you're my fresh air

chapter eight

wyatt

ashlynn looked so sad as she spoke about her mare. i guess it really meant something to her.

there is more to this city girl than meets the eye!

"well, i'm sorry. i'm sure she's being looked after now though." i smiled warmly attempting to comfort her.

she cleared her throat and fixed her posture, "yeah, probably. anyway, what about you? who are you wyatt?". she fixed her gaze on my face.

"i'm wyatt becking. no middle name. i'm 26 and i live here! i run this property all on my own, and i like riding horses and motorbikes. i have a little sister, letitia. i never knew my dad, and my mum died of breast cancer when i was 19." i spoke, looking away as i finished.

she's gonna think i'm some weird emo loser with no parents.

i felt her cold, small hand grab mine. i looked down at our hands and then up to her and she was already looking right at me.

"i'm sorry for your loss, wyatt. she did a great job of raising you while she was still here." she smiled softly and my heart got this funny feeling.

she began leaning closer to me and i was mesmerised by her.

our lips were merely centimetres apart when something in my brain snapped.

no! i can't do this. i'm not letting her in because i'm not putting myself in the position to be hurt like morgan hurt me.

i wish morgan never happened. then there would be nothing in the way of my and the gorgeous ashlynn reed.

i stood quickly grabbing my mug off the coffee table and walking to the kitchen.

"want more coffee?" i said quickly trying to break the tension.

ashlynn slumped back on the couch. "no i'm fine." she mumbled.

damn it! why did i have to ruin that moment.

"so i have a rescue horse in the stables that needs feeding wanna come?" i asked, speaking quickly and trying to look busy in the kitchen.

"mhm" she responded, slowly getting up from the couch to go put her boots back on.

i followed her to the mud room, trying to stay a little bit away from her so it wasn't awkward.

once we both had our boots on, we began walking to the stables. ashlynn has her hands buried in her pockets and her head hanging to the ground.

"so, um. i have to uh, warn you." why the fuck am i nervous. i looked over at her and she had her eyebrows raised waiting for me to finish.

"this mare is very stirry, she came from an abusive owner and the lady that owns that shop we were in asked me to look after her for a little. but just be careful cause she's very tall and will not hesitate to run you over if you seem like a threat." i took a deep breath, finishing.

"sounds good." ashlynn merely said.

we got to the stables and i began mixing a bucket of tumeric, flax seed and other stuff for the mare.

"she's in the end stable on the left. do me a favour and throw her a biscuit of hay its just through that door." i said pointing to the hay shed.

she nodded and went to get the hay, shortly she was down at the stable. i looked up and she was looking at me.

"do i just chuck it on the ground or do you want it in the hay net?" she asked.

"preferably the hay net but if you don't feel comfortable going in there with her thats fine." i responded, nearly finished mixing her feed.

"no it's okay" she said unlatching the gate.

"hey, be careful ash" i said sternly but she didn't respond.

"you all good down there?" i asked, checking she wasn't dead or something. she didn't respond.

i was finished mixing the mares food so i began walking down towards her. when i reached her stable, i peered over the wall to see ashlynn brushing her and the mare enjoying it.

"whoa! how did you get her so calm?" i asked, shocked.

"not sure really! she just seemed really happy to see me and started rubbing her face against me."

"wow i'm the one that's been feeding her for the last month and a half." i chuckled

ashlynn smiled. thank goddddd i got to see it again i really thought she hated me.

"you know she reminds me a lot of my old mare. but she couldn't be, my mare was branded." ashlynn shrugged.

"this mare is too, on the other side" i said, and we both exchanged an odd look.

"but i mean surely not right? daphne told me she came from a show jumping family. the ones that abused her that was."

"you are joking. i sold mary to a show jumping family.." ashlynn said lightly, in shock, "she's branded you said?"

"yeah on the other side" i answered. we both walked around the mare to her hip.

the brand was "7JQ" and ashlynn jaw dropped when she saw it. i watched as her eyes welled up with tears.

"it's mary. i can't believe it, it's mary." ashlynn said as she walked around to the mare's head. she leaned her forehead against mary's face and mary closed her eyes momentarily.

"wow girl, you'd be getting old now!" ashlynn chuckled wiping her eyes.

"yeah daphne said that. i think she's about 20 now." i informed her

"yeah that would make sense." ashlynn said

"well um why don't you try saddling her?" i suggested.

"yeah okay that sounds great, where's your tack?" she responded, eagerly waiting to follow me.