Not My Brute (Angels of War Series #2)

Chapter Five

I take Toffee's bridle off, letting her walk around her stable a few times before sponging her down with some lukewarm water. Our hack lasted an hour, and much to Emilia's dismay, we didn't do any galloping. We did do a lot of trotting, though, and a slow canter up the grassy hill, jumping over a few small tree trunks as well.

"Can we ride again after school tomorrow?" Emilia asks, sitting on the plastic mounting block.

I finish cooling Toffee off by wetting behind his ears and around his girth, throwing a cooler rug over him to wick up the moisture from his fur, letting him have a few mints for his hard work.

"You can for me, but you'll have to ask your mummy. You're not sleeping at ours tomorrow night," I say.

"I hope I can," she replies, taking off her long riding boots to change back into her glittery trainers that are definitely not made for a stable yard.

I let myself out of Toffee's stable. "You'll have all weekend to ride too. I'll take you out in the lorry to the beach."

"I can gallop on the beach. Toffee loves to gallop," she says, giggling as she stamps her feet.

"We'll see," I say, not daring to let her go that far yet. Emilia's a confident rider, but not established enough to go too fast.

"Does that mean no? Daddy always says we'll see and I never get what I want," she says, trying to tie her laces.

I head over to help her out with her shoes, spreading about a hundred kisses on her cheek which almost forces her out of the seat she's perching on. I take hold of her arm to stop her from falling and carry on talking. "I'm sorry you feel that way. What do you want for dinner tonight?"

Emilia grins. "Taco Bell. I like the crispies."

"Crispies? Do you mean nacho's?"

Emilia shrugs. "Maybe. They have sauces on them. Timmy likes them too."

I grab hold of her cheeks and kiss her forehead. "Taco Bell it is then. Why don't you get Toffee and Henry's feeds ready for Margret to give them later?"

"Okay!" She sprints off like a ball of energy, turning around when I shout her.

I smile. "Do you remember what to give them?"

"A scoop of chaff, pony nuts and sugar beet," Emilia says, just like a pro.

I can't help but smile, feeling so proud. "Good girl. Don't forget Toffee's supplement for his hooves."

"I won't forget," she replies, whooshing out of the stable.

I check the horses' hay and water, almost toppling over when Buster comes bounding over, a big stick in his mouth, tail wagging. Then Bret appears, looking like he's ready to go.

"It's my time to leave, but I wanted to check there isn't anything else for me to do," he says.

I take the notebook from his hand and look over his list of jobs, seeing he's ticked them all off, Jayne's signature next to each one. "You're good to go. How've you found it?"

"Good." He looks exhausted.

I stroke Buster's head when sits himself next to my feet. "This one's a handful, isn't he?"

Bret chuckles. "Yeah, but aren't all dogs? It seems he's got a tonne of energy. You can't slow down for long."

Buster gives me his gorgeous doggy smile and I can't resist not giving him a kiss on the space between his eyes. "Collies are working dogs. He's only just two years old. I still think he reckons that he's a pup in his head. I usually let him trot beside me when I ride the horses in the forest, but because of the wind and rain, I've not been able to do it."