says, working the reins and squeezing her with his legs. He’s too tall for the stirrups but seems to have no problem gripping Snowflake with his powerful thighs. It should be impressive, maybe, but instead just looks ridiculous.
Ella giggles.
“Gavin,” I laugh. “What are you doing?”
“Showing this pony who’s boss,” he says, giving Snowflake a kick with his heels.
She jumps into a canter, which is even funnier than watching him on her back when she’s walking. The pony runs with her awkward gait, still keeping her ears pinned back as her eyes roll.
I cover my mouth, laughing, and Ella grins up at me, laughing too. Gavin rides Snowflake off a ways, then back toward us. The pony slows to a trot as they near us, and Gavin grins. Ella and I clap.
“Well done,” I say. “A good show.”
Snowflake looks ticked. But she’s obeying. Gavin approaches us and tips his hat with one hand.
“There you go, ladies,” Gavin says, still dwarfing the small pony with his height. “Like I said, I just had to show her who’s boss.”
That’s when Snowflake makes her move.
Side-stepping, the pony comes to an abrupt halt, rears a little, then bucks, throwing Gavin clear over her right shoulder. He hits the ground, rolling a little and losing his hat in a cloud of dust.
Snowflake dances around him, throwing her head, then gallops off, making sure to flatten his hat as she does. The whinny she throws over her shoulder sounds a whole lot like laughter as her hooves pound away over the scrubby grass and back to the barn.
Maybe I should be worried about Gavin, but it’s not like he had that far to fall. And if you’ve ever seen a small pony throw a giant man off her back, you know it’s impossible not to find it hilarious.
Gavin’s face is priceless: slack-jawed and wide-eyed. The shock turns to a mock glare as Ella and I burst out laughing. I try to hold back, at least a little, but Ella does not. She laughs long and loud, and I can see the change in Gavin’s face as he hears the sound. It’s the most unguarded she’s been since Eleanor dropped her off.
“You okay?” I call out through my laughter.
“My pride is a little banged up, but otherwise I’m all right.”
“So, just to clarify,” I say, “who is the boss? Because from where I’m sitting, it looks a whole lot like Snowflake is the boss.”
Ella continues laughing, and Gavin gives me a look like I’m really in for it later. Good. The idea of him chasing me down and exacting revenge gives me a flutter of excitement. He gets to his feet and brushes off, then turns to pick up his hat.
It’s then, as he’s bending over to pick up the hat that we see it.
I cover my mouth with my hand, though it doesn’t muffle the sound. Ella is still holding on to Merlin’s reins, but barely, and I swear, even the horse looks like he’s laughing.
“Gavin!” I shout, but then I can’t get out any of the other words.
He looks at me, trying to work his hat back into some semblance of the right shape. Looking between me and Ella, he says, “What now?”
We only laugh harder. It doesn’t take him long though. First, his nose wrinkles. Then, he squeezes his eyes shut. “I fell in a cow pie, didn’t I?” he asks.
There’s no need to answer, not that we could. The tears are falling down my face as my stomach cramps up. Gavin twists around to look at his behind. He stomps over to a nearby tree and begins to rub himself up against it. Obviously, he’s trying to dislodge what he can, but it’s an even funnier picture than the sight of him on that small pony.
“Laugh it up, ladies. Laugh. It. Up,” he calls, but there’s no heat in it.
I can hear the smile in his voice as he puts his misshapen hat back on his head. The man even looks amazing when he’s been thrown from a pony, has cow poop on his pants, and is wearing a ruined hat.
Merlin snorts, and Ella pats his neck. Gavin strides back over to us, taking the reins. Ella plugs her nose.
“That bad, huh?” he asks.
“Worse than that bad,” she says.
“Guess you’ll have to ride with me,” he tells Ella. “Seeing as your pony gave me the slip.”
Her eyes go wide. “Um. I think I’ll ride with Zoey. No offense, but she smells better.”