Allégro

Chapter 03: No Problem Here

I drag the back of my hand across my forehead, wiping away the beads of sweat collecting there. You would think with Summer leaving and Fall taking its place, the weather would get the memo.

Coming to a stop at the barn door, I tugged it open with both hands and was instantly greeted by the smell of slightly stale horse manure. Making my way inside, I take the large shovel that hangs by the door along with the bucket that sits under it and get to work.

First, I feed the horse and muck out her stable–placing the manure carefully into the metal bucket. Aunt Vic likes to use it for fertilizer in her herb and flower garden. She claims horse manure is 'slightly higher in nutritional value' compared to other manures. I don't question it.

I then place the shovel and bucket back in their place and grab the large bristled broom. I push that along the floor a few times, making sure to get almost every last bit of stray hay back into the other empty stables.

Lastly, I take the hoof pick along with a rag–which was once red, but has now been stained with who-knows-what–from the hook beside the shovel. As I enter the stable, a smile spreads across my face as I approach the large grey horse.

She shuffles on her feet, nickering as I get closer. I notice the way her ears flicker forward as I run my hand along the flat part of her nose.

"Hey Duchess." I whisper.

Aunt Vic tells me Duchess used to be my Mom's horse. She said their mother gave Duchess to her as a wedding present. After the accident, Duchess came to live with Uncle Jax and Aunt Vic. Even though she's unable to be ridden–because of her old age–I still like to take the time to keep her cleaned up and cared for.

"Time to clean your hooves, old girl." I inform her, bending over to check her hooves. I gently work the hoof pick through the dirt caked in her front hooves before moving onto the hind ones.

"Wow," A familiar voice states with a cough. "Gotta love the smell in here."

I stand up straight, my smile widening when I see Liam Archer making his way into the barn. Stepping out of the stable, I take the battered rag from my back pocket and clean the hoof pick free of dirt. "You're early. Ballet isn't for another two hours."

"I know. I just couldn't wait to see you any longer." Liam jokes with a smile. As he approaches me, I can just make out the sheen of sweat coating the dark brown skin on his forehead. "No, my Dad wanted me to stop by and do an injury check."

I drop my gaze to the hoof pick in my hand, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. It's not Liam's fault. "I wonder who told him I was injured at all."

"You know the rules, Ryn. Injuries aren't something we take lightly–back injuries especially."

"I can assure you, Liam, I'm fine." I state, bringing my eyes up to meet his. I could see the hesitation in his eyes. "I used a hot compress last night and soaked in the tub this morning. I'm good."

"I wish I could take your word for it," Liam says, an apologetic smile decorating his handsome features. "But you know how my Dad is about his dancers."

I do know how Mr. Archer is about his dancers. Which is why I know this won't be going away anytime soon. Letting out a sigh, I set the hoof pick on the long wooden table located in the middle of the barn. Uncle Jax built it. Blueprints for old projects along with scraps from even older projects are strewn across it, most likely forgotten about.

I placed my hands on the top of my head. I tensed my core muscles as Liam took a step forward, applying careful pressure to both my lower back and core. I dipped my head, shielding my face from view as heat rushed to my cheeks at his gentle, yet considerate, touch.