| |
––––––––
Pippa wrapped her arms around the horse’s neck, all thoughts of correct riding form forgotten now as she clung on for dear life. The mare’s grey mane was streaming back, whipping into her eyes, so that she could barely see. She could feel the wind stinging her face, hear the horse’s breath coming harshly beneath her. She groped blindly for the reins and her legs gripped the horse’s body desperately, stirrups lost now. Faintly behind her, she thought she heard her name being called, but all she could think about was hanging on.
She felt the mare change direction slightly and looked up in horror to see a wooden fence in the distance. Beyond it, she could just make out the straight lines of the busy main road. The fence must mark the edge of this vineyard. Would Breeze stop at the boundary or would the frightened mare jump the fence and keep going, running out into the highway traffic?
Pippa groped desperately again for the reins. She was hunched so far forward over the mare’s neck, it was hard to get her balance and sit back properly into the saddle. The reins flapped loosely on either side.
“Pippa!”
She turned her head to see that Matt had ridden Dancer up alongside, both horses galloping now, neck to neck. His face was taut with concern for her. He tried to ease the big gelding closer, reaching out with one hand to try and grab her reins, but Breeze whinnied shrilly and veered away, the motion nearly throwing Pippa from her seat.
Matt cursed in frustration and moved his own horse back slightly. “Pippa! Can you grab your reins?”
Pippa wanted to just shut her eyes and hang on and hope that the mare would stop—but Matt’s voice forced her to make another attempt. This time, she felt her fingers brush a leather strap. A minute later, she caught hold of the reins in one hand.
“Good!” Matt shouted, keeping pace. “Try to sit back in the saddle. Lean your weight back.”
“I... I can’t!” Pippa cried, afraid to let go of the mare’s neck and sit back up.
“I know it’s hard but you’ve got to try and get back in control. You can do it. You’ve got the reins now.”
Pippa gulped and shifted her weight back, feeling the saddle beneath her buttocks again. She took a deep breath and pushed herself up from her hunched position around the mare’s neck. She clutched the reins in both hands and pulled hard on them. Breeze snorted and tossed her head, fighting the pressure, and Pippa’s stomach lurched as she felt herself bouncing wildly on the horse’s back.
In front of them, the wooden fence was coming closer and closer.
Pippa pulled desperately again on the reins, feeling panic beginning to overwhelm her. Then from the corner of her eye, she saw Matt move Dancer closer once more and reach out towards her. This time, he caught the reins easily as she was already holding them taut. She let go and he grasped them firmly with one hand while steering Dancer with the other.
“Whoa...” Matt called in his deep voice. “Whoa...”
Pippa gasped as the fence loomed suddenly up ahead of them. They were never going to make it! The horses’ hooves pounded in unison, heads tossing, mouths foaming.
“WHOA!”
Just as they reached the fence, Matt swung Dancer around to the side, pulling Breeze with him. Both horses curved their bodies and veered just as they reached the wooden barrier. Pippa felt her right leg smack painfully against the fence, then scrape along the wood as Breeze turned sharply. Then they were riding parallel to the fence.
But the horses were slowing down now. Matt was talking soothingly to Breeze and, gradually, the mare’s steps slowed. Both horses dropped to a canter, then a trot, and finally a walk. They were puffing heavily, their sides covered in a sheen of sweat.
Pippa tried to relax in the saddle. Her heart was still pounding and her fingers felt stiff from clutching the reins so tightly. Vaguely, she was aware that Matt had stopped the horses and dismounted, then come round to her side and was reaching up for her. She felt his hands around her waist and then he was lifting her off, sliding her down to the ground. She leaned against his body, her head resting against his chest, and felt his arms come around her. She was trembling all over and her legs felt like jelly.
“Pippa? Are you okay?” he asked gently.
She nodded, not able to speak. She just wanted to stay there, with his arms around her, his solid chest against her cheek and feel the warmth of his body soothe her. Next to them, Breeze whickered and Dancer responded with a snort.
Pippa pulled herself together and pushed away from Matt, straightening up. “I... I was so scared,” she said, her voice still trembling.
“I know.” Matt brushed a strand of hair tenderly from her temple. “But it’s okay. You got things under control—”
“Me? No, if you hadn’t managed to grab Breeze’s rein and slow her down—”
“I’m sure you would have stopped her,” said Matt reassuringly. “I just helped things along.”
