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Wisper page1
Chapter one
Sage Brush Stables
Emma Henderson sat deap in her saddle as the gelding pranced nearvously up the trail. “Woah boy, easy,” soothed Emma to Prince, the dark horse she was trying to exersize. He belonged to her best friend Alex. Who rarely got permision to ride the spirited gelding. She had named Prince. The late gelded horse often acted like a stallion would not let Emma ride him very long; he only had eyes for his owner. They had a bond that could never be broken. Alex loved her horse to death, and rode him with ease on the rare ocasions her grandmother aloud her to. Once a week, if she was lucky. After Alex’s parents died in an acident, Alex had been cared for by her grandmother. Alex loathed the old bitter woman for keeping her from her horse, but Emma suspected Rose just couldn’t bear to loose Alex after her daughter had left them. Even so, Prince was all Alex had left of her parents, and Emma thought it was cruel to keep her away. The only time Alex came for her beloved horse was on their moonlit rides through the night. Emma sighed. Clearly, Prince would not put up with her attempts to let him stretch his legs. He side stepped violently into the dried sage brush that lined the trail. Prince wanted his breakfast. Emma glanced at her watch quickly, not wanting to draw her attention away from the horse who was threating to let out a few disaproving bucks. “Oh, grandma’s going to kill me! You always make us late,” muttered Emma. She turned the protesting gelding towards home, and he happily obliged to walk home, ready for his breakfast. Emma hurried Prince along, only stoping near the top of the long drive over looking Sage Brush Stables, her home. Emma couldn’t help but stop and admire the purple sky turning red as the sun rose over the endless string of purple rockies as far as her eyes could see. She sighed. She couldn’t imagine a more beautiful sight than a New Mexico sun rise. She was at home here on top of a horse’s back. Emma snapped out of thought, remebering her own grandmother might not be so nice either if she was late with the feeds again. Emma nudged the restless gelding toward the track that led to the front barn.
* * *
Emma tiptoed past the tack room, hoping Sam Heart, her grandmother, was not in there as she usualy was, fixing herbs for the horses. “Emma! Late again! If you keep this up, I’m going to have to stop these morning jogs with Prince,” said a brisk vioce from behind the door. Emma winced, stopping in midstep. “But Grandma, he need the exercise, and you know I don’t have time during the day. I too busy with the others,” said Emma in weak protest. She knew she sounded like a whining little girl. Sam would win this one, so Emma shut her mouth and stared stubbornly at her grandmother, who slid out the door, hands on her hips. Sam was a small woman, about five feet tall, with fair skin and long silver hair that hung in a long briad down her back. She wore black jods and padock boots along with her battered black sweater spotted with horse hair of all colors. She was a woman who always meant buisness. Now was no exeption. “Dear, I know, but
Wisper page 2
I’m not as young as I used to be. I need your help.” Sam was right. The old woman looked frail to Emma, with a slight limp when she walked from years in the saddle. Emma often worried it was time for her to retire. “Okay, I’ll see what I can do. Maybe join-up would help him bond with me.” Emma sighed. She knew Alex wouldn’t like it one bit. Prince was special to her; she didn’t want him to bond with anyone else. Emma could understand. She loved being Cherry Blossom’s one and only. “Oh, and Emma, try a different bit. He doesn’t like the trainig bit; it’s too harsh.” Emma nodded as she walked off. How could she know that? wondered Emma. The old woman was always strange. Emma was by now used to it, didn’t give it much thought as she scooped grain into buckets for the morning feed. she was more concerned about the empty stalls she passed on the way to Candies stall.There where 15 stalls, but Emma only had three buckets to fill.She shook her head. Things had been too quite lately. Emma missed the rescue horses that used to fill the barn with the sweet nickers that echoed through the barn demanding their breakfast. Emma suspected the Sam didn’t have the energy to take rescues on anymore. But Emma couldn’t quite believe it grandmas whole life had been here and so had her own sage brush was a rescue center abused horses.Sam hadn’t taken the old trailer to the auction house in years it seemed. Emma pushed the thought out of her mind which tended to wander all over the place when she wasn’t keeping it in check. She picked up the buckets and headed for the front barn. besides she thought candy is still here gandma still treats rescues Emma desperately hoped that reasureing voice in her head was right.
Emma was surprised when a welcome nicker came from the front stall and a creamy head peaked out at the sound of her footsteps on the old wooden floor of the aisle. Candy was rescued from a meat sale near mexico where her truck had been rescheduled to go after the law was passed to end horse slaghter in America the man who was driving accepted a handsome amount for her and the others on the horrible cattle trailer with no food or water. Emma shiverd at the memory that was the last time sage brush stables had helped horses in need. Out of the 20 amaciated abused horses only 13 had lived to be helped and shown a better way of life , and out of those fifteen Candy was the only one who had not been rehomed yet. “you’re the tuff one haw?” Emma said as she gave the mare a gentle pat ruffling her creamy forlock. “I guess you wouldn’t be alive other wise” Emma said out loud but not meaning to. Emma scolded herself silently it’s like a desiese she thought everything she thought just came out. “why can’t I just stop talking so much?” Emma knew the mare wouldn’t answer but it was the first time she had shown true afection towards people in a long time. When she had first come she had been trampled by the other horses in the over cramped trailer .
