Chapter 64

'Hey Jessie.'

Jessie glanced back, half-smiling at Jack as he joined her at the round yard fence. 'Hey.'

'You look a million miles away.'

'Not quite that far.' Warrior snorted, pawing the ground as he looked for any remnants of the oats she'd given him earlier. 'I've been meaning to come talk to you, I just-'

'Hey, it's alright. I know you've got a lot on your mind.' He replied softly, resting his arms on the fence. 'Lisa had to head back while you were off with Scott, she got a call or something about a horse.'

She nodded. 'I thought she'd left.' She watched Warrior a little longer than looked at Jack. 'How are you?'

'I'm okay honey.' He smiled, touching her cheek. Lisa was right. Even when Jessie was breaking she was more worried about those around her. 'How are you coping?'

'I still can't believe she's really gone.' Jessie replied after a moment. 'The last link I had with Lillian and now she's gone.'

'I'm so sorry sweetheart, if there was any chance of saving her-'

'Jack, it's not your fault. Cherry was suffering, I didn't expect for you to let her suffer. If she had hurt herself that bad out in the mountains-' She paused for a moment. 'Well, I'd have had to do it myself. I've done it before. You did what you had to do and she's no longer in pain.' Jessie glanced up at him, her eyes glistening with emotion. 'Thank you.'

'Oh honey.' He placed his arm around the girl as she started to sob again. 'It's okay.'

The girl nodded, regaining her composure after a moment and she wiped her eyes as she pulled away. 'She's in a better place now.'

'She is sweetheart.' He kissed her cheek gently. 'I am so proud of you darling, you handled last night very well.'

Jessie scoffed. 'You didn't see me with Warrior later.'

'Everyone needs to have a chance to let their emotions out Jessie, don't think bad of yourself for it. It's natural.'

'I know.' She glanced towards the house, wiping away one last stray tear. 'Where's Cindy?'

'Inside with Mallory. Trying to keep cool I'd imagine.'

'It is quite hot but I've hardly noticed it.' She sighed. 'Back to work now I guess, I've wasted enough time. What can I do Jack?'

'You sure you don't want to go spend time with Cindy?'

'I will but I need to be busy right now.'

He nodded, knowing not to push it much further. He could understand the girls need to be busy, it was the way he dealt with things too. 'Alright, well we've got six new horses to look after, there's one in the barn that should be okay to come out now and join the others. The other two still need to be on drips though. They could do with a good brush, Ty's already started on one.'

'Alright. I'll turn Warrior into the pasture now that he's finished his feed and join you in a minute.' She went to the gate as Jack headed to the barn, the stallion eagerly trotting over to her. 'No more treats mate, I'm going to turn you into the pasture now.' He knickered softly as she grabbed his halter, leading him out the gate and into the pasture. He pricked his ears, sniffing the air as he saw Paint and Spartan grazing. 'Go join them.'

She chuckled as he raced off, giving a couple of bucks and she smiled. Cherry had done the same thing whenever Lillian turned her loose to run with the wild horses, she loved joining the herd. She always came back every day too, the same time every morning. A schedule that the mare had started long before she'd come on the scene. Lillian and Cherry had the strongest bond she'd ever seen a horse and rider have. Ten o'clock every morning the mare would come racing up to the cabin and Lillian would give her a treat then either take her into the pen if she was going to work with her or let her know she was free to go again. The smile disappeared off her face as she closed the gate. They were only memories now.

She heard Brad talking on the phone as she walked over to where Ty was, Jack leading the horse out of the barn to join them. 'Hey Ty.'

'Jessie.' He nodded, brushing down the horse he'd started on. 'How are you doing?'

'I'm okay.' She tried to smile, giving the horse a pat. 'Best as I can be.' She motioned towards his father on the phone. 'How are you?'

Ty glanced over at Brad then turned back to the horse. 'Alright, I guess.'

Jack tied the horse up, looking at Jessie. 'You want to go grab some grooming gear?'

'Sure.'

The girl headed to the barn, the sound of Brad speaking on the phone made him glance in his direction then back at Ty. 'Want me to kick him off?'

'No.'

'Sure?'

'Yeah.'

'Cause I got some experience in that department.'

Ty chuckled, trying to get the knots out of the horse's mane. 'I think this is something I have to do on my own.'

'I get that, I get that.' He nodded. 'Just remember one thing for me.' Ty glanced over at him. 'Just 'cause you hope someone's gonna change doesn't mean they will.'

'I know.'

