Sorrel Hill: Dancing In Rome (BK3) |COMPLETED|

Chapter Eighteen

"Being a family means you are a part of something very wonderful. It means you will love and be loved for the rest of your life."
- Lisa Weed
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~A Family Worth It~

     I rose to the chirping of birds outside Hannah's thin windows.  A ray of sunshine heated my cheek, filling me with a warm feeling.  I looked beside me to see Jessie passed out.  His brown hair was tousled and sticking up at all angles, his lips barely touched, his clothing still on from yesterday evening.  He had his arms wrapped around my waist and I realized it would be almost impossible to get up without waking him.  Somehow, despite that, I peeled him off of me and stood up without a single stir.  A smile graced my lips at all the worn-out bodies still passed out on Hannah's blanketed wooden floor.  Luke cuddled Hannah to his chest and I fought the urge to squeal.  Instead I took out my phone and snapped a picture of them.  They were adorable.
     Xavier and Samantha laid side by side, their arms against each other's.  Xavier was careful and very respectful, it didn't surprise me to find them not snuggled up.  Emily and Ben were sprawled out across Will's elongated body.  I looked once more over the bodies and patted my way outside to take in the fresh summer breeze.  Hannah's porch was a cozy one.  A type of porch a rancher would have in a horse movie.  It stuck out on the front of the house, decorated in wooden planks, navy cushioned chairs on either side of the porch, and a small dark brown woven basket-like table between each chair.  It was a humble looking porch.  I looked out to see Remy grazing an untouched paddock of grass, his striking black mane shined under the sun.  His red coat only enhanced in color, his black legs making him look all the more dashing, accompanied with his one of a kind blaze down his face.  He was a very handsome gelding and no one could deny him of that.  He was in a pasture by himself due to recent events of Junior getting a little too rowdy to be pastured full time with an aged gelding like Remy.  Remy wasn't far into his teens, but he wasn't a young colt like he once had been.
It worked out in Hannah's benefit as she now had Jenna from Jessie's ranch. I easily found her in the pasture across from Remy's small two acres. She looked stunning. Her sorrel spots contrasted beautifully to the pearly white splashes that covered most of her stout body, her blonde mane flowed in endless waves from her neck, and her tail reached to the bottom of her pasterns. I looked across Jenna's five acre pasture to see Estrella and Junior galloping at the back. Junior's cream colored body turned golden underneath the sun's intense rays. Estrella's red had deepened in color, standing out against the white. She looked breathtaking. With each stride a new muscle rippled, her long legs covered more ground than Junior's, her tail was raised and on show, she easily overtook him. I was humbled to see such an elegant animal move with such a combination of grace and power. Just like her mother, Promise. An ache in my stomach fluttered throughout my veins at the mere thought, I missed Promise. I missed her more than I thought possible given the short hours we had been apart.
"Morning," Hannah mumbled from behind me, placing a hand on my shoulder. I smiled enjoying the quietness of the morning. "She's grown," I commented, admiring Estrella's big hip. "She has, almost as tall as Junior. Ready to get her back home?" I nodded, walking with Hannah over to the fence. Jenna was the first to notice us and nickered catching the speed demons' attention. Junior and Estrella sprinted up to the fence at lightning speed, stopping only just before hitting the fence. She certainly had grown. Her jaw was almost as large as both of my hands. She stood proud and tall, her face hung over the fence to receive any hidden treats. I rubbed her smooth jaw, slightly chuckling at her height and broadened body. Hannah fetched a light pink rope halter and I slipped it onto Estrella. She followed me through the gate without any hesitation. Nathan offered to drive one of Jessie's trailers up to Hannah's so I could load all of my horses in one drive. It was a ten stall horse trailer.
I took the time to brush off any grass or concealed shavings, picked out her hooves, combed through the few tangled her main and tail withheld, and dosed her down in fly spray. She didn't budge once. I patted her neck, a glow of possibilities flowed through me as I saw the muscle move underneath my palm. She was going to be built and built to last. I loaded her in the trailer, gave her grain in the built-in trough, and closed it up. I then began my trek to Jessie's ranch as everyone left my horses in his barn yesterday so I wouldn't have to drive across states to get them. I was very thankful for that. It took me an hour or so to get to Jessie's but once I did, it took me seconds to slide into his barn and find my horses.
Atlantic Black whinnied out to me, his pitch black face held nothing but utter delight at my return. I rushed over to him, feeling his soft, big lips wiggle around my clothing. It was good to know he missed me. I put a black rope halter on him, groomed off my boy, and lead him into the trailer. True to their word, Atlantic Black was in tip-top condition and had been practicing sorting for a few months. He even gained some muscle and his roan coat shined with the new accommodations. I poured him some grain, closed his divider, and left to see my fellow babies. Allude was next and he was ecstatic. He looked just as tall as his sister only he lacked her big hip and toned body. His painted blue roan coat held nothing but fat and a hay belly. I cleaned him up, somehow managing to get the grass stains out from his tall pinto stalkings, and loaded him in the trailer with grain. Amaya was next and shimmering. Her seal bay coat did nothing but add to her serine appearance.
The white diamond between her eyes all the more prominent due to her body's darkening color. I groomed her and allowed myself to admire her. I remembered feeling her spine along her top line, how her flank was sunk down to her utters, how her chest bone poked out. She was so emancipated. As I ran my hand along her now, I felt nothing short of a normal horse. Her top line wasn't thick by any means but it was filled and smooth, her flank dipped in only just as all horses' did, her chest riddled with lean muscle. She was a powerhouse. I loaded her up in the trailer with grain. Lastly, my eyes landed on a very pregnant Thoroughbred- Angel. She looked very jovial to see me and nodded her hand until I enveloped her in a small hug. She held her head against my back, her lip fiddling with my shirt. I pulled apart and looked at her belly. It looked as if she carried the world below her. She belly was big and ready to explode, she was bagged up with milk. I gently lead her into the trailer, gave her a special grain for her and her foal, and shut the trailer up.
I couldn't believe all my horses- minus two- were coming home. I missed them all tremendously and hadn't realized it until I saw them. They were everything to me and I loved everything about them. They may not all be registered, or bred for a purpose, or the flashiest horses in any show, but they were a part of me- the best part.

A/N: Ha! I bet y'all didn't expect an update that soon. I updated in the same month... you're welcome! This book will be officially ending chapter 20... much to many of y'all's dismay it will be a horrendous cliff hanger... you're welcome! I hope y'all are staying safe during this very determined virus.

This chapter was a bit more descriptive and feely, feely I hoped y'all liked it ;)