I finished, and we put our dishes in the sink. Debbie followed me to the stables asking more questions about the horses and the boarders. She did seem knowledgeable, but I wanted to see her in action. I showed her the tack, feed room, and twelve stalls. When we came to my baby's stall, I introduced Debbie to Honey.
Honey was at the back of the stall and came to greet me when she heard us talking. She stuck her head out the stall door, and I gave her a carrot.
"Honey, this is Debbie, Debbie, meet Honey. She's my baby."
Debbie was wide-eyed, "She's gorgeous like her mama, Linda."
I blushed, "Flattery will get you nothing out here, sweetie. But, thank you."
I opened the lower half of the door so Debbie could start the bonding process with Honey. Honey is very gentle and loves females. They connected immediately, which was a good sign. I asked Debbie to saddle her up as I watched. I pointed out her blanket and saddle, then waited to see what would happen.
Debbie talked to Honey, calming her as she placed the blanket on her back, then the saddle. I knew Honey wouldn't protest; she loves to be ridden. Debbie did everything right, so we took Honey out so Debbie could ride. When we were out in one of the corral, Debbie adjusted the stirrups then I opened the gate to let them trot out to the pasture. Debbie mounted my baby, and they walked out as I watched.
I watched as Debbie got Honey up to a slight gallop, guiding and talking to her the whole time. I smiled, in part because I saw Debbie's boobs bouncing, and she was very good with Honey. After about ten minutes, they returned, and I had Debbie rub down and put Honey away. With Honey in her stall, I introduced Zeke, Abigail, Princess, and Goodie to Debbie. I told her about their quirks and showed her their tack. We talked, then fed, and treated the rest of my gang, then returned to the house. I suggested she wait until the following week to start since it was crazy here with all the wedding preparations. I had her sign a release form, as all my boarders do for the insurance company.
With business completed, we sat in the backyard and chatted. I found Debbie to be very articulate and sweet. She talked about her life in Oklahoma but not why she moved away. I didn't want to probe, so I didn't ask. She stayed for about three hours. I felt good about her showing up and working. We said our goodbyes, and off she drove with me crossing my fingers that her little car wouldn't break down anytime soon.
Friday was a blur; there must have been fifty people out here setting up chairs, tables, and bases for displays, a stage for the band, plugging in refrigerators and being in the way. At times I felt like a traffic cop and an air traffic controller directing people where to and where not to go. But everything was in place and ready for Cherise's big event on Saturday.
Saturday, the weather was perfect, everyone was happy, and the wedding and reception went off as planned. I was delighted and could finally take a break. In her wedding dress, Cherise looked amazing, and Susan stood out as her maid of honor. I noticed Susan attended alone but seemed happy, so I didn't ask about her love life. I asked her to have dinner with me next week, and she said she'd call. She'd been wanting to talk to me but was too busy. I asked if she were alright, and she smiled and told me she was okay. She wanted to talk about the ranch, not herself. We left it at that and enjoyed the remainder of the reception.
Monday, was insane again when all the suppliers came to retrieve their equipment. When they cleared out, I started walking the arena looking for anything that might hurt my horses. I planned on renting a metal detector, but first, I wanted to walk it all.
I was about halfway through when Debbie entered the arena, dressed to work and smiling. We greeted each other, and then she went to work the horses.
During my walk, I didn't find anything that would hurt my babies. I'd posted a flyer to inform my boarders to look around just to be safe. After that, I headed to the stables to check on Debbie. She was busy brushing down Princess, talking to her, and getting to know her little quirks. I stopped and watched as she slowly ran the brush down the mare's side, talking to her. I had no idea what she was saying, but if she were like me, they would be sweet words to keep the horse calm or complaints in a soothing tone to vent her frustrations with the world. I waited until she had finished saddling up my lovely quarter horse and was taking her out to run. I wanted to catch up with Debbie to see how things were going her first morning.
I walked with them out to the corral; Debbie was delighted to be working with horses again. Her car was giving her trouble, and she'd decided to sell it and get something more reliable despite going into debt. She wanted to be sure she could get here to work and not disappoint me. I almost offered to loan her the money, but I didn't know her well enough. I did offer the names of two mechanics I knew who would look at her car for her. I'd call them for her if she wanted and set something up, hopefully saving her some money.
