My Second Chance Mate is a Barbarian (Sera and Fenris) novel Chapter 148

Torin

"Easy, boy."

I glanced around the dark stall and spotted the tack hanging over the wooden partition. A heavy leather saddle, a thick felt pad, and a tangled mess of reins and straps.

I grabbed the saddle pad and threw it over the horse's back. The animal side-stepped heavily, slamming its immense weight against the side of the stall. The wood groaned under the impact.

"Stand still, you stupid beast," I hissed, panic rising in my chest again.

I grabbed the saddle. It weighed at least forty pounds. I grunted, hoisting it up and dropping it awkwardly onto the horse's back. It landed slightly crooked.

I moved to the horse's side to secure the straps.

I didn't know what I was doing. Back in Valdris, my stable boys had my mount saddled and ready before I even finished my breakfast. I had never actually tacked a horse myself.

I reached under the horse's belly to grab the heavy girth strap. The animal pinned its ears back and shifted its weight, stepping directly onto the toe of my right boot.

A sharp, agonizing pain crushed my toes.

I bit down hard on my own tongue to keep from screaming. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. I shoved my shoulder against the horse's flank, desperately trying to push its weight off my foot. It finally moved, snorting dismissively.

I grabbed the heavy leather strap and pulled it up to the iron buckle on the saddle. My fingers were completely numb from the cold. I couldn't feel the leather. I fumbled with the thick iron tongue of the buckle, trying to thread the stiff strap through the metal ring.

The metal was freezing. It burned against my bare skin. I slipped, and the rough edge of the buckle scraped a long, bloody line right across my knuckles.

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