“So, I was wondering,” Henry said without looking up. “Would you be feelin’ good enough to come out to the pen tomorrow?”

“The round pen? Why?”

“Well,” there was just a hint of pride in Henry’s voice, “I think he might just let me get up on his back, and I’d sure like it if you was there to see it if he does.”

“You think tomorrow might be the day?”

“It might,” Henry shrugged. “We’ll have to see how things go today, but it’s sure lookin’ that way.”

“Then I’ll be there.” She took a small bite of food. “Besides, I wouldn’t want to miss being there when I win the bet.”

“Bet?” Henry asked, pretending he’d forgotten about the bet he and Jessie made about the colt not bucking when someone first got on his back. “What bet?”

“What do you mean, what bet?” she said in false indignity. “You know what bet I’m talking about, and don’t you try to get out of it, either!”

“Now, hold on there. I don’t recall making any bet…”

“Don’t you give me that!”

“Naw,” Henry took a bite of his French toast. “That must have been some other fella you made this bet with, cause I sure don’t…”

“You are such a liar!”

It was a mock argument and they both knew it. Before long, both were laughing at themselves, and the silliness continued throughout breakfast with both of them making lame jokes. Nothing either of them said would have been even remotely funny on any other day, but on that particular morning it was. With everything that had happened in the past several weeks, it turned out that they both needed a good laugh, and that morning they got one.

With breakfast and chores finished, Henry went out, caught the colt and put him in the round pen. Just as he had the day before, he brought in the saddle and saddle pad and worked with the colt until he willingly accepted both. This time, however, after Henry had plopped the saddle on the colts back several times, he finally cinched it down onto the colt’s back.

Having the saddle on his back didn’t bother the colt very much. Henry had been very slow and deliberate about how he introduced things to him, so that by the time the saddle went on, the colt pretty much understood what was happening. Still, it was a very strange sensation for the colt to have the saddle strapped to his back without any way of getting it off. Henry let the colt stand with the saddle on for several minutes before asking him to move. The colt wasn’t sure what to think. Henry urged him forward, and after taking just one step, the colt felt something terribly wrong and froze. He humped his back, which did nothing to relieve the pressure he was feeling around his girth, or the tightness over his back and shoulders. He let out a loud warning snort and took one short hop, but it wasn’t enough to dislodge the heavy saddle from his back.