Rescued - Part 9

by Becky

I sat down in the viewing area next to the arena and watched Hunter warm up. He was riding an amazing dark chestnut mare with a think stripe curving back and forth on its head and 4 white socks. Hunter had impeccable position. He rode by me and gave a a flash of a smile, making me realize u wasn't staring at the horse any longer... But Hunter.
"He's never gonna fall for you, you know. You're not as great a rider as him and... Well... You just aren't his type." I looked over my shoulder at a tall brunet with arms crossed daring out at the arena. I may be new... But I didn't like it when people tried to trample over me.
"I'm sorry." I said looking back at her," who are you? And who asked for your opinion?" I turned back around to watch as Hunter carefully piloted his mare over a small cross rail.
"I'm not giving my opinion," huffed the brunet," I'm just stating obvious facts that you should pay attention to." When I didn't answer her last remark she stalked off out the door leading back into the barn.
I disregarded everything the girl had talked about and focused back on Hunter's lean body going in and out of two point while jumping. Hunter guided the mare over on last vertical about 3ft and walked her towards where I was seated.
"How do u like her?" Hunter said with a wide grin.
"Well she's amazing from what I saw!"
"She is amazing! She might be a school horse here. Meet me in the cross ties where u tacked up yesterday." Hunter said nodding his head in the direction he wanted me to go. I walked out to the cross ties and watched Hunter walk the mare up to me.
"What breed is she?"
"Ella is a 7 year old Selle Francais."
"Wow. She's amazing." I raised my hand to pet her muzzle.
"She's also a sweetheart." Hunter sad giving a small laugh.
I helped Hunter untack and groom Ella holding small talk about riding and our favorite types of horses. Once Ella had been taken care of and put away, Hunter ran back into the tack room.
I walked in and saw him shuffling through is tack truck and pulling out horse shampoo, brushes, sponges, and everything needed to clean up a horse for a show.
"What are you doing?" I leaned in the doorway and watched him put together everything he wanted.
"Well if we want to clean up those horses you rescued, we need supplies!"
"We?" I said laughing. Although I wasn't disappointed at all.
"Well, by the look of it, your gonna need some help to get them tip top shape." He put all the cleaning stuff into a bucket and grabbed another bucket off of the shelf.
"Let's go clean up those horses and get them shining!"
I laughed and followed Hunter to his car.
We drove back to my house In silence, luckily it wasn't awkward. I just quietly watched the trees go thinking to myself.

Hunter and I went through the barn to the pastures to grab two of the three horses to bathe. I grabbed the gray and Hunter chose the Chestnut.
We found a hose and tied the horses to the tie rack on the side of the barn. We each grabbed a bucket and filled it with water and added soap. We started out scrubbing the horses in silence.
"Have you come up with names for them yet?" Hunter looked over the back of the chestnut.
"Do u wanna help me choose names?" As I was scrubbing the gray's coat more and more, it started to become less gray and more creamy silk colored.
"Hey Hunter! Come here! Look at this guys coat color!" Hunter came next to me and saw the amazing coat color. He looked at the horses skin color.
"He had pink skin, he's a cremello, not gray. Your one lucky girl here!"
"Well let's finish getting these horses cleaned up and dried off."
We continued scrubbing off dirt and dried mud for the skinny horses' fur as skin. By the end the cremello horse, although still having shaggy hair, looked much better and his coat finally had shine to it. I looked over at the chestnut Hunter had been bathing and he got the a red shine out of the chestnut's coat.
"Peanut..." I looked at Hunter.
"Haha what?"
"That's what I'll name her... Peanut. I think it's fitting."
"Alright then. Whatever makes you happy Hunter." I said laughing at him.
I then started thinking of names for the cremello gelding...
"Benedetto."
"Now it's my turn to ask. What?"
"It means blessed one. I nicknamed one of my ex boyfriends that haha. Guess that didn't end well."
"Oh so you'll have reminder of some guy that you broke up with? That's nice." Hunter crossed his arm and leaned against the barn.
I just laughed it off and led Benedetto, or Ben as I decided, back to the pasture to continue grazing. Hunter did the same and then we grabbed the little bay gelding out and started working the clumps of dried my out of his coat. I picked up the hose to spray off part of the bay's back but accidentally missed and nailed Hunter square in the chest. He stood there shocked. I covered my mouth with my hands trying to suppress my laughs.
"Oh you think that's funny huh?" He picked up one of the bucket with soapy water.
"Oh no! No, no, no! Put the bucket down!" I put my hands up trying to block the waterfall of soap suds and cold water as he threw it all over the back of the bay right onto me. Now it was my turn to be shocked.
"It's cold huh?" Hunter said in between laughs. His body was shaking and he could barely breathe he was laughing so hard.
"Guess who has the hose dumby." I gave Hunter an evil little grin.
"Ok. Let's think about this Felicity! Do u really want to get me even more soaking wet?" The bay was quietly standing between us not flinching one bit. I liked this horse already.
While I was off in my own world for a second hunter took advantage and dashed around the bay and wrapped his arms around me grabbing the hose and linking it before I had a chance to stop it. I got a tingly feeling up my spine. I could tell that Hunter worked out because being pushed up against him, I could feel his solid abdomen and chest. He then whispered in my ear.
"Gotcha." And unkinked the hose and started spraying the top of my head. I just stood there and turned around to face him.
"Isn't the horse supposed to be the one getting the bath?" Spitting out some water that got into my mouth I turned back to finish scrubbing the horse that had to be in the middle of our little water fight. Once Hunter and I had finally finished bathing the bay and making his coat spotless, we turned him back out with the other two, and then I invited Hunter inside the house for some lemonade. Today had been great. It was only the second day here, but I already loved it.

