I rode Toby back to the house. We galloped to the barn and I dismounted him. I grabbed his reins roughly and stomped into the barn. I hated that I was so affected by Fang. Why was I so angry? All he did was shout. I'd heard enough shouting through my life you'd think I'd be used to it. But no. I was pissed.
MS WOLF POV
I was washing dishes when I looked out the window and saw Toby galloping in with Max. I smiled for a moment, then the smile vanished as I saw her face. She was angry. I dried my hands on a towel and walked outside to the barn. I saw her walking with Toby down the hall.
"Maximum," I called.
She turned around, obviously annoyed.
"My name is Max. Not Maximum."
I smiled faintly and walked over to her. I grabbed the reins from her and brought Toby over to the cross ties. I took off all his tack and put a harness on him.
"Max, will you hook him in please?" I asked.
While she tied him up, I went into the tack room and got some brushes. I came back out and gave them to her.
"Use the curry comb to loosen dirt and hair. Move it in a circular motion." I said while demonstrating. "Don't use it on the legs or face. Next use the dandy brush to get rid of the dirt. Move in the direction of the hair growth. Next use the body brush. This will add shine to the coat, and you can use it on the head. Make sure you do it right."
I gave her a quick smile and walked out of the barn.
MAX POV
I watched as she left. Wow. So a 2 minute lesson on grooming and I'm already supposed to be an expert. I shook my head and started using the curry comb. I moved in the same circular motion that Ms. Wolf had. After about five to ten minutes of that, I used the dandy brush. Toby stood there like a gentleman and enjoyed the attention. I slowly ran the brush over his body and made sure I got all the dirt and sweat out. Then I used the body brush. I brushed his legs and face gently and smoothed out his coat. When I was finished, Toby was a glistening leopard spotted pretty boy.
I ran my hands over his smooth body and patted his neck.
A plan began to unfold. Toby was a good boy, he behaved. He was fast too…
That was it. Tonight I would sneak out. I was going to sneak out…
And I was going to find that mustang.
