Blue {Completed}

Chapter 18

"  And that's why I haven't my talked to you in a while. I was busy with my family and the new horses." Cody says while he holds my hand atop Moose. We are still walking on the trail and side by side.

" Yeah, I understand. I've been caught up in my own problems as well. What's up with your family, if I may ask?" He looks down at Moose's neck and pats him with his other hand.

" Oh yeah, it's fine. My dad lost his job and my grandpa passed a day ago. My mother was close to him, like, very close with her dad. And we just rescued a stallion and two mares. The stallion is a 10 year old liver chestnut paint, 4 year old red roan mare, and a 20 year old grey mare. The grey is the sassy one, she influenced the roan and now she has an attitude. The stallion is mild tempered, only spooks at whips, spurs and many other objects. We rescued them from a man who abused them. Got em' Thursday." We pull the horses to a stop and dismount. We tie them up to a small tree, Dancer rubs her head against the tree. Cody laughs and pats her neck.

" She's cute, isn't she?" He asks, smiling back at me. I nod.

" Yeah, she is." He takes my hand and we take a seat on a rock on the shoreline.

" It's funny how well behaved Moose is. Being a stallion and all, if Blue was let out into a mares pasture, hello new foal!" I joke, soon feeling a pang of guilt. I bury my face in Cody's chest and he chuckles.

" Yeah, and that is probably true!" He kisses my head and rests his chin on the top of my head. I let out a big sigh. I slowly pull away and look up at him, he smiles.

" I love you."

" I love you too!" I say back. My phone vibrated in my pocket and I check it. Sara just texted me?

" It's from Sara," I say out loud.

" She got first place! She's coming home in two days." His grin turns even bigger.

" That's great! By the way, do you want to visit Blue?" He asks. I don't know what it is, but an emotion takes over my whole body, controlling my words and actions.

" No! I can't see him, he probably hates me! And if I do, I will be in tears the whole time. You don't know how bad I feel." I angrily huff. I now realize what I said and how I said it. My eyes blur with tears.

" Oh my god. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean that." He pulls me into his chest with a tight bear hug.

" It's okay, I understand what your going through. Is it that time of the month coming up?" He looks at me with sarcasm in his words. I playfully slap his arm.

" No! I. Just. Feel.... I don't know!" I now break down in tears. He allows me to cry into his shirt, which may or may not be wet from my tears later. He pulls me away and looks me in the eyes with a wise look.

" I get it, okay? I once caused my dads horse, Rocky, to become lame. Long story though." I laugh but shake my head at the same time.

" Okay, I believe you. But why?!" I manage to say just before a laugh. He shrugs and I check the time.

" The clinic closes at 6:30 pm. It's 3:45. You wanna go?" I say, looking up at him. He nods and helps me up. We mount and make our way back to his place.
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I watch the sun go down as I walk out of Cody's barn. He looks at me and smiles.

" Let's take your truck!" I nod my head.

" But your driving!" I say as I race to the passenger seat. He chuckles and trots up to the drivers door and hops in. I buckle my seatbelt in and we drive up the bumpy driveway, turning left towards town.
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He shuts the truck off and looks at me, grabs my hand and smiles.

" Are you okay?" He politely asks.

" Y-yeah. I'm ready." I jump out of the truck and, anxiously, walk into the clinic. Cody opens the door for me and the heated air comes flowing into my face. It's early September and that reminds me, my birthday is on the 18th. I walk up to Stacy, the receptionist, and she greets me with a smile.

" Well look who it is, Hayley Barnes. Haven't seen you in a while, and that's a good thing! What can I do for you, sweetie?" Her dark brown eyes sparkling.

" Well, um... Can I see Blue? You know, that black stallion that came in with a bowed tendon?" Her smile slightly fades.

" Oh! Right, I'm so sorry dear. He is located next door in stall 18. Stay as long as you want." She hands me a very red apple from below her desk and asks for the next patient. Cody and I walk towards the stable next door and he loops an arm around me, revealing a tattoo on his forearm that I haven't seen before.

" Hey, what's that?" I ask, poking it.

" Oh, nothing really. Just a tattoo I got a year ago." I look at him.

" Can I see more of it? Wait, how did you get it?" He pulls up his sleeve and it shows a silver coloured horseshoe with the initials C.S.

" It's so cool! What does C.S stand for?" He shoves his sleeve back down and looks down at me.

" It is my sisters initials, she was a couple of years older than me. She worked with troubled horses and horses that were being sent to slaughter. This one bay stallion came from a very aggressive owner and Callie had high hopes to save him. But, one day while ground working him, he freaked and kicked her in the head and just trampled her. She died instantly though. That's what the horseshoe stands for, her love in horses." He blinks away a tear and I stop him just a few feet away from the stable doors.

" Cody, I'm so sorry!" I pull him into a tight hug and place a kiss on his cheek. I feel his smile take over his face and he hugs me even tighter.

" I'm so lucky to have found you. You are like the best day brightener ever!" I smile and kiss his cheek.

" You know, 'brightener' isn't a word." He shakes his head and tosses his hair out of his eye.

" You're too cute. Now, shall we?" He gestures towards the two, red stable doors.