Chapter 12

12

I t was easy to forget that Logan was also a horse. Tabby suspected that it was a mental defense mechanism, that shifters simply didn't fit into her comfortable worldview, so she refused to think about it. Logan was a good-looking, down-on-his-luck charity case with an adorable little girl he was struggling to do right by. Better Behave was a dream-come-true horse that couldn't possibly measure up to Tabby's rosy memories.

The two lived separately in Tabby's brain and she was excited and nervous to get back on Better Behave.

And the name was going to have to go.

Tabby told herself that calling him Beauty would be too dangerous to Logan's ego, so she'd settled on Beau for his barn name. It was easier to think about what she would call him than it was to think about riding him again. Surely she had exaggerated how strong and graceful he was, and Tabby was wrestling with how weird it might be to ride Logan-the-person.

Letisha showed up promptly at nine, after Tabby had done her morning chores in the barn, eaten breakfast, and watered the garden.

Tabby waved at her mother through the car window as Letisha bounced out. She'd been teaching Letisha for a year now, and the girl was reliable and a talented rider. She was just starting to shop for her own horse.

"Hi, Miss Tabby!" Letisha called.

Logan came down from the stable with Franzi as Tabby and Letisha exchanged friendly hugs and her mother drove away.

"I'm Logan," he said, and Letisha solemnly shook his hand. "This is Franzi."

Franzi tried to hide behind Logan.

"This is Letisha," Logan said, trying to coax Franzi around to meet her.

Letisha squatted down. "Hi, Franzi," she said kindly. "Do you like horses, too?"

"Not SUPOZE to be a horsey," Franzi muttered into the back of Logan's knees.

"She takes a little while to warm up to people," Logan said desperately. "Letisha is going to be your friend, Franzi."

"I'd like that, Franzi," Letisha said warmly. "I brought some books with me today. Do you like to read?"

Franzi looked reluctantly around Logan. "Uh-huh."

"Me, too." Letisha managed to make it sound like a state secret that she was sharing. "I have a book about a horse named Jewel and a cat named Wings. Have you ever heard of a cat with wings?"

"Amy has wings," Franzi offered shyly.

Letisha looked confused, but took it in stride. "Maybe we could read it together, if that sounds fun?"

Franzi gave her a long look from behind Logan and then abruptly seemed to decide that Letisha was safe. Was it instinct, or just Letisha's easy air? "I'll show you my ROOM," Franzi declared.

Logan trailed after them as Franzi dragged Letisha by the hand up to their apartment.

Tabby busied herself in the barn, getting the tack she needed for Logan and adjusting her riding helmet unnecessarily.

By the time he came back down the stairs, she had half-convinced herself that this was all an elaborate scam, that shifters weren't a thing, that she'd hallucinated Franzi's shape-changing, and she was on the brink of a mental breakdown. Magic horses? Shapeshifting? It was all impossible. What was she even doing?

"You ready for this?" Logan asked gently.

"Not even a little," Tabby confessed. "And I'm dying to do this, at the same time. You've been here a whole week, and absolutely nothing magical has happened this entire time. I'm questioning my own sanity right now."

"You should be," Logan joked. "I mean, you've resisted my charms for a whole week . There must be something wrong with your head!"

"Ha ha," Tabby mock-laughed. "How much space do you need? Should we go outside? Do you need eye of newt or holy water? Will there be chanting?"

Logan laughed. "No, it's just a natural shift. This is plenty of space."

Knowing that he was the horse that she'd fallen in love with was one thing, but seeing him shift was something else entirely.

One moment, Logan was standing there with a rakish grin, tipping his hat in her direction, then he shimmered in place and seemed to step out of himself as a horse. A breathtaking horse, with that same white forelock that he had as a man.

"Where do your clothes go?" Tabby asked, reaching out to touch his gleaming neck without conscious direction. If he was beautiful as a man, and Tabby was willing to admit that he was, he was twice as gorgeous as a horse.

Better Behave—Beau—was everything she'd remembered and more. He was tall and every inch of him shone with strength and health. His coat was glossy and his eyes were bright as he lowered his nose to touch Tabby. She had to stroke that nose, absolutely as head-over-heels as she'd been the first time she met him, and reach up to run her fingers though that shocking white forelock.