Jessie walked back out, a bag of grooming gear slung over her arm. 'I think a wash would do these guys better than a brush. They're filthy.'

'Can't argue there. I've got a couple things to take care of. I'll come check on you later.'

'Alright.' The girl sighed, grabbing a curry comb to start getting the dried mud and sweat out of the horse's coat. She ran the comb through its fur then threw it back in the bag. 'Forget it, they can get a bath instead.'

Ty chuckled, tosing his brush aside too. 'No argument from me about that. It would be a lot easier.'

'And cooler for them.' She untied the gelding, taking him over to the hitching rail closer to the hose. 'We're going to need a couple buckets, sponges and some shampoo.'

'I'll go find some.' He exclaimed, handing her the leadrope for the mare he'd been tending to. 'You might as well start getting them wet.'

Jessie tied the mare up next to the other horse then grabbed the hose and turned it on gently. The mare threw her head back at the sound, flicking her ears nervously and she cautiously brought it closer to her. 'Here you go. See.' She let the mare have a look, the hose kinked so that only a trickle ran out. 'Nothing to worry about. It's just water.' The mare sniffed it then began lipping the water and she chucked. 'There you go.'

'Here we are.' Ty placed the buckets down, pouring some shampoo into the buckets. 'Man, I'm sick of this heat.'

'I could cool you down.' She smiled mischievously, flicking water at him. 'You want it?'

'No! No!' He laughed, ducking down behind the horse. 'Jessie-'

'Okay, okay. I won't.' She put the hose in the bucket, half filling it then did the same with the other and handed it to him. 'We should have a water fight sometime if this heat keeps up, it might be fun.'

'Yeah, it's not a bad idea. Can I have the hose for a moment?' The girl nodded, passing him the hose and he began to wet the horse's sides. The mare tossed her head, a little surprised at the water and he took it away again. 'Easy, easy.'

Brad placed his phone in his pocket, walking over to them and stopped beside Ty. 'What did the vet say?'

'These guys are gonna be fine-' He replied after a moment. 'The two in the barn are pretty sick, though.'

'I didn't mean to cause all this trouble.'

'Yeah, you never do.'

Brad sighed inwardly, turning away from Ty and looked at the girl. 'I'm real sorry to hear about your horse Missy.'

Jessie nodded, sponging down the horses back. 'Thanks.'

He could see the girl wasn't really interested in carrying a conversation with him, the girl going around to the other side of the horse to get further away. He glanced back at Ty, trying to start a conversation. 'Driving cattle trucks for a few months, I've never had to load horses before. It's too bad, 'cause it was a good job up until now.'

'Yeah, a job where you're always leaving. Must have been pretty good at it.'

'I know your angry Ty.' He sighed. He had a right to be angry. 'Things just got really bad in Calgary. I had to get out of there.'

'Yea, no kidding.' Ty tossed the sponge back into the bucket and turned to him. 'Those guys you owed money to, they found me.'

'What do you mean they found you?

'I mean they were looking for a face to smash in-' He started towards the barn to grab a brush. 'and they didn't much care if it was yours or mine.'

'Ty, I'm sorry-'

Jessie sighed, stroking the gelding as she heard Ty yelling at Brad from inside the barn. From what she knew Ty had a right to be upset. Leaving him like that in Calgary then suddenly turning up here out of the blue. She sighed again. She felt bad for Ty, she knew what it was like having a dysfunctional family. Her past had given her a better view of what life was like for kids whose parents weren't the best, she'd learnt most of it first hand. She could hear Ty raising his voice and turned the hose on so she didn't have to listen to it. The gelding moved away from her a couple of steps and she kinked the hose again, steadying him. 'Easy boy. Easy.'

'Jessie, I was going to go in for a drink. You want to join me?'

'Yeah, that would be nice Jack.' She replied, taking a glance towards the barn where Ty and Brad were still talking. She placed the sponge back in the bucket. 'Don't mind if I do. Better than listening to those two at the moment.'

'Yeah.' He agreed as they walked to the house. 'I'm not too happy about it but it's Ty's fight.'

'Brad reminds me of the people my mom used to hang around, if you get my meaning. Not the best kind of company.' She sighed. 'I do feel sorry for Ty though. It's no fun having lousy parents.'

'Thank you.'

'Oh no Jack.' She gasped. 'I didn't mean you and Lisa-'

He laughed. 'I know honey, I'm just teasing you.'

'Jack!' The girl playfully elbowed him. 'Not funny. I'll get you back for that.'