She thanked me and said that would be nice. I let her and Princess into the pasture, watching her put the mare through her paces. Princess had been a cutting and reigning competitor a few years back, but her owner fell on hard times and had to sell her. I felt sorry for the girl and bought Princess, but I never used her as she was trained to be used. With Debbie guiding her, she seemed to enjoy working again. It made me smile as I turned and returned to the house to call my mechanic friends.
Before leaving, Debbie stopped by the house. I gave her the names and numbers of the two mechanics. They would both look at it and hopefully tell her the problem and how much to fix it. She was so grateful I got a friendly hug and a tease to compare boobs again. As much as I wanted to, I told her no thanks. I knew she was persistent from Saturday night; it was just a matter of time before I gave in. I didn't want to encourage her this soon. I wanted to see her character, and then maybe we could compare and much more.
Debbie showed up for the remainder of the week and was working out wonderfully. She'd made appointments with my friends, and like a diagnosis from a doctor, she wanted a second opinion, so she was seeing both of them. It was nice having her work the horses for me. I finished a couple of projects I'd been meaning to get to, plus I had some 'me' time to relax and unwind instead of working all day. If this worked out, I would be one happy lady.
Finally, a weekend of peace. No parties, weddings, or anything that needed my attention except my babies. After feeding, I let my gang out into the pasture to let them run and play. I loved watching them interact. While they were out, I cleaned the stalls and put fresh hay out for them. They seemed to be happier. Maybe time with Debbie helped their dispositions. They didn't seem to mind when I called them back to their stalls for the evening.
Monday reared its ugly head The feed store called, and my delivery was delayed a few days. Thankfully, I don't wait until I'm really low, so a few days didn't matter. It threw off my routine slightly, but I'd manage. The only complaint I got was from one of my boarders, Audrey Cunningham, or as I refer to her sometimes as, Audrey Cunt-and-a-half. She and her stepdaughter, Candace, board their two prima donna Westphalian mares. She ordered some particular riding tack and treats and were perturbed it would be late for her babies. I understood her frustration, but she could have ordered from a feed store herself, but that would mean she'd have to deal with flat landers.
I digress. Debbie showed up and was beaming. She took her car to both mechanics on Saturday for a diagnostic. They both found the problem and were close in price, so Dwayne, the second mechanic fixed it for her since she was already at his shop. She said it was a loose connection with some sensor, and being the smart girl she is, she was wearing a slightly revealing top, and with the men being my friends, she got low price fix along with some offers of maintenance at a discount. I shook my head and laughed when she told me all the details.
But the best thing was her car was fixed. I told her about the delivery, and she said she'd be here to help me put it away. I thanked her and then told her about Audrey's order. She'd met them the week before and thought they were lovely. Debbie also mentioned that Candace couldn't keep her eyes off her chest. I grinned and didn't say anything. Then we went about our daily chores.
When the order arrived two days later, Debbie helped me put it away. Candace was off from school and working her horse jumping; she was dressed in her English riding clothes when she walked over to us, asking about their order. I had it separated and ready to take to them when Debbie volunteered to help Candace take it to their Suburban. As Debbie followed Candace with the pallet of goodies, I stopped and watched. They were talking and giggling the entire time. I thought I saw Candace blush, but they were too far for me to be sure with my old tired eyes. I knew Candace was at least seventeen, so I let it go.
When Debbie returned with the empty pallet jack and pallet, she was smirking. I asked what was going on. She said she and Candace were talking horses and that she'd noticed Debbie on Princess doing cutting and reigning. She'd never done that, just jumping because her stepmother was into that. Candace asked Debbie if she could show her if it weren't a problem. Debbie told her she'd need something different to wear that's more comfortable. It made Candace giggle, but she said she had some grubby clothes, and they made a date.
Then Debbie asked if it was alright with me. I gave her a stern look and reminded her this was my place and my horses. She needed to ask me first. Then I smiled and said it was fine, but next time ask. She grinned, said she would, and winked when she mentioned that Candace sure was cute in her riding outfit.
I laughed, "You're asking for trouble going there, sweetie."