A long way south

Chapter 10

...

"Woah there fella.." The brunette cooed, keeping her eyes low and her posture warm and welcoming as she walked towards the black stock horse, who stood awake and alert on the other side of the round yard.

She'd left the gelding in the paddocks for a few weeks, mainly in hopes that he would calm down a bit. She was wrong.

"... I dont understand what I did wrong." She said with a huff, dropping her hand to her side as the Jet black horse bolted to the other side of the large roundyard, not wanting to stick around. She dragged her feet along as she walked over to the edge of the yard, climbing up onto the fence next to Colten and Tyler, who had both been watching.

"I mean aside from the fact you couldn't get near him, I think that went really well! I mean he didn't trample you into the dirt-" Tyler said with an upbeat tone.

"Tyler." Colten said, giving the younger boy a 'seriously?' look as he slung an arm around the brunettes shoulders.

"I'm trying to be optimistic Colten. It's a thing. Kodi says I'm way to much of the opposite" Tyler defended, giving him a pointed look whilst his sister laughed.

"You've really chosen the best time to start haven't you" Colten said, shaking his head as he messed up the kids hair, knocking his old Circle L, which used to belong to Matthew,  on the ground.

"Thankyou, I do try."

"Fuckin' hell you lot are cooked in the head" Kodi chuckled, shaking her head with a grin.

Sniper wasn't an easy horse, in fact he was probably the most difficult that Kodi had ever worked with. As much as a bad rep the young horse had, She knew there was something special under all the anxiety and trauma. 

"Right, you lot surely have something better to do? Give me and this guy some one on one time?" She asked, raising a brow.

"Ohhhh Colten! How's it feel to be the other man?" Tyler asked with a teasing grin, jumping off the top rail.

"Oh shut up." He grumbled, a grin on his face.

"Actually, he's the third man. Cant forget about the Badly" She said with a big grin, hopping off the fence back into the round yard. Now she could get some serious work done. 

"Oh piss off would ya both" Colten said with a chuckle, rolling his eyes at his girlfriends antics as she sent him a cheeky grin.

She decided a different approach this time, dragging the mounting block into the centre of the roundyard where she just plonked down. The gelding galloped for circles and circles, then he slowed to a canter, then a trot, then eventually a walk, and finally it turned into a halt. He was dripping in sweat, sides heaving, but in the past hour he just ran around, Kodi hadn't moved.

Her eyes had trailed along the horse as he cantered, and she couldn't even try to say the Black Gelding wasn't a looker. With Conman as the sire and a thoroughbred Mare that was out of Octagonal, He was bred to be athletic and smart, which he was. 

"You see the big bay out in that paddock over there? You're gonna be just like him one day, maybe even better.. Heck the plan with you is to work along side him when you're ready" She said, absentmindedly talking away to the Black Horse, who flicked an ear back and fourth at every word. 

It seemed stupid but part of her felt like the Gelding was actually listening, his breaths slowly evening out. She was honestly about it call it quits for the day, the sun was slowly setting and there was a bit of bite to the air, that's when she heard it. A single shuffle in the sand but it was enough for her to form a smile on her face.

"Hey little guy.." She whispered, hearing a few more shuffles before the gelding stood in front of her, resting his nose on her collarbone as he relaxed a hind foot. 

"You're going to be my friend now are you?" She chuckled, giving him a scratch behind the ear. He liked it. 

Deciding to end it on a good note, she stood up and headed over to the gate, holding the mounting block in her hand as she shut the gate behind her.

...

"So, Sniper came up to me before" She said as she walked over to the dining room Table, taking a seat in between Colten and Matthew, placing her plate down before she sat.

"Thats so good sweetie! Did you let him go into the yard with the cover? That storms meant to come in tonight instead of tomorrow morning" Her mum said, a small smile on her face as she put some salad and other food on her only daughter's plate.

"Yup, I tossed them all some extra hay to" She said, grabbing a fork as she flashed Colten a big smile.

The family had quickly taken Colten in as their own, which he'd pretty much always been anyways, but now a bit more so then ever considering he was living there, and on top of that they were having their fortnightly dinner with the haighs', so Colten's whole family was there aswell.

...

"We are not watching red dog! I'm not in a position to cry right now" Tessa said, Plonking down on the couch next to Tyler and Matthew, who had both taken up the big couch in the 'common room' at the shearers quarters, or atleast the old ones where Colten was currently living.

"Oh C'monnn, Dont be a baby!" Matthew teased, tossing a can of Lemonade to his sister who sat on the other couch next to Colten. The 5 had decided to have a movie night, all going to Colten's so that Their parents could all have a break and a chill night as adults. 

"I vote we watch Cars" Kodi said with a simple shrug, and surprisingly they somehow all agreed. What could she say, Cars was about the best movie to ever be created. 

"Did you have a good day?" Colten asked, pulling the brunette into his side as he glanced down her, ignoring Matthew bickering with the kids over god knows what.

"Yeah, the best." She replied with a smile, burying herself into his side.

...

A/n

Long time no see! I literally don't even have an excuse as to where I've been, I've had no ideas what to write in chapters so it's a bit of a struggle! Horse events are slowing down for the season so fingers crossed i have more time to write, Hope you're all well xo