A Rider's Recovery {Book Two of The Little Brown Mare Series}

Chapter 1

Gemma's POV

I rub my horse's star. "Hey, Legacy."

He nickers and blows air toward me out of his nose. I laugh and climb up on the fence. As I taught him, he moves over so I can mount. Once I'm sitting on his back, I wind my fingers into his dark mane and squeeze my legs against his sides. Of course, I'm not expecting a real ride, so I loosen up almost immediately and lean down to hug my horse's neck. I sigh.

"Lilah died a year ago tomorrow."

Legacy's ears swivel toward me and he turns his head to nudge my foot. I continue talking.

"I miss her. So does Coco. Just look at her." I follow my own instructions and turn to the mare. She lifts her head slightly to look at me. I sigh. We can't make her eat much. I think she's dying. Depression, probably. Coco loved Lilah.

I direct Legacy toward the other side of the field and ask for a canter. I need a bareback ride right now.

—

Eventually I dismount, my legs shaking slightly. I wince. I'll ache tomorrow. Legacy snorts at Coco, startling me. The mare gives a half-hearted whinny back. I sigh and hop over the fence, making my way toward Lilah's horse. When I reach her, I stretch out to rub her neck, taking a deep breath "I know, sweetheart," I say, combing my fingers through her mane. "I miss her too. But you need to try to feel better. Lilah wouldn't want you to be like this."

Coco snorts and lets her head drop even further. I sigh again. "Please eat something," I tell her, kissing her nose, and leave. 

I wander through the barn, absentmindedly fingering Lilah's helmet, left on one of the hooks. No one has moved it, even after a year. The barn itself is a bit of a mess. Lilah always managed to keep it clean, but the rest of us have been slacking off a bit now she's gone. The floors aren't swept, and cobwebs fill the corners. The tack room is a mess. I'm terrible at keeping things tidy, I admit. I've been meaning to clean it up for a while, but now that I'm coaching beginner lessons to help support Everglade, I just don't have the time. 

I give Lilah's riding gear one last, sad look, and exit the tackroom, instead entering the feed room. I mix up the horses' dinner and scrub out and refill each of their buckets with their food. I clip the buckets back into their respective stalls, then go out to get the horses. 

I bring Sky High and Black Jack in first, unlatching the fence in the outer field, and clipping lead ropes onto Sky's faded blue halter and Jack's leather one. I tug them both up from their grass and they follow me lazily across the field. I latch the gate behind me and bring them to their stalls, taking off their halters and hanging them on the hooks outside their stalls. I do the same with Rosey, bringing her from her spot under the tree in the center field, where she likes to glare at all the other horses. I bring PB (I've taken to calling him that) and Legacy from the back field, where I have to chase both of them around for a short while before they let me catch them. 

Finally, I need to get Coco. She barely ever eats, so I know I probably shouldn't bother, but I bring her in from the front field, where we keep her now, instead of the back field, so we can watch her in case she colicks from stress again. She colicked the first week after Lilah died-she had been pacing her stall, kicking the walls, and screaming every ten minutes. I think she knew something was wrong. And then she colicked and almost died, and now we try to watch her every minute. I don't understand why we can't put her down, she's clearly suffering, but Mr. and Mrs. Grey won't do it. I think it's their way of honouring Lilah's memory or something.

Of course, Coco won't eat, she simply paws the ground and snorts, then drops her head in despair. I try to get her to eat, but she won't. I give up and leave her be.