3
After breakfast, Meganlet me freshen up in her bedroom upstairs and change into more appropriate attire for farm work. I feel so much better getting out of my old clothes, even though I am dressed in a pair of her boot cut jeans, a grey tank top and cowgirl boots. It’s far from the usual active wear I would normally choose, but I am thankful we are both close to the same size in clothing and have the same shoe size. Running a brush through my hair honestly was the best part of it all. Megan said she would show me around the farm and then take me back to town to get my car and some clothes later.
I meet Megan at the bottom of the stairs in the kitchen and we make our way outside. The dogs follow behind us as we walk to the woodshed behind the house where she jumps on a red Polaris Ranger. I sit down in the passenger seat and pull the cloth door shut on the side. She backs us out of the shed and towards the gate close to the house.
“Newbies open the gate.” She says to me with a playful smile. I roll my eyes and get out, “I have a feeling you are going to be a pain in my ass.” I joke.
I undo the chain that is looped around the gate and post. Next, I walk the gate open enough where she can drive through, and I shut it back.
Climbing back into the Ranger Megan says, “If no one else is going to make you tough, I will. This world will tear you apart if you let it, Ivy. I’m not going to baby you out here. You deserve to see the strength in yourself. Don’t let the world make you forget it.” She gives me a soft smile and we head across the open field. The land around us is breathtaking. The grass is green coming to life after Winter and the trees are all fresh with new blooms.
We cross a little creek and I have to grab the handle above me to keep myself balanced. Once we cross over and my eyes widen with a view that takes my breath away. Horses and more horses. I bet there are thirty in the pasture we are in. They are all walking around and grazing without a care in the world that we are here.
Megan stops the Ranger and points at the deep brown colored one in the front whose belly looks like it’s about to pop, “We need to bring her in.” she says, grabbing the black halter and rope from the back of the ranger.
“What?” I ask while following her, “Why?”
“She shouldn’t be out here. I don’t know who turned her out. She’s due to foal any day now.” We walk up to the mare whose head is up now from grazing and watching us approach her. Megan ties the halter around the mare”s neck and hands the lead rope to me.
I just stare at it, “What do you want me to do?” I ask her.
“Take this as your first lesson today. Do you want to drive the Ranger back or lead Molly?” she asks.
I look back from the Ranger to the horse in front of me.
“I’ll take the Ranger.” She nods and I walk off towards it.
“Just go on ahead of me, I don’t want the Ranger to spook her. I’ll meet you at the gate we came in at.” I nod in agreeance putting the Ranger in drive, and start heading to the gate. I see Collin coming through the gate as I get close. He leaves it open, and I drive through. I switch the key off and put on the brake, then jump out to walk back to where he is standing.
“Where’s Meg?” he asks me as I get closer to him.
“There was a mare in the field that shouldn’t be. Said she was due to foal any day now. She’s leading her back.” I say propped up on the gate without looking at him.
“Shit. Molly?” he asks me concerned.
“Yeah, she said her name was Molly.” I look at him only for a minute then turn my head back to the open pasture. “She didn’t know how she got out there.” I see Meg coming over the top of the hill with Molly following right beside her.
“She was in her stall when I rounded this morning before breakfast. I checked all the locks. Man, Megan is going to kill me.” he states while running a hand through his hair.
I stay quiet as Megan approaches the gate eyeing her brother angrily.
“How is it that we have a very pregnant, due any day, mare in the open pasture? This baby could be a coyote’s meal if she would have dropped it out there without us knowing.” She says walking past her brother still leading Molly. I follow close behind her.
“I checked all the locks this morning, Meg. I swear, she was in her stall eating hay when I came to breakfast.” She ignores him and he gives up walking off to a truck with bales of hay loaded on the bed and drives off.
“Where is he going?” I ask her.
“Going to pick up Logan and take the hay to another farm who bought it from us.” She says rubbing Molly’s neck as we get closer to the barn.
“I believe him,” she finally admits looking at me, “But what kind of big sister would I be if I didn’t give my brother hell from time to time?” She winks at me and puts Molly up in her stall while undoing her halter.
Walking over to a bucket, Megan fishes out a lock and puts it around the bar that holds the stall door shut. She points up to the camera at the top of Molly’s stall, “This is one of our foaling stalls,” she says making sure the lock is secure. “And this little bitch,” she points at Molly who sticks out her tongue as if she knows what she is saying, “is a Houdini. I got the alert on my camera while we were cleaning up the dishes from breakfast that she had gotten out and made her way to the back pasture. The gate me and you came through is not the only way out. She went right out the stall and down the opposite hall of the barn, dipped her head right under the fence, and went to where all her friends are.” She laughs. “She better be glad for all the awards she has won me through the years and the fact that I love her.” She rubs Molly on the nose.
“What did you compete in?” I ask her.
“Barrel racing and break away roping. Molly was my go-to. I cherish many memories on her back.” Her smile slowly fades as if she’s remembering a sad memory. “We were competing to qualify for the National Finals Rodeo. She fell on the second barrel; I came off and had a concussion and a few broken ribs.” She pauses as though the next statement is more painful, “My grandfather wanted to put her down, but I begged him not to. She injured her right leg and we done months of rehab. She has had two surgeries. She won’t ever compete again, but she will live her best days in these green pastures and produce babies every other year until I feel like she can’t handle that anymore. Then, we will retire her completely and she will live out the rest of her days.” She pauses again and tears fill her eyes, “I owe her that much.”
I grab her hand and squeeze it, “I’m sure she is so thankful to have you.” She smiles back at me.
“Ugh, girl don’t make me cry. I still have nightmares about that day.” She turns walking down the barn and I follow behind her, “Hey!” she turns to me, “Let’s go out tonight!” she puts an arm around my shoulder. “I’m sure you could let off some steam.” She grins and hands over to me a shovel pointing to a wheelbarrow.
“What’s this for?” I ask and she gives me a smirk.
“You get to clean stalls this week. Have you ever mucked a horse”s stall before?” she cocks an eyebrow at me.
I shake my head no. Megan points to the stalls behind me and I walk over and start looking in them. My eyes widen with horror.
“Oh, you cannot be for real?” I whisper, standing in shock.
She laughs, “I told you I’m going to make you tough before it’s over with.” She walks into the tack room and comes walking out with a halter.
“Having you here will give me time to ride some colts without having to worry about all the million things I have to do. It’s not as bad as you think.” She pauses and puts the halter over her shoulder, “Just holler at me if you need anything, I’ll be in the arena.” She points to an outside pen out in the pasture as she walks to a stall and brings a horse out with her.
I choose the stall next to a big brown color horse who keeps staring at me like he’s wondering what the hell I’m doing here, too.
Great. Even the horses know I don’t belong here.