Rescued - Part 8

by Becky

Kinda what the cremello gelding looks like

(YAY! Finally part 8! Exciting exciting! Hope ya'll enjoy!)

After Hunter's question about my ex-boyfriend, I quickly turned around and walked out of the tack room. I went to the stall with the chestnut mare and took the hater off the hook and walked into her stall.
"You can grab the bay gelding Hunter." I buckled the halter on the mare's face and rubbed her muddy, disheveled coat.
I walked her out toward the wash rack right outside the barn doors. I filled a bucket with soapy water and started sponging down the mare and scraping off the dried mud.
"So do these horses have names yet?" I looked at Hunter and shrugged.
"You have any ideas?" I continued scrubbing the at the mud as I looked over my shoulder at Hunter.
"Let's name this guy Buck." Hunter said patting the bay gelding's back.
"Buck?... Ok." I smiled at him and thought of a name for the mare. "Hmm... How bout... Dyna." As if on cue the mare bobbed her head up and down as if saying she liked it. I laughed and patted her neck.
"I guess she likes it" Hunter said letting out a small chuckle.
It took nearly 2 hours for me and Hunter to get all the mud washed off both horses. But when we finished Buck and Dyna had shining coats and detangled manes and tails.
We put the two away and I grabbed the other gelding. He was pretty skittish and shied away from me a couple times before I could put the halter on.
After several minutes the halter was on and the horse was in the wash racks and sparkling clean.
When his coat completely dried, he looked like a new horse. His coat went from a dull grey color to a bright shining white. I realized that he was a cremello coloring. I'd always loved cremello horses.
"Wow he's gorgeous!" I turned and looked at Hunter and nodded my head in agreement. He was more than gorgeous! Granted he was half starved and scraggly, I knew once he filled out he'd look superb.
It was later in the evening and Hunter and I had fed the horses and filled up water buckets.
"Thanks for helping me today Hunter," I smiled up at him. I hadn't realized he was quite tall. At least 6'1"-6'2". He pretty much towered over my 5"5 frame.
"Ya I enjoyed it. If you ever need more help or anything, you have my number." With that he turned towards his truck, and with a wave goodbye I went inside my house.
I realized it was Sunday, which meant I started work at Home Tree EC (equestrian center) tomorrow. Which meant getting up early to feed horses and then drive over there.
The second I stepped in my house the sweet aroma of steak and French fries filled my nose.
"Oh! Lizzy! Finally out of the barn I see." I laughed at my dad, and sat in a chair at the kitchen counter.
"It smells delicious in here!"
"Yes it does! Thought I'd actually put effort in making food tonight." My dad let out a chuckle, something that I didn't always hear since my mom's passing.
Remember what happened sends a pain through my heart, but I quickly think of other things.
My dad and I ate out steak and French fries, keeping conversation of his work, and horses. It was awesome to have a dad that lives horses as much as I did.
I quickly said goodnight to my dad and ran upstairs to take a much needed shower and head off to bed.
My last thoughts before I passed out were that I hadn't given the white gelding a name yet. I wanted something that was powerful. A name that represented what kind of horse he was.
And with that my thoughts ended and I fell into a deep sleep.