'I bet you will.' They walked onto the porch and he opened the door for her, stepping in after her. Jessie stopped at the entrance to the kitchen, motioning for him to be quiet and he frowned. Joining her in the doorway he saw Mallory standing in front of the fridge with both the fridge and freezer door open. 'Are you looking for something?'

Mallory jumped at his voice, spinning around. 'I wouldn't have to resort to such drastic measures if-' He motioned towards the fridge and she quickly closed the doors. 'If you'd just get an air conditioner.

'I've lived here all my life. I've never needed one. If your hot-

'I know. Go outside.'

'That's right.' He replied, Jessie having a little chuckle.

'Outside where I'll get sunstroke and eaten alive by mosquitoes.' Mallory protested.

'Well, you can always go swimming in the pond. That'd cool you right off.'

'Really Jack?'

'Sure. So long as you don't mind the leeches. They're pretty bad this time of year.' Mallory rolled her eyes and started for the door. 'If I ever catch you holding that fridge door open again, I will throw you in that pond myself.'

'Remind me not to get on your bad side.' Jessie chuckled as she went to the fridge, getting out a cold bottle of water. She grabbed another one for Jack, handing it to him then took a seat at the table. 'An air conditioner wouldn't be such a bad idea though.'

'Don't you start-'

'Or you'll throw me in the pond?' She tilted her head to the side, smiling mischievously then took a sip from her bottle. 'Ah it wouldn't be the worst thing to happen to me. Trust me on that.' She took a nice long drink then glanced around. 'I wonder where Cindy is.'

'No idea.'

'I'll go find her.' She got up from her seat with a groan and a yawn, heading upstairs to her room. She opened the door, frowning when she saw Cindy wasn't in there and headed back downstairs again. 'Cindy?'

'Bathroom.'

She headed down the hallway, laughing as she saw Cindy, Cougar and the two kittens lying on the tiles of the bathroom floor. 'I wonder how long it would take you to figure out that the tiles are the coolest spot in the house.'

'They are.' Cindy replied with a sleepy tone, a smirk on her face as she laid on her back with her eyes closed. 'It's bliss.'

Jessie sat down next to her, giving Cougar a head rub. 'Glad your having fun.'

'I am.' She chuckled then her eyes opened and she sat up. 'Oh, I'm sorry Jessie! How are you- I mean, what happened with the horse-'

'Hey.' The girl laughed. 'I'm okay.'

'Really?'

'Yeah, I am.' She plastered a fake smile on her face, placing her hand on Cindy's shoulder. 'I'm fine.'

'You sure?'

'I should know.' Her phone began to ring and she pulled it out, checking to see who it was. 'Oh, it's Lisa.' She quickly answered it, standing up to step outside the room. 'Lisa.'

'Hey honey. Hope I'm not interrupting anything.'

'No, no. Your fine. What's up?'

'I'm afraid I'm needed out of town for a few days honey, I need to settle some business and I have to leave right away.' She replied, flipping through her filing cabinet. 'I'm sorry I've got to run, I mean, with how everything is right now-'

'Lisa, I'm fine.' Jessie replied with as much sincerity as she could muster in her voice. 'Don't worry about me. I will be fine.'

'I feel bad having to go away when things are the way they are-'

'Lisa, it's fine.' She chuckled. Lisa really was overreacting. 'You have your work, I understand that. Go. I'll be fine. I've got Jack and Cindy will be here for a couple more days. Don't worry about me.'

Lisa sighed, sitting down at her desk again. 'You know you can ring me anytime if you need to talk.'

'I know Lisa.' She smiled, this time a genuine one. Lisa did really care about her. 'I know I can. I will be fine Lisa, I promise. I'm okay. You go do what you need to do. I'll be alright.'

'Alright, alright.' She finally gave in with a chuckle. 'If you need me though, don't hesitate to ring me-'

'I won't Lisa.'

'I'll be back in a few days. I'll come see you as soon as I get back.'

'Okay Lisa.' Jessie laughed again. 'Have fun.'

'Yeah.' She rolled her eyes. 'I love you.'

'Love you too. Bye.'

'Bye.'

She hung up, placing her phone back in her pocket as she walked into the bathroom again. 'Alright Cindy, I know that it's nice in here but why don't we go do something?'

'Like what?' Cindy groaned. 'It's too hot.'

'Amy could use a hand with the horses.' She sighed. 'It's not the place I want to be right now either but they need our help and it'll keep me busy.'

'Alright, I guess you can drag me away from my nice cool lie down.'

