Emmett touched the side of his neck. The horse flinched hard enough to make Nollie's breath catch, but he stayed. Emmett stroked the dark mane once, then again. Something in Nollie shifted. She had seen strong men dominate horses before.
She had seen men use pain and call it skill. This was different. Emmett was not taking anything the horse had not offered. By late afternoon, Gus brought a plain leather saddle to the fence. Emmett did not throw it onto the stallion's back.
First, he let the horse smell it. He moved each strap slowly, let the buckles make noise, rubbed the blanket across the stallion's shoulder before laying it into place. The gray trembled once, but held still. Emmett tightened the cinch a little at a time. Then he placed one boot in the stirrup.
The crowd leaned forward. Nollie stopped breathing. Emmett paused there, giving the stallion one final chance to refuse. The horse stood, so Emmett swung into the saddle. Nothing happened.
No bucking, no rearing, no scream. The stallion simply took one careful step, then another. Emmett kept the reins loose. A few minutes later, the grey horse carried him through the open gate. Beyond the trading post, Emmett leaned forward slightly.
The stallion broke into a run, not from fear, from freedom. Dust streamed behind them as Horse and Rider crossed the open ground beneath the falling sun. Copper Creek erupted in cheers. Nollie watched until they turned back toward the corral. She had been certain Emmett Knox would fail.
Now she had a much bigger problem. Everyone around her remembered exactly what she had promised. The gray stallion came back at an easy lope, dust rolling behind him in the amber light. By the time Emmett guided him through the corral gate, most of Copper Creek was on its feet. Men who had laughed at him that morning were cheering now.
Gus Marorrow shook his head like he still could not believe what he had seen. Blaine Harrow said nothing. Nollie stood near the fence with her arms folded, though the pose no longer carried the same easy confidence. Emmett swung down. The stallion stayed beside him.
That more than anything silenced the last doubters. Nollie stepped forward." Well, " she said, trying to recover some of her earlier humor." I suppose you expect me to start planning a wedding." A few men nearby laughed.
Emmett looked at her, then at the crowd. No. The laughter died quickly. Nollie's expression changed. No, you were joking.
She studied him, suspicious now. And if I say I was, then I'd say it was a good joke. Gus barked out a laugh. Nollie did not. She had expected teasing, maybe swagger, maybe some public attempt to hold her to words she had thrown out for sport.
Instead, Emmett reached up and rubbed the stallion's neck." You don't owe me anything, " he said. The words landed harder than any boast could have. Nollie glanced toward the men gathered around them. Some looked disappointed that there would be no spectacle.
Others had the decency to look away." You knew I didn't mean it? " she asked. I figured any woman willing to marry a stranger over one horse probably had a better joke waiting. That finally made her laugh. A real laugh this time.