Duh duh duh duh duh duh. His hooves pounded on the turf, grinding like a hawk in the sky. We neared the sunken road combination, and I gathered him up and prepared him for the first jump. We swiftly galloped to it and made it over, then went one stride to the down bank, one stride to the upbank, and then bounced right over the huge coup jump.
"Good boy! Now go go go!" I pushed my hands up the crest of his neck and urged him forward, pushing him to stretch out to stay in our time.


RING RING RING!!!


(Sooo really not the greatest chapter, just kinda filler for the next one! This is to just kinda get an idea of the horses' personalities and that kinda thing, mostly using this as filler though, haha. But leave comments and tell me what you think!)


*BIG QUESTION!!*

•ok! Would you guys like to have a chapter in Hunters point of view? Or leave it in Felicities POV? I probably wouldn't do Hunter's POV until a few chapters later... But tell me what you think!•

Rescued - Part 7

by Becky
(California )

I sat down outside the the arena just as Hunter was getting on his dark bay gelding. He did a normal warmup of walk, trot, and canter before he started up on some dressage work. Hunter got his horse rounded up and into a fancy dressage frame. I watched the horse move with the slightest cue from Hunter, and u tried to guess what breed the horse was. Hanoverian maybe? Or maybe a thoroughbred cross with a warmblood? I wasn't sure. I will jut have to ask after he's finished.

"Wow! He's looking just amazing Hunter!" I turned around and noticed there was a girl standing behind me with strawberry blonde hair put into a high ponytail, with her hands on her hips.

Hunter brought his horse down to a walk and looked at the girl. "Thanks Macy, he's finally gettin the hang of this thing we call dressage!" He said with a smile, and then picked up his reins and continued to work.

"So you're the new girl right?" Macy said with a tone that did not sound one bit friendly. "Well I don't really care if you are, just don't go trying to get friendly with Hunter, he's way out of your league." And with that she walked away. Once she out of ear shot I couldn't help myself, and I busted out laughing. Who did that girl think she was? The princess of Home Tree Equestrian Center? That made me laugh even more. Why did I think that was so funny? I don't know! But it was!

"What you getting all giggly at?" I looked up and Hunter was standing in front of me grinning from ear to ear in amusement.
"Oh nothing," I said still giggling a little."Marcy just said something I couldn't help but laugh at."
"Ah ok then, well I'm all finished up working this big guy, so I'm gonna untack him and then we can maybe head back to your house and take care of those horses?"

I nodded my head and got up out of my seat to help Hunter untack his horse.
Once we were finished up, and with Karin's permission, Hunter and I loaded up 4 bales of hay into the bed of his truck and headed back to my house. When we got there I helped Hunter unload the bales of hay. We put one in front of each stall of the three horses and the fourth we put to the side as extra.

"So..." Hunter started," Tell me about yourself." He looked at me with hopeful eyes.
"What do you want to know?"
"I don't know? Well how about how old are you?"
"I'm 17 and I'll be 18 In a few months." I went to each stall, cut the bales open and threw a flake of hay into each stall and headed out to the pasture to bring in the three horses.
"What about you?" I asked looking behind me while walking.
"18." He walked faster to catch up with me and started kicking up dirt."Felicity is it ok if I ask..." I looked at him questioningly. "Nevermind..."

I laughed a little,"It's ok just ask I'm pretty sure I won't mind." Things height ask tatted running through my head. Was he gonna ask me out?! I've only been here three days, I barely knew him, if he asked though.. What would I say?...

"Ok, did you have a boyfriend before you moved here?" Hunter's face turned bright tomato red. I couldn't help but laugh at his question and his embarrassment. But I answered him anyways.
"Yes I did Hunter." I looked over at Hunter and he was still looking at the ground his arms folded behind him. "But don't worry, I'm glad I left him." I smiled as Hunter looked into my eyes. Oh goodness those green eyes and those faint freckles. "So hurry up and help me bring in the horses and give them baths! They're filthy!"

(What does this mean! Gasp! Not an awesome part of the story really, jut some filler to what's gonna come! Comment and tell me what ya think!!)

See next parts in comments section! :)