She chuckled again, giving the girl a hand up and they headed back out to the kitchen. 'Cindy and I are going to go look after the horses. We'll be out in the barn if you go looking for us.'

'Alright, just don't go getting into mischief.'

'Oh Jack-' Cindy battered her eyelids cheekily. 'How could you think we would be capable of such a thing?'

Jessie laughed then grabbed her hand. 'Come on you.'

'Coming, coming.'

They headed out to the barn, Ty leading the two horses they'd been washing back to the outside pens. Amy was in with one of the horses in the stall and Brad was nowhere to be seen, thankfully. 'How are they doing?'

'This one is a little better.' Amy replied, in the stall with the brown gelding. 'But the chestnut mare isn't doing any better, she's slightly worse than anything. She still refuses to drink.'

Jessie nodded, looking at the mare. 'I'll see what I can do with her. Cindy, can you go boil the kettle please? I'll melt some honey and molasses and add it to her water.'

'Sure.'

Amy grabbed a brush, glancing up as Caleb walked in. 'You know, it's weird. This is a warmblood.'

'So?' He shrugged.

'I don't know.' She looked at the horse thoughtfully. 'I think I've treated this horse before or something.'

'That's impossible.'

'Why's that?'

'Because there's no way a horse you treated would end up on a meat truck.'

'I hope you're right.' She sighed then started brushing the horse's forehead. A white marking of a perfect S appeared from under the dust. 'Apollo?'

Jessie glanced over. 'Who?'

'This is Ashley's horse.' She looked at Caleb then put the brush down and grabbed out her phone. 'I'm going to ring Ashley. Caleb, can you go check the other horses have water?'

He shrugged. 'I guess.'

'Thanks.'

Jessie glanced over at them as they left then walked into the stall, patting the mare's neck gently. She frowned, trying to add up what Amy had found. What was the story there?

'Here's the water.' Cindy exclaimed, carrying it into the barn. 'Where do you want it?'

'Just pop it down there.' She motioned at the bench where they prepared the horses feed and grabbed the bucket. Carefully she measured out equal amounts of honey and molasses and added a little salt then poured the hot water in to mix it together and stirred it up.

'Why are you doing this?'

'Hopefully if the mare can smell the molasses she'll want to drink. The honey and salt also help replenish electrolytes. I used this recipe on Cherry when she had burns.' She fell silent for a moment, adding a little more hot water to the mixture. 'It worked for her. Now we just fill it up and hope she'll drink.'

Cindy nodded, following her to the tap and turned it on for her. 'I hope there's something that can be done for these guys. They're really nice horses.'

'Yeah. That's enough now, you can turn it off.' The other girl turned the tap off and she carried the bucket back into the barn. 'Hey girl, I've got you something.' She exclaimed, walking back into the stall. The mare sniffed at the water then turned her head again and she sighed. 'Come on, you have to drink.' She placed her fingers in the water then onto the mares lips. The mare sniffed then licked the drops away. 'Good girl. Now take a drink from the bucket. It tastes nice, doesn't it?'

'Your a miracle worker Jessie.' Cindy exclaimed as the mare started to drink. 'How'd you learn all this stuff?'

'Lillian taught me, the rest I learnt from experience and plan ol' common sense.' She rubbed the mares neck as she drank then took the bucket away. 'That's enough for now, you can have more a little later.' She placed it out of reach outside the stall then looked back at the mare. 'She could do with a good brush. Want to help Cinds?'

'Sure.' She grabbed a couple brushes lying on a hay bale then joined her in the stall. 'What breed do you think she is?'

'Hard to tell under all the muck. She's a hot blood of some description.' She glanced at Cindy. 'You know how to check for dehydration in a horse?' The girl shook her head. 'Alright, come here. I'll show you.' Cindy joined her at the mares head and she lifted the mares upper lip and pressed on her gum. 'In a hydrated horse the colour goes pink straight away.'

'It's still not pink.'

'That means she's really dehydrated.' She let the horse have her head, rubbing her neck. 'We need to get a lot more water into her.'

'What were those black dots under her lip?'

'Black dots? I didn't notice.' She lifted the mare's lip again. 'Ah, she's got a tattoo. Take a photo Cindy.'

Cindy nodded, taking a photo on her phone. 'What does that mean?'

'She's a thoroughbred and she's been on the track.' She looked at the mare's teeth for a moment then let her go. 'And she's no spring chicken either. She's probably over fifteen, close to twenty my guess is.'

'Poor girl, being on the race track then ending up like this.'

