Ride On

Chapter Three

Afterwards I made the climb up to my room, still confused and hopeful. But this time, I didn't spend all night shopping for wedding stuff. I sat back, relaxed, and fell asleep.

Wearing pajamas this time, too. I was proud of myself.

That day Paula was to arrive, just after noon. I fed the equines and lazily waited for her, sucking in the last beautiful moments of air conditioning before intense and scorching heat from the sun. Today I'd chosen to wear a loose tank top and some shorts, hoping that nobody would make fun of me for wearing boots with them. The guys would whistle at the sight of my legs; then Chris would get angry; and we'd have to team up to punch them all. I was basically praying that wouldn't happen.

Once I heard her car pull up, I gradually rose from my sprawled out position on the cool tile floor of the kitchen to go outside.

Not before applying some SPF 50, of course. What? I'm ginger. I burn easily.

I greeted Paula warmly, accepting her happy hug. She had her clip board ready, and that's when we started to take care of the herd.

This year they were due for their shots and dental work. It would be a challenge, I knew. I hadn't even lifted a finger and was already sweating in the 100 degree heat.

First I caught Taffy, with a nearly 7-month-old Dusty tagging along eagerly by her side. She was getting big. Her adult teeth were well on their way to settling down.

Momma Taffy received a teeth floating, and a prescription for a chiropractor. I knew something had been off with her lately; she'd seemed to have slipped a disk. Looks like she's retired until Brandon Hayes can come out. We hadn't seen him in a long while. I gave him a call as the other mares were looked at.

Most of the mares checked out fine. I hauled Spurs out with little trouble for once, though she really tried to reject the device to keep her mouth open. Tough started to spook at the sound of her teeth being filed; as did Pretty. Trigger was a peach, as usual.

There was one unusual thing about the visit, though. It had to do with Spurs. After she was done being angry and moody, and after she had her teeth floated, her stomach started to spasm. But then it stopped. Paula hadn't even noticed.

"Paula?" I asked cautiously as she started to write something down.

"Yeah, what?" She murmured, scribbling furiously. Spurs tossed her head, though I held her steady.

"Can you look at her belly?" I asked, wondering if it could have just been a one time thing. It looked like she ate a metal pole; and it chose that moment to shift its position and stick straight out. Until it disappeared.

Without looking up, she gave a curious, 'humph' and bit the tip of her pen. Turning to me, she gave me a strange look.

"You don't have a whole stallion, do you?" She asked. Odd. Why would we want to deal with that? Yes, mares are moody, but only when it's their time, usually. Any girl can relate.

"No...why?" I asked, confused. Spurs' belly did the thing again, causing Paula to place her hand on it. When she didn't get a satisfactory response from inside the mare, she put her ear next to her abdomen.

"This mare..." She tsk tsked. "How is that possible?"

I jumped, wondering if this was serious. "How is what possible?" I cried, causing Spurs to pin her ears. She added a foot stamp for emphasis.

"Listen, I don't know yet. I might be wrong. But I need to do an exam." She explained, opening her trunk. My jaw dropped. Seeing this, she told me in further detail, "I'm going to shove my hand up her butt and find the answer to my question." She informed me, putting on some gloves.