Taming His Stallion [BWWM]

39_Friends

Paege

The mid-morning sun beamed overhead, without even a fraction of assistance from the wind. As a result, the barn heated up a few degrees, and if not for the opened windows to the back of each stall, I'd be cooked to a crisp by now.

Beads of sweat emerged on my upper arms, lower back and midriff. All unexposed areas that wouldn't find relief anytime soon, unless, I removed my clothing altogether. But that wouldn't be decent, now would it?

It may solve one problem only to brew another. Sure, I might get to cool down, but things would surely heat up again at the oft chance that I was discovered. And worse, just imagine some poor unsuspecting soul happening upon me in my indecent state.

Danny would surely blow a fuse.

The fabric of my t-shirt clung snuggly to my skin. Almost completely drenched. I hated the sensation but endured it, considering I was almost finished mucking out and bedding all of the horses' stalls.

No. There was no reason to risk Danny ripping any poor soul a new one. Or blowing the roof off the barn. That would only result in more concentrated heat and leave the horses exposed under the fury of today's unforgiving sun.

There was only one left before I could cool out and then freshen up. So I would have to suck it up until then.

Scooping up what remained of Angel's poop with the pitchfork, I gently shook it to filter any decent shavings that had been caught in the pile, and subsequently deposited the poop into the wheelbarrow at the entrance to his stall.

Next, I made a clear perimeter around his pee spot, shovelling the heap into the wheelbarrow. Soon after, using the pitchfork I removed any odd pieces of poop, depositing them into the wheelbarrow.

When the deed was done, I completed the task by pouring and spreading fresh shavings around the stall, with the odd cleared spot under Angel's feeding area and hay bin.

It may have been the most undignified of tasks, but it had to be done to promote the proper health of any horse. So I was more than happy to help.

The last thing I'd ever want is for someone to lose one of those darling horses. Not like I'd lost my Tempers.

It's been a few days since Danny adopted Tempers. And I was still uncertain whether it had been a dream or not. And in my shoes, who would?

It had been nine years, at the very least that she was sold to another. If not a decade.

I still couldn't believe that he'd actually done it. That he'd actually placed a bid. And a hefty one at that. But not only that. That night Danny seemed to be full of surprises because he entered a bidding war. With Casey of all people!

Let's not get started on the stupor that gripped me after coming down from the high of having my childhood horse in Danny's care.

It wasn't necessarily the sheer absurdity of the bidding war itself, but the cutthroat nature of it that seemed to imply something more. Something I'd apparently been oblivious to for a while.

After Danny and I met with Tempers at her temporary stall, in the barn nearby the Gala's venue, I excused myself to have a few choiced words with Casey.

I grabbed his hand, absolutely fuming before walking outside. When I whipped around to meet his gaze, he all but avoided mine. But he wouldn't get off so easily.

My mind had been having the darnedest time trying to ascertain what the hell was going on.

Casey had always been there for me. We had always been friends. Emphasis on the word friends. So I was completely mind-blown by his sudden erratic behaviour.