'It's just the way it is.' She sighed, scratching behind the mares ear. 'Unfortunately.'

'Lisa looks after her horses.'

'Not every racehorse owner or breeder is like Lisa. Some of them are right down despicable.' She grabbed a brush, starting on the mares forehead. 'Why don't you clean her shoulder Cindy, we'll try and see if she's got a brand. We might be able to see what her history is, her breeding and such.'

'Alright.' She started brushing the dried dirt away, revealing a freeze brand. 'Looks like it's a forty-four over a three. What does that mean?'

'That she was the forty-fourth foal to be born in that year and since she's too old to be a two thousand and three foal she was born nineteen ninety three.'

'Your guess was pretty close then.'

'It was.' She chuckled.'Take a photo of the brand, we'll jump on the computer shortly and look her up.'

'Okie dokie.'

'You have quite a nice blaze under all that grime.' Jessie commented a little while later after she'd cleaned her face off. 'Your coming up quite nicely.'

'Ugh, my arms are killing me.' Cindy groaned, almost scrubbing the dried sweat out of the mares coat. 'Can we have a break?'

'Alright. Let's go hop on the computer and see what we can find.' She placed her brush down, heading out of the stall and closed the door after Cindy then went to the office. ' You got those photos?'

'Right here.' She grabbed them up as Jessie started an internet search, handing her the phone. 'I wonder what her name is.'

'We'll find out in a minute.' She punched the brand into the search but it came up empty and she grabbed up the thoroughbred registry. The page started loading and she double checked the numbers of the tatto again. 'This looks promising.'

'Bingo.' Cindy exclaimed as it brought up a photo of a gorgeous mare. 'Wow, she was something.'

'Crystal Sunshine.' She read out slowly, trying to figure out where she'd heard that name before. Crystal Sunshine. She put it into the search bar of another page, more photos coming up. She frowned, one looked familiar and she clicked on it to make it bigger. She gasped. 'I don't believe it.'

'What?'

'That mare out there-' She turned to her. 'That's Crystal Sunshine.' Cindy shrugged, her face etched in a look of confusion. 'That's Lisa's racehorse and that horse is Warrior's dam.'

A good brush later and the horse Jessie recognized as Warrior's dam emerged from under the dirt and grime. She was thin, covered in scars from running with the wild horses but she knew it was her. She'd seen this mare run with Cherry, when Cherry had run with the wildies she used to stick to her side like glue. That blaze, she knew it anywhere. She sighed, running a hand down the mare's neck. 'I'm sorry about your friend girl, there was nothing we could do for her.'

'Should we try and give her some more water?' Cindy asked, placing her brush down now that the horse had been groomed.

'Yeah, we can try.' She nodded and the girl handed her the bucket. She offered it to the mare, the mare sniffing at it for a moment then gingerly began to take a drink. 'Good girl.' She patted her shoulder as the mare slowly drank. 'This will make you feel better.' She glanced over at Ashley with Apollo, the other girl had arrived about an hour ago, just standing with her horse. She felt sorry for her, she obviously loved her horse. She could understand that, she knew how she felt. The chestnut sniffed at the bucket and brought her back to reality and she smiled seeing that she'd finished the rest of the water. 'There's a good girl.'

'I think she wants more.' Cindy chuckled. 'I'll go boil up some more water.'

'Thank you.' She turned back to the mare, patting her neck thoughtfully. The mare was destined for the slaughterhouse, what was she going to do? Even though she wasn't Cherry, something inside her was stirring. A connection to her. And also she was Lisa's horse. She sighed, resting her head against the mare's neck. One problem to be taken care of at a time. Firstly, the mare needed to get better. The others could sort the rest out. 'You're going to feel better soon, I promise.' The mare flinched at her touch and she pulled back, reminding herself that the mare had been running wild for quite some time. 'Sorry girl, I forgot you wouldn't be used to this.'

'Amy?'

She glanced around as Lou walked into the barn, the mare flinching at the noise. It was something she guessed at least, the mare starting to react to her surroundings. She could see she'd started to improve just slightly, now the mare was getting quite nervous and anxious. Who could blame her? 'Hey, hey, it's okay. You're okay.'

'Amy?' Lou called again then saw Ashley standing in one of the stalls with one of the horses. 'What are you doing here?'

Ashley looked up. 'Amy didn't tell you?'

'Tell me what?'

'It's Apollo.'

'Oh my god.' She walked closer to her, looking closely at the horse. It was Apollo. 'Poor boy.'