"Is it really still you?" she asked, reminding herself that this was Logan and she probably shouldn't be caressing him so casually.

He gave a nicker and nodded his head.

Tabby made herself stop petting him and swallowed. "Okay, then. Let's see how you handle the course."

Setting the saddle on his back was one thing, fastening the girth was a little more awkward now that she knew there was a human man under the horseflesh. Tabby could just picture Logan's smirk and the joke he'd probably make as she tightened the girth. He took the bit gracefully and Tabby led him to the mounting block with her heart in her mouth.

She set her foot in the stirrup and swung into the saddle...and every shred of reservation she'd had simply vanished.

There were horses, and then there were horses , and Logan was absolutely the best animal she'd ever been up on. It wasn't just his conformation and strength, or his smooth gait as he stepped out. It was the way that Tabby had never been so in tune with a creature, or so utterly comfortable.

He followed the guidance of her knees and thighs before Tabby had even consciously realized she was telling him what she wanted, like they were connected at some higher level. The power between her legs was dizzying.

He walked sedately out of the barn and trotted to the course, pausing at the gate so Tabby could lean over and open it, and backing up so she could close it again. Then, like water, he was gliding forward and angling for the first jump.

Tabby had expanded the course since his first visit, but Logan needed no directions; she could simply ride and let Logan choose his stride as they struck out for the first jump. He sprang over the vertical jump, made simple work of the training cavaletti, and had so much extra length over the oxer that Tabby knew they'd have cleared any pool she'd ever jumped.

There was a triple bar for Tabby's more advanced students, and Logan sailed right over it with space to spare. He made his turns tight and neat, and Tabby only had to stay balanced in the saddle and flow with the motion. It was the most exhilarating course she had ever jumped, and she regretted not starting her stop watch.

Logan snorted but obeyed when Tabby slowed him to a halt. She couldn't resist leaning forward to stroke his neck. "You beautiful, terrible beast," she said in awe. "Let's do it again with a timer. Watch your step going into the in-and-out. You took off a little too close the last time."

Logan snorted and shook his head.

"Going to argue about it?" Tabby chided him. "Back to the start, big guy, and show me what you got. We're on the clock this time."

Logan took the course with the best time that any horse had ever done for Tabby and she ended with an exhilarated laugh as Logan bounced in place.

"That was amazing, Miss Tabby!"

Tabby looked over her shoulder to find that Letisha was standing with Franzi at the gate and nudged Logan in their direction. Letisha was holding a dvd case and Franzi stared at them with big, amazed eyes.

"Not SUPOZE to be a horsey," Franzi whispered, though Tabby only knew what she was saying by experience; it was too quiet to actually hear her.

"You got a new horse!" Letisha exclaimed as they got close. "He's so beautiful! What's his name?"

"Lo—Beau!"

"Lobo?"

Logan lowered his head and let Letisha stroke his nose. Tabby told herself not to be jealous. "Beau. Just Beau," Tabby said sheepishly. She was awful at lying. "What did you need, Letisha?"

"I wanted to ask Mr. Logan if we could watch a movie that I brought." Letisha looked around expectantly.

Because, like an idiot, Tabby had told her that she would be working with Logan on the course.

"I...uh…" She was really awful at lying. Logan stepped sideways and huffed impatiently. Should Tabby try to dismount and distract Letisha so they could swap places? The theme for Benny Hill seemed to be running through her head. "He's...away for the moment, but I think that movie will be fine," she said awkwardly. It looked like a harmless kiddy movie to Tabby's untrained eyes.

Letisha didn't seem to notice her hesitation, thoroughly distracted with making googly eyes at Logan as she stroked his nose. "Okay," she said cheerfully. "Thanks, Miss Tabby! "

She took Franzi's hand and led her back to the barn. "Let's go watch the movie, Franzi!"

Tabby heaved a sigh of relief that was echoed by the horse between her legs. "Let's do the course a few more times, and then we'll go for a trail ride," she suggested. Logan nodded his head, the bright forelock waving between his ears.