2. Tammy #2
First, I took Sass’s lead and walked her to the long gate, currently closed, set into the fence that separated this large enclosure, and the adjacent.
I undid the padlock and pulled off the chain, swinging the gate outward to make a gap.
I walked slowly, in no hurry to navigate another disappointment.
When I dropped the mare’s lead, she galloped off, hoofs kicking up dust. I didn’t put the horses in this side often.
The grass wasn’t as nice, not great for grazing.
Plus, the horses liked to roll in the dirt here.
Or mud, if it was a rainy day. And then I’d be stuck scrubbing them clean.
Returning to Mystery, I glared at him when he tried to turn around and give me his haunches.
“Nope, not this time,” I chided, grabbing his reins.
“You’re going in with your girl whether you like it or not.
” He huffed, and I swore rolled his eyes.
“Yes, your girl. She’s the only one you get, bud, so better get with the program.
I can barely afford your feed, let alone a different mare for you to reject. ”
Maybe it was my tone, or the firm way I began tugging at him, but Mystery actually complied, walking beside me to the gate I’d left ajar. I took him through and let him go.
"Maybe a change of scenery will help," I said, watching Mystery stand still for a moment, shake his mane, and then trot off. "New place, new attitude. Worth a shot."
It wasn't worth a shot. Mystery immediately claimed one corner of the paddock, while Sassafras took the opposite. The invisible line dividing their territories might as well have been an electrified fence for all the crossing that happened.
I marched back through the gate, securing it closed this time, and headed to the stable and Artie. I felt like I’d neglected him while trying to save a lost cause. Not just today, but all the recent days.
Walking into the stables through Mystery’s stall, I went to a shelf at the back of the building and grabbed a few sugar cubes from an airtight container.
Those were for Artie, and, after a moment’s thought, I grabbed a whole handful of the sugary, rectangular prisms. "Bribery couldn’t hurt," I said softly.
After giving Artie a sugar cube, I opened his outer gate. He didn’t rush out, instead moseying like he had one speed, and that speed was low and slow.
“Enjoy yourself, old man. I won’t let them come bother you this morning.”
He turned his head just enough to acknowledge me with those warm, kind eyes of his and then kept meandering deeper into the pasture.
“Okay, a spoonful of sugar helps the impossible horses finally like each other,” I mumbled, heading once again back toward the gate between pastures, ready to cowgirl up and not be defeated by two stubborn horses.
A few minutes later, I was placing the treats in a line between the horses, creating a breadcrumb trail that would bring them closer together if they both followed it.
Sassafras eagerly devoured her way along the path, but Mystery stubbornly refused to move, watching the mare with disdain, like she was the lesser creature and he couldn’t be bought.
When Sassy was only three glorious feet away from Mystery, she seemed to register his nearness.
Her head shot up, she peered at him incredulously, then she turned and trotted farther away, leaving the last few sweet cubes behind.
"What about music?" I mused aloud, exhaustion making me slightly delirious. "Isn't that what they do in movies? Set the mood?"
I jogged away from them, climbed over the fence, and went to my ancient truck parked nearby.
Opening the door and sliding into the driver’s seat, I pulled down the visor, so the keys dropped into my lap.
I slotted in the correct, rusted key and turned it just enough to power the radio without starting the engine.
After some fiddling with the dial, I found a suitable station.
I cranked the volume as high as it would go, the tinny, crackling speakers straining to project the music across to the paddock.
Returning to the horses, I climbed onto the fence to perch and watch, feeling like my ass was pushing against pins and needles instead of a craggy, wooden length of wood. Why did I think some crappy music and sweets would win the day? No damn idea.
Mystery looking bored, Sassafras anxiously pacing the perimeter. The strains of a twangy country artist singing about love and loss seemed to have zero effect on either of them.
“You've got to be kidding me,” I groaned, sinking down onto the grass. The morning was nearly gone, along with another chance to save my ranch. “What's it going to take? Champagne? Candlelight? A written invitation?”
Mystery looked directly at me, his dark eyes seeming to say, "Nothing you do will make this happen." Then he deliberately turned away, gracefully lowering himself to the ground for a dust bath, rolling with pleasure in the dirt while completely ignoring both me and Sassafras.
Sassafras, apparently relieved by his disinterest, cautiously approached me.
When she was near enough, she nuzzled my knee.
I stroked her nose automatically, my mind racing through increasingly desperate scenarios.
What if I footed the bill for insemination and it failed?
Would we need to try hormone injections?
A different stallion altogether? Selling both horses and using the money to buy time until I figured out another plan?
I could pivot away from horse breeding. I had enough land to plant corn.
Rip out all the chocolate sunflowers. Though, the idea of doing that made my heart hurt.
The sunflowers were one of the reasons I fell in love with this janky property.
They seemed happy to me, and they smelled divine.
Each option felt like admitting defeat, like proving Derek right. I wasn't cut out for this life. I couldn't even get two horses to do what should come naturally to them.
"We’ll try again later," I whispered, more to myself than to Sassafras, scratching behind her right ear. “Maybe you're just not morning people."
The mare lifted her face, pressing her soft nose against my cheek, and she snorted softly, as if acknowledging the absurdity of my hope. Behind us, the radio station switched to a commercial for bankruptcy attorneys.
The universe's sense of timing was as cruel as ever.