Making it Home (Home book 2)

Part 1

I slide open the door to Sparrows stall running my hand down his dark neck.  "Hey old man, how you doing today?"  I continue to rub down the side of his neck.  He's about 31 and the only horse that's left from when my parents started their rescue.  All the others have been adopted or put down in the last 29 years.  "You really need a good brush down don't you.  Look at all that winter fuzz."  I scratch up and down his neck and on his chest as he stretches his neck out and wiggle his lip.   

"Looks like you found an itchy spot."  I look over my shoulder and see my father standing behind me and watching as Sparrow continues to enjoy the attention.  "Happy twenty fifth sweetheart." 

I smile at my dad, "Thanks daddy.  Think he'd be okay for a grooming day with some of the younger kids?"  I drape a rope over Sparrows neck and gently pull him after me as I walk toward the main doors of the barn.  

"I would imagine so.  He may be retired from riding, but he can be groomed and loved on."  He runs his hand over his hair, where hints of gray have started to appear.  "Your mom asked me to call you in for breakfast.  Something about needing to make you special breakfast for your birthday."  I roll my eyes before nodding and glancing towards the main house.

"Sure I'll be up in a few minutes, I'm gonna let out the last few horses first."  He nods and gives me a hug before turning and walking to the house.  I sigh and let out a breath, blowing the hair out of my face as I walk back to the barn.  "Okay you three, y'all better behave yourselves and go willingly otherwise she might come drag me in the house by my belt loops."  Opening the stall to my moms horse I laugh when I see him holding his feed bucket in his mouth and staring at me.  "You are going outside Boots, you can eat the grass."  I walk in and grab it from him, before I lead him out and ground tie him in the isle, "Don't go anywhere.  I gotta get your brother then you can go out."  I walk to the stall at the end of the row and open the door to get Socks.  Leading the two geldings down the path I feel one of them stop and glance over my shoulder to see Boots munching on some stray hay.  Gently tugging on the lead I pull him up and quickly release them into the large pasture.  I walk back down the isle in the main barn going past the ten empty stalls before coming to my mare.  "Hey beautiful.  How you doing today?"  I ask my horse as I rest my forehead against hers.  I close my eyes and blink back the tears that have started to gather there.  "I miss him Luna.  Nobody seems to know anything about where he is or if he's even okay."  I release a shaky breath then lead her outside and let her out into one of the side pastures, and look over my shoulder to see my mom peaking out the front door.  "I'm comin' mom."  I call as I close the gate behind me giving Luna one last kiss and heading to the house.  I smile and give my mom a hug think about for two people who are forty nine and fifty one, they don't even look it.  Both only have a touch of grey in their hair, just showing a hint of difference to their usual colors.  I run a quick hand over my hair trying to gather any fly-aways before tying it off in a loose braid.

An hour later I stand in the kitchen next to my mom, and take the dishes from her and putting them in the dishwasher.  "Thanks for breakfast mom.  I have't had you're breakfast in a while, it was a nice treat."  

She smiles at me, "It's nice to have at least one of my kids around here, unlike the other four." 

 I shrug my shoulders.  "I'm happy to stay here because you're family.  I love you guys, besides I like helping you guys and it gives me a home base to operate out of."

"Well we appreciate it.  It would be nice to see everyone else sometimes, besides Christmas and Thanksgiving breaks.  Jenna barely ever comes by so we don't see her or little Kellen and Reghan.  He's four now and she's six.  Austin's off on his mission trips, you're here, and Aria and Willow are off at college."

Jenna's thirty and  she has kids, she and her husband Jason are busy running their own vet business.  Austin is gone a lot it isn't terribly surprising as he's been going on mission trips and working as a doctor since he turned twenty, seven years ago.  Aria is twenty and in her junior year of college while Willow is eighteen and just starting college.  "Mom, Aria and Willow are coming home for the summer anyway, you'll see them soon enough.  So you can spoil them rotten then if that's what you want."  I give her a quick hug and glance at the clock, "relax mom just call them if you want to talk to them.  I have to go get ready for work before the first group gets here."  I walk out the front door and wave at my dad where he leans against the fence watching Boots and Socks as they chew on hay in their pasture.  I walk past the barn and around the back to where my small house is.  I toss my jacket onto the back of one of the chairs and walk into bedroom where I change out of my sweats and into a pair of jeans, before heading out the door and into the barn.

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Yay!! Chapter One of the sequel!!!  I am saying this now, I am not an expert about anything covered in this book (psychology, military, disabilities ect)  I hope you'll enjoy this book as I am excited to write it and already have a lot planned in my head for it 

<3