Chapter 48 Winnie
WINNIE
The day after we get back to Star Mountain, Jonah and I go to the horse rescue.
Even though I was only gone for a few days, I still find myself smiling as we drive down the dirt road, and I break out into a full on grin when the paddocks and barn comes into view.
It wasn’t very long ago that I was worried my rental car wouldn’t make it down this bumpy road.
Or that Jonah and I were having our first, somewhat disastrous meeting.
After we park, we walk hand in hand towards the barn. Jonah leaves me to go check up on Fuzz, and I head straight to Candice’s office. Taking a deep breath, I knock on the door.
“Come in!” she calls out.
I find her inside, sitting in her worn leather chair, Tabitha in her lap purring loudly.
“I’d like to adopt a horse,” I say, taking a seat across from her.
“I thought you might.”
“And I want to pay you to board her here.”
Candice nods, and then pulls out a form from the filing cabinet and slides it across the desk to me. In her lap, Tabitha shifts around and gives her a dark look, as if she betrayed her simply by moving. “Here’s the application. I’m pretty sure you’ll get approved, though.”
I fill out the application carefully anyways, and then I get out my checkbook. “How much is the adoption fee?”
“Two thousand dollars.”
I whistle, but Candice just shrugs. “I know you can afford it,” she says. “And that includes all of Rosie’s medical care and farrier bills.”
“Yeah, yeah, of course it’s fine. I’ll even throw in an extra donation on top of that. And the first year of boarding fees.”
Candice does a quick calculation, and then I fill out the check and pass it over to her.
I can tell that she’s pleased and already figuring out how exactly to spend the money.
The rescue’s finances are in much better shape than they were before she started dating Nathan, but it still needs every penny it can get.
“Want to go say hi to your new horse?”
“Yes.” For some reason tears well behind my eyes, and I have to swallow them down.
Candice and I walk out to the paddock behind the barn. We find Rosie in a bright red rug, hanging out with Candice’s horse Maggie.
“Rosie!” I call out. To my utter shock and surprise, she trots right over, despite the fact that I haven’t offered her any treats. Maybe she actually misses me, too. I lean over the fence and give her a scratch on her forehead and she nickers softly.
“You’re staying at Star Mountain forever,” I whisper to you. “And I’m going to learn how to ride you properly, and together we’re going to take a thousand trail rides together. Does that sound good?”
She wouldn’t be Rosie if she didn’t respond by darting away and kicking snow up into our faces. Candice and I turn to one another and laugh, grins splitting our cheeks.