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"I'll call the sheriff."
"I'll save you the call." The farmer stood, though he huffed and puffed as if he was the one inconvenienced. Henry followed him, though he grumbled and swore, as Henry tapped the sheriff's number.
"Glen Hollow Sheriff's Department."
"It's Henry Delany again. I need someone out at..." He nudged the farmer. "What's your name?"
"Fuck you."
"I know where you're at Henry. You're out at Case Evan's place. I'll be right out."
"Seems you're on a first name basis with the sheriff. Good to know." Henry quipped as he tucked his phone into his pocket.
"Fuck you."
"Limited vocabulary, too."
"Fuck you." Only this time it was a mumble.
Henry chuckled. Fucker.
As soon as they made it down the long driveway, the sheriff's squad came down the road. No sirens, just lights. He pulled down the driveway and right behind him, he saw Everleigh walking down the driveway with the horse alongside her.
She walked the horse toward the barn and he nodded to the deputy. "Caught him beating this horse."
"I didn't beat it."
Henry grabbed him by the scruff and dragged him to the barn. He tried to get away, but Henry was pissed. There's no way he'd let this asshole get away now. Inside, Everleigh turned the lights on, and the horse's backside was welted. Everleigh gasped and the farmer muttered a string of expletives. The horse grew agitated and Everleigh tried calming her down.
Henry turned to the deputy, "Can you put him in the car so the horse can calm down?"
"My pleasure."
Deputy Gordon dragged Case Evans toward the squad car, and Henry moved toward Everleigh. She turned and smiled. "If you could close the door and sit over there on a bale of hay, that would be helpful."
He stared into her eyes a moment, then turned and did as she asked. The hay poked into his slacks, but he was mesmerized watching Everleigh. She let go of the bridle and sat on a bale of hay. The horse paced a bit, back and forth, but Everleigh sat perfectly still. She turned and saw a bag of feed. Reaching in, she pulled a handful of corn from inside. She held her hand out, palm up, filled with feed, and after a few moments, the horse came to her. It gently nibbled then stepped away. Then came forward and nibbled, then stepped away. Everleigh spoke to her constantly. "You are so beautiful. You are loved. I love you. You are magnificent. I'll take care of you. Together, we'll conquer the world, you and I."
The horse bobbed its head up and down as if it understood her. After a while, she stood and found a bucket. She filled the bucket with corn and strode to him. He scooted to the side of his bale of hay, and she sat next to him. The bucket of corn between them. She pulled out another handful of corn and held it out.
Softly she said, "You do the same. It may take some time for her to trust you. You're a man and she's been beaten by a man."
"Okay." He filled his hand and held it out. The horse nodded and moved back and forth, unsure of what to do. Everleigh giggled. "It's okay. I trust him."
The horse’s head bobbed high and low. Finally, she made some progress toward them. Everleigh noticed other horses in stalls beginning to poke their heads out to see what was going on.
She laughed. "Oh, look how pretty they all are."
He chuckled at her enthusiasm and leaned over and kissed the side of her head. "You are a beautiful human, Everleigh."
She turned and stared into his eyes. "So are you, Henry."
He leaned down and kissed her lips. Softly. Gently. Then she giggled. The horse had neared and was eating out of her hand. Not his. Not yet. But he'd work towards it.
“How are you so good with them?”
“I learned about horses as a girl growing up. I’ll tell you about it one day.”
The deputy entered the barn a few moments later and the horse ran to the other end of the barn. "We've been called out here a few times. He always gets these horses back. Sadly, until we can put him in jail for cruelty, he claims its discipline and they are returned to him."
