Page 49 of The Taste of Deceit

“But...” He looks down at Jasper before lifting his eyes again. “I get it.”

“You get what?”

“Why you love this.”

I smile.

“I missed it.”

“I can tell.”

Daddy slows Buck as we reach the far fence line.

“All right,” he says. “We’re going to make a wide circle. Don’t fight him. If you want him to turn left, open your left rein a little. Same thing on the right. Nice and easy.”

Luca nods.

His first turn is wider than Daddy probably intended, but Jasper follows the cue anyway.

“Good,” Daddy says. “Now straighten him back out.”

Luca does, his movements already looking more relaxed than they had five minutes earlier.

“You’re sitting too stiff,” I tell him.

He gives me a sideways look.

“I’ve never done this before.”

“I know.”

“So cut me some slack.”

I smile.

“Breathe.”

He lets out a quiet breath through his nose, and almost immediately his shoulders drop.

“There you go,” Daddy says. “The horse can feel every bit of tension you’re carrying.”

We continue around the pasture at an easy walk. Daddy points out little things as they come up—how to keep his heels down, where his hands should stay, how much pressure to put on the reins before asking the horse to change direction.

Luca listens to every word, and by the second lap, he isn’t watching the horse anymore. He’s looking ahead instead, letting Jasper do what he’s been trained to do.

Daddy notices it too.

“Better.”

Luca glances over.

“Yeah?”

“You’re starting to ride instead of trying to manage every step.”

“I’ll take that.”

“You should.”