Pippa took a deep breath and let it out. “I was stupid—I should have known that I couldn’t ride well enough to—”
“That’s not true, Pippa.” Matt looked at her sternly. “Breeze was spooked by a roo jumping out from behind a vine—that could have happened to anyone and even an experienced rider would have struggled to control their horse. You did really well, considering that you hadn’t ridden in a long time. So don’t knock yourself.” He turned her gently towards the mare. “Come on, I’ll help you mount up.”
“What?” Pippa stared at him. “I’m not getting back on again! I can’t!”
“Pippa...” Matt said gently but firmly. “You know how important it is to get straight back in the saddle after you’ve had a scare. It’s the golden rule of horse-riding. Otherwise you’ll never get over it and it’ll blow out of proportion in your mind.”
“I can’t,” whispered Pippa.
“You can,” said Matt. “You have to. Come on, we’ll go back at a slow walk.”
“What if she spooks again?”
“She’s unlikely to. What happened to you was really rare—there are roos around but the chances of them jumping out in front of you are pretty slim. You were just very unlucky. But it’s unlikely to happen again.”
Pippa looked pleadingly at him. Matt’s brown eyes were kind but serious. She turned and looked at the mare. Taking a deep breath, she put her foot up in the stirrup and heaved herself up, swinging her other leg over. She could feel her heart rate speeding up as she sat back into the saddle. She saw Breeze’s ears flick back and remembered what people said about horses picking up on your fear. She took another deep breath, trying to calm herself.
“Good onya,” said Matt with a smile. “I’ll lead you for a bit, if you like?”
“Yes,” said Pippa gratefully. She would feel so much better if Matt was helping to control the mare.
They started back with Matt walking between the two horses, one of his hands under each of their chins, holding their reins and guiding them. Slowly, Pippa began to relax as she felt her body once more settle into the rhythm of the horse’s movements. After a while, Matt encouraged her to take up the reins herself again while he swung back into the saddle on Dancer, and then the two of them rode slowly back to the farmhouse.
Pippa winced as she dismounted in the courtyard. Never mind tomorrow, she was already feeling sore now! But she was grateful that Matt had insisted that she get back in the saddle. He was right—she would probably have never found the courage to ride again if she hadn’t forced herself to confront her fear immediately. It was still a terrifying experience, but she had regained some of her confidence on the ride back.
“Ready for some lunch?” Matt asked as they got in his car.
Pippa realised that her stomach was growling. “Yes!”
Matt stopped off at a beautiful bistro café that was attached to a larger winery and they found themselves a shady table under some olive trees. Pippa winced again as she sat down. She was really starting to feel the after-effects of riding now!
“What will you have?” asked Matt.
Pippa looked down at the menu. “Everything!” she laughed. “It all looks so delicious and I’m starving.”
In the end, she couldn’t order everything, but she certainly made an attempt to. They started with an anti-pasto platter of marinated roasted vegetables, stuffed Spanish onions, quail eggs, chargrilled capsicums, and salty prosciutto, accompanied by home-baked sourdough bread. Then Pippa had a plate of chorizo and garlic prawns, flavoured with smoky dried chillies and a dash of dry sherry, followed by a main course of crispy-skin duck leg, with duck-fat-roasted chat potatoes, and a hazelnut-and-watercress salad.
By the time she was finishing the last of the duck, Pippa was starting to feel slightly sick. She could see Matt eyeing her, his lips twitching in amusement, as he ate his own main course of slow-roasted lamb shoulder with sweet potato mash, minted garden peas, and herbed butter.
“Dessert?” he asked, his brown eyes laughing, as the waiter cleared their plates away.
Pippa felt her stomach groaning but she eyed the dessert menu longingly.
“We can share if you like,” Matt suggested with a smile.
Pippa smiled back, touched at his thoughtfulness. She tried to be more restrained this time but still succumbed in the end to a six-layer chocolate cake with mocha rum sauce and cocoa nibs. When the concoction arrived, she stared at it in wonder. It looked almost too beautiful to eat. The first mouthful melted on her tongue—it was cool and moist and bittersweet, and absolutely heavenly. Pippa was glad, though, that she was sharing this dish with Matt. Delicious as it was, her stomach was really protesting about her putting anything else in it!
They lingered after lunch, sipping their coffees and letting the food go down. Pippa looked out at the view of the rolling vineyards around them and sighed in contentment. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so happy—and she knew that a lot of it was to do with the man sitting next to her. She glanced at him from under her lashes, thinking that she would be sad when the day trip ended.
As if reading her mind, Matt quirked an eyebrow and said, “The day isn’t over yet, you know. I hope you’re ready for some wine-tasting.”
