirited animal without stirrups, without a bridle; had no idea how he was struggling to keep his weight even and centered while he slowed the mare to a trot. All she knew was
joy
. And having her pressed against him, knowing that he could keep her safe and happy…that caused an odd sort of joy in him, too. One that he’d never experienced before.

One that he wanted to experience again.

He wanted to give her adventures. He wanted to show her things that would make her this joyful, in the hopes that some of it would be shared with him. He wanted to bring her joy.