Alone In The Big Leagues

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

I open my mouth. "Really?!" Exitment sparks inside of me for the first time since Zane died.

Lottie's brother nods. "Yep. You get to ride him."

I smile and reach out to stroke Dancing Silver's nose. His ears are pricked up and his breathing is easy. He stares at me with his big, dark brown eyes. They sparkle as if he knows everything there is to know in the world. I look at Lottie's brother again. "Thank you."

He smiles. "Anytime."

He turns and starts to walk away then I remember something. "Wait!" He stops and turns back to me. "I never got your name."

He smiles. "Vince." I smile back at him, taking in how he looks. He has blonde hair that sweeps perfectly to the side. His eyes are a deep green that remind me of the forest. He looks maybe a year younger then me. "Hey, Jewel. How old are you," he asks, his eyes sparkling.

"I'm turning eighteen in a few months. I'm a senior in high school. What about you," I ask staring deeply into his eyes.

"I'm sixteen almost seventeen. I'm a junior." His smile widens and I just about melt at the sight of his adorable face. His smile also makes my heart skip a beat. This boy is over the top attractive. Great hair that sweeps to the side and some parts sticks out. It's all natural. His eyes bring me deep into another wonderful adventure. I can feel my face start to turn red. He doesn't seem to notice as he nods his head at Dancing Silver. "His tack is in the tack room. You'll find it. All of the horses' tack is where their name is."

He saved me and he didn't even know it. I bite my lip and nod. He smiles again, making my insides melt, and walks away. This boy was adorable and he liked horses. This was everything I liked in a guy. I really didn't want to like him though. I don't want him to flatter me with his horse talk and his dashing good looks.

I shake my head, as if to shake him out of my mind, and turn back to Dancing Silver. I hold my hand up to stroke him again, but he shoves his nose into it, demanding for more attention. I laugh as I feel the instant conection that we have. His breathing is soft and he blows through his nose. I give him a quick kiss on the velvet part of his nose before walking to the tack room. I walk out of the stable and find a shed. I open the door and step in only to stop and have my jaw fall to the floor. Inside are rows and rows of horse tack. All different colors from a dark brown to black. The tack takes up all of the walls. Each horse even has its own grooming set. Full of brushes, hoof picks, a combs, and everything else they needed to be cleaned.

I walk around the room and read each of the horses names, looking for Dancing Silver's tack. Some of the horse names were pretty cool. Some that stood out were Thundering Storm and Jumping Jupiter. I get to the last wall and find Dancing Silver's tack right away. Both the saddle and the bridle are black. Even the halter and lead rope are black. I grab the black bucket full of grooming tools and all the tack that I need.

I walk out of the tack room and back into the stable. Dancing Silver looks at me with his ears pricked up. I open the stall door and greet him with a quick pat. I slip his halter on, clip the lead rope to it, and lead him to the cross ties. I grab the grooming bucket and put it at my feet. Grabbing a brush, I start to brush his soft coat. It seems like he hasn't been brushed in a while and it's shocking to see that he is Lottie's horse. I get to his rear and notice something disturbing. Cuts. There aren't many, but the ones that are there are kind of deep. Light blood stains spot all over his pure white coat. I look down at his legs and see dried up trails of blood. I frown and look closer at the cuts. I frown more at the fact that he was beat with a riding crop. The cuts are days old and not too serious but need to be cleaned to prevent infections. I clean it out as best as I can and continue to groom him. I start to tack him up in his dashing, shinney tack. His coat is gleaming and his mane and tail are brushed out, no knots. He stood still the entire time only moving when he shifted his weight, he just closed his eyes and snoozed a little.

I grab his reins and lead him out of the stable. I see a ring with jumps inside of it. I walk closer and hear voices to the left of me. I look away from the ring and tho the other side to see Lottie's parents and mine talking with one another.

Lottie's mother looks over and smiles. "Jewel!" She waves me over. "Come over here, you can bring the horse too!"

I look at Dancing Silver who is looking with pricked ears at Lottie's waving mother. I laugh and start to lead him over. He walks at my pace at my side. He snorts when we stop in front of them. My father smiles at Dancing Silver, no doubt thinking money. "Barbra, do you mind if I take a look at him?" My father says noding his head at Dancing Silver.

"Sure, go right ahead. He's Lottie's newest horse, but we have another one coming for her tomorrow. We might end up selling Silver over there. A lot of people are interested in buying him." Barbra says with a smile.

I roll my eyes and look at Dancing Silver who just stands there, completely unaware of what might happen. I stroke his neck and then look back at my parents and Lottie's.

"Where is Lottie," her father asks, looking around.

I shrug. "I'm not sure. She never came to get me." I place a hand on Dancing Silver's neck and make eye contact with Lottie's father.

He crosses his arms and nods at me. Her mother nods. "Well, you shouldn't have to wait for Lottie to come out to ride. How about you take Silver around our jumping course?"