''You'll help him right?' She asked, her voice shaking. 'That's what you do here at Heartland. You save horses.'

'I'm gonna call your mom.'

'No!' She exclaimed sternly, Apollo tossing his head back. 'You can't do that. She's the one that sold Apollo. Please, don't let him go to the slaughterhouse. Please.'

Lou sighed, giving the gelding a pat. 'I'll see what I can do.' She turned around, heading over to Jessie. 'How's this one doing?'

'Alright.' She could see the fear in the mare's eye as Lou came closer. 'Don't come closer Lou, now that she's starting to feel a little better she's getting nervous. Can't say I blame her either, she's been through one hell of a lot.' She began massaging the mare's neck, the mare slightly relaxing under her fingers. 'She's been running wild a long time, she's going to be quite anxious.'

Lou frowned. 'You know this horse?'

'It's Warrior's dam.' She nodded. 'She used to run with Cherry. My guess is they were caught together and sold as being mustangs. This one is a thoroughbred though.' She gave the horse another pat then walked away, leaning on the stall door to talk to her. 'Lou, I have the money to buy her if you can deal with the dealer. I've got the money from the barrel racing. Surely that would be enough.'

'You sure? If she's been running with wild horses she's going to be almost untouchable as soon as she is stronger.'

'I know what I'm getting myself into. I can handle her, I know what to do.'

'I'll talk to Jack-'

'I'll talk to him.' She interrupted. 'But please, find out if you can do anything. I don't want this girl to go to the slaughterhouse.'

'I'll try.'

'Thank you Lou.'

'Here's the water.' Cindy exclaimed as she walked back in, placing the jug on the bench again. 'You want me to mix it up?'

'I'll come do it.' She opened the stall door, Lou heading back out of the barn then glanced back at the mare. 'I don't want you going back in the stall with her Cindy, she's starting to get a little nervous.'

'What do you mean? She was fine when we were brushing her.'

'Well she's been running with the wild horses for a long time and I can see that she's starting to get nervous now that she's starting to feel a little better.' Jessie began to measure out the molasses and honey, mixing it up with the water. 'Once she starts improving more she might have the energy to muck up and you might get hurt. I just don't want you to get hurt.'

'Okay.' She sighed. 'I can still help with her though, can't I?'

'I'll let you help as much as I can, I promise.' The mare raised her head as she walked back to the stall, offering her the bucket again. 'There you go.'

'How's she doing?'

'Hey Scott.' The horse tossed her head again, her eyes wide as the vet walked close. 'She's been drinking but she's starting to get really nervous now.'

'She's looking better.' He exclaimed, looking her over. 'How much water has she had?'

'A couple of buckets now. I've been sweetening it with honey and molasses and adding a little salt.'

'Good.'

'I really think we should take her off the drip now though, I don't want her getting spooked and pulling it out.'

'If she's happy to drink we'll definitely take it out now.' He opened the stall, the girl speaking to her softly as he started to unwrap the bandage and take it out. The mare flinched a little as he pulled the needle out, trying to shy away from him but the girl quickly soothed her down. 'There you go.' He handed the almost empty drip bottle over to Cindy and looked to Jessie as he patted her neck. 'You will need to keep a close eye on her though, keep giving her water and start giving her a little bran mash.'

'Don't worry, I'll be watching her like a hawk. I'll add some herbs to her feed to try and help her calm down as well.'

'Good idea. She could do with a good feed.'

'Yeah, she's had a rough time.' She sighed, rubbing her neck again. 'We did a brand and tattoo search on her Scott, she's been a race horse. She's Warrior's dam I'm pretty certain, she ran with the wildies for a long time, she was Cherry's friend.'

He nodded. 'I thought she was a thoroughbred, I was going to look up her brands myself to double check but I had a pretty busy day at the clinic.'

'It's fine. I think Lisa is going to be extremely surprised though. I'm not going to tell her about her yet but. I want her to look a bit better and we need to find out what's going to happen with her anyway. Lou's going to try and figure something out. Do you think she's going to be okay?'

'Give her a few days and she'll definitely be on the road to recovery as long as you keep and eye on her and keep getting water into her. In this heat it won't take long at all for her to have a relapse and if she were to get much weaker than she was she wouldn't have much of a chance.'

'I'll definitely be giving her my attention. Thank you for checking her over again Scott.'

'No problem. I'll come check on her again tomorrow.'

'Okay, I'll let you know if anything changes.' She turned back to the mare as he walked away, rubbing the mare's forehead. 'You'll feel better soon. I promise.'