Eternal Love

Jumping

The weeks passed and the date of the wedding got closer and closer, there was a month and a half left and the nerves were getting to me. It was usually around this time of year when I would get a call from Brooks asking for a month and a bit off to go rodeo around NSW and I would usually come up and look after the place while he was gone. He is usually gone through August, but he was coming home for a week over the wedding. I know it sounds like bad organisation, but the date of the wedding was the only time that Brooks parents could make it. So like the many years before, Brooks packed up his things and left in his truck and with a few mates, including Nathan... Well that was a few weeks ago, and I was having trouble sleeping, but Hayley tells me that I will get use to it. I just hope that I don't get to use to it.

I looked out the window, it was finally raining. Over the last 6-7 months we haven't had any rain and it was really starting to put stress on the property, but now finally it was raining, and it hadn't stopped since yesterday. I had called Brooks to tell him the good news. He was ecstatic to say the least. He told me stories of the latest Rodeo and how he was so close to first place. He sounded like he was having a blast.

I was finding it hard keeping up with work as well the farm maintenance and just every day house hold chores. Ive been getting up at 6:30 and getting to work a little late, having to stop at the cafe and getting a hot chocolate for brekkie and then an apple for lunch and then leaving and not getting home till four, doing quick trough checks and fence checks, getting back in the dark, ridding Denny and the Mare in the arena with the newly installed fog lights before hitting the hay around 11. Hopeful I could get use to it.

It was Sunday, my day off. Fixing a fence that the pigs had stretched, I needed to drench but it was raining. Bo followed me every where and because Brooks was gone so did the other 3 working dogs. It took me the better half of the day to fix it. When I got back I was so cold and drenched to the core. I went inside and made a hot chocolate before going and getting changed into dry clothes before pulling on my Drisa-bone and braving the rain again. Hayley had called and said that I could come over and work the horses in her cousins indoor arena. So I loaded the two horses and tack before traveling a few K's down the road to her cousins place.

As I pulled into the drive way, it was easy to tell that these guys were loaded. They had the whole impressive set up, the indoor arena, the expensive fences pained black, the horse walkers and stable hands walking around in the rain. I could legitamently drive my truck under the cover in the arena and unload with heaps of room. It was something I could only dream off.

As I unloaded and saddled up both horses I looked over the gate and into arena and saw that some one was already riding, on his huge warmblood. I let my eyes wander, he was wearing old faded jeans, light blue stockyard shirt pulled a little to tight over his muscles, a John Deer cap that hid his face. I instantly pulled myself together, by thinking about my fiancée. I opened the double gate and led both horses in. I left Denny in the camp as I mounted the mare.

I was half way up into the saddle when the man that was riding came cantering over.
He held out his hand as I swung my leg over and sat down in the saddle, "Jacob." I looked at his face in detail, he had that look in his eye, that flirtatious glint in his eye. I placed my left hand in his shaking it, and he caught eye of my engagement ring, "And you must be Audrey Ison," he said almost defeated, "Hayley's friend thats engaged to Brooks West."

I nodded, a little confused my his knowledge, "That's me."

"Nice horse you've got yourself here," he said looking my Blue roan mare up and down.

"Thank you, yours isn't too bad either," I said looking at this chestnut warmblood, not really sure how to go about this conversation.
"I hear you are pretty good at barrels," I nodded, how much at Hayley told this guy, "I'm about the set up a jumping course, you wanna give jumping ago?" he asked.

I nodded, "Sure sounds like fun just let me warm up my horses first," I had jumped a few times before, I had even been graded once, when I was like 8, but it was a little fun, I would give it that, it's just none of my horses new how to jump, I mean we have jumped the odd log in the paddock every know and then, but still.

I warmed up. Jacob only set the jumps at roughly E grade with a few even lower ones. He went first and set the course. He came back and then I went. I nudged the mare into a walk as we attempted the small jumps. Well it was interesting at first to say the least. There was quite a lot of side stepping and cat leaps over the jumps, but after a while, with Jacob shouting advise at me, we got it and before we new it we were cantering over all the smaller ones. It took a fool not to realise that jumping is where this mare belonged. Soon we were flying over the E grade jumps, only with a few jumps missing, I did come off though in a sudden stop, which was more funny than painful. Jacob and I laughed way to much. It was nice to have some company outside of work hours.

Lots of afternoons followed this and Jacob and I became really good friends and we hung out in pretty much all my spare time, which though wasn't much, we still managed to have fun.

Weeks seemed to fly by and I was hanging out to see Brooks again, the late night phone calls and text just weren't cutting it for me any more. Just 2 more days and he was home, 5 more days and we were going to be married. I was starting to get restless.
It was that particular afternoon I was over at Jacobs again and we were jumping. We finished around 9:30 at night, I had loaded the horses into the float and I chucked my saddles in the tray. I turned around to say good bye to Jacob, well I found him standing a little to close for comfort.

"Um.. hey?" I asked more as a question.

"Hey, look Audrey, I have something to tell you, so please just hear me out," he said looking me right in the eye. Damn well I new where this was going, "You see, over the past few weeks I have, as you could say, developed feelings for you. And I know you are engaged but I just have to do this, at least once," and he quickly closing the distance and kissing me passionately, I tried to push away, but it felt so nice, it felt right, like it did with Brooks, I got a little caught up in the kiss, thinking that it was Brooks, his name escaped my lips then I snapped out of it realising that I wasn't kissing Brooks but I was kissing my best friends cousin.

"I'm sorry I can't do this, bye," I dropped my gaze and turned around and tried to get into the ute, only to be stopped but Jacobs pleads.

"Audrey wait."

"No, I'm going home, good bye Jacob."

I got in and drove away and wiping tears away from my eyes, why did this happen? Why just a few days before my wedding? Why me! Man I'm going to need a stiff drink when I get home.

I pulled up outside my place and unloaded the horses and in a quick hast to get inside I didn't notice the extra ute parked in the shed. Tear stained cheeks and puffy eyes I walked straight through the door and went to the fridge, pulling out a beer I walked into the lounge room and there I saw the love of my life, my heart exploded in happiness, I ran into his arms and pulled him into a tight hug and cried. He returned the tight squeeze, placing a kiss on my forehead. He was home early.