Magic and Lace

3

For the two months Lacey had been working at the ranch things had been going well. She was an excellent horse woman, she had gone from a groomer to trainer in less than a week. Kelley couldn't place what Lacey had but it was something special. He had only planed to let her be a groomer for as long as it took for Phillip to notice her. The day that she calmed Dynamite the new horse Phillip had sent on a head of himself, Kelley knew she would be more useful as a trainer. Dynamite had an explosive behavior and was living up to his name. He was kicking up after the men had placed a saddle on him. Lacey showed no fear of the wild horse as she approached him. Her touch seemed to comfort the horse, and he stopped fighting. Then Lacey did the most unbelievable thing she mounted the horse, not side saddle, but astride. He had never seen a woman ride astride before; Lacey had controlled the horse like an expert. It was unfortunate she was a girl because she would have made an excellent jockey.

He knew he shouldn't have let her become so valuable in the training of the horse, but like Kelley's dead mother used to say God bless her soul.

"When God gives you a gift it is a sin not to use it."

So, on the advice of his dead mother he went against his better judgment knowing Phillip would be home any day and this could possibly ruin everything he and Craddock had planned for. He went ahead and let her take over the training of the horse. After she finished in the stables Lacey started out to her bathing spot to get cleaned up before she went to work on the books. She was feeling a little down. She was always a little sad before her birthday, but somehow this year it was different getting older wasn't what was depressing her.

Like sensing her mood Magic appeared out of nowhere. He was so quiet she wasn't sure she wasn't imagining him. Since he seemed to be there and he seemed to understand her needs, and because she wanted to talk to somebody or something she started to talk to Magic."

"Hello Magic."

Magic whinnied as if in response. She sensed that the horse was just there to give her comfort so she went ahead and told him her feelings.

"I'm not sad that I'm here, I like being in 1875. It's not anything that anyone did to me either. It's just something I go through every year around my birthday."

Magic whinnied again to let Lacey know that he understood.

Lacey went on talking more to herself than to Magic.

"I'm tired of being lonely. I've spent my whole life lonely. I'm going to be eighteen years old in nine days and I've never been loved by anyone. I'm beginning to wonder if there's anybody out there for me."

Tears came to Lacey's eyes and so she stopped talking and walked in silence. Lacey placed her right hand upon Magic's neck as they walked gaining strength from the horse. She was in a trance lost in thought and Magic was the one leading them along. Magic h directed her to a different bathing spot than he had the first time he had taken her out to the stream. This time he had taken her around to the other side of the rocks to where a small waterfall was flowing and hitting the rocks a short distance below. She removed her hand from Magic and took a closer look around. The scene was breath taking, the water was flowing through what looked like a gap beneath a small cliff, but Lacey couldn't get too good of a look because the sun was shining in her eyes, so she didn't see the pair of eyes that were on her.

She turned to comment to the horse about the beauty of the place he brought her too, but he had already gone. Like before something was in his place. This time he had left not only a fresh pair of clothes, but also a beautiful hair brush. Since no one was left to talk to Lacey started to undress.

Phillip didn't mean to spy on the young man but when he saw Magic his curiosity had been peeked. The young man seemed almost feminine maybe he was one of those who preferred men to woman. Phillip felt strange watching the young man strip, but he couldn't seem to take his eyes off him. The young man had his back to him so the feelings that Phillip was experiencing were making him angry with himself.