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From the rear of the herd, Raven stepped out majestically and slowly advanced to the front, her eyes trained on Maggie.
“Are you seeing this?” she said softly to Justin. He stood in the doorway with his phone, making a video of the approaching horse, just enough light from the motion detectors for filming.
Maggie reached out her hand, and the mare picked up her pace, stopping at the fence. The sequence repeated itself; she lowered her head to sniff at Maggie, rubbing her snout on Maggie’s body. Snorting and whinnying, any method Raven had to interact with Maggie, she did, finally getting the top of her head in position.
“Do you want to be scratched? You always leave when I do that. How about a kiss?”
She kissed the top of the horse’s head. It was an amazing experience, the hair smooth but coarse, her smell clean and of the outdoors. Maggie gently petted her this time, and the horse stuck around. But soon it tired of the human, and she turned away.
Maggie looked up at Justin watching from the porch just as he brushed a tear away.
Chapter 4
Sunday morning began with everyone’s routine in place. Maggie and Justin had smiles on their faces after an amazing night. She was up first for a change; he woke up to the sound of the shower and her singing. Smiling, he closed his eyes, hoping for a few more minutes of sleep.
When he woke up again, she was standing in front of her closet, wearing just underpants and a bra.
“How’d I get so lucky?”
“Yikes, you scared me,” she said, twisting around with a T-shirt in front of her. “Why are you lucky?”
“Because I have such a beautiful lady.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
She pulled the T-shirt on and then reached for jeans. Sticking her foot in the right leg, she pulled it up to her right knee and then her left. “Jeez, for not drinking and eating pie, my jeans are so frigging tight.”
“You’ll work it off today.”
“What’s on the schedule?”
They were working with the wild horse volunteers that day, which could mean hard labor doing fence repairs or other tasks that required physical exertion.
“We’re going on a trail ride to check fence lines. Do you want to double up with me and Spooky or have your own horse?”
“I’ll have my own this time. Can we bring Dale?”
Dale was an older gelding Justin’s late mother had raised as her own. He was a favorite of riders who wanted a gentle, slow horse. Justin loved the idea that his beloved girlfriend rode Dale, and he knew his mother would love it, too.
“Dale it is. I guess I’d better get ready, then. We can go to my dad’s and hook up the trailer.”
“I’ll take Brulee out and make coffee.”
“Call your mother and ask if they can watch the dog. We won’t have to worry about her here all day.”
“Okay. Come on, girl, let’s go pee pee.”
She went down the stairs with the dog following close behind. Out over the water, heavy fog rolled in from the ocean and was creeping over the bay to the cove. Maggie waited while Brulee performed her morning toilet, and when finished, all frisky and cute, she ran past Maggie and jumped up on the porch, ready for breakfast.
After getting the coffee going, Maggie sent her mother a text, telling her they were heading to Doc Chastain’s house in a bit to get the trailer and a horse, and could they leave Brulee there at the farm?
The answer was positive. When Justin came down the stairs, he was laughing.
“What’s so funny?”
“My horse is already here. I forgot all about Smokey being here at Bayou Cottage. Can you and Brulee drive the truck over, and I’ll ride her? I’ll meet you at my dad’s.”
“Sure. I’ve never taken the back road though.”
