Page 4 of Seeing Harper

Miss Millie turned and walked toward Harper who still stood in the middle of the round pen. When she reached her, she laid her chin across Harper’s shoulder and just stood there, breathing easily, completely relaxed.

“That’s a good girl,” Harper said, hugging the horse and patting the side of her neck and chest.

Harper walked over to the gate of the round pen and took the lead off a peg beside it, then attached it to Miss Millie’s halter. “You did so good,” Harper said. She made eye contact with Clay, which in turn made him back away from the entrance of the round pen so they’d have a clear path to the barn. Minutes later Harper was in Miss Millie’s stall with her, brushing her down, making sure she was completely cooled down and ready for the night. When she was done, she kissed the horse’s face, gave her an extra treat and secured the stall door after herself.

“Now I just need to make sure everybody has fresh water and hay for the night.”

“I’ll help,” Clay said.

“Really?” she asked, surprised that he’d help her take care of the horses.

“Sure. Just tell me what you need me to do.”

“Okay. Come with me. Let’s find you a pair of gloves and show you how to haul hay bales.”

Chapter 2

Two hours later after cleaning out the stalls of all horses currently in the barn, giving each fresh hay and clean water, then making the rounds on the side by side to check on each horse in the pastures and make sure their watering systems were functioning and all the horses were set for the night with their own piles of fresh hay, they finally called it a day, returned the side by side to the equipment shed behind the barn, and walked back to Harper’s car. She stopped at the trunk and toed her boots off, slipped her sneakers back on, and tossed her gloves in on top of her boots.

“Here you go, forgot to leave these in the barn.”

“Oh, thanks,” she said.

“I’ll just get myself a pair for when I come help next time.”

She looked up at Clay. “You want to come help me again?”

“Yeah. It was fun. Besides, I have to admit, I am so impressed, Harper. These animals are special…”

“Noble,” she said.

“Exactly. Strong and as passionate as you are, but just as vulnerable as they can be. And you speak their language.”

She smiled at him, her eyes sparkling in the waning sunlight as she realized that he really understood. “I like to think I do.”

“They respond to you. I love to watch it. So, yeah, I’m up for helping you anytime you need it.”

“Thank you, Clay. I could really use some help around here.”

Clay kind of canted his head a bit as he looked away from her to give the house and the grounds the once over. “Now that you say it that way, I haven’t seen anyone else. Does no one else work here?” he asked as they got in the car.

“The Bigsbys do, of course. But they’re getting older and it’s getting harder for them to keep up with everything. But those who board their horses here are responsible for certain things and if they help with the upkeep of the pastures and check the fencing and such, they get a discount on their boarding fees. Then the riding school that uses the Bigsby’s horses help with some of the maintenance each week. They make it a requirement of the students in the riding school to learn how to take care of the horses and how to properly operate and maintain a barn. But it’s not like it used to be. They just don’t have the money to hire extra hands like they used to. So, I do what I can. Some of those who used to be in the riding school and are parents of the kids who are in it now donate some time, too, and between us all, we get it done.”

“Are their kids not interested in it? The Bigsbys I mean,” Clay asked.

She smiled sadly. “Their only child was special needs. She passed a long time ago. In fact, they started the center for the purpose of equine therapy for children with special needs. The program ended up expanding and was used for kids who were working through trauma, too. But now, the only riding school that rents horses and time is a standard riding school. But I digress, their child passed before their twentieth birthday. They never had another. But those of us who were around back then do whatever we have to do to help them keep their business profiting the little bit that it does, and the horses safe and healthy. For as long as we have the opportunity, anyway.”

“Why have the others stopped their programs?” Clay asked.

“The Bigsbys can’t afford to carry the insurance needed to insure the programs for special needs and troubled kids anymore.”

“Why are they carrying the insurance instead of the programs themselves paying for it?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know any of the particulars, but I guess they’d all discussed it at some point.”

“What did you mean when you said for as long as you have the opportunity?”

“I don’t know how much longer we can all hold it together. Mr. Bigsby is in his early eighties, Mrs. Bigsby is eighty, too, or just about. They can only do so much. And I don’t know what’s going to happen to the horses, then.”