Long Live Cowgirl's (NEVER FINISHING)

#23 announced

I scrapped the sweaty water off from Kings chestnut rump and it splattered on the wash bay floor.
His ears flickered back at the sound of me humming songs, and spinning.

The afternoons when I was alone with king in the wash-bay where always the best. I had the freedom to talk my mind, usually in a whine or singing.
"... But, the best part is that Kelly is ordering us club shirts and everything! Oh, and Leo is Kelly's assistance so he will be coming anyway!" I was so excited for the club. All us girls still had to choose the club name but when Kelly announced the opening of the club all the girls were so happy.
"Maybe well call the club, iron heart cowgirls, or the Fellence club cowgirls. What' ya think King?" His only response was the stopping of his hoof on the concrete, telling me it was time to go.
I look up in the sky and see the dark clouds rumbling in. The afternoon shower was coming upon us, creating a grey blur along the horizon. "Time to go." I sighed to King. I threw the lead rope over my shoulder and walked with king to the lushes green pick yard. It was a rule that a horse had to be totally dry to be stabled, so I would wait till the last minute till he is dry to put him away.
The damp grass wet my bum of my jeans as I sat in the paddock with King and watched him graze, so fascinating.

The other girls had headed to the wash-bays by the stable. I preferred the single platform under the mahogany tree, behind the main house.
When king was away the raindrops slightly diffused over the stables and then in a second it bucketed down. Taylor and Gemma giggled and gossiped outside of a roan horses stall named Toka. They patted his nose and feed him pellets they had taken from the feed room. Once the girls spotted me locking up King their glares shone onto my back.
"Hey Hannah," said Gemma signaling her to come over. I turned and politely smiled, "what's up?" I ask as I approach them and joining in in the Patting of Toka. The little gelding continued to search for treats in our palms, nuzzling at my fingers.
"D'you know what?" Asked Gemma. She had dark hair in natural curls that she pulled up into a braid, her light green eyes focused on Toka but listening for a reply. Both of these girls where in my year and I had talked go them as they where goof friends of Ashton.
"What's that?" I asked.
"The club doesn't have a name." She remarked proudly. I thought about naming the club a while back.
"Well, we gave the numbers. But if we make a real club, wouldn't that mean club shirts and posters and contracts?" I stated rhetorically.
Taylor asked "what's so bad about all that?" Her diamond blue eyes clashed against the mascara she whore and her wavy mouse-blond hair tied into a high ponytail, with hundred of curly strands falling out the side.
"It means money." I sighed.
"We could hold a fundraiser!" They both spat in sink.
"Actually, I think Kelly was going to talk about this. Maybe we should get back to the house-" I paused at the entrance of Leo into the stable, exiting from the tack room. He held a photo frame in his arms, and stopped in his tracks, with a guilty glance at us.
"Eh, hey." He held the strange photo behind his back. "Um. You two better get to the house, there are umbrellas by the door." I focused on his face the whole time, not letting his blue eyes flicker away. The two mid-moment struck girls nodded slowly knowing that I needed to talk to Leo.
Once they had ran out into the rain i stepped towards him slowly, "what are you hiding?" I questioned. He steps back and smirks "well, in fact its... A-" I lean over snatching it from behind him. "A photo..." He finished defeated.
My fingers tremble holding the dusty photo frame inside plated three pictures. One black and white, one faded, and one old style. All of my mother, at different ages. The oldest photo was a small girl holding a horse with a ribbon around its neck. The next was a young lady riding a huge bay horse, all racked up in show gear and cantering a victory lap around a jumping course. The last was very familiar, it hit my heart somewhere deep. small girl sitting on a large grey horse and a lady in shoe gear walking beside them. It was a photo of the first time I sat upon a horse, with the same lady by my side. A strange scene of
It was then I realized who lady was, tall, brown hair, horses.
"Where did you find this?" My eyes become tangled in the detail of the vintage photos. The dust rose into the air as I brushed the glass softly.
"It was in the tack room nailed above the bridles. I thought you might of wanted it... It is her right?" His face was emotionless, like he was trying to hide from me. I nod slowly, remembering my Mum. Remembering my first ride at her last show. Remembering her telling me she was disappointed she hadn't won but was so proud to see me ride. "Hannah? Are you crying?" Leo took the photo out of my hands that gripped so tightly to the frame and my resistance broke away, letting the sobbing and tears pour. Leo hugged me tightly, and I burrowed my face onto his broad shoulder.
His cotton shirt soaked up and apologized for the tears.
He ignored it though and handed me the photo "don't look at it." He whispered.
Jewel a colt stock horse who had to be broken in for a station man nudged my shoulder from one of the stable. I giggled and tickled his whiskers, "missing mummy aye?" his dark grey furry foal coat was just changing to its adult blue roan coat.
When I turned to see Leo he was already waiting for me at the barn door with an umbrella. I covered the photo under my top to protected it form the rain, then together we ran into the storm, splashing water in the air and hearing towards the big white house.

*******

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch, "awe!" I yelled over the lounge room. Heads shot up at me from over their toasty. I covered my full mouth and muffled "I bit my tongue."
The nine girls lazing around the lounge all giggled and then continued eating.
Gibby still rode in short shots and a peach singlet that matched her blush checks that always whore a huge grin. Her long and curly strawberry-blonde hair was in picky tails, and tied up in red baby blur bows. For a ten year old girl theses days she was childish but serious and calm when the time was needed. Stephanie was the oldest but she was the clown of us all. She whore a makeup that highlighted her fine featured face, her light brunette hair was extremely long and always twisted into a bun, along with side bangs she said shaped her face. She was a cowgirl by heart so she was probably the most experienced out of all of us when it came to horses, hence the wrangler clothes she whore. She had a horse of her own, Alex that she brought on riding days.
Charley was the strangest out of all us girls; when she was sad, her mousy brown hair and large round dark brown eyes made her look like a baby possum, too adorable to mess with. She was fourteen and had never gotten on a horse in her life until the club started. By far the most horse-loving-freak in our group was Chloe, she would sit with a horse and quite happy to play with its nose making girly squeals of delight. Chloe was half caster meaning she had tan skin and dark drown eyes.

Kelly walked into the house enthusiastically, when she saw where we were she ran over and slumped herself on the couch, "all right girls!" she clapped, "i have some bad news and two good news'. which one?"

"the good news!" bursted out Gibby.

"alright. good news one is that we have our club shirts on the way and good news two is that we are all entered into the Mareck Junior Rodeo. and the bad news is the rodeo's in three weeks." she winked at experienced Charley; her eyes blowing up.

"three weeks!" gasped Harriet, "i can't even. i just can't even!"

"its alright, well practice extra hard." enthused Stephanie.

"i cant get Bennie to canter yet; let alone compete." Charley was freaking out and counting her figures like a mad lady, "that only twenty one days!"

Chloe put up her hand "though, isn't Mareck like two hours away?" Kelly nodded, "well about that, have to take two goose necks. and i'm going to cancel our lessons with Tim Bogorad."

The girls all cried in despair. He had been booked in to train us for two weeks, even flying all the way from america.

"but..." sighed Kelly, then her voice lifted "hes coming to watch you girls at the rodeo and seeing if he can sponsor us!" within two seconds all the girls where screaming with delight, with Leo sitting there admiring us girls jumping around like idiots.

Kelly had been so good for us; even though she was so goddam busy all the time.