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“Mallory, I need to—”
Harley and Laney came walking back to us.
“Well, she went potty!” Harley said.
“She pooped!” Laney added.
We all laughed, everyone but Mallory.
Mallory picked up Laney. “Say goodbye, sweetie. We need to head home.”
Laney waved. “Bye, Hemi! Bye, Harley! Bye, Tripp!”
‘’Bye, Laney!” Harley said as I waved and said goodbye too.
After they’d started to walk toward the house, Harley broke the silence.
“You don’t want to walk them out?”
“Nah, they can manage. Let me get this crate taken down, and I’ll bring it up to your car.”
Harley’s cheeks turned a slight pink. “Thank you. I just need to check on this calf. Trevor put her and the mom in one of the stalls.”
“Okay.”
I headed over to the crate and started taking it apart. Harley was talking to the calf in the stall, and I couldn’t help but smile. It made me think of all the times she would sit in her daddy’s barn and sing to the animals. She’d always been a sucker for the four-legged creatures.
After taking the crate apart, I walked outside and set it up against the barn. When I walked back in, Harley was standing on top of the stall reaching for something.
“What in the hell are you doing? You’re going to fall.”
“No, I won’t. There’s a cat up here. I think she’s stuck.”
“Harley, get the fuck down before you break something.”
She reached up on her toes. “I’ve almost got her.”
“Harley!” I said firmly. All I could think about was the time she fell and broke her arm trying to help a damn baby bird back into the nest.
“Just. A. Little. More.”
“Son-of-a-bitch,” I said as I headed over to get her down. Before I got there, her foot slipped. My heart fell as I watched her tumble into the stall next to one of dad’s new stallions.
“Harley!” I cried out as I ran and pushed the stall door open.
“Wait!” she said. “Don’t come in here, Tripp.”
“What?”
I looked at the horse standing over Harley.
“Back out slowly so you don’t spook him.”
“But…”
“Tripp, please!” she quietly urged.
Slowly backing out, I watched as Harley stood. She appeared to be okay.
“Are you hurt?”
She held out her hand, and the horse took a step closer to her.
What in the hell was she doing having him move closer to her?
“Harley, Dad said that horse is not the least bit tamed.”
“Shhh. It’s okay, baby. I’m not going to hurt you.”
I groaned internally at the softness in her voice. My heart raced.
“What happened? I heard a scream,” Trevor called out as he ran into the barn.
“It’s okay, Trev. We just need to talk softly and not spook him.”
Trevor’s eyes about came out of his head as he looked at Harley in the stallion’s stall.
“What in the fuck is she doing in there?”
“She fell in.”
He jerked his head to look at me. “That horse kicked Ryan yesterday and broke his damn jaw, Tripp. We need to get her out.”
“Would the two of you…please…shut up.”
We both looked back into the stall. I held my breath as I watched Harley move closer to the horse.
“Hey there, handsome boy. Looks like we’re gonna get to know each other.”
He snorted and bounced his head a few times.
“Oh, I know, big guy. You’re the boss.”
Hemi whined at my feet. I reached down and picked her up.
When the horse put his mouth against Harley’s hand, Trevor grabbed onto my arm.
“Do you want some oats? Is that what you want?”
I turned to look at my brother. “Dude, did you grow a pussy overnight? Get the fuck off me and get her some oats,” I whispered.
He looked at his hand and jerked it back like he had just gotten bit. “Right.”
Trevor got a small bucket and walked into the other stall. Harley was backed against the wall.
“Move slow, Trevor, and shake it a bit so he knows what it is.”
Trevor did exactly as she said. Harley reached for the bucket and the horse jumped some. He kicked at the ground, and I swore my heart rate went through the roof. I was going to kick her ass when she walked out of that stall. Because she would walk out. It was Harley. The fucking animal whisperer.
She took a handful of oats and put it to her mouth as the horse watched her. He nickered and she responded with a sound of her own as she held her hand out for him to eat the oats.
Taking a step closer, Harley ran her hand down his neck. Trevor and I shared looks. We both shook our heads and smiled.
“There ya go. You going to be my new boyfriend?” Harley asked while he bopped his head up and down.
I rolled my eyes and let out a deep breath.
Slowly moving alongside the horse, she ran her hands along him. She stepped away and casually moved to the stall door. The stallion turned and followed her. When Harley put her hand on the door, the horse nudged her back.
