Here's the next chapter.
The next day Mallory got up at 6:30 out of habit and assuming no one would be up she went down stares. Only to find the day in full swing. Lou was sitting at the kitchen table looking at some papers, and Mr. Bartlett was making what looked like scrambled eggs, and bacon.
"Good morning Mallory," said Lou looking up from her paper work smiling as Mallory entered the kitchen.
"Good morning," Mallory replied quietly, standing awkwardly in the door way.
"Come sit down and have some breakfast," said Mr. Bartlett putting some eggs on a plate.
"Thank you," said Mallory when he put the plate in front of her.
"So, Mallory do you like horses?" asked Lou looking at her intently.
"Yeh, I use to ride sometimes on the weekends." Replied Mallory before taking a bite of eggs.
"Oh good," said Lou looking exited, "Maybe since school doesn't start for a while you might want to help out in the yard to give you something to do. But only if you want to." Lou added quickly at the end.
"Um, sure."
"You don't have to if you don't want to." Said Lou hurriedly.
"No I will, I don't mind."
"Oh good." Lou said giving her a friendly smile.
FH
Around 7:15 Mallory walked slowly into one of the barns to find Amy coming out of one for the horses stalls. "Hi."
"Hi," said Mallory.
"Would you like to watch a Join-up?" Asked Amy.
"Join-up," asked Mallory confused.
"It's one of the techniques we use her at Heartland to get a horse to trust us." Replied Amy.
"Ok," said Mallory genuinely curious to find out what Amy was talking about. She followed Amy into another barn.
"This is Sweetie her owners sent her here to be cured of a fear of being in a trailer. She'll go in but when the doors close she goes crazy."
Mallory thought for a minuet, "So you going to do a…"
"Join-up," supplied Amy.
"A join- up so she'll trust you enough to shut the doors?"
"Eventually yes." Said Amy happy to include the girl.
Mallory followed Amy to the ring and opened the gate for her and watched quietly.
Amy unclipped the lead rope and set her off around the ring at a trot. She made sure to keep herself square with the mare and her eyes on Sweetie's face. Amy continued to urge her on even when she slowed by swinging the coiled line. Gradually Sweeties inside ear stayed focused on Amy. Then a few circuits later her head lowered and she began to chew on air and slow down. Amy let her arms fall to her side and she turn sideways to the mare, lowered her eyes and waited. Instantly she heard hooves coming in her direction and before she knew it the mare nudged her shoulder. Amy turned and rubbed her for head then turned and walked a few feet off, Sweetie followed.
"That was amazing," said Mallory in complete amazement, "Where did you learn to do that?"
"Thank you and my mom taught me." Amy replied smiling. "You said yesterday you had ridden before but not much so how about after we finish with the girl I give you a lesson?"
"Um, sure." Replied Mallory noticing that Amy was making more of an effort to include her than she needed to. But then again she wasn't use to hanging out with people that much, she was always on her own.
A half an hour later Mallory was up on Jasmine in the ring trying her best to post in a trot.
"I guess you haven't ridden for awhile," said Amy as Mallory rode over to the fence.
"Even when I did I wasn't very good." Replied Mallory.
"That's Ok you can try again tomorrow."
FH
Later that night Mallory lay on her bed thinking about her day, she found herself warming up to Amy but no one else. But maybe it was because Amy didn't make a point to get her to talk like Lou did, she just ask for help with the horses and offered to helped her with her ridding. Maybe it was because she had lost her mother too, but so did Lou. Well what ever the reason she liked being around the horses especially Savanna.
Even though Savanna took no interest in her Mallory still liked her. Amy had told her that Savanna would be ridden in a western saddle because that's the way she was trained, and maybe she could ride her if she started to improve and become more interested in life.
I know choppy and boring owell its ten and I'm exausted.